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An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

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The first of a two-part dramatization of Ambrose Bierce's classic story about a Confederate sympathizer's desperate attempt to destroy a strategically important bridge during the Civil War. The episode's climax shows that his escape from Union soldiers is a mere hallucination in the final moments of his life.

Set in autumn 1863, this episode follows a Southern soldier deemed unfit for military service who is captured by Union forces while attempting to sabotage a railroad bridge over Owl Creek. After the execution rope unexpectedly breaks, Forrester escapes and evades enemy fire, determined to complete his mission of destroying the bridge to cut off Union supply lines.

A Confederate supporter tries to blow up a crucial bridge in the Civil War in this first half of a two-part adaptation of Ambrose Bierce's famous tale. The ending reveals that his getaway from Union troops is just a dream happening as he dies.

CBS Radio Mystery Theater is a radio drama series created by Himan Brown that was broadcast on CBS Radio Network affiliates from 1974 to 1982, and later in the early 2000s was repeated by the NPR satellite feed. In New York City it was not aired by the then all-news WCBS but by its originating station, WOR, which produced and announced it as simply Radio Mystery Theater.

Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 4.0. Updated Jul 16, 2026.

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