Adventures of Philip Marlowe, Vol. 1

Raymond Chandler'scelebrated hard-boiled private eye, Philip Marlowe, made his radio debut in1945 on the Lux Radio Theatre with "e;Murder, My Sweet,"e; starring Dick Powell. Twoyears later, NBC brought the character to the air in his own weekly seriesstarring Van Heflin, The New Adventuresof Philip Marlowe. A summer replacement for The Bob Hope Show, the series was short-lived, ending September 9,1947. CBS revived it in 1948 with TheAdventures of Philip Marlowe, starring Gerald Mohr. With producer/directorNorman MacDonnell at the helm, the series captured the largest audience inradio by 1949. Scripts were by Gene Levitt, Robert Mitchell, Mel Dinelli, and KathleenHite. While Chandler's distinctive similes were largely lacking, the strong,dry, sarcastic narration was there, and the way Mohr delivered his lines madeyou forget they weren't written by Chandler. Supporting Mohr were radio's best,including Howard McNear, Parley Baer, Lawrence Dobkin, Virginia Gregg, and LouKrugman. One of the best detective shows on the air at the time, it lasteduntil 1951.Episodes include:"e;Red Wind"e; (aired September 26, 1948): In the firstshow in the CBS series, Marlowe finds himself dealing with dames, bullets, anda double cross."e;The Persian Slippers"e; (aired October 3, 1948):Marlowe tries to find a woman who has left her husband and disappeared."e;The Panama Hat"e; (aired October 10, 1948): Marlowe becomesinvolved with a gambling debt, an attempted murder, a kidnapping, a redheadedDragon Lady, and the mysterious man in the Panama hat."e;The Heart of Gold"e; (aired October 24, 1948): A $50bill in advance and a heart-shaped locket lead to an apparent suicide and an oldsecret."e;The Hard Way Out"e; (aired November 28, 1948): Murderat the Quigg & Slater Construction Company, and a surprising amount ofluxury on $175 a week!"e;The Restless Day"e; (aired January 8, 1949): Aninventor killed in an explosion aboard his yacht hires Marlowe to find hiskiller!"e;The Black Halo"e; (aired January 15, 1949): Marloweis hired to find the missing Julia Perry. Murder and a suicide complicate thecase and add a surprise ending."e;The Orange Dog"e; (aired January 22, 1949): Multiplemurders and a strange Chinese statuette lead Marlowe down a trail of violenceand counterfeiter's plates."e;The Easy Mark"e; (aired January 29, 1949): Marlowe ishired to find a blackmailer but must soon solve a murder."e;The Long Rope"e; (aired February 5, 1949): Marlowegets involved with a man with a bad heart, a cash register receipt, a corpse,and $30,000!"e;The Green Flame"e; (aired March 26, 1949): Marlowemust solve a murder in Hollywood and thwart a blackmailer."e;Mexican Boat Ride"e; (aired July 30, 1949): A girlwho hated the water took a boat ride to old Mexico.