Bill Hollweg, one of the creative dudes at BrokenSea Audio Productions, just sent me an email suggesting I listen to an episode of Escape titled North Of Polaris. He describes it as “fantastic” and “dark.” Sez Bill:
“This sounds so Rod Serling and Twilight Zone-ish and Planet Of The Apes-ish– it’s uncanny. No talking apes mind you- but the new rulers of the world are pretty ravenous.”
Escape – North Of Polaris
By Charles Smith; Performed by a full cast
1 |MP3| – Approx. 26 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: CBS Radio
Broadcast: May 17, 1953
Provider: Escape-Suspense.com
A group of astronauts travels twenty million miles to explore a post-apocalyptic planet. They will have to spend 48 hours before their ship returns. Their challenge is to stay alive on this dead world until their ship comes back to get them.
Stars: William Conrad, Hy Averback, Eddie Firestone, Vivi Janiss, Ralph Moody and Frank Gerstle.
The Escape-Suspense blog also points out that Suspense did a similarly themed show called Report From A Dead Planet in 1960.
Suspense – Report From a Dead Planet
By George Bamber; Performed by a full cast
1 |MP3| – Approx. 20 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: CBS Radio
Broadcast: July 10, 1960
Provider: Archive.org
A four-man crew lands on a newly discovered, dead planet – which once held life. They find a dead city where once a civilization stood.
Stars: Lester Damon, John Larkin, William Mason and Phil Meader
Posted by Jesse Willis