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 on an island in the South Pacific a fortune within your reach yet standing between you and freedom keeping you a captive and a slave is a giant of a man and the most beautiful woman you've ever seen Listen now as Escape brings you John Russell's great story The Bird of Paradise With his heart full of greed and a hundred pounds in his pocket Andrew Harbin traveled east through the archipelago into the Solomon Sea He went questing across many degrees of latitude before he came to the Spice Islands where at the ancient town of Ternate he found the shop of a fat Dutch half-cast There he was shown into a room that flamed with color as if all the rainbows of the seas had been trapped and graded and hung up for sale These were the skins of the birds of paradise the shyest and rarest of all creatures Dutchman, which is the prized bird of this lot? Ah, all are very scarce I didn't ask that, I asked which is the scarcest I will make you a bargain on any of them Ah, no, you won't, I'll make you a bargain I do not understand Is not your price to sell, I want, but to buy You have birds for me to buy? Not yet, but I will have Where do these skins come from? Who knows? From island tribes to the east somewhere Sea gypsies trade them from coast to coast until they finally arrive near enough to Ternate for me to buy There'll be no middlemen with me, I'll go direct to the islands Maybe you might kill five, six natives before they cut off your head Nonsense Also, the sun is very hot today Oh, you... Now look here, you stupid Dutchman Please, please, I meant no insult, please And watch your tongue before I twist it out of your fat mouth All right, it's your life you risk Come, I will show you something Now, in this chest is the rarest bird of all Show me Purple and gold I never saw one like that Yeah, I call it the imperial bird of paradise Once a year comes to me six skins No more, worth 50 times the price of a bird Worth 50 times the price of common ones 50 times? Never comes more than six skins From where? Who knows? The natives with which I trade and the wild sea gypsies with which they trade Nobody knows But somewhere east is an island One island where lives the imperial bird of paradise I'm not looking for fairy tales, Dutchman Yeah, well, maybe it is only a fairy tale But you do get a few of these skins, huh? Half dozen a year, no more Very well, then Tell me where I can pick up a small cutter Seaworthy but cheap I'm going to find that island The Solomon's Sea is sprinkled with thousands of tiny islands One very much like another And all equally wild and uncharted And very soon after sailing from Ternate Andrew Harbin could not have told his whereabouts on a map Within the dab of his thumb For three months he wandered And he found a small island That was very far from the sea And he found a small island That was very far from the sea For three months he wandered fruitlessly through the sea And touched upon island after island Then, as he was about to give up He fell ill with a fever And when a howling gale smashed his vessel on a reef one night He was cast ashore, dazed And scarcely caring where he had landed When morning came It wasn't the sun that woke him But a huge monster of a man With cold blue eyes And a thick red beard Are you dead or just plain balsam? I thought so Where's your boat, mister? Who's here with you? I'm alone My boat's wrecked Trying to land it in a storm? What kind of a sailor are you? I'm not a sailor Well, what might you be then? A trader A businessman That's a lie There's no white traders among these islands Never have been Well, I'm not exactly a trader I'm looking for something Maybe you can help me After I get a little food And rest We'll see about that when you tell me what you're looking for I'm... Looking for an island Oh, you are, eh? Well, you're on an island My island You're on an island Your island? Who are you, anyway? I'm Jim Orion Late 2nd May to the school And a merry friend wrecked to that reef out there December 19, three years ago And you, you're nothing but a sneak and trespasser I know what you're looking for Oh, no I came in in peace, Orion I don't want your island Yes, you do You're one of them fortune hunters, is what you are I tell you, mister, I've been expecting one of your kind I've been waiting for you Waiting? For me? Ah, for some thief like you But you should have brought along a company And a machine gun or two Why, man, did you think to cut out this little island By your lonely, the likes of you? You should have broke your neck first off Why didn't you? I wanted to be sure in my mind Just what manner of man you are first And, sir? You've come to destroy this place The stink of the world is on you, mister You're evil And you're going to be treated like evil I've come too far to be stopped now, Orion The fight you want, well then And so the huge Orion Took Andrew Harbin, now unconscious Slung him under one arm And climbed the beach to a little clearing In the jungle beyond And there stood a neat bamboo house And before it, a girl She was clothed in one Gorgeous robe of purple and gold Made all of bird skins Hundreds of imperial Paradise bird skins And she herself Was even more beautiful Than they Orion, you lied to me You did not bury them all You did not bury them all You told me you buried them Every one How do you know I didn't dig this land up again, Legoba? Who do you think it might be now? The captain? It can't be No, captain never could have grown so monstrous thin Look at this one He's alive, Orion It's a man What's left? A poor specimen of that Wouldn't it be best to kill him now, Legoba? No, no Now what's this to bite me? What made you do that, huh? What's come to you? I want him Don't bury him away in the ground with the others He's a new white man I want him to keep What are you doing? I had no idea I was bringing a present strike your fancy so close Well, you little spitfire Don't Don't you touch her, Orion Look, Legoba Your beachcomber is going to be a hero Lay off her Come on, lad, give it to me I'll give it to you Now again, get up and try it again Oh, man, that was good First fair wallop I've had in the enemy arm for three years Stop, Orion Don't speak Don't speak Don't spoil him Don't take him away from me Or I will be very angry Carry him into the house now before he dies So, you're awake now, eh? I'm awake Three days of eating and sleeping's enough Got a bit of fever yet That'll go I...I... I want to thank you and Nagoma both For your care Do you now? Well, I'd have died otherwise My real mistake was not cracking your neck off Or Nagoma laid eyes on you I forgot the child had seen no other man but me for years Now she's taken a notion to you Like a new toy or a bit of a poodle dog You kept me alive And I let you live such as your Nagoma'll have her poodle to play with Even though you come to this lovely Eden of mine to rob it for Dirty gain, you thieving buccaneer I'm...I'm an honest trader, Orion I'm not a thief Ooh Maybe Nagoma believes that Even though I've warned her what you come here for and what kind of a man you are She's all innocence, that child But What is there here to rob you of? It's just another island It's the island you was hunting for, you scum And sorry I am I ever traded one of them Purple bird skins now I might have known it to bring greedy devils Like yourself smelling for the place I had to have Knives and tobacco and them sea gypsies That take nothing else Oh, oh you mean The birds of paradise, huh? Don't be sly With me, you filthy rat And forget about Nagoma too She thinks you're something grand now Feel no better when she sees you put to your proper place What do you mean? There's no gun on this island, Harbin Whenever you want to kill me You'll have to try with your hands And you can try and I can smash your face again Why should I try? Oh, you're not going to like the jobs I set you to Jobs? Didn't I say jobs? No You're not going to like the jobs I set you to Jobs? Jobs? Didn't I tell you? There's much to be done By way of public improvement around here And you'll start in a big pit I've dug clear in a spring of water You mean it? You're going to keep me As a slave? Well, you don't think I'd let you go and know all what you do about them birds, do you now? What do I care about your birds? What do I care about your birds? I told you to stop that lion I told you to stop that lion I told you to stop that lion Now a slave is what you are Now a slave is what you are Till you prove yourself a better man than me, do you see? Till you prove yourself a better man than me, do you see? You are listening to The Bird of Paradise You are listening to The Bird of Paradise Tonight's presentation on escape Stan Freberg stars on CBS Radio's Friday Night Comedy Series called That's Rich Try it on for sighs and for laughs Tomorrow night on most of these same stations That's Rich you will say And you'll be right And now escape And the second act of The Bird of Paradise The Bird of Paradise Andrew Harbin had traveled far and suffered much to find the island of the Imperial Bird of Paradise but his pains had just begun still weak and feverish he was taken next day to the edge of a black volcanic cliff and there he was kicked into a great hole some twelve feet deep and with straight unscalable sides after him Orion threw a wooden spade and a bucket and ordered him to dig for a spring that might lie under the rock and here Andrew Harbin toiled and sweated like the slave he had become day after day and here he lived at noon Nagoma would bring his food and lower it in a basket and then perched on the bank above him she gazed down at him and talked Are you feeling better today Andrew? How could I feel better? Kept down here like a bear in a pit Sometimes I think you should have never come to this island at all Sometimes I wonder what goes on in your head Nagoma Not much I suppose I know little of the world Only what Orion has told me I see But Look Nagoma Don't you ever want to get away from here? Get out into the world I've never been in the world I was going to Port Morseby a missionary was taking me but he was drowned when we wrecked the island where I was born and this one is all I know Nagoma How would you like to go with me? With you? I'd like that Andrew But Orion says the world isn't nice He says people are always stealing and lying and fighting Nobody has any honesty or honor No, no, no, that's not true Orion says it is He says if people knew of us they'd take our world away Do you love Orion Nagoma? You mean like sometimes I'd comb his beard? Maybe I'd like to comb yours too Andrew You have such a pretty yellow beard all curly Well, listen Nagoma You can't comb the beards of two men You can only love one man You talk such funny words Andrew, I know nothing of these things What use are so many words? I'll show you what use they are Nagoma, help me get out of this pit some dark night Oh no, Andrew He put you there Listen, Nagoma Do you know why I came to this island? Orion says it was because you are a thief No, no, no, no, no I came here to take you away Nagoma I came to find you and take you back with me Me? Why Andrew? Because I love you And because you're beautiful There's no one in the world as beautiful as you, Nagoma Is this truth, Andrew? Orion told you I came seeking the bird of paradise, didn't he? Yes Well, he's right except for one thing What one thing, Andrew? You are the bird of paradise Oh, Andrew I'm so glad you're still alive Well, my pirating scoreean How's the lockdown there? Orion If you've any decency left get me out of here A thief on a spoiler like you talking of decency Get to work and find that spring By heaven you aren't worth your keep, Harbin I'm coming down there You wait till I fix my rope You might have let me climb down that rope instead of kicking me into this hole like you did The rope's for me Harbin, you've done mighty little work down here There's no spring under this rock, Orion and you know it Why, then dig for gold, man or precious stones You're a fortune hunter, are you not? You're insane Insane am I? Because I want to live here in peace Because Nagoma's more to me than the riches I could have from the birds All right All right Look, Orion You've got a boat I saw it Let me take it and leave here I thought of that And it's a million to one chance that you'd ever be able to find your way back But I won't risk it What are you going to do with me then? Harbin A plucky freebooter like you can handle a shovel brisker than you've been doing Now dig into it, you lazy scavenger No, I won't You won't, eh? Then maybe you're ready to fight No, no Orion You hurt him No, he's not hurt, Nagoma He needed limbering up his half I'm coming out now You promised me, Orion I promised you what? You said you wouldn't spoil him Well, now look at him now, Nagoma He's on his feet again He's as good as new Are you all right, Andrew? I'm all right Eh? Now I've work to do, Nagoma You can stay and play with your poodle dog if you like And you keep away from him, Orion You teach him to be civil then Poor Andrew Would you like some water? No, thanks You mustn't think Orion's always so mean Why is he so mean? You should have seen how patient he was teaching me to read He taught you to read? Out of a book he saved from the ship It's the only one we have The Bible, eh? No It's the ship's book The log The log? The log of the merry friend? Of course, it's not very interesting It's full of numbers and the like Sure, sure, numbers Longitude and latitude Every day Every day till she was wrecked out there What, Andrew? Listen, uh, uh, Nagoma, Nagoma I'm a far better educated man than Orion I can teach you Many wonderful things He's never heard of Can you, Andrew? Of course, but you'll have to Bring the book with you What good would that do, Andrew? You down there and me up here Listen to me, Nagoma All the things I have to teach I must whisper to you With my lips against your ear Do you understand? Are they truly wonderful things, Andrew? Wonderful things, Nagoma But don't you see I'll have to get out of here first But how can you get out? The rope, Orion's rope You can tie it and drop it down and leave it hanging And then when it's dark I'll come out and meet you on the beach Orion would be very angry You'll never know Tonight, Nagoma Bring the book with you to the beach I'll meet you there Where Orion's boat is anchored All right, Andrew And maybe I can comb your Pretty yellow beard Oh, yes, yes, Nagoma Yes Of course Andrew Harbin had known many women And many different kinds But Nagoma's almost incredible simplicity Was something new and startling Because of it, however He regained his freedom And when night came, he climbed up the rope And made his way to the beach His wooden shovel in hand In case Orion should stumble on them Nagoma was waiting As she had promised And in the moonlight, she seemed more than ever Like the imperial bird of paradise He put out his hand And touched her priceless Robe where it hung across One shoulder Andrew, you've come out Orion will kill you if he finds us It's worth the risk, Nagoma Oh, I did a very bad thing to listen to you And let you out I was a bad girl, Andrew You didn't make me Nagoma, my little wild bird I must teach you What it is to love You promised to teach me Many wonderful things, Andrew Here I brought the book The log of the merry friend Good, I'll put it in my belt Here But you were going to teach me from it There's no time now, Nagoma, later Later? I'll take you to the boat You'll come with me You will, won't you? You want me, Andrew? You know I do And the bird of paradise? I told you You're what I came here after Nagoma Nagoma It's Orion Nagoma He's on the beach there near his boat He hasn't seen us I'll fix him this time Not with the shovel, Andrew Quiet, quiet You'll be quiet I got him I've won Nagoma You killed him Now he isn't dead but I've got the log I'll come back and strip this island I'll take a thousand skins I'll be rich Look, Andrew, that's what you wanted the log for It's as good as a map, it's better It wasn't to teach me wonderful things What you need to know, I'm going to be rich Orion was right, you are only a thief I want you too, Nagoma Me too Orion wants only me He cares for non-riches Orion's a fool, we're wasting time Let's get to the boat and put to sea before he comes around No, Andrew You go, I'm staying here You want the skins more than you want me What difference does it make? You better hurry, Andrew All right, stay then if that's what you want Wait Before you go Kiss me just once Kiss you? You're an odd girl Please? All right But why? Why do you kiss me now, Nagoma? Quick now, hurry Goodbye And so on Orion's boat Andrew Harbin made his escape All that night he labored hard to keep from wrecking on the innumerable reefs that seemed to protect every island he passed And he had no time to think about Nagoma and why she had rejected him with their first kiss and their last But with the coming of the sun next morning he found out Yes And in the months that followed as he sailed here and there over the sea trying to find his way back to civilization, he had time to ponder on the unbelievable cunning of even the most innocent of women Andrew Harbin Back at last I thought you were dead I very nearly died, Dutchman Aha, you bring your head at least And the imperial bird of paradise Did you find the island? Almost I almost found it, Dutchman Almost? I had the island right here in my belt Longitude, latitude And a woman embraced me Embraced me and robbed it back What are you saying, Harbin? The ship's log It was as good as a map But I'd never find the island again now if I had fifty years to look for it The sun is bad for white men It makes fairy tales in the head Yes It's time, Dutchman I'm afraid you're right I'm afraid you're right Music Music Music Music Music Music Under the direction of Norman MacDonald, escape has brought you The Bird of Paradise by John Russell Specially adapted for radio by John Meston Starring John Dana as Andrew Harbin Featured in the cast were Lawrence Dobkin, Gene Bates and Ben Wright Edgar Berrier was the narrator Your announcer, George Walsh The special music for escape is composed and conducted by Leith Stevens Next week You are kneeling in the church of a Caribbean village seeking the sanctuary it might offer while slowly walking down the aisle carefully studying each bowed head is the brute of a man who has come to kill you So listen next week when escape brings you less Crutchfield story, Violent Night Violent Night Violent Night Violent Night Violent Night Violent Night Violent Night Violent Night Don't look back Look ahead to tomorrow night when CBS Radio presents another Arthur Godfrey Digest. It's the Godfrey Gang on nighttime radio over most of these same stations. Taking all their best daytime songs, music and shenanigans and pasting them together in one Friday night scrapbook of smiles and syncopation The Arthur Godfrey Digest Don't miss it tomorrow night at the stars address Weekday evenings, Bula cooks up comedy on the CBS Radio Network.
