Plan for Escape was part of the Emmy-winning CBS series Studio One (sponsored by Westinghouse appliances, a point that’s made several times during the program), a weekly series that ran for a whopping 10 seasons. The program originated as a weekly dramatic radio show, then transitioned to television during the late ’40s. Watching this 60-miute drama, I couldn’t help but yearn for something like this on contemporary TV. Not to complain about the “golden age of TV” that’s been going on since The Sopranos, but programming is lacking a weekly anthology like this one. Just one hour that presents a good old-fashioned drama with hot shit actors. My kingdom for a show like that right now.

Anyways, Plan for Escape focuses on the girlfriend of a wealthy gangster who’s sick of being confined and looked over. It’s a fairly straightforward story with a misleading title, though the finale is elevated by sharp direction and a taught showdown.

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