The Adventures of Philip Marlowe was a radio series featuring Raymond Chandler's private eye, Philip Marlowe. Robert C. Reinehr and Jon D. Swartz, in their book, The A to Z of Old Time Radio, noted that the program differed from most others in its genre: "It was a more hard-boiled program than many of the other private detective shows of the time, containing few quips or quaint characters."
The program first aired 17 June 1947 on NBC radio under the title The New Adventures of Philip Marlowe, with Van Heflin playing Marlowe. The show was a summer replacement for Bob Hope. The first episode adapted Chandler's short story "Red Wind". The NBC series ended 9 September 1947.
In 1948, the series moved to CBS, where it was called The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, with Gerald Mohr playing Marlowe. This series also began with an adaptation of "Red Wind", using a script different from the NBC adaptation. By 1949, it had the largest audience in radio. The CBS version ran for 114 episodes. That series ran 26 September 1948 – 29 September 1950.
From 7 July 1951 to 15 September 1951, the program was a summer replacement for Hopalong Cassidy. Mohr played Marlowe in all but one of the CBS shows. He was replaced by William Conrad in the 1950 episode, "The Anniversary Gift".
The episode "The Birds on the Wing" (aired 11-26-49) is especially notable for its beginning and ending, both uncharacteristically breaking the fourth wall. It opens with Marlowe saying he is currently reading "Chandler's latest The Little Sister" – thus a fictional character claims to be reading an actual book in which he is the main character. Even more surreal was the ending, in which Marlowe returns to his apartment to find Gracie Allen – who asks Marlowe to find her husband George Burns a radio show on which he can sing.
The program's composer during its NBC run was Lyn Murray, who worked in both film and radio at the time. The musical cue that plays over the opening narration in the series' first two episodes (where Marlowe recites the opening sentences of Chandler's original story "Red Wind") is a theme that would reappear prominently in Murray's 1954 score for Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief. Richard Aurandt was the composer for the program's CBS run with the exception of the first two episodes where the music was provided by Ivan Ditmars.
Despite the program's popularity, it had no sponsor for most of its time on the air. The lone exceptions were when Ford Motor Company and, subsequently, Wrigley's Gum sponsored it during part of 1950.Dunning, John. (1976). Tune in Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, 1925–1976. Prentice-Hall, Inc. . p. 12.
Gene D. Phillips, in the book Creatures of Darkness: Raymond Chandler, Detective Fiction, and Film Noir, reported Chandler's lack of involvement with the program: "Initially Chandler had considered asking for script approval for the Marlowe radio series, but ultimately he decided to have no connection with the scripting of the programs. He contented himself with the weekly royalties he received for the use of his character, while professing himself 'moderately pleased' with Gerald Mohr's portrayal of Marlowe."
Cast and crew
The first NBC episode had a script by Milton Geiger. Chandler, in a letter to Erle Stanley Gardner, commented about his version, "It was thoroughly flat." The CBS version had a better reception. 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. Roy Rowan was announcer. Performing alongside Mohr at various times were Jeff Corey, Howard McNear, Parley Baer, Lawrence Dobkin, Virginia Gregg, Gloria Blondell, and Lou Krugman.
Episodes
The following episodes are known to exist and are available for download on the web.
NBC Series 1947-06-17 (01) The Red Wind (from 1938 short story) 1947-06-24 (02) [unknown] 1947-07-01 (03) Daring Young Dame on The Flying Trapeze 1947-07-08 (04) The King in Yellow (from 1938 short story) 1947-07-15 (05) [unknown] 1947-07-22 (06) Goldfish - [lost episode] (from 1936 short story) 1947-07-29 (07) [unknown] 1947-08-05 (08) Trouble Is My Business (from 1939 short story) 1947-08-12 (09) [unknown] 1947-08-19 (10) Robin and the Hood 1947-08-26 (11) [unknown] 1947-09-02 (12) [unknown] 1947-09-09 (13) [unknown]
CBS Series 48-09-26 (001) The Red Wind (from 1938 short story) 48-10-03 (002) The Persian Slippers 48-10-10 (003) The Panama Hat 48-10-17 (004) Where There's a Will 48-10-24 (005) The Heart of Gold 48-10-31 (006) The Blue Burgonet 48-11-07 (007) [unknown] 48-11-14 (008) The Silent Partner - [lost episode] 48-11-21 (009) The Perfect Secretary - [lost episode] 48-11-28 (010) The Hard Way Out 48-12-05 (011) The Unhappy Medium - [lost episode] 48-12-12 (012) The Jade Teardrop - [lost episode] 48-12-19 (013) The Three Wiseguys - [lost episode] 48-12-26 (014) The Old Acquaintance 49-01-08 (015) The Restless Day 49-01-15 (016) The Black Halo 49-01-22 (017) The Orange Dog 49-01-29 (018) The Easy Mark 49-02-05 (019) The Long Rope 49-02-12 (020) The Lonesome Reunion 49-02-19 (021) [unknown] 49-02-26 (022) The Big Mistake - [lost episode] 49-03-05 (023) Friend from Detroit 49-03-12 (024) Grim Hunters 49-03-19 (025) The Dancing Hands 49-03-26 (026) The Green Flame 49-04-02 (027) The Last Laugh 49-04-09 (028) Name to Remember 49-04-16 (029) The Heat Wave 49-04-23 (030) Cloak of Kamehameha 49-04-30 (031) Lady in Mink 49-05-07 (032) Feminine Touch 49-05-14 (033) The Promise to Pay 49-05-21 (034) Night Tide 49-05-28 (035) The Ebony Link 49-06-04 (036) The Unfair Lady 49-06-11 (037) The Pigeons Blood 49-06-18 (038) The Busy Body 49-06-25 (039) The Key Man 49-07-02 (040) Dude from Manhattan 49-07-09 (041) The Quiet Number - [lost episode] 49-07-16 (042) The Headless Peacock 49-07-30 (043) The Mexican Boat Ride 49-08-06 (044) The August Lion 49-08-13 (045) The Indian Giver 49-08-20 (046) The Lady Killer 49-08-27 (047) The Eager Witness 49-09-03 (048) The Bum's Rush 49-09-10 (049) Rustin Hickory 49-09-17 (050) The Baton Sinister 49-09-24 (051) The Fatted Calf 49-10-01 (052) The Tale of the Mermaid 49-10-08 (053) The Open Window 49-10-15 (054) The Strangle Hold 49-10-22 (055) The Smokeout 49-10-29 (056) The Green Witch 49-11-05 (057) The Fine Italian Hand 49-11-12 (058) The Gorgeous Lyre - [lost episode] 49-11-19 (059) The Sweet Thing - [lost episode] 49-11-26 (060) The Birds on the Wing 49-12-03 (061) The Kid on the Corner 49-12-10 (062) The Little Wishbone 49-12-17 (063) The Lowest Bid - [lost episode] 49-12-24 (064) Carol's Christmas - [lost episode] 49-12-31 (065) The House That Jacqueline Built 50-01-07 (066) The Torch Carriers 50-01-14 (067) The Covered Bridge 50-01-21 (068) The Bid for Freedom 50-01-28 (069) The Hairpin Turn 50-02-07 (070) The Long Arm 50-02-14 (071) The Grim Echo 50-02-21 (072) The Ladies Night 50-02-28 (073) The Big Step 50-03-07 (074) The Monkey's Uncle 50-03-14 (075) The Vital Statistic 50-03-21 (076) The Deep Shadow 50-03-28 (077) The Sword of Cebu 50-04-04 (078) The Man on the Roof 50-04-11 (079) The Anniversary Gift (William Conrad) 50-04-18 (080) The Angry Eagle 50-04-25 (081) The High Collared Cape 50-05-02 (082) The Seahorse Jockey 50-05-09 (083) The Hiding Place 50-05-16 (084) Cloak of Kamehameha 50-05-23 (085) The Fox's Tail 50-05-30 (086) Bedside Manners 50-06-06 (087) The Uneasy Head 50-06-14 (088) Face to Forget 50-06-21 (089) Gold Cobra 50-06-28 (090) The Pelican's Roost 50-07-05 (091) The Girl from Pitchfork Corners 50-07-12 (092) The Iron Coffin 50-07-19 (093) The Last Wish 50-07-28 (094) The Glass Donkey 50-08-04 (095) The Parrot's Bed 50-08-11 (096) The Quiet Magpie 50-08-18 (097) The Dark Tunnel 50-08-25 (098) The Collector's Item 50-09-01 (099) The Soft Spot 50-09-08 (100) The Fifth Mask 50-09-15 (101) The Final Payment 50-09-22 (102) The White Carnation 50-09-29 (103) The Big Book 51-07-07 (104) A Seaside Sabbatical 51-07-14 (105) The Dear, Dead Days 51-07-21 (106) Life Can Be Murder 51-07-28 (107) Good Neighbor Policy 51-08-04 (108) Long Way Home 51-08-11 (109) Friday's Child - [lost episode] 51-08-18 (110) Young Man's Fancy 51-08-25 (111) Heir for G String 51-09-01 (112) Nether Nether Land 51-09-08 (113) The Medium Was Rare 51-09-15 (114) Sound and the Unsound
Other radio programs featuring Philip Marlowe:
Lux Radio Theater 45-06-11 Murder My Sweet Hollywood Star Time 46-06-08 Murder My Sweet Lux Radio Theater 48-02-09 Lady in the Lake
References
External links Logs The Adventures of Philip Marlowe log from Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs The Adventures of Philip Marlowe log from Old Time Radio Program Logs The Adventures of Philip Marlowe log from Old Time Radio Researchers Group The Adventures of Philip Marlowe log from radioGOLDINdex
Scripts Script for "The Panama Hat" episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe Script for "The Red Wind" episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe
Streaming
Philip Marlowe on Old Time Radio Outlaws