Episode 381: The Thirteenth Truck

[00:00:16] Speaker A: The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society Podcast welcome to the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society, a podcast dedicated to suspense, crime and horror stories from the golden age of radio. I'm Eric. [00:00:38] Speaker B: I'm Tim. [00:00:39] Speaker C: I'm Joshua. [00:00:40] Speaker D: And I'm Jeff. [00:00:41] Speaker B: We love mysterious old time radio stories, but do they stand the test of time? That's what we're here to find out. [00:00:47] Speaker C: Today we are joined by special guest and Patreon supporter Jeff. As a member at the highest level, Jeff has earned the rarest of perks, an invitation to co host an episode of the podcast in which we listen to and discuss a classic radio program of his choice. Jeff, what have you selected? [00:01:09] Speaker D: We're listening to an episode of escape called the 13th Truck. [00:01:15] Speaker A: Escape Radio's legendary anthology of high adventure premiered on CBS Radio July 7, 1947 and ran through September 25, 1954. Despite the program's reliance on heightened situations and exotic settings, Radio Life magazine praised the grounded quality of Escape scripts, declaring these stories all possess many times the reality that most radio writing conveys. [00:01:41] Speaker B: The 13th truck was adapted for radio by Gus Bayes from the story of Captain Douglas M. Smith as told to Cecil Carnes. What little we know about Captain Smith comes from escapesuspense.com an excellent resource for OTR fans. According to the site, he and Cecil Carnes are the Authors of the 1943 memoir American Guerrilla Fighting Behind Enemy Lines and contributors to a book from 1958's Combat European Theater, World War II. [00:02:08] Speaker C: And now let's listen to the 13th truck from Escape, first broadcast August 16, 1953. [00:02:17] Speaker D: It's late at night and and a chill has set in. You're alone and the only light you see is coming from an antique radio. Listen to the sounds coming from the speaker. Listen to the music and listen to the voices. [00:02:30] Speaker E: Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you escape. Escape designed to free you from the four walls of today. For a half hour of high adventure, you are a hundred miles from your own lines, waiting for the enemy who will lead you to your destination, while the danger to you and your men becomes more acute. For if you are discovered, the only road of escape will be death. So listen now as escape brings you the 13th truck, based on the story of Captain Douglas M. Smith. Some of the men called it a joyride. Two days before we left headquarters at Kabrit, Egypt, circled Tobruk, sneaked across into Matzihel territory. Destination a Nazi airfield 100 miles behind enemy lines. The joyride the next 24 hours could turn our army truck into a hearse. Just six of us in that truck. Sergeant Healy, a corporal, three enlisted men, Hutchins, Guppy and myself. Captain Paul Graham, US Army. I was the only American in the group. The others drafted from Montgomery's 8th Army. As a unit, we were called Desert Commandos. Our business, sabotage. DY desert. Easy does it, sergeant. Didn't see it, Captain. Sorry, sir. Break an axle, we're in big trouble. Listen to it. Think they was on a blooming joyride? You would, Captain. What I was thinking. The men been wondering what they're in for this trip? Well, they'll hear about it tonight when we stop. That'll make them feel brighter. If a man's gonna die, it makes him feel better if he knows why. Captain Brown. A plane. A plane? Where? East, about 8,000. I'll pick him up with a glass. Master Schmidt? Can't tell yet. Too far. Pull up, sergeant. Over there with those rocks. Hurry. Get the truck covered, man. And try not to raise any dust. What have you, Captain, Now, Hutchins said please, the East. Don't hear it. Hop to it with that cover, lads. Got it. It's a plane, all right. I can't tell what kind. It's coming this way. Pin them edges down with rocks. Make it look n. It's a Messer. Schmidt. Under the truck, man. M. Schmidt. Come on, let's go. Sergeant. Keep it quiet, Madsen. Don't move. He's coming in. Yeah. Think that camouflage nettle fooling? That's what it's for. Ducks in a ruddy pond. If it doesn't, who's wanting back there? Hey, Sir? No conductions. But there's ant schooling around in here, sir. Stuck right over an ant hill. Sitting on it. Big red ant, captain. Well, don't move. And whatever you do, don't touch that net. Hey, shut your jaw, Corporal. They're all over the place, Captain. He's circling back. Maybe don't hear him, sir. Well, I'll check. Okay, Jerry's gone. Come on. Now what, sir? I'll get that net loaded and let's get moving. We can put in another 50 miles before dark. This rate, I guess we'll be driving right into Rumble's front yard. Sergeant Healey scratched an ant under his shirt, then turned and hustled the men into the truck. And we were on our way again. No singing. No. Now the corporal stared across the desert to his side of the truck. Hutchins kept his eyes up where the Messerschmitt Room the rest just scraped away at the layers of dust and sweat, staring at each other. They covered 20 miles, 30, zigzagging deeper into Nazi territory. Just before dark, we parked in some low lying hills above the coast highway, Rommel's main artery of communication and supply to the front lines. It was time to tell the men what they were in for. Settle down, lads. Captain Brown has a word for you. In case you're wondering where we are, we're right here. Lie me right down Jerry's throat. Yes, Sister Bob. Intelligence reports say the Germans have established a hidden airfield somewhere in this area. Right here, just off the coast highway. How do they know that, sir? Well, Nazi supply trucks have been spotted leaving the coast highway, taking a camel trail up into the hills right here. Now they're supplying something up there. Headquarters is certain it's a hidden airfield. Oh, that explains all them fighter planes in the forward area. You're right. Well, then, as I see it, sir, where to find that hidden air filter? Find it, corporal, and destroy it. Destroyed, sir? How? Go in and. Dynamite. Where do we get the dynamite? We've got it, Corporal. You've been sitting on it for the last couple of days. You mean them boxes in the truck? Ah, dynamite. Hey, just the 60 Russ are gonna blow up this airfield. By ourselves, sir? That's a job, Hutchins. It keeps getting tougher all the time. Watch that twombly. Nothing, sarge. Captain, say we find the field. How do we get close enough to use the dynamite? Close won't do, Sergeant. You mean we're going right into the ruddy place, sir? That's right, corporal. That's where we can do the most damage. One more question, sir. How do we get inside the airfield? We drive in. Drive in? I can just see them Nazis letting us drive into their airfield with a truckload of explosives. As soon as it's dark, we move on to that next hill up ahead. From there, we watch that camel road that comes up from the coast highway. They'll rest up there all day tomorrow. Then tomorrow night after dark, we'll leave a sentinel at the top of the hill. That'll be you, Hutchins. Yes, sir. Then we'll move the truck down and park at a sharp curve within 20 yards of the camel road and wait. Wait for what, sir? For you to spot a German supply convoy on its way up the camel road. There's a wait and count. Exactly the number of trucks in the convoy and the distance separating them. Yes, sir. Now, when you've got that information, you come back and report Then we wait until the Jerry convoy comes around a curve. We let all but the last truck pass by. And before this last truck comes in sight around the curve, we'll cut into the road and fall in line. You get the picture now, Corporal? Yes, sir. Only why don't we fall in at the end of the convoy? Oh, come off it, Corp. And have them Jerry's in the last truck get suspicious when another truck comes up behind them. I'm paid to fight, not to think so. All right, Corp. Then for once, you'll have a chance to earn your pay. After dark, we moved onto the hill overlooking a long stretch of the camel road. A short distance from the sharp curve, we broke open the dynamite and attached time mechanisms. We finished preparations. Just before daylight, the men covered the truck with a camouflage net and turned in for some sleep. With the sun, it got hot under the net. Then hotter. Plus the flies. And the flies reminded me of another place on a hillside in Ohio. Sandwiches, Potato salad. And a girl. Dark eyes, dark hair. Laughing and pushing me away. I'd forgotten her name. I. I wanted to kiss her. But she was worried about the flies on the potato salad. What was her name? Jane? No. Elaine. Eileen. And she let me kiss her lips. Cool. Nice. We forgot about the potato salad. And the flies. Tough, blasted flies. Captain. Matt. What's the matter, Sergeant? Getting dark, sir. Oh, yeah. It's time you slept. Since we left Kabritza. You needed it. Yeah. You were dreaming. Yeah. Your wife, sir? No, just a lady friend. Just something that happened a long time ago. I remember a bit of strawberry jam in Naples, it was. She tended bar in one of them. Places you can never find when you go back. She never meant nothing to me. Funny thing. I try to remember her name never comes to me. Oh, this heat. Ripping wet. I guess we better get the man up. In a few minutes, the men were up on the truck with packs of dynamite on their backs. We left Hutchins on the hill to watch for the approaching convoy. And moved down and parked 20 yards from the sharp curve on the camel road. Now we waited. Two hours passed. Three. Four. No sign of the German truck convoy. What do we do if no convoy comes through tonight, sir? Try again tomorrow night. Oh. Five hours. Still waiting. I began to think of the things that could go wrong. I considered the possibility that Hutchins might have fallen asleep up on the hill. There were patrols scouting the area. What if one of them discovered us? It'd be a run for our lives. Then we needed darkness to get at that airfield. And there Was only a few hours of it left. Still we waited. No convoy. I was about to send the corporal to relieve Hutchins when he came scrambling down the hill. Hey. Hey. They're coming. Captain Gary, convoy. 12 trucks. 12? You're positive, Hutchins? I'm positive, sir. I carried them three times. 12 trucks about 100 yards apart, averaging 30 miles an hour. Good. Climb aboard, Hutchins. On your toes, man. Now count each truck as it passes. We move in behind the 11th truck. I just thought of something, sir. What? What are they going to think if they count 13 trucks when we reach the airfield? When There were only 12 trucks to begin with? Well, we'll figure that one out when we get to it. Here they come, Captain. First Jerry trucks coming around the Ben. We will return to Escape in just a moment. But first, CBS radio wishes to call your attention to a new five a week daytime show on many of these same stations. Under the expert guidance of Jack Sterling, this new show asks members of the panel to make up your mind over problems with a psychological twist. The first week's guest list on make up youp Mind included Ilka Chase, Wendy Berry, Deems Taylor, Earl Wilson and Vic Marcillo. Former manager of Jersey Joe Walcott. And now back to Escape. The first truck of the Nazi convoy roared around the curve and passed. Thirty seconds later, another one. All we could see was two pinpoints of dim light coming at us. A dark shadow as it passed and a tiny red light at the back of the truck. Three, four, five trucks. Then a command car. Now, what if the number 11 or 12 were command cars? They'd stop to investigate the sudden appearance of a truck at the end of the convoy. Well, we'd take a chance. Truck number seven. Nine. Two more. Start your engine, sir. Yes, sir. Here comes number 10. We pull out behind the next truck, Sergeant. And no headlights until we're in line. Right, sir. Here it comes. 11. Let's go. We're in line now. The lights on track number 12 came around the curve about 50 yards, man. A little faster, Sergeant. Someone's will be stopping back now. Good. Only that's number 13 back there, corporal. We're number 12 now. Keep your eyes peeled for that airfield. We'll have to do something about the extra truck in this convoy before we get there. In the meantime, sit tight and enjoy the ride. What did you say, Twamley? Nothing. Nothing to call, Sarge. All right, settle back, boys, and enjoy the ride. Enjoy the blooming ride with all them. Jim, Jerry's in front or behind us. I'LL enjoy the ruddy side more on the return trip, I can tell you. Trouble with you, Atchins, you're a stinking pessimist. How serve your ruddy well right if we're all blown to blazes. The following half hour was uneventful. We moved along, keeping our place in line, watching the other trucks, watching for the airfield, seeing nothing but a small red dot ahead, two gray dots behind. Then the corporal noticed something about those two gray lights behind us. They grew larger, came closer. Captain, the rear track is moving up on us. I think they want us to stop. What for? How should I know? What do we do, sir? Pull up. Right, Corporal. Your German's better than mine. You do the talking. Right. The rest of you keep your knives handy. No guns. There might be sentries along the road. They want a match. Have one. Uh oh. What's up, sir? Corporal gave him his lighter, but Jerry says it's a French one. Oh, it's okay. He covered because he got it off a French major. All clear. Go to work, Corporal. Okay, let's go. We've got to catch up with the convoy before they come back. Looking for? Yes, sir. If we don't spot that airfield pretty soon, I'm going to have conniptions, I am. We caught up and took our place again. We were about to reach the Nazi airfield soon, so I gave the men their final instructions. There was still one truck too many in the convoy. That had to be taken care of. Then we topped to height and spotted a cluster of pinpoint lights up ahead. This had to be the hidden Nazi airfield. I gave the sergeant the order to swerve the truck across the road, blocking it. All right, a couple of you circle around behind them as they reach us. Hurry. Here they come. Motor trouble, Corporal? Right, sir. The motor is Suzanne Gan. Cameron. Yeah. There they come, sir. Only two now. That does it. Okay, transfer everything to the Jerry truck, fast. Twamley, you take our truck and hide it in that water off the road. Stay with us. We'll rally back here no more than 15 minutes from now. You got that, man? And Twamley, this is an order. Wait here for 15 minutes, then start back to the base, even if you have to go back alone. Yes, sir. Just as we caught up with the Jerry convoy, the truck ahead pulled through the front gate. Two guards leisurely watched each truck as it passed under a spotlight. We moved up slowly in our proper position. We reached the gate. The guards didn't move. Then we were through the gate and inside. We'd Made it. The other trucks parked about a hundred yards further on. We pulled up at the end of the line and we got out, scalding as much as possible. The light over the front gate went out. The other drivers were gone. Now it was quiet and dark. Come on. Quiet. Okay. Okay. Now, hold it here. We'll split up now. Corporal, you and Guffey take that side of the field, look for planes. Hutchins, you work on those buildings along there. Sergeant, we'll take this side of the field on the hangars. I'll make sure you plant that dynamite where it'll do the most good. Good luck. Come on, Sergeant. There. The bunker, Cap. In here, Captain. Look. Yeah. Three planes, all fighters. There must be at least half a dozen bunkers along this side of the field with planes in all of them. We've hit the jackpot, Captain. Yeah. Now, you start at the other end, Sergeant, work your way back. Meet you here in three minutes. Right, sir. I found three bunkers. Planes in each of them. A squat structure with a sign out front, October, Explosives. I poked two loads under that one. Then a warehouse, a bulldozer, trucks, cars and three barracks buildings. From somewhere in the pitch black, I could hear voices laughing and talking. Then I was back at the first bunker, and the sergeant moved out of the dark. He was smiling. Planes in all them bunkers. And they got a fuel reservoir while I was at it, sir. Good. Let's get out of here. We've been spotted. The sergeant cut the guard down before he could pull a rifle off his shoulder. Spotlights went on everywhere. Other guards came running. Then a door opened behind us. Excited figures rushed out and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw us. We stood there face to face with half a dozen surprised Nazi officers. The sergeant whipped his machine gun around and they dropped one after another right at our feet. All was one. He stumbled forward, right into the sergeant's arm. The sergeant held him as a shield with one arm and went right on firing. Make for the main gate, Sergeant. I'm for bad, Captain. We moved through patches of darkness and smoke, dragging the Nazi officer with us. The guards were firing in wild confusion. And then a strange thing happened. As we moved under the light at the main gate, the Jerrys quit firing at us. They were all around us, but out of sight, silent, watching us. We made a perfect target, but not a shot was fired. I couldn't figure it out. I. I don't get it, Captain. What are they waiting for? I don't know. Maybe it's that Jerry officer you got there. Him he don't look important. Battle fatigues, rank insignia. Nothing but that campaign medal. Well, hang on to him just the same. Don't worry. Hello. What? The main gate's closed. Looks locked. Yeah. How are we gonna get out? Look. There was a staff car parked just 15 yards away. We moved to it, wondering how long it would be before the guards made up their minds to start shooting again. The sergeant got in the back of the Nazi officer and I started the car and headed right for the gate. And then we were through. Let's get away from this bloody place. Them explosives is going off any second now. See if any of them pull out after us. Don't think so. Not yet. The wadi should be up around that bend in the road. Wonder how many of the men made it back. We'll soon find out. There she goes. The sky turned white, then red as the shockwave crashed against us. The car swerved from side to side. Shells from the Amazon screamed in at us from every direction, tearing the landscape open everywhere. I could hardly hold the car on the road. And moving. Finally, the road curved around a hill, offering some protection from the bomb. BARK of the explosion. Oh. Did we do all that, sir? Looks like it. That was meant for you, Prince. Hey. Come back here, you. What's wrong? He's got him. Double. My God. Hold him. Oh, he got away. Pull up. I'm going after him. No, it's too dark. Never find him now anyway. We found the men waiting at the wadi. They piled into the Nazi staff car and there were six of us again. Yep. All six. Operation completed. And we didn't lose a man. We still had a long, hazardous drive back to our lines. But it was different now. It was going home. I drove, and Sergeant sat next to me. He was brooding about the Nazi officer. Cheer up, Sergeant. Maybe you can get yourself another on the next raid. I suppose. Well, anyhow, I got a souvenir. Part of his jacket, too. Ever see a Jerry medal like that before, Captain? I haven't. Oh, yeah, That's. That's. What's the matter, sir. Holy. What's the matter? You. You got this off that officer? Yes, sir. What? Do you know what it is? No, sir. What? It's the Hitler Knight's Cross. Hitler Knight's Cross? Yeah. The purest personal medal. There's only three that he's ever given out. Who, sir? Three. Goering got one. One for Von Rundstedt. What about the other? Rommel. Take your pick, Sergeant. Which one of them did we have? Under the direction of Anthony Ellis. Escape has brought you the 13th truck, adapted by Gus Bayes from the story of Captain Douglas M. Smith, as told to Cecil Carnes, starring High Everback as Captain Brown, with Richard Peel as the sergeant. Featured in the cast were Alistair Duncan, Charlie Lung, Alec Harford, and Jack Crucian. The special music for Escape was composed and conducted by Leith Stevens. Next week, you are the subject of an experiment, an experiment to make you the most powerful man on earth. While if it succeeds, from that moment on, you will be forever locked in a world from which there can be no escape. So listen, next week when Escape, we'll bring you Irving Reese's extraordinary story, the Man From Tomorrow. A sensational trial of old San Francisco in 1870 will be your crime classic on CBS radio tomorrow evening. The title, the Incredible Trial of Laura D. Fair. It's a long title, but whether you have a short or long memory, don't miss this exciting story of Mrs. Fair's incredible trial, dramatized by CBS Radio on crime Classics tomorrow evening over most of these same stations. This is Roy Rowan speaking. And remember, there's action as a policeman really finds it in 21st Precinct Tuesdays on the CBS Radio Network. [00:31:12] Speaker A: That was the 13th truck from Escape here on the mysterious old Radio Listening Society podcast once again. I'm Eric. [00:31:21] Speaker B: I'm Tim. [00:31:22] Speaker C: I'm Joshua. [00:31:23] Speaker D: And I'm Jeff. [00:31:24] Speaker A: Jeff, our Patreon supporter, is joining us as our special guest on this podcast. And Jeff has been with us before he joined us. Episode. What was it, Tim? Two something? [00:31:39] Speaker B: Two. 43, I think it was 242. [00:31:41] Speaker C: 72, guys. It takes a village. [00:31:44] Speaker A: Yeah. And episode 272, which we did, Action from Escape. So Jeff has brought us another episode of Escape. And as far as I'm concerned, Jeff, you can be with us every single podcast as long as you bring Escape. That would be fantastic. Jeff, thank you so much for being here. [00:32:03] Speaker D: Thank you. [00:32:04] Speaker A: Tell us a little bit why you chose this episode. [00:32:09] Speaker D: I think it's one of the best episodes of Escape. When I bought Action, I was tossing it up between that one and this one, and I actually think this is better than Action. I thought Action was more interesting from a narrative perspective, but this hasn't been on the show before, and I think it's, you know, one of the best. I'm probably giving away my, my, my rating, but there's so many things about it. I mean, it's classic adventure, it's very pulpy, and it feels a lot longer than it actually is. I mean, there's a lot that happens there. It's like a mini movie in terms of length. [00:32:46] Speaker A: I will tell you that when I started listening to this, I thought, oh, gosh, Jeff brought this for me because it was my birthday a couple weeks ago. This must be a birthday present for me. Every year on Memorial Day, my tradition, starting very early in the morning is I watch classic war movies. The Longest Day, Dirty Dozen, Great Escape, and a bunch of others. I mean, I'm not going to list all the movies I watch. There's about 40 of them that I absolutely adore. Longest Day is a must. But with that just two days behind us right now is two days ago Memorial Day. And having done that marathon, I am so thrilled and so happy. This was so fantastic. This is everything I love about everything. This was so fun and so good. And so thank you for remembering my birthday. [00:33:40] Speaker D: Jeffrey R. Welcome. [00:33:41] Speaker C: As I was listening to this, all I could think of was how much Eric was going to love it, to the point that I almost found it discouraging. Like, I can't possibly enjoy this as much as Eric, so why even try? [00:33:54] Speaker A: And it's done in that style of those war movies that I love. Look, I'm not an idiot. I know that war is not what those war movies make it out to be. I'm well aware of how terrible it is, okay? But those movies have a way of romanticizing it. Especially the 1950s had a way of romanticizing our heroes that had come home in these movies. That just makes it more escapism for me than it is a retrospect on the war or. Or learning anything or pondering life. They become just adventure and action, as you said. And that might be an insult to the actual war and to the actual veterans that they got romanticized like that. I absolutely love them. With the angle that I come at it, that is, I'm not viewing those movies or listening to something like this with the idea of I'm experiencing actual war in any way. [00:34:56] Speaker C: Which is not to say that there aren't great acts of heroism and bravery in war. [00:35:01] Speaker A: Right. [00:35:02] Speaker C: I listen to it a little bit in the context of other post war radio dramas that we've listened to. And unlike propaganda stories that were made during the war and the goal being to help us win the war, these stories seem to be processing stories to help us process. And there are a lot of flavors of those we listen to four Went Home, which is more a story about war as a eulogy, a very grim story that recognizes the sacrifices made or a story of healing like mission completed, the suspense one with Jimmy Stewart Whereas this is escapism and romanticism of soldiers and heroic acts done during the war. And I think when you start to put all those types of stories together, you get a little view of what the war was like for a wide range of soldiers who experienced it. [00:36:02] Speaker B: I know it's gonna sound like 400 episodes in. I'm just starting to get what the concept of radio is. But I was really struck by how clear one envisions what the truck looks like, what these men look like, what the sand looks like, the Messerschmitt, all these details that if this were filmed in any way for TV or for the movies, it would just be this huge effort to make it look real and accurate. That is just performance and writing in this case. On the flip side, though, the intense accuracy of that truck engine and the way that sounds does so much work to paint the picture of what's happening and just really ground you in this moment. [00:36:46] Speaker A: Yeah, there's something directorially about that moment, Tim, that is really Chef's Kiss, that it doesn't quite start on the first one. There's no reason for that. And when it happens, you get tense, like, oh, my God, it's not gonna start. So there's really no reason for it other than that realism of the whole thing. And that's just a really good point, Tim. [00:37:09] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:37:09] Speaker C: There's a lot of authenticity to the textured sound again, of the soldiers singing in the truck. That starts before the story proper starts. Starts during the narration, coming in very softly, and then leads into the actual scene. And then we hear the sound of the truck. And with the voices of the soldiers and the truck, I actually felt like. I felt the actual bouncing of the truck. Not just sound, but the physicality of it, like being in it. And it's amazing that that can be conveyed just through sound. [00:37:46] Speaker D: The soldiers, I mean, the fact that they're speaking real German or. Which, you know, I don't speak German, so I'm assuming it's real German, but, I mean, that adds a bit of authenticity to it. [00:37:55] Speaker B: That was a moment of suspense also in the. They didn't mention till the last minute. Do any of you guys speak German? [00:38:02] Speaker E: Right. [00:38:04] Speaker D: I mean, there's so many suspenseful moments. I mean, with a lighter where. Oh, no, it's. It's a French lighter. And the airplane going overhead. [00:38:12] Speaker A: Yeah, the airplane going overhead was a beautiful piece of radio drama in the sense of how they took their time to make it real time. Just that silence and listening to go. And then the waiting for it to Be out of sight. Just really, really impactful and great writing and direction. [00:38:35] Speaker C: And again, the sound, the way it comes in and out gives you a sense of space and it gives you a sense of the whole sky and the smallness of them and their fragility, their vulnerability in that moment. [00:38:48] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:38:49] Speaker C: So, again, just a great integration of all these things. [00:38:53] Speaker B: I do feel that the first half before they get in there succeeds much more to my taste than once. They're actually in there setting the dynamite out and turning around and they're split up. And that resolution, which is not so much that that's bad as much as the first half of the first two thirds, I would say, is so good. [00:39:12] Speaker C: The great strength of radio is in suspense scenes where radio doesn't do as well. Just as a medium, I think, is action. [00:39:21] Speaker E: Right. [00:39:21] Speaker C: Because it is just then machine gun fire. I don't get the same visceral response. [00:39:28] Speaker D: So not action as in the previous episode we discussed. [00:39:31] Speaker C: No, that one was good as well. Jeff. [00:39:35] Speaker D: Thank you. [00:39:37] Speaker A: I will say, Joshua, on action scenes, you have two choices in radio, and the one is to do it the way they did it, where you have the sounds going while you're narrating, you know, the retrospect of it or what's in their head at the time. And you narrate your way through that. And when I write old time radio action scenes, I choose the narrative like I love narrative. And that their voice changes as if they're really there, but they're retelling the story. And the other way to do it, which we've heard done very, very successfully. And none of them come to mind, of course, because I remember nothing is. There are shows where they just give you the sound effects. And if you can pull that off without any narration, that's, well, Dragnet. Dragnet has a number of scenes where they're not narrating their way through action, but you can still visualize it. Much more difficult to do than narrating you through the action as it happens. It's a little more pulpy to have the narrator tell you what's going on. I enjoy that style, but in this one, I will say it got a little confusing. But also, yeah, I'm pretty sure that whole moment was supposed to be confusing because it's confusing. So it doesn't bother me. [00:40:59] Speaker C: One thing I thought they did really well in that action scene was that they amped up the volume on machine guns. It was startling. When those kick in, it's really loud. And which sets up a great suspense moment. When the Nazis realized that the soldiers have a high ranking mystery German officer, special guest Nazi. That silence in that moment, especially after the roaring machine guns, is very disquieting, very unsettling and very effective. But again, that's not action so much as it reverts to a suspense scene, which again, radio excels at. Not that the medium just gives it to you. It has to be in the hands of really good artists like you have on escape. But the medium is made for that kind of tension. [00:41:56] Speaker B: Although I did like the suspense into action blend. When they jackknife the truck across the road to get rid of the other truck. [00:42:05] Speaker D: It was very well thought out. A number of the sort of intricacies of the. The event. [00:42:10] Speaker B: Yeah. And that's what. It's an action scene where the suspense doesn't let up at all. There's. It doesn't just snap into action. [00:42:16] Speaker A: I also say when it comes to action scenes, it is imperative that if you're going to narrate your way through them, that the actor has to be really good at that. And this actor really pulled that off very well. I thought in the. In the compound machine gun fire. You're relying heavily on performance to pull that off. [00:42:41] Speaker C: I also love the exposition bit where they're explaining the plan and that they're going to. The truck is going to slip in ahead of the very last truck in line. And they have the soldier question that. And then when they explain it to him, the soldier's like, yeah, I guess I'm not very bright. I'm just here to fight. And I thought it was a funny moment and that he's becoming the audience at that moment. [00:43:04] Speaker D: He's paid to fight, not think. [00:43:06] Speaker C: Yes, that is the line. And you sort of are condemning and listener who was also wondering the same question. And that's what that whole sequence is for. So I just love a script that explains it to the audience and then insults the audience for having to explain it to them. [00:43:22] Speaker D: There's a scene that I found really powerful. Do you want to guess what it is? [00:43:27] Speaker C: The flies and the potato salad. [00:43:31] Speaker D: It is that one, actually. Yeah. [00:43:32] Speaker A: That's what I was gonna guess was that scene. Because I was gonna bring that up, Jeff, and get everybody's opinion on. On that scene about him remembering that woman. So go ahead. I'd like to hear everybody's opinion on that. [00:43:46] Speaker B: By starting off with this fly reminds me of this girl. The whole thing, until they get to the fly in the sound is just me thinking. And I looked into her eyes her huge, bulbous, bisected eyes. [00:43:58] Speaker E: And. [00:44:00] Speaker D: I don't think he said bulbous. I feel like I would have remembered. [00:44:03] Speaker B: No, that's just what I'm assuming that because he says this, he's essentially this fly reminds me of her. All I can think of is like, she's a fly. She's a giant fly. They're covered in flies. Something about this is super fly oriented. [00:44:16] Speaker D: Starring Jeffrey Goldbrum. [00:44:21] Speaker C: Well, Jeff, why was it meaningful to you? [00:44:23] Speaker D: Well, it was such a break from the rest of the sort of. The sandiness, the sort of, I guess the grime, the adventure. It just was. It kind of takes you back to a completely different time and place. I thought the music kind of just this had this sort of soft, relaxing sort of break that was such a strong contrast. And then I thought it was interesting when. Because he was thinking about potato salad. And then you had the other. The other soldier that I think had had a lady friend in. In Italy. Is that right? Who he referred to as strawberry jam. So I'm not really sure what the sort of association with foods. It's. [00:45:02] Speaker B: The other concerning thing for me was when, like, I can tell by the way you're sleeping that you're thinking a woman. Is this suggesting a dream that is evoking a physical reaction? [00:45:13] Speaker D: Maybe I had a smile on his face. [00:45:15] Speaker B: Or are you just saying potato salad in your sleep? [00:45:18] Speaker A: The first time I listened to this, that scene bothered me. And the reason it did is because it's the same thing that I hate about, oh, I don't know, Star Trek, when Shatner ends up in love and making out with some woman. And all I want to is, could you please get in your big spaceship and shoot laser cannons at other spaceships? That's why I'm here. The second time. [00:45:42] Speaker B: That's what she said. [00:45:46] Speaker A: The second time. Through listening to that, Jeff, I realized exactly what you were saying and what Tim was saying. The beauty of that and. And how well done that was and how he was brought back to reality. And there was just more layers and more texture to that than I was giving it credit for. But my first listen was, oh, God, I don't want to listen to people or watch people kissing, period. I just don't want it. [00:46:13] Speaker D: Did it not get to the castle quick enough for you? [00:46:19] Speaker C: Well, also, you have to imagine that they both had potato salad breath. That made the whole romance a little gross. [00:46:26] Speaker E: Yep. [00:46:26] Speaker C: Also, I would be more concerned about potato salad out of doors in the heat for a long time than the flies on the potato salad but that's just me. [00:46:36] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:46:36] Speaker B: It was interesting that for, for both of these men and their, their reveries, they're, they're thinking back to women that they'd had just a fleeting little interaction with, that they don't remember that well, that just this very small moment in their lives suddenly becomes very important to them. [00:46:53] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:46:54] Speaker B: While much of the scene does it was funny to me, that particular thing about it was, was quite beautiful. [00:47:00] Speaker C: We made some jokes about flies, but I also think this idea that the flies here in this war setting, obviously they represent death and decay. And to use that as your transitionary image from that to a fleeting bit of romance that you are now remembering fondly in this horrible context, I, I thought it was a nice, a nice way to get us there in an evocative way. [00:47:28] Speaker A: Yep. I did a 180 on that scene. Second time through. Here's the big question I have. I have two big questions, actually, two things that are gnawing at me. One, how was this not made into a movie? This would be such a good movie. I, I, I want this movie. [00:47:50] Speaker C: You have a radio show. That should be enough. And it's a great radio show. [00:47:54] Speaker A: Jeff said at the top, it seems longer than it actually is, yet I wanted more. I would like to see an hour and a half to two hours of this entire thing. You know, like, no, no. [00:48:07] Speaker B: 12 episode prestige television. Two good episodes to start, two at the end and then a bunch of. [00:48:13] Speaker A: Slack in the middle. [00:48:15] Speaker D: I think suspense actually did the sequel, though. I mean, I think it was broadcast a couple years later. The 14th truck, I think that one was called. [00:48:26] Speaker A: They got home and they auctioned off the cross on ebay. Was that the. [00:48:32] Speaker B: Ocean'S 13th truck, though? [00:48:34] Speaker C: Was pretty good. [00:48:37] Speaker A: Second question I have, I know we don't know a lot other than that suspense website giving us that information, but as far as we know, is this an actual thing that happened as told by this guy to this guy is are we to assume this guy who told it to him said, yep, we almost got Rommel. Did this happen? [00:49:05] Speaker C: I think it's intended to imply that it happened. I couldn't find more information, but I also always have felt that the as told by phrase is a way to make it sound as if it's true, but has plausible deniability as well? I didn't say it was true. I just said I told this story to a guy. [00:49:23] Speaker A: Right. I want it to be true. [00:49:26] Speaker D: I'm asking Grok right now. That's true. I don't know the answer. Who Are you asking AI? [00:49:35] Speaker A: Oh, AI. Now I want to know what that word was you used. Grok. [00:49:40] Speaker D: It's one of the AI platforms. [00:49:43] Speaker A: You're going to be on this podcast. You cannot. We are super old. [00:49:48] Speaker C: By we, he means he is. [00:49:50] Speaker D: Yeah. I feel like Joshua Tim would probably. [00:49:53] Speaker E: Know what I'm talking about. [00:49:54] Speaker B: I do know what you're talking about. [00:49:56] Speaker C: I. I do know what you're talking about. Yeah. [00:49:59] Speaker A: I don't. [00:50:00] Speaker D: There are no widely documented claims or historical analyses that debunk the book America Gorillas as fictional. So it's not proven to be untrue. [00:50:10] Speaker B: Indisputable. [00:50:12] Speaker A: I need our listeners to delve into this, man. Like, get. Figure this out for me. What is. I need to know what rock is. Yes, yes. [00:50:24] Speaker C: Ask Grok why people eat potato salad. That's my big takeaway from this. [00:50:29] Speaker D: We're going to lose people. I think on this podcast, reading off AI. I'll look into it, see if it's true or not. [00:50:37] Speaker E: The. [00:50:37] Speaker B: The setup of British soldiers, you know, a small squad of British soldiers kind of taken under the wing of a American captain. It's really evocative of a sort of ragtag patchwork of what's left in this area of the war. Just, we gotta do something. Which from the very jump, it cast a distinct sort of light upon who these guys were and what they were facing. [00:51:09] Speaker C: We said earlier that this was sort of a romantic war story, but I don't think it glamorizes it. There's still a grimness, there's still a threat here. These guys are not. Don't have a lot of swagger or bravado or tough guy quality. They seem like guys doing their jobs, which is. I know I'm probably splitting hairs with these tropes and stereotypes, but it makes a difference, I think, for how palatable it is perhaps to contemporary audiences as well. [00:51:41] Speaker A: And to argue a little bit against you, just a tiny bit on the swagger of these guys, yes, they're not over the top bravado, but they're all pretty calm and they're all pretty focused on their job, and they got it. And that's the romanticizing in these war movies that I like. You know, they always have one guy in the war movies that's freaking out. They have the one guy that's losing it. But all of these guys were the calmness and regular of ness of their job. I say gives them some bravado. Does that make sense? [00:52:21] Speaker D: The narrator did say that if we're not back in 15 minutes, just leave Us, you know, just leave us there. [00:52:26] Speaker C: Yeah. And that's why I said they're guys doing their jobs. And that's where I think the. The romantic side of it comes from, as opposed to guys being like, we're gonna go kill us some Jerry's. You know, there's not that kind of Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds kind of vibe here. [00:52:47] Speaker A: That's a great example of what I was referring to, Inglourious Basterds type of characters, as opposed to this. But there is a bravery and a bravado that is, I think, a little fictional for probably most of them that were in war. But I do love that everybody's just doing their job and they're okay with. [00:53:10] Speaker C: Yeah, But I think bravado, the way I interpret that means that it. It's a front to impress or to show off. And so I don't see any of that here. [00:53:21] Speaker A: Agreed. [00:53:22] Speaker B: It was very credible to me when they were told what the mission was. The amount of skepticism, doubt, concern, anger, bargaining, denial, acceptance that they went through. [00:53:34] Speaker D: I mean, they seem very competent, which I think is probably what they're intended to become. [00:53:38] Speaker A: Of course, they also set up for us that this is an elite group of men that have been brought together. [00:53:46] Speaker C: From all different commandos. [00:53:48] Speaker A: Commandos from different countries to make this special force. So there is something to the idea that they all are very good at their job and capable and calm and accepting of possible death. [00:54:02] Speaker C: Are there any other final thoughts before we roll into a vote? Oh, I know what we haven't talked about is that twist at the end. [00:54:11] Speaker D: Oh, it's Rommel. Or the. One of the. [00:54:12] Speaker B: Yeah, my money's on Rommel. [00:54:14] Speaker C: Well, they mentioned Rommel earlier. They talked. Well, we're practically in Rommel's front yard. [00:54:19] Speaker A: I loved it. I loved it so much that it wasn't just, we did our job, we had a mission, and we got out. Oh, and a quick side note. In all the war movies that I love, there's always characters that I fall in love with because who they are and how the actors portraying them and, like, please don't kill this one off. And they do. And then, of course, they die very eloquently. But what was very satisfying to me in this one is that we. I didn't have to lose anybody. [00:54:55] Speaker D: Yeah, nobody died. [00:54:57] Speaker A: Nobody died. [00:54:58] Speaker B: I love that. [00:54:59] Speaker A: I love that twist. [00:55:00] Speaker C: That's the irony, though. They get back and, like, all six of us came back alive. Everyone lived. Oh, even Rommel. Even the Nazi. [00:55:10] Speaker E: But. [00:55:11] Speaker D: But the thing of it, I guess the Plot point of it being Rommel or one of the other two Nazis that, that sort of got the, that award. It's not, I don't think it's just a twist of like, oh, to make the story greater than it is. I think it's. It needed to be someone like that. Otherwise you'd be like, wait, why did the Nazis stop shooting at them like they shouldn't have gotten out of there. And it would seem too phony and too fake. So I think the fact that they had like a hostage that pretty much meant people could not shoot, I think provides some degree of credibility. Although, although it's, you know, quite coincidental. [00:55:45] Speaker B: It is that that one coincidence your story gets is the one guy that you didn't shoot who just stumbles forward into your arms is the one guy who's the perfect shield. [00:55:55] Speaker A: Right? [00:55:55] Speaker C: Yeah. And I think it's more believable as dumb luck or fortune or accident than part of a heist style plot. And then we'll get Rommel, see, and we'll use him as a shield. That would be harder to swallowed than this. And, and when I say twist, I don't mean I thought it was cheap or anything. I guess it was to use the escape suspense lingo, right? [00:56:18] Speaker B: And they trade off, they trade off the coincidence of like we happen to get this guy with also and we happen to lose him before we know who he is. [00:56:26] Speaker C: They didn't win the war. They didn't have some alternate history episode of Escape. [00:56:31] Speaker D: I did actually at one point think they were talking about jury cans with the gas cans at one point. And then I realized, oh, I had to, I had to look it up. Jerry is a name that used to be for the Nazis back in the day. That's not really used. [00:56:47] Speaker B: Give it to the Hun. [00:56:49] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, I personally prefer kraut, but they probably were like, we can't have kraut and potato salad in the same episode. And strawberry jam or whatever the other term was. [00:57:03] Speaker A: And my traditional Memorial Day meal, bratwurst with a lot of sauerkraut and potato salad. And I just had that on Monday. [00:57:13] Speaker C: Potato salad is just a distressing thing to me. [00:57:16] Speaker D: I don't like it either. [00:57:17] Speaker C: Only the Midwesterners would look at a boiled potato and go, how can we make this whiter, more vulnerable to foodborne pathogens? [00:57:29] Speaker E: I know. [00:57:29] Speaker C: Too much mayo. [00:57:30] Speaker D: Mayonnaise. And salads. No, it's not. [00:57:32] Speaker C: And eggs. [00:57:34] Speaker E: Yeah, yeah. [00:57:35] Speaker B: Well, hey, it counts as a salad. That's what I care about. [00:57:38] Speaker A: That's exactly right, Tim. Let's throw it to a vote. Tim, you go first. I don't know, just picking people we. [00:57:46] Speaker B: Frequently go with, like is this a classic episode in the big picture or in the context of its series or whatever. Escape is a heavy hitter and so to compare this to other episodes of Escape is not fair. It's really, really good, particularly as a gritty, rounded portrayal, a suspenseful story of zoomed in war. But hey, let's say classic. I got plenty of classics. Classics for everyone. You're a classic. You're a classic. [00:58:21] Speaker C: Look under your seat, Joshua. Yeah, I'm going to basically agree with Tim. We said this is just technically really good. And personally I was impressed because I am pretty much the opposite of Eric. I do not like war movies. I am the product of my parents who were just prototypical 1960s anti war boomers. I was not allowed to watch war movies. I was not allowed to have toy guns. I went to anti nuclear rallies in the 80s as a kid with my parents. So I. I still deep down have this sort of pushback against like adventure war stories just cause it's ingrained in me. Even though I intellectually understand the difference between reality and a piece of fiction. And this episode, I had no problems. It won me over immediately, which I think is a testimony to just how well done it is. [00:59:24] Speaker A: So I will, I don't think it'll be a shock. It is not only absolutely hands down a classic for me, but it is. I would love to sit down at this point after 300 whatever episodes and figure out what exactly my top five are. But there's no doubt this is in my top five. This is one of the best things I've ever listened to in my life and on this podcast. I love this so much. [00:59:51] Speaker C: How did you not hear this? [00:59:53] Speaker A: Well, that's the thing is that I was about to say was how has this escaped me for so long? [01:00:02] Speaker B: Another one of these truck themed episodes of Escape. [01:00:05] Speaker D: It's probably the 13 you thought with a haunted truck or something with like some superstitious. [01:00:11] Speaker A: I've never even seen the title. I've never seen the title before. You know, I scroll through things trying to bring things to this podcast. I don't recall, but that's not fair. I don't remember yesterday, but I am so happy this has been brought to me and yet somewhat disappointed that I didn't find this on my own somehow. [01:00:29] Speaker D: I'm sorry I disappointed you. [01:00:32] Speaker A: No, no. I'm disappointed in myself. No, no, no. So Jeff, thank you so much for bringing this that was fantastic. [01:00:43] Speaker C: I think we know Jeff's boat, but let's hear it anyway. [01:00:46] Speaker D: Sure. I'll say it's a classic, but I will just comment on. I mean, it's definitely a war story. But Joshua, to your sort of your take on. I think it's kind of a, a war story in the same way that you might say Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark, you know, is a, is a war story. I mean, he's gone up against the Nazis. There's like the caravans or, you know, the whip. I mean, it's probably a little bit more. But it's very much a thrilling adventure story, I would say more than a war story. I think that the, The World War II setting is probably just more of a, you know, setting for the events in many ways. [01:01:21] Speaker C: Well, my mom wouldn't let me go see Indiana Jones either. [01:01:24] Speaker E: Well. [01:01:25] Speaker D: Well, there you go. But like it's. It's like Inglorious Basterds or if you like this, there's a movie called Sisu. It's a finished film. Sisu. It's pretty fun. It's along these lines. Good action. [01:01:37] Speaker E: Yeah. [01:01:37] Speaker A: It does follow that post war 10 years movies of that there was a mission we have to build over a bridge over the River Kwai or we have to go rescue this guy. And they are very much focused on one mission which makes them adventures and not about the big picture in a lot of cases. So I think it follows that. Absolutely. In that genre of war stories or war movies post war. [01:02:09] Speaker D: But I'd say classic. So thank you for having me on. I'm glad, glad you enjoyed it. I thought it as something that's right up your alley. [01:02:17] Speaker A: I had a crappy day. Everything went wrong in the last 24 hours and that joy saved me. Thank you. [01:02:26] Speaker E: Aww. Aww. [01:02:28] Speaker A: Tim, tell him stuff. [01:02:30] Speaker E: Please go. [01:02:30] Speaker B: Visit ghoulishtolights.com home of this podcast. You'll find other episodes there, including Action from Escape episode 272. [01:02:39] Speaker E: Thank you. [01:02:40] Speaker B: You can leave comments. Vote in polls. Let us know what you think. You can let us know what you think about this episode. Say nice things because it's a good episode. You can also link to our our store if you want to buy some T shirts or a mug. Would you like a mug with our logo? Sure you would. Someone would. You'll also find a link to our Patreon store. Our Patreon page rather. [01:03:00] Speaker C: We aren't selling our patrons. No, they are not up for grabs. Go to patreon.com themorals and be like Jeff. Become a member of the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society. There are all kinds of perks, more than just joining us for a podcast, but also bonus episodes. You get access to our discord for the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society. We have book club, Zoom, Happy hours. Just it's a community that you could be a part of. So technically it's a gated community. You have to buy your way in, but still amazing. So go to patreon.com themorals we will. [01:03:44] Speaker A: Warn you though that our HOA is terrible. [01:03:47] Speaker E: Oh God. [01:03:48] Speaker A: Hey. The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society theater company does live on stage recreations of classic old time radio shows and a lot of our own original radio dramas. Come see us performing radio drama by going to ghoulishdelights.com there you will find out where we're performing, what we're performing and how to get tickets. We're performing somewhere pretty much monthly, if a lot, so go check it out. If you can't see us, you're like, oh, I live in Finland. I don't know why Finland, but. And I can't make it there. You can watch those shows or listen to those shows, I should say, as we record the audio and being a Patreon gets you access to that audio file. I've done better on this. I have done much better on this. What is. Jeff's here and I'm nervous. I'll be honest. What is coming up next? [01:04:45] Speaker C: Next? I don't know. I'm gonna have to edit that in. I have no idea. Next we'll be listening to a recommendation from our patron, Mark the discovery of Moral Mathaway from X Minus One. Until then, well, my mom wouldn't let me go see Indiana Jones either, so. [01:05:08] Speaker B: You should see it. It's good.