The Adventures of Philip Marlowe

The Adventures of Philip Marlowe
	Gerald Mohr as Philip Marlowe
Other names	The New Adventures of Philip Marlowe
Genre	Detective drama
Running time	30 minutes
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
Syndicates	NBC; CBS
TV adaptations	Philip Marlowe
Starring	Van Heflin (1947); Gerald Mohr (1948–1951)
Announcer	Wendell Niles (1947); Roy Rowan (1948–1951)
Created by	Raymond Chandler
Written by	Milton Geiger (1947); Gene Levitt (1948–1951); Robert Mitchell (1948–1951); Mel Dinelli (1948–1951); Kathleen Hite (1948–1951)
Directed by	Norman Macdonnell (1948–1951)
Produced by	Norman Macdonnell (1948–1951)
Original release	June 17, 1947 –; September 15, 1958

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."[1]

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.[2] 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.[3] The CBS version ran for 114 episodes. That series ran 26 September 1948 – 29 September 1950.[2]

From 7 July 1951 to 15 September 1951, the program was a summer replacement[2] 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".[4]

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 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.

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.[5]

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."[6]

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

47-06-12 (00) Who Shot Waldo
- Identical to episode #1. There was no broadcast of the show on June 12. It is probable that this is only an incorrectly-dated version of episode 1.
47-06-17 (01) The Red Wind (Van Heflin)
47-07-01 (03) Daring Young Dame on The Flying Trapeze
47-07-08 (04) The King in Yellow
47-08-05 (08) Trouble Is My Business

CBS Series

48-09-26 (001) The Red Wind (Gerald Mohr)
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
48-11-28 (010) The Hard Way Out
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
49-03-05 (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
49-07-16 (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
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
49-12-24 (064) Carol's Christmas
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
51-08-18 (110) Young Man's Fancy
51-08-25 (111) Heir for G String
51-09-01 (112) Nether Neither 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

Reinehr, Robert C.; Swartz, Jon D. (2010). The A to Z of Old Time Radio. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 16. ISBN 978-0810876163. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
"Philip Marlowe in Film, Radio and Television". The Thrilling Detective Web Site. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
"The Adventures of Philip Marlowe (1947–1951)". Matinee Classics. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
Dunning, John. (1976). Tune in Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, 1925–1976. Prentice-Hall, Inc. ISBN 0-13-932616-2. p. 12.
Phillips, Gene D. (2000). Creatures of Darkness: Raymond Chandler, Detective Fiction, and Film Noir. University Press of Kentucky. p. 12. ISBN 0813127009. Retrieved 2 October 2016. Adventures of Philip Marlowe.

External links

Logs

Scripts

Streaming

116 episodes of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe at the Internet Archive

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[1] Reinehr, Robert C.; Swartz, Jon D. (2010). The A to Z of Old Time Radio. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 16. ISBN 978-0810876163. Retrieved 2 October 2016.

[dunningota-2] Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-10-08.

[3] "Philip Marlowe in Film, Radio and Television". The Thrilling Detective Web Site. Retrieved 1 June 2014.

[4] "The Adventures of Philip Marlowe (1947–1951)". Matinee Classics. Retrieved 1 June 2014.

[dunningtiy-5] Dunning, John. (1976). Tune in Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, 1925–1976. Prentice-Hall, Inc. ISBN 0-13-932616-2. p. 12.

[6] Phillips, Gene D. (2000). Creatures of Darkness: Raymond Chandler, Detective Fiction, and Film Noir. University Press of Kentucky. p. 12. ISBN 0813127009. Retrieved 2 October 2016. Adventures of Philip Marlowe.