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Speaker 1: Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from

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Voice the Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham. If

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you have a comment, email it to me Box thirteen

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at Great Detectives dot net. Follow us on Twitter at

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Radio Detectives, and check us out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com,

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slash Great Detectives. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow

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us use in your favor podcast software. Well, welcome to

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our first ever Chief of Detective special, which is brought

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to you by our Chief of Detectives Patreon Fats. As

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one of our Chief of Detective Patreons, he has the

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right to request that we play a non detective special now.

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I will admit I set up my Patreon more than

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nine years ago, and this is one of those benefits

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that no one has taken advantage of before, but we're

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so happy to do it, particularly this episode. It's a

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really good one. It's a classic episode of Escape. The

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original air date is August the second, nineteen fifty three,

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and the title is The Red Forest, starring the Great

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William Conrad.

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Speaker 2: Tired of the every day and have a dream of

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a life of romantic adventure.

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Speaker 3: Want to get away from it all.

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Speaker 4: We offer you.

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Speaker 5: Escape, Escape designed to free you from the four walls

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of today, for a half hour of high adventure.

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Speaker 2: You are alone in a giant forest seeking a way

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of escape, while around you gaining with your every step,

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the relentless enemy, which is fire, is closing in from

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every side until there will be only one way out,

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and that way is death.

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Speaker 5: So listen now as Escape brings you Anthony Ellis's exciting

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story The Red Forest, the trail that.

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Speaker 2: Led from a lumbered town along a washboard road and

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into the forests. I'm no woodsman, but in the daylight

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I found the place, and then I started back to

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the car. But something was different, maybe the tall shadows.

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There wasn't a trail anymore, only streams where there hadn't

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been before, trees that were the same but weren't, and

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sounds sounds that when you were a kid on a

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hike with fun and now they schedule. I'd thrown my

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last cigarette away three four hours before, and.

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Speaker 6: That's when the fire had started, and it was.

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Speaker 4: Then that I started to run run.

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Speaker 2: It was nearly dark when I found the road. I'd

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come to it about a half a mile below where

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i'd park my car, A half hour later, on the

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outskirts of a little town, my headlights picked up a

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girl standing by the side of the road. She carried

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a cheap paper suit case and she was summing a ride.

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Speaker 7: Can I get a ride? Mister?

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Speaker 4: Sure? Put your case in the back.

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Speaker 7: Not many cars on the road, didn't.

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Speaker 4: I been walking long uh.

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Speaker 8: Huh on my way to Missoula. My last ride dropped

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me a mile or so back.

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Speaker 7: Yeah, you live around here. No, I don't guess you'd

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be going as far as Missula. Sure, jeeve, that's swell.

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Speaker 8: I got a job there starting tomorrow. Kind of broke,

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if you know what I mean. Buses cost money.

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Speaker 4: I know what you mean.

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Speaker 7: Hey, your face, you've been hurt. You're all scratched up.

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Speaker 4: Oh, I was hunting.

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Speaker 2: I got lost just the other side of town. If

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you want to take a nap.

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Speaker 4: It's okay. We got about one hundred.

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Speaker 6: Miles to go.

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Speaker 7: Thanks. Gee.

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Speaker 8: It's nice out here, kind of lonely. How much of

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a road smells good? Wonder what that is over there?

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Speaker 6: What?

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Speaker 7: Well? Right like?

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Speaker 8: See? Could almost be Seattle from a long ways off.

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I had a boyfriend used to take me driving at night,

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and when we came back you could see a glow

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just like.

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Speaker 5: Oh oh, I.

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Speaker 6: Knew what it was, that blow in the sky.

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Speaker 2: It was on our right, and there's the road twisted

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through the trees that fell behind us, and then to

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our left, and then circled until it was straight ahead again.

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The girl had fallen asleep very quickly. I saw our

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face in the light from the dash, thin, pretty and peaceful.

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It was about fifteen minutes after I'd picked her up

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that I saw the lights on the road, and then

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closer the figures waving.

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Speaker 7: Are there all ready? I just got sleep.

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Speaker 2: No, there's something wrong. There's a cop coming this way.

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Speaker 4: What's the trouble?

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Speaker 9: We want you, mister? Wait, you want me fire bad one.

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We gotta have every man we can find. We can

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use her too.

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Speaker 2: Oh well, well look i'd like to ohoh, okay.

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Speaker 9: Rose the forest ranger.

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Speaker 4: He'll explain.

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Speaker 2: Look, I'm sorry, but I'm on my way to massoula night.

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Speaker 10: You're not I've got authority to do this, mister. I'm sorry,

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but we need you and I haven't got You couldn't

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get much farther anywhere.

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Speaker 4: The road's cut off.

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Speaker 10: The mountain's gone up like a torch. If it spreads.

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There's three towns gonna go too. Come on, I got

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some clothes and boots for you.

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Speaker 7: Hey, what about me? I gotta get to Missoula. I

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got a job in the morning.

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Speaker 9: Sorry, sister, you got a job serving coffee here.

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Speaker 10: You cop five dollars a day, a day or longer

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it depends. Let's go.

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Speaker 2: There was nothing else to do, so I got into

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the clothes the ranger gave me, then stood around and waited.

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I wasn't tired anymore, just scared, scared of going into

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that forest again.

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Speaker 4: The wind came up.

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Speaker 2: A bit, and with it the smell, smell of burning,

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smell of death.

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Speaker 4: A long way off, but closer than the glow had been.

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Speaker 2: We could see flickering against the sky, and it was

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in a lot of places. And then suddenly it was

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too warm and too quiet.

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Speaker 10: All right, you guys, the telephones burned out, made contact

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with a short wave, said you, mister, what's your name?

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Speaker 4: Pindel?

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Speaker 10: Pindell? Never use one of these.

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Speaker 2: Got a walkie talkie? Yeah, sure, I was in the

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signal court.

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Speaker 10: Okay, you will carry it now.

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Speaker 3: Listen.

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Speaker 10: This is bad, it's real bad. The fires got behind us.

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We can't get any more in through here for several hours.

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They've got to come around from the other side. That's

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thirty miles. Let's get out, Crowbar. Yeah, I'm putting you

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in charge. You know what to do. Get in as

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close as you can of the river and set a backfire. Sure,

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I got to stick here with the transmitter. I'll let

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you know what's happening.

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Speaker 9: Sure you stay here with the pretty girl. We go

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and get fired.

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Speaker 10: Shut up, Hanson, you'll have to go with them. Threes

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not enough.

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Speaker 9: Sure, Well, the CoP's gonna do something.

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Speaker 10: You better take along some food and canteens. Now, step

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on it.

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Speaker 7: Hi, got a couple of sandwiches I made up here.

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Speaker 4: Thanks.

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Speaker 7: It's sure's something, isn't there?

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Speaker 4: Yeah?

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Speaker 7: You scared?

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Speaker 4: Scared?

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Speaker 7: Why your face is why you're scared.

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Speaker 6: I'm from the city.

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Speaker 7: I know what you mean. Those trees give me the

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willies too, dark.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, sure, that's it.

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Speaker 7: You'll be all right.

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Speaker 2: Listen, kid, if if anything happens, you take my car.

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Speaker 6: Here, Here are the keys.

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Speaker 7: What do you mean?

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Speaker 4: Well?

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Speaker 2: If I don't come back, ah, keep the car.

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Speaker 6: Here's the registration.

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Speaker 11: You kidding?

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Speaker 7: You're coming back?

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Speaker 4: Yeah?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, so long.

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Speaker 7: Hey, my name's Jan.

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Speaker 4: What's yours, Wally.

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Speaker 7: You'll be careful, Wally.

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Speaker 2: We went under the forest, men with spades, men against

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fire and terror. There was the man they called fat,

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three hundred pounds of ungainly body, topped by a tiny

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and almost disgustingly childlike face.

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Speaker 4: There was Crowbar, a big dark.

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Speaker 2: Man, quiet and filled with the knowledge of the woods.

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Handsome the state trooper, thin and wiry, his natty khaki

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shirt stained with.

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Speaker 6: Sweat and dirt.

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Speaker 4: And me.

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Speaker 2: We've gone about a mile when we first heard it.

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It came in gusts with a wind high above us.

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Speaker 9: Wait a minute, Oh.

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Speaker 10: Shut up, about three miles I figures coming fast.

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Speaker 9: We're about that far from the river, aren't we. Yeah, yeah,

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listen you guys.

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Speaker 12: If it's crossed the river with some plit's.

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Speaker 10: Get yeah, get wrong.

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Speaker 9: Tell them it's coming this way pretty fast.

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Speaker 12: Looks far up there, look to parks.

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Speaker 2: Fire, dull calling row, and dull calling roll over. Roll,

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This is roll over. We're still about three miles from

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the river.

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Speaker 6: We can hear it over.

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Speaker 10: You can't backfire. Now the wind's change.

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Speaker 4: You better come back over, right, he says, go back.

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Speaker 9: That's okay with me. Boy, Come on, listen to that.

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Speaker 2: I wanted to run again, that same feeling i'd known before,

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the fear all around us, closing in and down. There

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was no sky above, only blackness tinged with red, pressing

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and behind the living forest running over, ticking, and passing us.

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When we reached the road again, the sound was steady,

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but I had a strange feeling of relief. When I

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saw the forest ranger and the girl jan it was

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like coming home. I think it was then that I

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stopped being afraid.

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Speaker 9: Come on, row, we can't do no good now.

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Speaker 10: We got to try and join up at the others.

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What do you mean The fire's on three sides of us.

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That means we head southeast.

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Speaker 4: Oh, can we take the road back?

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Speaker 10: No, it's cut off. There's two hundred men trying to

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give a path open for us. We've got to make

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five miles and in a hurry.

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Speaker 4: Bad as that.

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Speaker 10: It's worse if we don't get there in time and

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they can't make a fire break, we're going to be

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smack in the middle and there's not going to be

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any way out.

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Speaker 5: We will return to escape in just a moment. Lightning

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may strike more than once in the same place, but

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it can't begin to compete with man when it comes

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to starting forest fires. For one fire caused by light,

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supposedly rational humans caused nine by trifling carelessness with matches,

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cigarettes and bonfires. We need our forests for timber, to

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conserve our water supply, to add beauty to our lives.

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Let's not burn them up. And now back to escape.

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Speaker 2: We didn't carry anything but canteens. It was hot, and

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because it was hot at major thirsty even when you

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didn't need water. The going was rough and we could

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only head on what we thought was the general direction

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of safety. It was at the ridge that we lost

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the first man.

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Speaker 10: Wind's changing again, crowbar which way? You can't tell? It's

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haywire with this fire?

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Speaker 4: Do we go straight ahead?

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Speaker 10: Might as well wait a minute?

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Speaker 4: See that ridge?

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Speaker 10: Yeah, I'm going up there.

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Speaker 9: Shouldn't take more than ten minutes. I'll be able to

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get a better look. Give me the flash. I'll signal

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to you.

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Speaker 4: I don't know.

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Speaker 9: I haven't got much of a start. With fires behind

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us a lot faster better than walking toward it. Remember

242
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it's on three sides.

243
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Speaker 10: Okay, make it fast.

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Speaker 9: Good luck?

245
00:15:14,879 --> 00:15:15,200
Speaker 10: Thanks?

246
00:15:16,679 --> 00:15:18,120
Speaker 4: What do way do? Just certain way?

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Speaker 10: That's right?

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00:15:19,039 --> 00:15:21,519
Speaker 9: But listen you're the range of white. You go what

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you send Koba.

250
00:15:22,679 --> 00:15:25,120
Speaker 10: He's fought fires before, he knows he's a better man

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00:15:25,159 --> 00:15:26,519
to climb up there. He's faster than me.

252
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Speaker 9: Yeah, I'll bet.

253
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Speaker 2: Oh you okay, kid.

254
00:15:31,919 --> 00:15:35,960
Speaker 8: Surely it's fine. I guess they're not used to walking nowadays.

255
00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:37,919
High heels don't help.

256
00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:39,320
Speaker 3: Ow you take it easy.

257
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Speaker 8: My feet feel like they did once in a dance.

258
00:15:41,799 --> 00:15:45,080
I went to some big lunk climbed all over me.

259
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Speaker 2: I guess you want have that chop in Missoula.

260
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Speaker 7: If I get out of this, that's all I care about.

261
00:15:55,799 --> 00:15:56,679
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's tough.

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Speaker 7: Hey, Wally scared? Give him a hand, will you?

263
00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:08,519
Speaker 2: She held on tight to my hand. It wasn't the

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00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:09,799
darkness that frightened her.

265
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Speaker 6: Now.

266
00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:15,600
Speaker 2: That wasn't darkness anymore, but a yellowish red light that

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00:16:15,639 --> 00:16:19,759
came from everywhere. It was another kind of fear, fear

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of something you could see here, and with every minute

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feel more and more.

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Speaker 6: We waited there.

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Speaker 2: Ten minutes, eleven twelve, and.

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00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:39,840
Speaker 4: Then do you hear something?

273
00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:44,480
Speaker 10: Yeah, seemed to come from over there, from the ridge.

274
00:16:44,519 --> 00:16:49,720
Speaker 9: Maybe maybe listen, you think something got crowbar lying or something.

275
00:16:49,919 --> 00:16:52,080
Speaker 4: I'll go up. No, what do you mean?

276
00:16:52,159 --> 00:16:52,240
Speaker 1: No?

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Speaker 10: No time. We waited too long.

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Speaker 4: When he may be hurt.

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Speaker 10: I know that, but it'll take you longer than it

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00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:58,440
took Crowbar to get there. Come on, no, you.

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Speaker 9: Couldn't find him in the dark. Says he's hurt. Anyway,

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00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:02,200
we'll move on. He'll catch up.

283
00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:04,480
Speaker 2: I say, we go after it, all right, put it

284
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to a boat.

285
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Speaker 10: Hurry up, Hanson, We go on.

286
00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:07,880
Speaker 9: Let's get out of here, and.

287
00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:10,880
Speaker 10: I say, go on. That leaves you, miss, I'm staying

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00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:11,400
with Wally.

289
00:17:13,559 --> 00:17:25,039
Speaker 2: All right, we'll go with you. We never saw prow

290
00:17:25,119 --> 00:17:29,359
Bar again. Maybe a lion got him, maybe it got lost.

291
00:17:30,559 --> 00:17:41,799
We never saw him again. The ranger went ahead, finding

292
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trails somehow keeping us moving. We began to climb, and

293
00:17:47,079 --> 00:17:50,440
after a while we were on another ridge and for

294
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the first time we could see the fire. It stretched

295
00:17:54,559 --> 00:17:57,640
out for miles, like a huge red sea.

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Speaker 4: Then it was all around us.

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00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:05,160
Speaker 7: Oh gee, Wally.

298
00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:10,759
Speaker 2: Yeah, I know, kid, I know, well, it hurt much.

299
00:18:12,519 --> 00:18:12,960
Speaker 3: I don't know.

300
00:18:13,279 --> 00:18:16,240
Speaker 10: Take him breather. I'm gonna try the walkie talkie again.

301
00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:19,160
Speaker 7: He's not scared, is he?

302
00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:20,400
Speaker 3: I guess not.

303
00:18:21,799 --> 00:18:25,319
Speaker 7: Is that because he's a ranger, because he's very brave.

304
00:18:27,079 --> 00:18:30,079
Speaker 6: Jan, you're a funny girl.

305
00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:31,799
Speaker 8: No, I'm not.

306
00:18:33,559 --> 00:18:43,519
Speaker 2: Hey sure, why did you want me to do that?

307
00:18:44,559 --> 00:18:48,880
Speaker 7: I don't know. You're a nice fellow. We'll miss you.

308
00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:57,160
Speaker 2: Listen, Jane, I'm gonna tell you something. If we get out,

309
00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:05,640
well maybe yeah, look, I'm all right. I mean, maybe

310
00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:09,480
we could have fun together. I know, well, I did

311
00:19:09,519 --> 00:19:14,799
something wrong one time. I killed a man. Why he

312
00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:16,920
framed me. He got me put away for something I

313
00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:21,240
didn't do. We were driving in the east and ran

314
00:19:21,279 --> 00:19:21,920
over a woman.

315
00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:24,839
Speaker 6: He was at the wheel, but he ran off.

316
00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:25,200
Speaker 3: And left me.

317
00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:27,119
Speaker 7: Well, you didn't do it.

318
00:19:27,119 --> 00:19:29,200
Speaker 2: That's what I said. But I'd been drinking and went

319
00:19:29,279 --> 00:19:31,960
to sleep. When I woke up, I was behind the wheel.

320
00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:35,640
He'd put me there, and that's how the cops found me.

321
00:19:36,799 --> 00:19:37,759
Speaker 3: I got five years.

322
00:19:39,319 --> 00:19:46,880
Speaker 2: I was married, I lost my wife, my job, my friends,

323
00:19:47,799 --> 00:19:51,960
and I saw i'd get my pal and I did.

324
00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:54,079
He knew I was after him, and.

325
00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:56,720
Speaker 3: He ran but I caught up with him.

326
00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:00,000
Speaker 7: I don't care, don't you.

327
00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:02,960
Speaker 4: I don't know why I told you.

328
00:20:03,039 --> 00:20:08,960
Speaker 6: That meant maybe because if we do get out, I know, I.

329
00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:10,799
Speaker 7: Know it's okay.

330
00:20:12,039 --> 00:20:14,759
Speaker 9: I'm on bendel the rangers moving off.

331
00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:21,599
Speaker 2: It was the state trooper Handsome. I worried how much

332
00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:25,039
he'd heard, but there wasn't time to worry about it.

333
00:20:25,079 --> 00:20:28,319
Then Roe thought he'd seen a break in the fire,

334
00:20:28,359 --> 00:20:30,359
and we headed for it. And when we got down

335
00:20:30,359 --> 00:20:33,240
in the trees again, I began to get a feeling

336
00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:34,799
that had been there before.

337
00:20:35,599 --> 00:20:36,319
Speaker 4: It was nothing I.

338
00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:40,160
Speaker 2: Could recognize, but just a feeling. A couple of hundred

339
00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:43,799
yards along, I knew, why hold up.

340
00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:45,200
Speaker 10: There's a shack.

341
00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:48,640
Speaker 9: Looks like someone is living there. Better have a look.

342
00:20:48,839 --> 00:20:51,799
Speaker 10: Ye, doors open.

343
00:20:57,160 --> 00:20:58,920
Speaker 2: Hey, it's a man.

344
00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:07,039
Speaker 10: Give me a hand here. Sure he's been shot, Yeah.

345
00:21:06,759 --> 00:21:07,799
Speaker 9: A few hours ago.

346
00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:10,559
Speaker 10: From the looks of it, you think the man who

347
00:21:10,799 --> 00:21:12,039
did this might have started it?

348
00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:13,480
Speaker 4: Well, what do you mean?

349
00:21:13,599 --> 00:21:16,759
Speaker 10: The fire started a few miles north of here. We

350
00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:20,079
figured somebody got careless with a match. Maybe it was

351
00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:21,880
the killer running away.

352
00:21:22,559 --> 00:21:25,920
Speaker 9: I'd like to get the fellow who did that. Maybe

353
00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:27,240
I will me too.

354
00:21:28,799 --> 00:21:31,839
Speaker 10: Well, we can't do anything here. Come on.

355
00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:37,960
Speaker 2: From there on, nobody talked. It was hard enough to

356
00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:42,240
lift your feet. Chan was nearly through. I have carried

357
00:21:42,279 --> 00:21:45,119
a if Rowe knew where he was leading us.

358
00:21:45,119 --> 00:21:45,759
Speaker 4: He didn't say.

359
00:21:46,759 --> 00:21:49,960
Speaker 2: We followed, and knew that sooner or later we'd stop

360
00:21:50,079 --> 00:21:52,200
because we were too tired to go on?

361
00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:54,960
Speaker 6: Fat was the first.

362
00:21:58,480 --> 00:21:58,720
Speaker 9: Minute.

363
00:21:58,759 --> 00:22:03,400
Speaker 13: You've gotta go on there channel right, just for me?

364
00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:11,599
Speaker 12: Don't please want get up? I can't. Okay, you stay

365
00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:15,599
and come on to your can't.

366
00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:18,920
Speaker 10: I'm sorry, catch up to us.

367
00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:25,359
Speaker 4: Stay on the train, come on chanting. We have to.

368
00:22:26,799 --> 00:22:31,440
Speaker 12: Don't leave me. That's the word.

369
00:22:31,559 --> 00:22:32,559
Speaker 7: Can we help him?

370
00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:39,400
Speaker 12: We're almost tell ourselves.

371
00:22:46,799 --> 00:22:48,720
Speaker 2: I don't know whether it was because none of us

372
00:22:48,759 --> 00:22:51,200
lacked him, or because we knew that we couldn't do anything.

373
00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:54,279
Funny how you can lose a man and no, he's

374
00:22:54,319 --> 00:22:56,720
gonna die and you put him out of your mind.

375
00:22:57,759 --> 00:22:59,000
Speaker 4: Perhaps we wanted to.

376
00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:01,359
Speaker 2: Live so badly we good the fire would take time

377
00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:06,200
out from us to attend a fact. Handsome was next.

378
00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:09,640
Speaker 9: I'm finished.

379
00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:10,480
Speaker 10: Oh you're not.

380
00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:15,359
Speaker 6: We can don't get thrilled.

381
00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:18,839
Speaker 9: No, no, you go ahead, save the girl.

382
00:23:19,519 --> 00:23:20,319
Speaker 10: I'm sorry, Hanson.

383
00:23:20,519 --> 00:23:21,440
Speaker 4: We go on.

384
00:23:22,839 --> 00:23:27,799
Speaker 9: Maybe I can catch up, but I gotta rest. Yo, Wally,

385
00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:32,680
do me a favor. What I lost my gun somewhere?

386
00:23:33,319 --> 00:23:36,200
You know what I mean? It'll be quicker that way.

387
00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:38,440
You you got one?

388
00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:41,880
Speaker 4: Yeah?

389
00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:51,000
Speaker 9: Thanks one bullet fire. Eh, that's what I wanted to know. Okay, Pindell,

390
00:23:52,119 --> 00:23:54,200
I've got enough. Rest I can keep up with you.

391
00:23:54,279 --> 00:23:54,440
Speaker 8: Now.

392
00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:58,960
Speaker 9: I feel a little safer with this on me. All right,

393
00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:01,440
go ahead, I'll walk behind you.

394
00:24:08,559 --> 00:24:12,480
Speaker 2: He knew he knew what I'd done, but I didn't care.

395
00:24:12,559 --> 00:24:16,200
Now it wasn't important anymore. Right now, all I wanted

396
00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:22,920
to do was get the chain out of this. Was

397
00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:24,599
that he was behind us.

398
00:24:25,279 --> 00:24:28,279
Speaker 13: It sounded like handsome, come on, come on? But what

399
00:24:28,519 --> 00:24:32,880
that m He mustn't have fallen. There's no time we

400
00:24:33,039 --> 00:24:35,960
got to Oh he didn't help fat by him?

401
00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:41,440
Speaker 12: I shall know. Please, all right, all right, stay here,

402
00:24:45,079 --> 00:24:53,039
answer that, sir, but can't call me?

403
00:24:55,119 --> 00:25:09,240
Speaker 14: Yeah, okay, my way?

404
00:25:12,359 --> 00:25:13,119
Speaker 12: Can you get up?

405
00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:17,279
Speaker 9: It's broken?

406
00:25:17,319 --> 00:25:26,720
Speaker 4: I guess Handsome you know about me, don't you?

407
00:25:26,839 --> 00:25:30,640
Speaker 9: Yeah? Yeah, I know I heard you killing the girl.

408
00:25:32,039 --> 00:25:33,000
Speaker 4: She won't say anything.

409
00:25:33,359 --> 00:25:34,839
Speaker 9: No, I guess not.

410
00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:37,279
Speaker 4: The fellow had a common toy.

411
00:25:38,079 --> 00:25:38,680
Speaker 10: I wouldn't know.

412
00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:39,799
Speaker 4: I'm a cop.

413
00:25:41,559 --> 00:25:44,039
Speaker 9: Yeah, it's getting hot.

414
00:25:46,519 --> 00:25:47,880
Speaker 12: Put your arm over my shoulder?

415
00:25:48,039 --> 00:25:50,559
Speaker 15: Are you You can't get me up there?

416
00:25:50,839 --> 00:25:51,599
Speaker 12: But I can try.

417
00:25:52,839 --> 00:26:08,759
Speaker 15: Come on, m yeah, low good. We can't make it.

418
00:26:09,559 --> 00:26:10,200
Speaker 4: I'll get wrong.

419
00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:12,000
Speaker 12: I'll come back.

420
00:26:11,839 --> 00:26:16,200
Speaker 9: There, no time. Go on, we'll get out of here. Well, like,

421
00:26:16,359 --> 00:26:22,960
go on, I got your gun. Nobody you ever knows.

422
00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:25,680
I'm sorry, Like, get out of here.

423
00:26:34,279 --> 00:26:38,079
Speaker 2: Somehow I made it up the trail again. I thought

424
00:26:38,079 --> 00:26:41,599
I heard a shot, or maybe it was a burning

425
00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:46,160
tree going down. John was waiting for me. We caught

426
00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:49,359
up with Row and went on until the trees began

427
00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:52,039
to thin out, and we heard the shots of men.

428
00:26:53,359 --> 00:26:59,039
But I don't remember anything else because I.

429
00:26:57,799 --> 00:26:59,920
Speaker 4: Passed on for a long time.

430
00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:15,359
Speaker 2: When I woke up, Jan was sitting by my bed

431
00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:18,000
and it was cool again.

432
00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:23,519
Speaker 6: Hi, Jana, Jane? Did they get handso? Now?

433
00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:25,720
Speaker 7: No?

434
00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:31,519
Speaker 2: No, listen Jana, about what I told you back there?

435
00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:36,720
You know the man I killed, Well, I'm not sorry.

436
00:27:37,519 --> 00:27:42,000
I mean it was all right about him, but not handsome,

437
00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:43,240
crowbar and fat.

438
00:27:43,519 --> 00:27:44,440
Speaker 3: That was my fault.

439
00:27:44,519 --> 00:27:44,759
Speaker 8: You know.

440
00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:50,599
Speaker 3: Well, I want you to call the cops. Now, listen.

441
00:27:50,599 --> 00:27:52,920
Speaker 2: I've I've been dreaming about it. It's no good. I'd

442
00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:54,359
be a good kid and call the cops.

443
00:27:55,759 --> 00:27:57,039
Speaker 7: You're outside in the cord.

444
00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:00,839
Speaker 3: What do you mean for him?

445
00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:03,720
Speaker 7: You told what you did while you unconscious?

446
00:28:05,559 --> 00:28:06,160
Speaker 4: Hid?

447
00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:15,119
Speaker 3: Oh that's good, that's good.

448
00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:15,839
Speaker 6: I'm glad.

449
00:28:17,119 --> 00:28:18,599
Speaker 7: You want me to hang around.

450
00:28:20,519 --> 00:28:25,480
Speaker 3: Well, except to you, I guess I guess it is.

451
00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:27,799
Speaker 7: I'll hang around.

452
00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:44,920
Speaker 5: Escape has brought you The Red Forest, written and directed

453
00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:48,160
by Anthony Ellis, starring William Conrad as Wally and Georgia

454
00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:51,279
Ellis as Jan. Featured in the cast were Parley Bear,

455
00:28:51,519 --> 00:28:55,359
John Dayner, Jay Novello and Tom Tully. The special music

456
00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:58,559
for Escape was composed and conducted by Leith Stevens.

457
00:29:00,119 --> 00:29:08,200
Speaker 2: Next week, you are in a lighthouse off the steaming

458
00:29:08,319 --> 00:29:14,279
coast of French Guinea, while around you, frightful in its fury,

459
00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:19,759
a nightmare of terror and violence is closing in on you,

460
00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:25,000
a nightmare from which there is no.

461
00:29:26,599 --> 00:29:27,079
Speaker 3: Escape.

462
00:29:27,839 --> 00:29:31,640
Speaker 5: So listen next week when by popular request, Escape repeats

463
00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:35,279
one of its most unusual stories. Three Skeleton Key by

464
00:29:35,359 --> 00:29:52,519
George two doos. Those favorites of millions yours truly, Johnny

465
00:29:52,559 --> 00:29:55,839
Dollar and Mister and Missus North make for highly exciting listening,

466
00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:58,680
and as Johnny prowls the world for adventure and the

467
00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:02,119
Norths meet murder merrily. Now most of these same stations

468
00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:05,559
also bring you twenty first Precinct great stories based on

469
00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:09,200
the world's largest police department. Consider this an invitation to

470
00:30:09,279 --> 00:30:13,720
excitement and adventure. Tuesdays on CBS Radio. This is George

471
00:30:13,720 --> 00:30:26,000
Walsh speaking, and remember Jean Herschel stars as kindly Doctor

472
00:30:26,039 --> 00:30:30,279
Christian every Wednesday evening on the CBS Radio Network.

473
00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:27,960
Speaker 4: Welcome back.

474
00:31:28,799 --> 00:31:31,359
Speaker 1: As someone who has lived in the part of the

475
00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:35,599
country where this episode is set for nearly all my life,

476
00:31:35,799 --> 00:31:39,680
this was a fascinating story because I'm aware of the

477
00:31:39,720 --> 00:31:44,680
country where this story occurs. We've also had a very

478
00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:51,319
challenging wildfire season here as I'm recording this that's still ongoing.

479
00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:56,880
In fact, today I'm staying indoors as the air quality

480
00:31:57,519 --> 00:32:01,640
is really awful around here to fires that are some

481
00:32:01,880 --> 00:32:04,839
distance away. Now, I will say, in terms of the

482
00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:10,079
precise location, I've only taken the road between Idaho and

483
00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:13,119
Missoula a few times, and it's been quite a few

484
00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:16,559
years since I have. But when I was growing up,

485
00:32:16,759 --> 00:32:21,240
we often saw arrows pointing to Missoula, but opted four

486
00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:25,200
route that would take us further northwest to Libby or Kalispell.

487
00:32:25,839 --> 00:32:28,960
So this type of country that this is set in

488
00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:34,920
is definitely familiar for me. Wildfires are a regular part

489
00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:39,319
of life out here. It's just one of those things

490
00:32:39,359 --> 00:32:42,240
you deal with. If you live in the North East,

491
00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:46,799
it's the winters. If you live in Florida, it's the hurricanes.

492
00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:51,200
In my part of the country, the wild fires are

493
00:32:51,319 --> 00:32:55,680
recurring event tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of

494
00:32:55,720 --> 00:33:00,680
acres has far reaching effects, far beyond the actual zone

495
00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:05,240
of the fire. I remember trying to visit Glacier one

496
00:33:05,359 --> 00:33:09,839
last time before I left Montana, and even though the

497
00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:13,559
park was still open and not in the path of

498
00:33:13,599 --> 00:33:19,119
the fire, the smoke was so thick that breathing, let

499
00:33:19,119 --> 00:33:24,160
alone driving, was a real challenge there. Even though my

500
00:33:24,279 --> 00:33:28,119
current home in West Boise is far away from any

501
00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:31,880
fire lines, fires from the edge of the city or

502
00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:35,960
one hundreds of miles away affect our air quality. The

503
00:33:36,039 --> 00:33:41,960
Air Quality Index measures this with numbers corresponding to condition

504
00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:45,920
colors like green for good, yellow for moderate, orange for

505
00:33:46,079 --> 00:33:51,039
unhealthy for sensitive groups, and red for unhealthy. The red

506
00:33:51,119 --> 00:33:54,440
zone begins at one hundred and fifty, and we've had

507
00:33:54,559 --> 00:33:59,440
days where the AQI has gone over two hundred. On

508
00:33:59,559 --> 00:34:03,400
the day recording this, the AQI hit over one ninety.

509
00:34:04,039 --> 00:34:07,680
The smell can be overpowering. I found myself with an

510
00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:11,719
irritated throat after taking the trash bends to the curve.

511
00:34:12,079 --> 00:34:15,159
The temporary place where're at in the foothills is much

512
00:34:15,239 --> 00:34:20,280
closer to the fires, and so has even more quality issues.

513
00:34:20,599 --> 00:34:24,760
Although we're nowhere close to the flames, and hopefully we're

514
00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:27,719
getting towards the end of fire season so we'll get

515
00:34:27,800 --> 00:34:32,039
past this. It's difficult, as experiencing wildfires can be from

516
00:34:32,079 --> 00:34:36,079
a distance. This episode reminds us that's nothing compared to

517
00:34:36,159 --> 00:34:39,440
the whore of being trapped within the fire lines. Now,

518
00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:44,599
this is a very extreme fire. I've never heard of

519
00:34:44,679 --> 00:34:49,639
a motorist being conscripted to fight a fire, and I've

520
00:34:49,719 --> 00:34:53,400
lived in this part of the country merely my whole life,

521
00:34:53,440 --> 00:34:57,480
including in some of the rural parts of Idaho and Montana,

522
00:34:57,559 --> 00:35:01,320
and I've known several people who have regularly gone out

523
00:35:01,519 --> 00:35:05,920
and fought wildfires. However, I think some of the inspiration

524
00:35:06,239 --> 00:35:10,000
for this story for Anthony Ellis may have come from

525
00:35:10,079 --> 00:35:14,800
the Great Fire of nineteen ten, which burned down three

526
00:35:14,880 --> 00:35:19,159
million acres across three states and led to eighty seven deaths.

527
00:35:19,719 --> 00:35:22,880
Firefighting in the West has moved forward, both in the

528
00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:27,639
level of preparation and the equipment used to fight it. Nevertheless,

529
00:35:27,679 --> 00:35:30,440
there's only so much that can be done, and being

530
00:35:30,480 --> 00:35:33,480
caught in the midst of these massive fires is a

531
00:35:33,519 --> 00:35:38,559
truly horrific experience, and in terms of the conscription the

532
00:35:38,599 --> 00:35:43,440
forest fire is extreme, and Wally is in a situation

533
00:35:43,599 --> 00:35:46,960
where the fire is closing in and he can't retreat

534
00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:49,239
from it, so he might as well fight it.

535
00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:50,320
Speaker 4: There's also a.

536
00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:53,440
Speaker 1: Dramatic reason for this, and I don't think it's just

537
00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:58,079
because the story couldn't happen if it didn't. Of course,

538
00:35:58,239 --> 00:36:02,280
the story is a dramatic time tale of survival and

539
00:36:02,599 --> 00:36:06,800
battling nature that's gone out of control, but it really

540
00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:11,360
does offer some broader themes, and I think part of

541
00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:15,119
it lies in the real life concern that's represented by

542
00:36:15,159 --> 00:36:20,679
the mid episodes PSAs about the importance of fire safety.

543
00:36:21,119 --> 00:36:24,199
So much harm is done by the sort of human

544
00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:30,760
carelessness that those PSA's target that leads to fires, things

545
00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:38,119
like illegal fireworks and properly extinguished campfires and ignoring rules

546
00:36:38,159 --> 00:36:43,239
about when burns can occur, and it goes into one

547
00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:47,719
of the great paradoxes of the part of the West

548
00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:53,000
I live in. We have a very individualistic ethic. I

549
00:36:53,039 --> 00:36:56,320
think that most of the people who live out here

550
00:36:56,639 --> 00:36:59,800
want to live our own lives as we see fit,

551
00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:04,199
and in general that's where I tend to land, and

552
00:37:04,239 --> 00:37:08,119
it's very hard for me to imagine living anywhere else,

553
00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:11,159
because that's the sort of ethic and approach that I

554
00:37:11,320 --> 00:37:15,320
tend to feel most comfortable in. But there are also

555
00:37:15,519 --> 00:37:20,440
things that we have to do, basic courtesies that we

556
00:37:20,679 --> 00:37:24,719
have to follow in order for this place to be

557
00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:29,480
worth living in. And certainly that applies to the rules

558
00:37:29,639 --> 00:37:33,639
for preventing forest fires. And I think the vast majority

559
00:37:33,679 --> 00:37:36,719
of people, you know, some might read some political statement.

560
00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:40,440
I think though, the vast majority of people, regardless of party,

561
00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:44,239
regardless of anything else, don't want to say this area

562
00:37:44,480 --> 00:37:47,760
on fire, and so they do all of the things

563
00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:51,840
that are common sense to make sure that it doesn't

564
00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:54,599
get set on fire. But then you just have a

565
00:37:54,679 --> 00:37:59,400
few folks who just don't care, and they do very

566
00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:05,519
stupid things that lead to massive wildfires. And I think,

567
00:38:05,519 --> 00:38:09,960
in terms of that basic approach, the idea of Wally

568
00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:15,159
having to be involved in fighting the fire he started

569
00:38:15,559 --> 00:38:18,679
it is kind of a twist because most of the

570
00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:24,199
people who start these fires either don't know, you know,

571
00:38:24,239 --> 00:38:26,480
we're just so careless and out of it they're not

572
00:38:26,719 --> 00:38:31,760
realized what they did, or they just drive away and

573
00:38:31,840 --> 00:38:36,039
nobody ever finds out who did it. But Wally actually

574
00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:40,679
has to confront and deal with what he did and

575
00:38:40,719 --> 00:38:45,719
to see its effects up close and viscerally and feel it,

576
00:38:46,119 --> 00:38:50,159
which does make him face what he did to at

577
00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:55,679
least an extent. But there's also a broader message, and

578
00:38:55,719 --> 00:38:59,559
I think it ties into his very idea of taking

579
00:38:59,559 --> 00:39:04,519
the law into his own hands and seeking vengeance. He

580
00:39:04,719 --> 00:39:08,400
thought he could have his own private revenge, that it

581
00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:13,400
would only affect him and his deserving target. Yet his

582
00:39:13,840 --> 00:39:18,960
act of vengeance has a far wider consequence. The idea

583
00:39:19,199 --> 00:39:24,000
of vengeance or anger as a fire is pretty well

584
00:39:24,159 --> 00:39:29,039
established poetic and literary image that is well realized in

585
00:39:29,079 --> 00:39:32,920
the audio drama, as Wallly's act of vengeance cuts a

586
00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:37,880
swath of destruction and death through so many innocents, and

587
00:39:38,159 --> 00:39:41,519
the story suggests that's always the case with vengeance, as

588
00:39:41,599 --> 00:39:45,000
much as we might wish it were not just individuals

589
00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:49,039
whose individual acts have no consequences beyond ourselves and our

590
00:39:49,079 --> 00:39:54,199
immediate targets. Rather, we're social beings, and just like in fire,

591
00:39:54,679 --> 00:39:59,679
our actions always have consequences that ripple out. Now, of course,

592
00:39:59,719 --> 00:40:03,320
this is more than its message and theme. It's, as

593
00:40:03,360 --> 00:40:07,159
you would expect, really well produced, showing the high standards

594
00:40:07,199 --> 00:40:12,360
that Escape maintained throughout its run, and a great performance

595
00:40:12,440 --> 00:40:18,280
is always from William Conrad, whose narration and acting really

596
00:40:18,599 --> 00:40:24,960
capture all of the intensity and all of the emotions

597
00:40:25,119 --> 00:40:29,840
that this story demands. Of course, Conrad really shows some

598
00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:32,960
great range in this episode, and he was one of

599
00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:37,360
those actors who the vast majority of his radio roles

600
00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:42,280
were kind of unremarkable character roles, but he could, when

601
00:40:42,320 --> 00:40:48,119
given a chance, just deliver an absolutely unforgettable performance, which

602
00:40:48,199 --> 00:40:50,960
is what we get here in this episode. I want

603
00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:54,119
to go ahead now and thank our Patreon supporter of

604
00:40:54,159 --> 00:40:57,239
the day, and of course says this is his special.

605
00:40:57,280 --> 00:40:59,880
I want to go ahead and ninth fats Patreon supporter

606
00:41:00,079 --> 00:41:04,079
since May of twenty twenty four, currently supporting the podcast

607
00:41:04,159 --> 00:41:07,440
at the Chief of Detective's level of thirty dollars or

608
00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:10,239
more per month. Thank you so much for your support

609
00:41:10,559 --> 00:41:14,239
and also for suggesting this episode of Escape. It was

610
00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:19,920
really a great episode to listen to and I enjoyed it.

611
00:41:20,119 --> 00:41:23,199
That will actually do it for today. If you're enjoying

612
00:41:23,239 --> 00:41:27,840
the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software.

613
00:41:28,239 --> 00:41:32,000
We will be back next Sunday with our four thousand,

614
00:41:32,519 --> 00:41:37,280
five hundredth episode special, but join us back here tomorrow

615
00:41:37,400 --> 00:41:40,079
for the adventures of the falcon where.

616
00:41:40,800 --> 00:41:42,039
Speaker 3: You want to see me do con tricks?

617
00:41:43,199 --> 00:41:43,320
Speaker 9: Well?

618
00:41:43,360 --> 00:41:45,440
Speaker 3: Shall we switch here?

619
00:41:49,159 --> 00:41:49,360
Speaker 9: Oh?

620
00:41:49,639 --> 00:41:51,440
Speaker 4: You poured down you?

621
00:41:51,599 --> 00:41:53,599
Speaker 9: I have them drink HoTT in.

622
00:41:57,719 --> 00:42:00,519
Speaker 1: Maam, you're alive.

623
00:42:01,800 --> 00:42:02,480
Speaker 9: I guess I heard you.

624
00:42:02,480 --> 00:42:05,960
Speaker 10: An apology, no sooners have been done.

625
00:42:07,400 --> 00:42:10,519
Speaker 3: It's a beautiful friendship. June.

626
00:42:12,159 --> 00:42:14,199
Speaker 2: Hey, that's pretty posy stuff.

627
00:42:14,480 --> 00:42:15,079
Speaker 9: A bit of pack.

628
00:42:17,440 --> 00:42:31,440
Speaker 11: Why might? What's the trouble? Suddenly your imagination? You little wedding.

629
00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:36,079
Speaker 10: Ah, you poor darling, you poor poor that.

630
00:42:36,400 --> 00:42:38,920
Speaker 1: I hope you'll be with us then in the meantime.

631
00:42:39,079 --> 00:42:44,320
Send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net,

632
00:42:44,679 --> 00:42:48,159
follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and check us

633
00:42:48,159 --> 00:42:53,480
out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com, slash Great Detectives from

634
00:42:53,760 --> 00:42:57,679
boise Idahol. This is your host, Adam Graham, Sign and

635
00:42:57,719 --> 00:42:57,880
AF