The Connies had an escape rope stowed overhead at the main passenger door. Open the door, pull rope down from stowage and out the door. Tarzan and Jane then grasp rope and slide down. Ditto the Douglas prop liners.
By sixties, the Electra and I seem to remember Connies too were fitted with a non-inflatable slide. First two escapees, hopefully brawny types who were also brave and not afraid of any flames around would slide down the still existing rope, then grasp ends of limp slide which had been tossed out door and hold it taut while other passengers slid down. I don't know if this was ever accomplished - it is asking a bit much from untrained pax to hold the slide taut having just survived a bad incident and maybe, as I said, fire or smoke. In retrospect, we really did not do very well for the pax and crew on the old piston prop liners.
While the Constellation had rafts in the wings (but on Supers also some in the coatcloset, the DC-6/DC-7 aircraft had the rafts stowed in overhead bins and in coat-closets. Speaking as one who has been tasked with lifting (with another mechanic) a 25-man raft into the overhead bin, I cannot picture Flight Attendants and px getting them out and down and carrying them to the over-wing exits, pushing them out and inflating them in a pitching, sinking aircraft.