You, finding life rather dull, dreaming again of exotic places, wishing you were somewhere else. We offer you escape. Escape with us now to the western Pacific and the story of a man trapped by the terror of another man's insane dream, as Millard Kaufman tells it in his exciting story, The Island. The problem was, what could I do with Robert Lacey? You happen to have a dream book handy with all the charts and categories precisely arranged in alphabetical order. In it you'll find a dream for loneliness about girls in soft summery dresses. You'll find a dream for hunger, a two pound steak perhaps smothered all over with lamb chops. You'll find a dream for the traveler of a hometown far away and long ago. But find me a dream of a place you've never seen, a place that doesn't exist. Awake or asleep, that was Lacey's dream. Corporal Robert Lacey, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines. A harmless enough dream I guess, not to be taken seriously. Or so it seemed until that night when Lacey's dream became my problem. May it was, 1945, in a little wood on Okinawa. Okay, DeBore, I guess we're safe. Where are we anyhow? Oh, a couple of three miles behind the jet lines. So how safe is that? You worry too much pal, even for a guy on his first patrol. I've been thinking of it as my last. Nah, relax like me, you'll live forever. What's that? It's nothing, just a screamin' Mimi. Got some kind of a tail adjustment that cuts the wind and sorta screams. Nips use it to scare us. Well he sure succeeded. You scare easy don't you pal? Yeah sure. I'm a pushover for that Shreklykite stuff. Shreklykite? What kind of jive's that? Means terror, fright for us. The Germans got a whole arsenal of terror weapons. Yeah well the Japs got a few of themselves. Yeah, what do you say we sack in? Here? That's as good as the next place. What a lash up. Three miles behind jet lines. Got no more chance of getting back tonight and crawling through the hole in the lifesaver. Get knocked off if we try. You take a first watch, I'm gonna sack in. You're going to sleep? Oh my. Oh my. Oh maybe I'll just sit down here and do a little dreaming for a while. You sure picking a fine time for it. Ain't I ever tell you about my island? Yeah, you told me. Well there's this island see. You must have told me fifty, sixty times in the past month. Well I'm gonna tell you again. This island, it's a sort of a special place. There's no rain, no jungle rot, no war, just a quiet cozy spot where a man can lay down under a banyan tree and live off the fat of the land. There is no such place. On this island a man would never go hungry. All you gotta do is fish a little bit with the natives and they'll all be big men and they'll be friendly, not like the Nips. And all the women will be beautiful. You read too many comic books. Yeah, that's where I'm fixing to go as soon as I find it. Never gonna go back stateside. Just gonna lay down under that little old banyan tree. I let him rave on. What else could I do? Argue with him? Maybe fish a little? There I was three miles deep in enemy lines with a strange old. His eyes narrowed in a thousand yard stare. His rush of words like a nervous twitch. He raved on about a place that don't exist, big men and beautiful women. I found myself listening sort of hypnotized and I learned something about Corporal Lacey and what combat weariness means. He'd foraged too long among the rotten bomb-scarred pebbles of the Pacific. He'd seen too much death, too many crack-ups. He himself was half-cracked and slightly dead, barely held together by the taut and twisted wires of his dream. So what could I do? Argue with him? I'm gonna eat roast wild pig and pineapple and bat the breeze with the people. And there's gonna be cattle on the island, too. I'm gonna find me a beautiful girl and I... Tabari. Yeah. Yeah, I'm listening. Look, Tabari. Out there. Coming toward us. No, no, over there. About two o'clock. You see it? A bunch of them. No, it's not a bunch. It's just four. Three men and a woman. They're heading right for us. Hey, put down that rifle. What's the matter? You flip or something? They're not Japs. Men are too big. It's funny, though. Woman with them. Maybe his eyes were better than mine, but how could I trust that brain of his, all fested with dreaming? I tell you that now. I'm gonna go get him. I'm gonna go get him. I'm gonna go get him. I'm gonna go get him. I'm gonna go get him. I'm gonna go get him. I'm gonna go get him. He's all fested with dreaming. I tell you, they're not Japs. And that woman is beautiful. If I had only listened to Lacy, then if I had only known. But Japs are no Japs. I was taking no chances. I raised my rifle and... Knock it off, you jerk. You hit the woman. Lacy, where are you going? I'm gonna see if she's hurt bad. Now come on. Don't go, Lacy. You know the Japs. It might be a trick. Don't worry about me. Get yourself killed not me to Bori I live to spit in your grave not let go of me. Okay. I hope you know what you're doing I just don't want to get involved in your cockamamie dreams dreams It's no dream to Bori You'll find out Okay, Lacey, so where is she? That's funny. Must be around here somewhere Maybe she... What's that? She's coming from over there Come on Now here she is She's scared of us It's alright lady Gawaii, Gawaii No, we ain't gonna hurt you lady I hurt you, I hurt you Maybe she's armed Nah, she's bluffing Break out your first aid kit Here That's a boy Now look lady, let me fix your arm, huh? See, we got bandages and adhesive tape and penicillin She don't get what you're talking about She gets the idea alright That's right lady Nah, this is not gonna hurt you a little bit There And we put it around there You just got nicked a little, that's all Just a flesh wound She trust you Yeah, she trusts me more than you do Did I tell you she was beautiful? You told me a lot of things How about the men she was with? The big men She was with them and they weren't japs And a pig's eye not japs No, no they're not japs Yeah, there you see Then what were they? They were, how you say, my people Who are you? What are you? What's your name? Name, Taki I am, I know I can't say in English but But please go away Please you, you go away fast I know you scared her again It's gonna be alright Taki, everything's gonna be alright You just come on with that No, I go home, must go home So go home, scram, lose yourself Oh no you don't Leave her alone Lacey You keep out of this Then let her go, let her get back to her rice paddies You still don't catch Tabori, she ain't from Okinawa She's from that island I was telling you about Look Lacey, I don't care if she's from Mars I'm not from Mars No kidding Also I'm not from Okinawa What? I'm from Yakachi, Yakachi Shima Shima, there you see, Shima means an island Yes, iron Then what are you doing here? I do not know, the Japanese brought us in canoe She's crazier than you are, whoever Shut up Taki, where is your island? Where is Yakachi? In the east, in the China Sea Half day from Okinawa by canoe What's it like Taki? What's your island like? We have a mighty island, let's find a canoe Don't you see Lacey, with the canoe we can get back to our lines by water I think maybe you've got something there Taki, Taki can you find the canoe? I think I can Then let's go She led us on through the wood A lopsided moon came up and its ray filtered through the clouds and down through the jagged trees In the moonlight she was like one of those porcelain figurines Delicate, with a peculiar tint to her skin, unlike anything I'd ever seen before The shade of waxed ivory, ancient ivory Her hair was long and black and drawn tight over her head She was straight and slim and she walked with dignity She was beautiful, as beautiful as a dream, Lacey's dream But dreams don't come true, not like this Yet here she was just the way he described her And the three men in the island, I can't even remember their names The three men in the island, I couldn't figure it out And just then I hadn't the time because... Lacey, listen to that What? Yeah, well come on Taki led us down a slope to the water, there were canoes And leaning against a prow with two sentries They were safe they thought Three miles behind their lines, snug as two bugs in a mosquito net They were so safe they didn't know what... Taki, get in the canoe Okay, you push us off to Bury Yeah Come on That's it, boy All right, you take a bow Sit down, Taki Where to? Straight out in the channel You know what I think, Tabore? I think we're gonna make it Oh, okay, Tabore, we can take it easy now I'm not taking it easy until we cross upper eminence Yeah? Well, just how are you gonna tell at night? With your zip-o lighter? I'll lay off Maybe you think I got neon signs, huh? Well, maybe we'll see a landmark or something Yeah, the trouble is distance isn't fool you at night You're liable to paddle into a platoon of nips What'll we do, Lacey? We'll stand by the mooring and head for our convoy We'll ride ashore in style in an LST I don't know I think it'd be better to... Well, look, whatever you think you're outvoted You've outvoted two stripes to one Pullin' rank, Corporal? Why not, knucklehead? This ship's got one skipper and I'm it You are, Lacey If I want any stuff out of you, I'll knock it out of you I'm wantin' ya, don't follow up this detail So what was I gonna do, argue with him? Start a private firefight in the middle of the China Sea? I was gettin' a little combat worry myself But Lacey, he was all charged up as though his crazy dream had come true Lying on the narrow deck of the canoe I could hear, Lacey The more I heard, the more confused I got And it's not like the other islands, is it, Taki? It's different, Yagache Yeah, yeah I wish I could tell you how I know, I know It's pretty, huh? It's very pretty, but... Is the fishin' good? It's good, and we have pigs Yeah? Cows? Good cows Oh, I knew it, I knew it Cows and pigs And Lacey gettin' all hopped up about it That's the last thing I remembered, I guess I fell asleep And then suddenly it was daylight Tabori! Hey, look, Tabori What? Look over there! What do you see? An island Just an island It's not just an island, that's my island What's so special about it? Well, look at it, look at it You see, it's surrounded by mist, just like I said Tell it to the troops when we get back to Okinawa Stand by for a ram, Tabori, we ain't goin' back to Okinawa Now, wait a minute I don't want any more trouble outta you Then don't make any or I'll... Where's... You're lookin' for your rifle? Well, don't bother Because I got it right here Now you get up forward You're crazy Move! You know, you're flirtin' with a purple heart That's a boy All right, now lean on that paddle That's right We're headin' for Yagachi Escape under the direction of Norman MacDonald returns in just a moment Motorists, the next time you put your foot down on the accelerator, tread easy Remember that excess speed is the cause of most highway accidents And pedestrians, the next time you start to cross the street between intersections, stop and think Crossing between intersections is the most dangerous thing you can do Whether walking or driving, be careful The life you save may be your own And now, back to... Escape! Dr. Neu scraped the coral beach at Yagachi about four hours later It was a lovely island with terraced hills and patches of tilled soil checkering the greenery Well, here we are Scenes believin', huh, Dabore? Funny, so close to Okinawa and this place looks like it never heard of shot fired and anger Where are your people, Taki? Long way over hills, but you must not come You go back now Oh, no, not me I'm stickin' around How about you, Dabore? You can't miss far, I'll sweat it out just for the laughs You're gonna laugh out the wrong side of your face What you mean? Just a figure of speech, Taki, let's go So there I was, caught up in Lacey's dream when all the time I should have taken off at high port for Okinawa I should have known better, but I didn't And what you don't know can hurt you, plenty Hey, look, look at that cow You could eat her down to the hooves I tell you, I'm gonna live off the fat of the land The trails snaked upward, pine trees and casarinas rattled in the sweet strong wind from the China Sea Their cones lay along the footpath and in the fields were raspberry bushes There were lilies in the sword grass and scarlet flowers, all very nice I suppose, but I was looking for people The big men of Lacey's dream, the girls all as lovely as the girl beside us I was tense with expectancy at each bend in the trail, but Lacey's tensions had vanished He lost them because he'd found Taki Robert Lacey Oh, Taki, my name's Lacey, now try it again Lacey Lacey, L, like in this is a lily, you are a lady and you're a loco Dabore, I'm gonna slug you You're so funny, Lacey, when you're mad Oh, you laugh, nice Taki It is first time in five years, it is first time I have you Maybe, maybe you was waiting for me to make you happy, like I was waiting for you What do you mean, Lacey? Well, I mean, here, this is for you Why you give me flower? I love you, Taki No, no you cannot But why Taki? You don't know, I don't know how to say, but you don't know me Oh, I know you, I've been dreaming about you for two years, I always knew I'd find you I, I never forget what you say I'll never let you forget Oh, Lacey Oh, Lacey, honey, L like in love They walked on together, the tall marine and the slim girl with the ivory skin with the flower in her hand Now and then she'd look at the flower and then she'd look at Lacey in a pained expression clouded her face as though she didn't understand But I did, the loneliness, the weariness, the refuge in a dream Very soon now that dream would burst like a bubble, but become reality, I had to find out Man, what a climb Be easier for you if you give me back my rifle Now don't you worry about me, I'll get by Hey, we got it licked, there's the summit Yeah It is highest point on Yagashi, see, down there, far away in valley Hey, look, look at them They my people I told you they were big men How can you tell from this distance? Well, look how broad they are Funny how they're all in a bunch Hey, listen Yeah, maybe it's a sort of a ceremony or something, huh? It is Maybe it's for us, I bet they know we're coming No, it is for dead What happened, you suppose, the war? The war not here, it, my people die Everybody's people die, it's gotta happen sooner or later Yes, sooner or later It's like I always say, here today and gone tomorrow I never heard it so well put Oh, drop dead Dad, dry up Let's go, Taki We went down the mountainside, down to a cape That jutted into the Pacific like a gnarled finger of doom Far away we saw a village We headed toward it through the sunless gorge At the far end was a thatched hut It looks like it's empty As any fool could see You wait here, I come back soon with headman He speak English good You, you gonna stay here with me, don't worry? No, Lacey, I just want one good look at your big men and beautiful women in their native habitat Then I'm off for Okinawa You still want proof, huh? Yeah, there's something strange about this place, I wanna know what it is It's not strange, it's just different, like I said You're all fouled up in a dream, Lacey I'm not sure what it's all about, but I gotta find out It'll drive me crazy the rest of my life You mean crazy like me? I didn't say that Since we left Okinawa, you've been giving me a bad time It was mutual Now you call me crazy I know what I said I know what you think And I know what you'll do Once you get back to Okinawa, you'll tell the MPs I went over the hill And you'll tell them where I am And they'll come after me You are crazy I'm just crazy enough to make sure you keep your trap shut You remember, Tabore, I said I'd be around to spit in your grave? Lacey, stop kidding around with that rifle I ain't kidding I'm gonna kill you No question about it, he wasn't kidding He slid back the bolt of his rifle and it sprang forward, a cartridge in the chamber I'm gonna kill you, Tabore But first you're gonna see I was right I want to see the expression on that smart aleck face of yours when you admit it And then I'm gonna kill you Now get back in that corner And keep your mouth shut You, you the head man? I suppose you could call me that His name, Hiroshi What can I do for you? Well, I, I, I want to stay here With talking I'm afraid you can't Well, I'll work my way, you know that That is not the point You cannot Look, I don't want no arguments out of you You cannot stay But why can't I? She is a leper Hey All right Well, she's so beautiful I know, son, but in three years, five years Taki, I'm sorry, Taki So am I I, I tried to tell you, but I don't know how And then I could not, even if I want to I wanted to, to last one more hour, one more minute They stood there facing each other Tall Maureen and the girl with the ivory skin With the flowers still in her hand The flower already beginning to wilt Goodbye, Hiroshi Goodbye Thank you for, for the flower That's all right I never forget you I won't forget either It was like a dream come true For a while it was Goodbye Hiroshi, what's this all about? It is quite simple Two nights ago, the Japanese came to the leper colony They took more than half my patients to Okinawa Headed toward the American lines But why? To disrupt your advance There was no chance of contagion, but Well, my patients aren't all as lovely as Taki I see Shreklishkite Exactly, a weapon of terror Taburi Yeah, Lacey I guess we better move out, huh? Are you ready, pal? Yeah Long road back to Okinawa The May that, the road back is longer than that Under the direction of Norman MacDonald, Escape has brought you The Island of My Millard Kaufman Starring Harry Bartel and Bill Conrad with Michael Ann Barrett and Edgar Berrier The special music for Escape is composed and conducted by Leith Stevens Next week, escape with us to the most evil city in the Orient And the story of a beautiful but unscrupulous woman who ruled it Her perdom tells it in his exciting tale, Macau He's coming up next on most of these same CBS stations, yours truly, Johnny Dollar You want to hear every exciting minute of the fairway matter in which 13 die when one man is marked for murder It's one of Johnny Dollar's most exciting insurance investigations In which he turns in a masterful expense account as well as masterful deduction Stay tuned for yours truly, Johnny Dollar, next on most of these same CBS stations Roy Rowan speaking This is CBS where you meet Mr. Keen, tracer of lost persons every Thursday night The Columbia Broadcasting System
