Final Escape

An about face for Edd "Kookie" Byrnes from 77 SUNSET STRIP. The cool tv good guy is cast as a down on his luck prisoner -- with a plan. And what a plan! Terrific dark comedy you won't forget, extremely well written by producer and director Randall Hood.

If you're a western movie or tv fan, you'll see the connection to this story right off the bat, because it's been done before, only freshened up a bit. The sly characters here are what puts it over the top.

Byrnes plays Paul Perry, a work camp prisoner who has years ahead of him. Trying to figure a way to escape, he strikes up a friendship with a grizzled old timer called Doc (memorably played by Robert Keith).

Doc claims there is ONLY one way -- in a coffin. Basically, a very clever switch; Paul climbs in a pine box and is carried out the gate, special care of Doc who buries the bodies. Just like that.

Fairly gruesome stuff, but when you're as desperate as this guy, it's worth a shot.

Watching how this weird tale unfolds is a real treat, and yet another to give Hitch a chuckle. To be sure.

The cast is excellent, and Robert Keith, father of Brian Keith, has never been better in a role tailored for his talents. He retired not too long after this episode and passed due to ill health. Tough guy Stephen McNally plays the captain. Nick Colasanto (CHEERS) appears in an early role, as does Greg Morris. Stacy Harris (DRAGNET) plays a lawyer.

Directed with style by William Witney, a hero to all us kids back in the day, behind some of the greatest 40s movie serials and B westerns of all time. Witney later directed BONANZA.

A Wow ending. What a fright-mare. A tribute to Edd Byrnes who passed in 2020.

Best of SEASON 2 EPISODE 18. Remastered. Some of the box sets, according to Amazon, were produced in Europe and may not play on American made dvd players. Same with Season One. Best to check with the seller.

Edd Byrnes who played Kookie on "77 Sunset Strip" is a prisoner in a lumber camp. He is a big time bank robber who has always managed to get away. But this prison is incredibly ruthless. He has the disadvantage of being combative and obvious. Mostly it involve an escape effort in a coffin set in motion by a drunken carpenter named Doc. The Captain (a sort of camp warden) keeps tabs on Byrnes daily so a plot is aways potentially on the radar. I'm afraid that the conclusion is a little obvious and a disappointment. One thing I have trouble with is when the person in question never has a snowball's chance. This is one of those.

Memorable Thriller!!! The greatest piece of movie irony ever seen on TV!

This was also remade for the "color" Hitchcock reboot series in the 1980s. It's well made and well acted with a convincing and grim work- camp setting and exterior locations and a really solid script. The main character is a well balanced bit of crook and hero, one you still root for enough for the whole thing to work. It's mostly a three character piece of crook, old con and guard and all are well written and preformed to have enough depth to escape the cliché.

It's paced and feels more like a feature film like the best of the hour long Hitchcock's do. Effectively tracked with music from other episodes and contains many effective camera angles. It's nearly perfect but the ending is kind of spoiled by the director. He allows the camera to show and see too many things that the main character can't and this may spoil the powerful ending for regular fans of this type of fiction and show. The final couple of shots also are repeated perhaps due to fear of something not being clear to the audience.

I think this version is better than the remake however I remember the ending working better in that version. Hithcock introduces the show from an enormous wine vat while stomping grapes.

It's a one-note plot, but thanks to a thoughtful script and persuasive acting, the story works, though you may see the major twist coming. So how's young Paul (Byrnes) going to escape prison; after all, he's got a slick reputation to protect. Besides, the head guard (McNally) is one arrogant son of a gun, and keeps challenging Paul to just try to escape. Also, how's old broken-down inmate Doc (Keith) going to help since he sort of totters around.

For fans of old 77 Sunset Strip (1958-64) Byrnes' turn here comes as a revelation. Who would figure that the jive talking Kookie of that detective series could actually play a hardened criminal; still, he's quite good. Then too, judging from his frail appearance, I'm not surprised the aged Keith would soon pass away. Too bad, because he's an unusual TV presence here. Also, production did a good job faking a dead-end lumberyard that the cons labor in. This is definitely not a place to put in prison time; no wonder Paul's desperate to get out. Note too, that the cemetery markers don't bother with names, just numbers. I guess they let God sort 'em out.

And, oh yes—guys-- there's absolutely no eye candy in this 60-minutes, so be prepared for a gang of ugly screws and cons. All in all, it's a different Hitch, with the usual ironical, but not too surprising, ending.