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To subscribe to a personalised The Adventures of Philip Marlowe podcast, starting today with Who Shot WaldoThe Red WindKing in YellowTrouble Is My BusinessThe Red WindThe Persian SlippersThe Panama HatWhere There's a WillThe Heart of GoldThe Hard Way OutThe Old AcquaintanceThe Restless DayThe Black HaloThe Orange DogThe Easy MarkThe Long RopeThe Lonesome ReunionFriend from DetroitGrim HuntersThe Dancing HandsThe Green FlameThe Last LaughName to RememberThe Heat WaveCloak of KamehamehaLady in MinkFeminine TouchThe Promise to PayNight TideThe Ebony LinkThe Unfair LadyThe Pigeons BloodThe Busy BodyThe Key ManDude from ManhattanThe Headless PeacockThe Mexican Boat RideThe August LionThe Indian GiverThe Lady KillerThe Eager WitnessThe Bum's RushRushton HickoryThe Baton SinisterThe Fatted CalfThe Tail of the MermaidThe Open WindowThe Strangle HoldThe SmokeoutThe Green WitchThe Fine Italian HandThe Birds on the WingThe Kid on the CornerThe Little WishboneThe House That Jacqueline B...The Torch CarriersThe Covered BridgeThe Bid for FreedomThe Hairpin TurnThe Long ArmThe Grim EchoThe Ladies NightThe Big StepThe Monkey's UncleThe Vital StatisticThe Deep ShadowThe Sword of CebuThe Man on the RoofThe Anniversary GiftThe Angry EagleThe High Collared CapeThe Sea Horse JockeyThe Hiding PlaceCloak of KamehamehaThe Fox's TailThe Bedside MannersThe Uneasy HeadFace to ForgetGolden CobraThe Pelican's RoostThe Girl from Pitchfork Cor...The Iron CoffinThe Last WishThe Glass DonkeyThe Parrot's BedThe Quiet MagpieThe Dark TunnelThe Collector's ItemThe Soft SpotThe Fifth MaskThe Final PaymentThe White CarnationThe Big BookThe Seaside SabbaticalThe Dear, Dead DaysLife Can Be MurderGood Neighbor PolicyThe Long Way HomeYoung Man's FancyHeir for G-String (rehearsal)Heir for G-StringNether Nether Land (rehearsal)Nether Nether LandThe Medium Was RareSound and the Unsound and with a new episode every four weeks every three weeks every two weeks every ten days every seven days every six days every five days every four days every three days every two days every day all episodes at once , use the following URL:

https://fourble.co.uk/adventuresofphilipmarlowesingleepisodes-240727-7.rss

By the late 1940's Marlowe had moved to the big screen, with Marlowe played by Dick Powell, Robert Mitchum, and Humphrey Bogart. One of those movies, Murder My Sweet, was responsible for Marlowe's first appearance on radio when it was presented on Lux Radio Theatre on June 11, 1945 starring Dick Powell and Clair Trevor.

In April, 1947 the New York Times announced that the summer replacement for Bob Hope would be a new adventure-mystery series, The Adventures of Philip Marlowe. Airing on NBC at 10:00 p.m. on June 17th, the show starred Van Heflin with a script by Milton Geiger based on the stories of Raymond Chandler. Most radio shows had live audiences in the studio. The Philip Marlowe producers decided against the common practice because they thought audiences might detract from the show. However 19 of Los Angeles' top detectives were in the studio during the airing of the first show.

No one knows what the detectives thought of the production, but according to the New York Times review, Van Heflin did well but struggled with an awkward script. The reviewer thought the show depended too much on straight narration at dramatic moments instead of action or dialog. "Leaving ones play in the wings, as they say on Broadway, always makes for disconcerting theatre, and this was painfully true in the case of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe."

Raymond Chandler wasn't enthralled by the show either. In a letter to Earl Stanley Gardner, author of the Perry Mason novels, Mr. Chandler said "It was thoroughly flat."

This initial run of Philip Marlowe went from June 17 to September 19, 1947, with Pepsodent as the sponsor. The announcer was Wendell Niles, music was by Lyn Murray, and the producer was Jim Fonda. After the summer run ended, NBC dropped the show. As far as we know, only four episodes of this series have survived.

The character of Philip Marlowe was too good to stay off stage for long though. A year later CBS decided to take a chance on reviving the show. Norman Macdonnell was producer/director; Gene Levitt, Robert Mitchell, Mel Dinelli, and Kathleen Hite wrote the scripts; and Richard Aurandt was responsible for the music. CBS cast Gerald Mohr to star as Philip Marlowe, with Roy Rowan as announcer. Philip Marlowe, being a loner, was really the only regular character, but throughout the three years the series ran a long string of high-quality supporting Hollywood actors appeared on the show. Performing alongside Mohr at various times were Jeff Corey, Howard McNear, Parley Baer, Lawrence Dobkin, Virginia Gregg, Gloria Blondell, and Lou Krugman. The CBS production ran from September 26, 1948 to September 29, 1950 with an additional short summer run from July 7 to September 15, 1951.

This revival of Philip Marlowe was more favorably received, probably because of a combination of writing and acting. No one could duplicate the writing of Raymond Chandler, but this group of writers was very good. While Chandler's distinctive similes were largely lacking, the strong dry, sarcastic narration was there, and the way Gerald Mohr delivered the lines had a way of making you forget that they weren't written by Chandler. Mr. Mohr seemed born for the part of the cynical detective. His voice and timing were perfect for the character. In a letter to Gene Levitt, one of the show's writers, Raymond Chandler commented that a voice like Gerald Mohr's at least packed personality; a decided an improvement over his opinion of the original show. By 1949 the show had the largest audience in radio.

CBS capitalized on the popularity of Philip Marlowe to introduce a look-alike show a few months later, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. During the period both shows were broadcast, Johnny Dollar played second fiddle to the popular Philip Marlowe. Even after Marlowe went off the air in 1951, Dollar remained an average detective show. That was to end Oct 3, 1955 when Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar changed everything; the writers, the format to 15 minutes and the lead actor. The new 15 minute episodes staring Bob Bailey dominated detective/mystery drama from then until its last broadcast, September 30, 1962. That date and that broadcast are generally considered as the last of the radio drama broadcasts.

Philip Marlowe continued to find limited success in the movies and television in America and England after his radio career ended. Several quality presentations of Chandler's character were produced by the BBC in the 1990's. But the death of Chandler's wife pulled him into severe depression and put an end any effective writing. His last unfinished book, Poodle Springs, was finished by Robert B. Parker, a good friend who tried to remain faithful to the Chandler style. Unfortunately, the critics did not agree.

Philip Marlowe, the gritty, no nonsense American detective lived and vanished from the quill of a writer raised in Europe. He will remain a classic buried in the modern world of fighting crime with technology.


From the Old Time Radio Researcher's Group. See "Note" Section below for more information on the OTRR.

Information for this description came from John Dunning's On the Air, The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio, Wikipedia, New York Times (April 27, 1947 and June 22, 1947), Fresno Bee (July 8, 1947) and thrillingdetective.com.

1. Who Shot Waldo (22Mb)
2. The Red Wind (unknown file size)
3. King in Yellow (unknown file size)
4. Trouble Is My Business (unknown file size)
5. The Red Wind (unknown file size)
6. The Persian Slippers (unknown file size)
7. The Panama Hat (unknown file size)
8. Where There's a Will (unknown file size)
9. The Heart of Gold (unknown file size)
10. The Hard Way Out (unknown file size)
11. The Old Acquaintance (unknown file size)
12. The Restless Day (unknown file size)
13. The Black Halo (unknown file size)
14. The Orange Dog (unknown file size)
15. The Easy Mark (unknown file size)
16. The Long Rope (13.6Mb)
17. The Lonesome Reunion (19.8Mb)
18. Friend from Detroit (unknown file size)
19. Grim Hunters (13.7Mb)
20. The Dancing Hands (unknown file size)
21. The Green Flame (13.5Mb)
22. The Last Laugh (unknown file size)
23. Name to Remember (unknown file size)
24. The Heat Wave (13.7Mb)
25. Cloak of Kamehameha (unknown file size)
26. Lady in Mink (unknown file size)
27. Feminine Touch (unknown file size)
28. The Promise to Pay (unknown file size)
29. Night Tide (unknown file size)
30. The Ebony Link (unknown file size)
31. The Unfair Lady (unknown file size)
32. The Pigeons Blood (unknown file size)
33. The Busy Body (unknown file size)
34. The Key Man (unknown file size)
35. Dude from Manhattan (unknown file size)
36. The Headless Peacock (unknown file size)
37. The Mexican Boat Ride (unknown file size)
38. The August Lion (unknown file size)
39. The Indian Giver (unknown file size)
40. The Lady Killer (unknown file size)
41. The Eager Witness (unknown file size)
42. The Bum's Rush (unknown file size)
43. Rushton Hickory (13.6Mb)
44. The Baton Sinister (unknown file size)
45. The Fatted Calf (unknown file size)
46. The Tail of the Mermaid (unknown file size)
47. The Open Window (unknown file size)
48. The Strangle Hold (unknown file size)
49. The Smokeout (unknown file size)
50. The Green Witch (unknown file size)
51. The Fine Italian Hand (13.5Mb)
52. The Birds on the Wing (unknown file size)
53. The Kid on the Corner (unknown file size)
54. The Little Wishbone (unknown file size)
55. The House That Jacqueline Built (unknown file size)
56. The Torch Carriers (unknown file size)
57. The Covered Bridge (unknown file size)
58. The Bid for Freedom (unknown file size)
59. The Hairpin Turn (unknown file size)
60. The Long Arm (unknown file size)
61. The Grim Echo (unknown file size)
62. The Ladies Night (unknown file size)
63. The Big Step (13.8Mb)
64. The Monkey's Uncle (unknown file size)
65. The Vital Statistic (unknown file size)
66. The Deep Shadow (unknown file size)
67. The Sword of Cebu (unknown file size)
68. The Man on the Roof (unknown file size)
69. The Anniversary Gift (unknown file size)
70. The Angry Eagle (13.7Mb)
71. The High Collared Cape (unknown file size)
72. The Sea Horse Jockey (unknown file size)
73. The Hiding Place (unknown file size)
74. Cloak of Kamehameha (unknown file size)
75. The Fox's Tail (unknown file size)
76. The Bedside Manners (unknown file size)
77. The Uneasy Head (unknown file size)
78. Face to Forget (unknown file size)
79. Golden Cobra (unknown file size)
80. The Pelican's Roost (16.9Mb)
81. The Girl from Pitchfork Corners (13.7Mb)
82. The Iron Coffin (unknown file size)
83. The Last Wish (unknown file size)
84. The Glass Donkey (unknown file size)
85. The Parrot's Bed (23.2Mb)
86. The Quiet Magpie (unknown file size)
87. The Dark Tunnel (unknown file size)
88. The Collector's Item (unknown file size)
89. The Soft Spot (unknown file size)
90. The Fifth Mask (16.8Mb)
91. The Final Payment (unknown file size)
92. The White Carnation (16.9Mb)
93. The Big Book (unknown file size)
94. The Seaside Sabbatical (unknown file size)
95. The Dear, Dead Days (unknown file size)
96. Life Can Be Murder (13.2Mb)
97. Good Neighbor Policy (13.6Mb)
98. The Long Way Home (unknown file size)
99. Young Man's Fancy (unknown file size)
100. Heir for G-String (rehearsal) (unknown file size)
101. Heir for G-String (unknown file size)
102. Nether Nether Land (rehearsal) (unknown file size)
103. Nether Nether Land (unknown file size)
104. The Medium Was Rare (unknown file size)
105. Sound and the Unsound (16.8Mb)

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