The CBS Radio Mystery Theater episode No Place to Hide tells the bleak and suspenseful story of Charles Powell, a man living under an assumed identity. Once wrongly convicted of murder, he escaped prison and was mistakenly declared dead after a charred body was misidentified as his. Freed by this accident, he built a respectable life, became a rising executive, and became engaged to his boss’s daughter, Allison. His future seemed secure—until his past came back to haunt him.
A former prison acquaintance, Clint Livets, suddenly appears and threatens to expose Powell’s secret unless he pays heavily for his silence. Caught in a pressure cooker of blackmail, Powell and Allison resolve that the only way out is to eliminate the extortionist. Allison devises a plan to stage a car accident, but it backfires. Livets kills her before dying himself, and Powell’s new life unravels.
Despite Allison’s loyalty, Powell is unmasked, accused of her murder, and left with nothing. In the end, he makes no defense, only asking for a quick punishment so he might “join her.”
The episode mixes the familiar noir theme of a man trying to outrun his past with the tragic inevitability of fate. Larry Haines’s performance as Powell drew empathy from listeners, while Jackson Beck’s menacing blackmailer voice added menace. Many noted echoes of The Fugitive’s Dr. Richard Kimble, with the twist of an even darker ending. Some listeners praised the suspense, the music, and the acting, while others criticized the resolution as too dismal or predictable. Still, for many, it stood out as a memorable tale of blackmail, doomed love, and the impossibility of escape.
