Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Philip Marlowe: Birds on the Wing (EP1559)

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Philip Marlowe: Birds on the Wing (EP1559) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

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Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
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is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, email it
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to me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter at
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slash Radio Detectives. Well, before we do get started, I do want
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listen listeners, and you can support the show at support do Great Detectives dot
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net and uh Also, you can mail in a donation to Adam Graham Peel
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box one five nine one three Boise Altohol eight three seven one five. Well,
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now it's time for today's episode of the Adventures of Philip Marlow. The
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original air at eight November twenty sixth, nineteen forty nine. Get this and
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get it straight. Crime is a sucker's road, and those who travel had
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wind up in the gut of the prison of the Grave. They dressed in
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red, white and blue and jump from an ancient biplane at thirty five hundred
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feet twice a day, every day, and nobody worried until five million bucks
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went along just for the lapse, and death went along for the ride.
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From the pen of Raymond Chandler, outstanding author of crime fiction, comes his
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most famous character in the Adventures of Philip Marlowe. Now with Gerald Moore starred
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as Philip Marlowe, we bring you tonight's exciting story, The Birds on the
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Wing. It had been the kind of quiet, workless week that speaks well
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for human beings and their relations with one another, but it doesn't do much
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for a private detective's bank balance. So when it exactly noon, the telephone
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call had jeckted me out of Chandler's new novel, Little Sister, and a
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voice sage with anxiety. It dangled one hundred bucks worth of negotiable bait.
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My way had snapped at it, But then I wondered if I'd done the
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right thing, because it had been my muss Hattie Pembroke, guardian of the
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millionaire thrill seeking scoop all Page Pembroke. And now an hour later, I
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left the sunlight and felt my way into the gloom of the carefully tucked away
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Hollywood bar, where she had suggested we meet. When I could see again,
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I spotted her at a corner table. That the old girl would be
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the other side of fifty and doing a little too much to disguise it.
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I had expected, but that she would be drinking her whiskey neat I hadn't.
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When I approached her and introduced myself, she started to come right to
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the point, but didn't quite make it. How rude of me. I'm
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sorry, you're probably dying for a drink. Wait well, frankly, no,
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miss Pembrook, I'm not exactly dying. I no, no, I
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know you men in your early afternoon appetite for friendly There's no harm in it.
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Matter of fact, I've already had had a small drink no fool o
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water, Yes, scotch and soda. If the lady will join me,
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oh no, I couldn't. Well, all right, scotch for me to
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waiter, Johnny Walker, Now, mister blow, let's get down to business.
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Have you ever been to Oxnard, California? Uh? Huh, because
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that's where my nephew is. Also, which way the Calumet Valley County Fairs
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be helped really deliver that Maybe most important, it's where you can probably find
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out what kind of trouble page is in You see the poor boys. Donna
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was last five million bucks. Now I'm sorry, Miss Pembroke. I don't
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think I want the job after all, No one moment? Why not?
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Well, frankly, I hope you'll excuse the reference to actual living persons.
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But your apolo playing motor boat racing their devil nephew is a jerk. I
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know. Page Pembroke the third is an unmitigated ass, a viril igomania idiot
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who has never done an honest day's work in his life. Wait the way
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is that drink? No? Thank you? No, mister bolow sit down,
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drink you drink. When I referred to my nephew as a poor boy
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in trouble, I was only trying to avoid saying all this your health?
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Yes, well, my health. Now your next question, since I obviously
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share your sentiments among my nephew, why all this concern over him? Correct?
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Close? Right? I want to help pagekemper, mister Marlowe, because
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it's my job. My shall I say bread and butter? All right,
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sir? I'm executive of his estate, which my brother Paige's father left for
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him. Will as such, I get twenty thousand dollars yet into pages thirty
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five, another six years. But if Paige should die, disappear, or
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be committed to any kind of a public institution m M institution. Oh,
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before then the entire state goes to charity and I go find another job.
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And specialized jobs like handling five million dollar estates are hard to come by these
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days, huh. Now, mister Marlowe, this letter hears all you have
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to go on. It was postmarked last night from Oxnard. Oh, if
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you want your precious nephew to keep on being healthy, better come and get
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him at once. The three of us had a nice little act going here
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at the Callymett Valley County Fair before it joined us just for labs. We
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intend to have a nice little act going after he's gone one way or another.
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He's gonna go a friend. What do you think, Oh, it's
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five to one. It's nothing more than a woman's spurned, very young woman,
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miss Pembrooke. So you might be wasting a hundred dollars sending me up
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there. Then you'll go good. Yeah, but only because of my bank
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account, mister marlow There'll be another one hundred dollars for you if and when
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you get older. Straight, No, now, call me in my home
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Beverly Hires. Cresh you five four one two four one two four yes,
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as soon as you find out what you're wrong. Oh yes, Miss Pembrook.
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On your way out, signal the way to forty Will you please ride?
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The walk's nod was a pleasant but frustrating hour and a half drive along
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the kind of beckoning sun scrub Pacific shoreline that always demands to know why you
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have to work for a liberty right through box start of the sprawling county Fairgrounds,
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located at a semi retired airport was the first ten minutes, so all
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in all it was a little better than three o'clock. There was still a
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measure of boyish bounce in my stride when I started past the prize cows and
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plane in fancy leg horns and headed for the midway looking for the act page.
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Pembroke had joined just for laps, but it was four o'clock and I
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had checked a half a dozen death defying numbers before I was standing in front
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of a banner Columbus could have used for a sail and said I was getting
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warm in iridescent orange cloth on black It red the plunging Comets, Taffy Starr
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and Midge Maynard on Wings of Death with Feelers, setting Nap with the controls,
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the greatest parachute act in the world. Admission free five and nine pm,
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North end of the Midway. Come on, come on, Yeah.
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This had to be at the north end of the Midway, just outside of
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a sagging weather peeled hangar. I found the World War I biplane that went
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with the plunging comets being mothered by a mechanic who didn't have green on his
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face. And beyond that, on an inside wall of the hangar where a
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parish use used in the act, each on a separate hook. It's Onner's
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name. Carefully block let it on a card tacked above Taffy, Midge and
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Eddie, and then scrawled in black crayon the name I want it most of
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all to see page lost something mister h A voice went with the woman and
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the Woman with the act. At the top there was what used to be
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called the boyish bob sticking out of a white avy at his helmet circa nineteen
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eighteen. Then a bright red leather jacket opened white at the throat like riding
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riches, black boots, a color of hair that stuck out and said this
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one was Taffy. I asked if you lost something? Have you, oh,
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come to think of it? Yes, six foot two, eyes are
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blue and carries a big big checkbook. Seen one around maybe? Why who
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are you? Name's Philip Marlow, the millionaire's friend of me? Out salesman?
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Here's my card? Mind your card? All the very funny jokes?
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Now what do you really want? Page Pembrooke before he breaks his neck in
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your actor in it? Yet? I don't remember? Now your point?
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What is it? A letter? You could have written letter it says Page
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is in trouble? Where is he? Goodbye, mister mal what easy wings?
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You wouldn't want to hold that on somebody who's only trying to help brother
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Page, would you? I mean, what reason could you possibly have other
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than five million bucks you might want for your very own? Why you?
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I said? Goodbye? What's murder? Taffy? You having problems? Yeah?
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This, mister yacht salesman is EMMITTT. Kingston, head of the fairs
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Midway, and you'll be surprised how popular he is with the concessionaries. Now
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where you're going? What else? Good names Taffy? Mister Kingston. Wo
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you know sometimes it works. Lead with your chin, ride with a punch,
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and watch for your opening. And I figured I'd try it just that
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way. So ten minutes later, when Emmitt Kingston, it was carnival people
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from check at Best, pasted on eight watch five the high buttoned shoes and
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shape like a bowling pin, and left taffy and stuff trundling down the midway.
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I went after him. When he stopped in front of a lunch wagon,
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I stopped two. And when he went in and approached a man playing
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pinball machine who was maybe five foot four, and from where I stood conscious
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of it, I was still behind him. At the pinball machine. A
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stranger with a thin face that wore a nervous toothpick was also watching the little
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Man's game Boy Doc was pitching, so when I moved closer to the trio,
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my face turned away from Kingston. Nobody seemed to mind Jack of Many
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Tracks. Oh oh, mister Kingston, how are you, sir? Fine?
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Eight hundred more is jackpop Doc? Come on, come on? You
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wanted to speak to me, mister Kingston? Oh hershy, nothing important except
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about last night. Last night sent you were working late for a parachute,
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Wriggler warns your boy, or am I wrong to consider two o'clock in the
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morning an odd hour for you to be folded in these So hey, Doc,
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you're gonna shoot it, aren't you? Which cause she is gone?
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I'll shoot for the gentleman, Yes, sir, right, three thousand fourth
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tho. Hey, that's great, and I do that again with your last
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battack Or was there Sentine else? Mister Kingston, yes, she Why were
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you near the shoot at that hour? And don't bother denying that you were
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because they didn't have saw you there? Well, so well, I was
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there to double check the Reagan's mister Kingston. Hey, look, I'm sick
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and tired of Midge Mainan complaining about the way I pack her shoot. It's
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a stupid excuse, just trying to cover the fact that she's losing her nerves.
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Hey, boys, starting to ignore me? There it's half for jack
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alf here and get going, Rosie, get this stumbled my body here?
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Well, yes, sure, mister Kingston, whatever you said? Oh yeah,
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they's social all right, all right, Tack, I'm going. I'm
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my own free will too. I could stay if I wanted to. You
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were saying, well, just this, mister Kingston, Midge Maidan and Taffy
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star fighting because of that Pembroke Fell or because Edie Nap is crazy about Taffy
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is one thing, but bringing me and my work into it is different.
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He The parachutes mentioned Taffy user identical in the act. Both girls jumped from
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the plane wing at the same time. But me and Joey get scared and
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opens a shoe sooner than Taffy. Show. Taffy is on the groundlong the
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pumage. But this has nothing to do with the way I wrecked the shoes,
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And I think, all right, all right, she nobody's blaming it.
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She you Eh, you wouldn't be trying to sell another yacht in here,
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would you? Just waiting for the finish of an exciting pinball game?
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That? Alright, is the time to call Rosie again? Oh no,
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it's quite all right. We're leaving you. Try for the jack Bock.
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Go on her. She eat my time for the five o'clock show. Oh
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yes, with the king m only forty thousand ago. It's the first time
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I ever ate the jack budd Oh that's pretty good, mister Marlow, considering
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that it wasn't your nickel you want on? Oh, now that you mentioned
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that, mister Pembrook, it wasn't. Which shall take care of the introductions.
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Yeah, and that leaves very little but something. But definitely Marlow,
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you can tell aunt Hattie from me that at the moment, I don't need
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a watchdog, and when and if I do, I'll go to the nearest
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city pound for one, not to a private detectivity. I told myself it
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was foolish to slam the door on my way up, So I slammed the
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door on my way up. I started north down the midway toward the open
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stands the five o'clock sharp performance of the plunging comets. When I got there,
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the act was already underway, with the silver biplanes taking off. Eddi
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n had been white into controls. Taffy in a red jacket and parachute crouched
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on one wing. Midge made it and blue jacket and shoot on the other.
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Then, as they slowly gained altitude, high button Shoes himself took over
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the PA. I did it up well. By the time the plane was
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at about three thousand feet, every pair of eyes was revet at skywind and
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I'm expected hush thicket and win a fog. It's settled everywhere feet that light
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comes heavy start and baby Maynard went here like an I could roll. They'll
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lie open there five the brown now walk. They caught me ready, Yes,
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hit me, Yes, he's drawn up tight, arms close into their
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sides. They jumped specks in the sky, growing bigger as they fell one
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thousand, two thousand, three thousand feet, and then from taffy shoot cloth,
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long and colored, a huge flag rippling in the wind from the end
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of a long rope. The flag seemed to rise above her as she fell,
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until the slack was gone. And then suddenly a shoot open, billowing,
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and then Midge, another flag rippling from the end of a long rope,
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and then then the flag drifting free, Midge shooting not open, Mitge
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plumbing down down to a hot crown. The third slammed home all the way
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around, kicking hard at every ste A minute ago, a girl very much
15:03
alive. I was smashed still, buddy. Someplace near me, a woman
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cried. It was a bitter six sweet taste in my mouth as I headed
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for the hangar where I'd first met Teffy. At the moment I figured the
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guy who packed the parachutes was a good man to see. When I got
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there, the only one present was emm At Kingston. Got right there,
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boy, and tell me straight and fast just who you are, Philip Marlow,
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Los Angeles Private Detective, mister Kingston. Sure, here is my business
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card, state license, county permit. I'm working for Page Pembroke's ants.
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She wants his nips kept out of trouble. Which has what to do with
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your being here now? And I'll hear it this hanger, I mean close
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to where the parachutes are kept. I'm not sure, Kingston. I've only
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got a hunch, a hunch at Midge Maine's death was no accident. Yeah,
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I got more than that already, mister detective. I've got proved.
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Oh you see this flag, it's the one that came off Midge. You
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shoot. There's a long rope attached to it it. Yeah, I know.
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I saw the act pulls the shoot open after the flag's flown away sometimes,
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but not tonight, mister Marlow. Tonight it couldn't. Why not?
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Wasn't it a touch to the shoot? It was one end of the shoot
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release cord, the other to the base of the flag. What went wrong?
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Nothing, mister marlow except that the long rope on midgy shoot was cut
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in two by a very sharp knife in just a moment. The second act
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of Philip Marlowe, but first Sunday Nights on CBS, the biggest bargain in
16:36
show business today, Skelton, Bergen and Benny without spending a penny, Amos
16:41
and Andy e Arden, Corliss Archer four A's four star entertainment, The Family
16:45
Hour with its Hollywood stars and stirring dramas, The Contented Hour with its musical
16:51
stars in brilliant form. Horace Height with his rising stars. Eight great shows
16:56
heard on most of these same CBS stations every Sunday night, with an Jack
17:00
Benny being hurt on them all, hear them all this Sunday Night. Now
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with our star Gerald Moore, we returned to the second act of Philip Marlowe
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and Tonight's story The Birds on the Wing. When Midge mayne It's grim accident
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turned out to be grimma murder, I left Kingston and headed for a phone
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to call my client. Everywhere the chill of the viciously spectacular death lay like
17:36
a suggy blanket at the Exposition office. I found the phone and finally got
17:41
through to Hattie Pembroke. She listened up to the word murder, and then,
17:45
between gasps, insisted on coming out to help me. When I hung
17:49
up, I turned to see that the pilot, Eddie Nap, had been
17:52
standing in the door listening. He looked sick. What's it to you,
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mister? What's what to me? Midge long Drops, you too got there
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in Pembroke. I heard you say, Pembroke. What do you got to
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do with him? Just a minute, fella, I'm not sure it's any
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of your business. It's my business, all right. The kid gave me
18:07
a big grin up there just before she jumped, and I watched her fall
18:11
every inch of the way, so did everybody else. Look, I know
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how you feel. I don't have any idea how I feel. Don't try
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to kid me. That mob out there loved it. That's the only reason
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they come to watch, the hypocritical buzzards. You got a finger in this
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pie and angle on your own. I'm gonna find out what it is.
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Sha get easy, Nap. You're talking to yourself into something real silly.
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Yeah, this and ever since that last Pembroke showed up here. There's been
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trouble, bruin. No, Midge is dead. She was a friend of
18:34
mine, best friend I had. Aren't you pulling a switchbuster? What happened
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to your red hot passion for Tappy Star? You get shirt my arm,
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bless boy, and unless you want to take off a bust that the wings
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standstill. I get this, hitty. I've got no beef for you yet.
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In fact, we might even be on the same team because I want
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Pembroke out of here just as much as you do. You can pull off.
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Who are you d I have a detective named Marlowe. I got news
18:59
for you. Midge fell because a shoot was fixed. She was murdered.
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You heard me? Where where's Hershey? He packed the choots if you talked
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to him. No, I can't find him. I mean he's run away
19:11
with a filthy air. Pinch your own sake, Eddie, leave Hershey to
19:15
me and the police. You know where he's staying. No, No,
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I don't. In town someplace, but didn't ever tell you where. Come
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on, thank Eddie. Well he told me how to buddy in town,
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some guy who runs a pool hall. I didn't pay much attention. It's
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enough for a starter. I'll find him and keep her. Let on your
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temperardy, I'll see you. As I crossed the grounds to my car,
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I looked back once a day Naps standing in the office door, rubbing the
19:37
shoulder. I twisted for him. I hope he'd stay out of circulation until
19:41
I got back, because bond storming Flyer was charged up like a high tension
19:45
wire. The way he felt that he sparks no matter who he touched.
19:48
Taffy Pembroke or Lyle hersheyt But my immediate worry was the location of the landing
19:53
parachute packer. So I drove into walks Nod, found a phone booth and
19:57
went through the book calling pool Pollows. I finally hit pay dirt at the
20:02
joint cold Pindi's It's two twelve bee straight upstairs in the bark to twelve B
20:07
Street was an apartment, second floor rear over a boarded up fish market.
20:11
I went up the stairs to the half open door with my hand around my
20:14
thirty eighth, but the shooting part was all over because Lyle Hershey was crumpled
20:19
in the bedroom door with the slovenly abandoned that violent death always has the look
20:25
at the puddle of blood under room. He'd been that way over an hour.
20:27
I started backing out just as someone else started up the stairs. So
20:33
I flapped myself against the wall beside the kitchen door and waited, Lyle,
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Lyle, it's Taffy, come on in. Take a good look, Taffy.
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What are you doing in here? Where's Lyle? Great egg baby holds
20:45
water like a duck's back. What do you mean? Wherever there's murder,
20:49
there's also motive, and you've got it, Taffy, lots of it.
20:52
Me. What are you talking about? Maybe he's dead, and maybe you
20:55
kill him. Keep him quiet, because maybe he fouled up Midge Mainet's parachute
20:57
on your orders, consequently had you over a barrel on my orders. You're
21:03
out of your mind, and maybe you had to get Midge out of the
21:04
way because you objected the page. Pembroke and his id on millions honing into
21:07
the act objected so strenuously that she was doing something about it, such as
21:11
sending threats to his aunt Hattie. Let's face it, baby, it fits
21:14
not tight enough, Marlow page Dog, Taffy, I got worried when you
21:17
didn't come back to the car. So I decided, don't move Marlow,
21:19
or I'll shoot Pembrooke if you got any sense, and that gold played its
21:22
color sho with Marlow. I stood outside and listened to enough of your crack
21:25
pop theories to know your nuts. I don't need any advice from you at
21:27
this point. I keep your long nose out of my business. Listen your
21:30
brain, don't just stand there like a good little boy. Taffy and I
21:33
are leaving, and don't try to follow too fast. Go on, Taffy
21:36
outside, I'll follow you. That's a long detective. I let him go.
21:44
Spent twenty useless minutes searching the almost bare apartment for any kind of an
21:48
answer, but came up with nothing. Hershey's buddy at my feet convinced me
21:52
there was nothing an ox nod for Marlow. The sooner I dumped the whole
21:55
mess into the lapse of local law and order, the better. So I
21:59
kicked out the ten cent lock on the flimsy door and went down the stairs.
22:03
I cut through an alley to the street and started across to where my
22:06
car was parked, and I was bracketed by a pair of headlights and a
22:08
sleek Nash convertible. Yeah horna HONO what you doing here? Boy? Nothing?
22:17
Even that's an exaggeration, Kingston, What about you? I thought you
22:18
had a show tonight. I certainly do. But the police don't give a
22:22
hoot about that. Boy, Uh, they insist. Did I bring the
22:25
rest of Midge Mainard's parachute harness in for investigation? Get in? Come on
22:30
when you're young, maybe you can help me out. Okay, I want
22:33
to see the police myself. I was this Midge stuffing and git don't mind
22:37
holding to do it this wasting time. Boy. Wely have to do is
22:45
pick up lile Hirshey and they'll get all the answers. I'll have to pick
22:48
him up, all right, But he'll give them problems, not answers,
22:49
mister Kingston. I'll hears she's dead. He was murdered. O she like?
22:55
Yeah, I just came from his place. Somebody shot him. Shufferings,
22:57
sardines. What that means? There's another cure? It's still on the
23:03
loose. I knew I shouldn't let him do it, but who do what?
23:07
Why Taffy's going to give an their performance tonight? They pulled me into
23:11
the grounds just as I was leaving and told me that Pembroke fellas going up
23:15
in midges plays. Give me those two showed up out there. It doesn't
23:18
make sense. Well, Pembroke's got plenty of nerve and his own shoot,
23:22
so I shoot. Yeah, Wait a minute, Wait a minute, Kingston,
23:26
stop under that street light, will you? What is it? Mart
23:32
Shure? Shoot? Red smudges on the inside of these straps. There's something
23:36
wrong here, Kingston, but I can't quite peg it. See Kingston,
23:40
what time was that performance going to start? Wait? Nine o'clock, five
23:42
minutes and five miles ago. Come on, boy, turned the heap around
23:45
and a rump on it. We gotta kill it. The catch swing out
23:53
in front of the hang of Kingston. Hurry, Jim, they're already out
23:57
on the runway. Yeah, it's one pair of shoots still on the rack.
24:00
Why there? Jeddy Nap shoots and he never goes without it. So
24:03
who's the controls of that plane? I don't even have to guess. It's
24:07
Eddy Nap, all right, But he figures a suicide doesn't need a shoot
24:08
pilot. Kingston's as far as you go, I'm taking over from here,
24:11
do you try and move? Get out and turning around. Noway, he's
24:15
gonna make us run back this way, sol On Kingston, here he comes.
24:22
Wait until there was no possible chance for a miss, and I headed
24:23
the car straight into the path of the plane, pulled the hand front lout
24:26
as far as we would go, and jumped there on. It was easy.
24:37
The plane sort of stumbled over the car, rolled up on its nose
24:41
and stayed there. Quick work by the volunteer crash crew took care of that
24:45
box. Advantages took care of the collection of minor cuts and bruises all around
24:48
in the ox Nod police took care of Eddie Nap. Everything had come out
24:52
more or less, even except my client, Patty Pembron. She showed up
24:56
at the finish line slightly on the bias, which no doubt was a late
25:00
evening state. Also, she was as full of questions as an insurance agguester.
25:03
Now, young man, I paid you substantio sum of money for these
25:07
days work, and therefore, as your employer, I'm certainly entitled to a
25:11
Comperhence and reported the entire business, And I am all right, all right,
25:15
Hattie Hattie, whoa I'll run through it once more and that's all.
25:18
Now. Look first, a threatening letter you got was written by Midge Maynard
25:22
because she was afraid Paige was going to break up the act, you get
25:23
it. But the real screwball was Eddie Nap. He was crazy about Taffy's
25:29
tar and insanely jealous. When your nephew and his money showed up, Nap
25:32
decided if he couldn't have Taffy, nobody else would because he'd kill her.
25:36
And yet Maynard was the one who got killed. You catch on quick.
25:41
Nap killed Hershey because he was afraid Hershey had seen him tampering with the shoots.
25:44
You get that. No, on second, start, Marlow, maybe
25:48
you better submit your written report tomorrow. Yeah, with adding machine and clothes.
25:52
Now, look, Hettie, it's not that Marlow. Marlow Page and
25:55
I want to apologize. We treated you pretty badly tonight, and while you
25:59
did save our lives, business is business. Yeah, that's right. He
26:02
was hired to do a job, dear, and he did it. I'm
26:04
only interested in one thing, Marlow. How'd you know it was Eddie Nap?
26:08
Well, nobody had a really good motive for killing both Midge and Hershey.
26:11
So when I realized the shoots have been switched, I knew Midge's murder
26:15
was a mistake. There it was easy. How'd you find that out,
26:18
Marlow? Some red smudges on the inside of the harness shoulder straps. Red
26:22
that had to come from you. All other jacket there, Taffy, the
26:25
one Midge always wore was blue. Very interesting, Well, Hattie, write
26:30
the detective at checks so he can go. That's the best idea you've had
26:33
to date, Pembrooke, and include on at the price of a repair job
26:37
in Kingston's car, a new tweed suit or replace this one that lost knees
26:41
an elbow on the runway when I jumped. Also, don't forget the bonus
26:45
you promised for keeping a job alive. Heading. As for you, Pembrooke,
26:48
the only reason I'm not filing an AsSalt and battery charge against you is
26:51
that you've got great grounds for a counter suit. What do you mean this?
26:57
Bless you? My boy? Tell me that a good night. Well,
27:15
A few informal cups of coffee the Oxnot Police headquarters cut through most of
27:19
the paperwork, But at that it was after two when I finally picked up
27:23
my car and drove the Inland Highway from home past dark quiet farms where down
27:30
to Worth people made down to Worth livings and slept at night. Yeah,
27:34
the countryside was full of them. So it was with a real sigh of
27:40
relief that I finally opened the door to my apartment and looked forward to some
27:45
peace and quiet. Hello, mister Marlowe, aren't you Gracie Allen? Yes,
27:52
well, how'd you get into my apartment? Well? You see this
27:53
key? Yeah, well it didn't fit, so I opened the door and
27:56
walked in. Yeah, well that figures. What can I do for you,
28:00
mister Marlowe. You're a famous detective and I think you're just a man
28:04
to handle a very important case for me. Oh really, well, i'd
28:07
be very happy to Gracie. What's your problem? Well, you see,
28:11
mister marlow our sponsor won't let my husband Sulgar Throat Burns sing on our program,
28:17
and I want you to investigate the possibilities of another radio program George can
28:21
sing on, and then our sponsor will realize he's wonderful and let him sing
28:26
on our show. Well, I'm sorry, Gracie, and the next time
28:30
you pass my house, I'll be very grateful. Oh thank you, and
28:33
I'll be looking for you too. Goodbye, Goodbye. The Adventures of Philip
28:53
Marlowe Bringing You Raymond, Chandler's most famous character, star Gerald Moore and are
28:59
produced and directed by Norman McDonald. Script is by Robert Mitchell and Gene Levitt.
29:03
Featured in the cast where Lois Corbett, Rita, Lynn, Don Randolph,
29:07
Junius Matthews, Jack Moyle's and Jimmy Eagles. The special music is composed
29:11
and conducted by Richard Arurant. Be sure and be with us again next week.
29:19
When Philip Marlowe says, it started with a kid hawking papers on Hollywood
29:26
Boulevard, and move from there to a house full of hate on a quiet
29:29
street, a blonde lyar on ice skates, and a corpse in a burned
29:33
out check, and it all wound up right where it't again, in the
29:36
heart of the kid on the corner. Two music programs that make your Sunday
29:52
afternoon listening a delight and a pleasure are The Sympinet and the Coroliers. The
29:56
Coroliers sing popular and semi classical song and stirring style. The Symfinet brings you
30:02
excerpts of great orchestral works here, the Sympinet and the Corliers Tomorrow and every
30:07
Sunday, as well as Sammy Kay's Sunday Serenade, now heard exclusively on CBS.
30:11
All of these outstanding music programs are heard on most of these same CBS
30:15
stations. This is Roy Rowan speaking Stay tuned now for Gangbusters, which follows
30:22
immediately on most of these stations. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.
30:48
Hi as Fasten, the host of Retrocamp, and you're listening to the
30:51
greetectives of all time Ratio with Adam Graham. Thank you us so much.
30:56
That was Sebastian from the Retro Game Reviewer. I've done a couple interviews there,
31:03
most recently in April, and I recorded a bumper for him on his
31:07
show and he returned the favor. Now, speaking of things that need some
31:11
explanation, I was delightfully shocked by the end of our story where Philip Marlow
31:18
returns home to find Gracey Allen waiting. I am a huge, huge fan
31:23
of Gracie. I've listened to every episode of Burns and Allen I can find,
31:29
so even though it interrupts the flow, I'm okay with it. Now
31:32
for context as to what was going on, I've mentioned the talent raids when
31:37
I was talking about the Saint in their advertisement for the Big Show, But
31:41
they've managed CBS had managed to snag a lot of stars that had been very
31:45
popular on NBC. The season previous to this, Burns and Allen had been
31:52
on NBCTV NBC Radio Excuse Me sponsored by Maxwell House. But Jack Benny was
31:59
a good friends with Burns and Allen and so it was easy to get them
32:05
to come over and join the network. And it really turned out to be
32:08
a boon for CBS. Even though they were only on radio for one season
32:15
for Ambedent Toothpaste, they ended up going on CBS television for eight seasons,
32:22
making them one of the early very successful sitcoms. And this was part of
32:29
having Gracey Allen. They had the idea to have Gracie just appear on a
32:34
wide variety of different shows to promote the idea of her trying to get CBS
32:40
to allow George to sing. Now, of course, the idea that George
32:45
Burns was a bad singer was something that was worked up for the sitcom radio
32:51
run of Burns and Allen it became one of the shows running gags across a
32:57
wide variety of different sponsors that George was a really bad Hammy singer and he
33:04
thinks he's great, and Gracie thinks he's great, though she says things meant
33:09
to be complimentary with a double meaning, and that was one of the sources
33:15
of humor in truth. Before they went into the sitcom format, which the
33:20
vast majority of Burns and Allen's shows fall under, they actually had a variety
33:24
show format, and both George and Gracie sang. Gracie had the better voice,
33:30
but George's was definitely a decent voice. He didn't have the type of
33:36
voice where could have made a living on it, but it was serviceable.
33:39
But for the radio it became his big end joke, and that's what that
33:45
was about. And before we leave the topic of Gracie Allen, this was
33:50
actually the second time she had made a tour of a wide variety of different
33:54
shows on the network. The first time was back in nineteen forty when she
34:00
ran a parody campaign for the presidency and as part of that appeared on a
34:06
wide variety of different programs including Jack Benny, Baby Snooks, Fiber McGee and
34:12
Molly and quite a few others. So that's my overlong explanation. This also
34:17
was a bit of a recycled plot where if you recall a program we played
34:27
back in November of last year that actually aired about six and a half months
34:34
before this called The Feminine Touch from May seventh, nineteen forty nine, and
34:39
here's the summation of the plot. Marlow was hired by the daughter of a
34:45
wild daughter who's fallen for a motorcycle stunt rider and whose partners have sent the
34:51
father a threatening note. The threatening note, the stunts similar concepts. They
34:58
did mix it up in terms of changing some of the motivation with it,
35:04
in this case being an aunt who was earning money off of the a state
35:12
versus a father, and reversing the genders of most of the characters and changing
35:19
motorcycles to airplanes. And it's worth noting that both ended with Marlowe kind of
35:30
getting a little bit violent. Instead of punching the girl, he gave her
35:37
a spanking. But very similar reactions and stories is in The Feminine Touch In
35:49
the Defense of Philip Marlow Though there were many programs at that time and later
35:54
that would actually just recycle whole scripts, so maybe recycling a few elements from
36:00
the plot probably not a big deal, all right. Listener comments and feedback.
36:06
Now, regarding Philip Marlow, Dick says, I love the intros.
36:10
They don't write them like that anymore, No, they don't. And it's
36:15
even pretty unique to old time Rady where there are intros. It's something you
36:22
know that's always the same every episode, like The Shadow Knows or it's another
36:30
case for Nick Carter master Detective. These really just grab your attention, and
36:38
it is a shame that there is a point where they end up doing away
36:43
with the summaries, which is a bit of a shame, but I love
36:46
them while I have them. I've had the idea of doing a audio drama
36:52
of my Detective novel and trying to work in a similar opening, but I
36:57
don't know if that would be too derivative. At this point, it's just
37:01
just a dream, so I guess it can be as derivative as a want.
37:06
All right. An other comment here from Frank, who says, I
37:12
love the show. I love that show. Guarding Philip Marlow, well,
37:15
thanks so much. I definitely appreciate feedback, and that will do it for
37:19
today. We will be back tomorrow with Nick Carter, and join us back
37:23
here next Wednesday for another episode of the Adventures of Philip Marlow. In the
37:29
meantime, sendra comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot Net. From Boise,
37:35
Idaho, this is your host, Adam Grahamson and off