Great episode. I kept thinking he would get caught escaping but he used cunning strategy to make it. This is one of my top 10 episodes.

An American prisoner of war escapes his German captors and tries to make his way to his underground contact. He meets a helpful Frenchman who goes out of his way to help him elude capture and instruct the nervous and unconfidend soldier in strategies and techniques for safety. He also meets a beautiful German girl who believes he is the Frenchman in his stolen passport, and has fallen in love with him.

‘Overnight to Freedom’ is a winner. Sam Dann’s script is an exceptional lesson of how dialogue and context can build suspense in a story and leave a listener not wanting it to end. From E.G. Marshall’s introduction of a man waiting nervously in a German train station during World War II, on through to the climactic conclusion in a small French café, the episode is packed with meaningful dialogue and nail-biting situations. Through excellent performances of fantastic dialogue, Rosemary Rice and CBS RMT heavies Robert Dryden, Mandel Kramer, and Earl Hammond take great care in developing characters to the point where the listener genuinely cares about them. I think this is one of the secrets to a great CBS RMT episode. Rice’s voice and personality is pure sweetness! I will be cross-referencing her name on other performances and checking them out (this ability is another thing I LOVE about CBSRMT.COM!!). Sam Dann throws in a meaningful twist when we least expect it. If I’m not mistaken, I believe Dann wrote more stories for CBS RMT than any other writer. One result of this prolificity means that the quality of his of work was variable (after all, who can hit a home run every night?). This is an episode I could listen to repeatedly (I already have). The sound quality is excellent and I like when old commercials still remain on the recording. I highly recommend ‘Overnight to Freedom’ and give it the highest rating of 5 stars. Enjoy! – Juror #4.

Excellent story! Very gripping and held me on the edge of my seat until the very end. The only thing that was missing is how he just left the girl, I was waiting for something more to their relationship but that never came. I too love when the news and commercials are intact, it provides a real time capsule into the world of that time. The network call sign jingles are fun to listen to also.

I agree with John that this was a great story, but was hoping for some follow up on the girl at the end (even if it was E.G. telling us). The news was also interesting from the times - I do enjoy listening to the old news with my limited knowledge of it now. I did find it interesting how the character was able to continue to fail to do the right thing, but kept safe until he figured out the right thing to do ... from the SS.

Superbly crafted. One of the best yet.

Another great CBS episode, written very well and performed completely believable . I was only about 10 years old when I first discovered these little gems of entertainment and now as a 50 year old I am once again entertained only wishing some of the players were still around to share in the joy.

An excellent episode and a fitting tribute to William Redfield. If your dates are correct, this is the last Redfield episode to be broadcast before his death. William died about 9 days later. RIP to a great entertainer. [There seem to be half a dozen episodes that were taped and broadcast posthumously.]

I loved this one - and I really enjoyed hearing the old radio commercials (bud) and the news reports. News is done so differently nowadays - I miss the old way.

Shortly after he flees a German POW camp, George McAlester, an American soldier with forged papers identifying him as a French machinist, boards a train for an overnight trip to freedom. Fearing he will be discovered, George seeks the help of a Frenchman who claims his work for the Germans allows him “to loosen fuses in their shells,” and a German woman whose father owns the machine shop where his alias, Louis Cardinet, supposedly works. McAlester is afraid, though, of where their loyalties really lie.

William Redfield is hillarious in this episode

Loved the 'Bildungsroman' (coming of age) aspects of this show. The development of the character from a frightened escapee to a calm, cool, sophisticated participant in the resistance, was a good nerve-wracking experience. It swept you up in the moment. Using everything he learned to successfully make his way, the dinner at the restaurant was the culmination and was beautifully done bringing the story to a satisfying ending. Great job CBSRMT!