Adventures of Philip Marlowe: Red Wind

It was hot, boiling hot that night. I wanted to grab a beer and turn in early. So what happens? I get my beer, but with it comes a gunshot, a beautiful woman in trouble, and murder.

From the pen of Raymond Chandler, outstanding author of Crime Mystery, CBS presents his most famous character, brought to you now in The Adventures of Philip Barlow. With Gerald Moore starred as Philip Barlow, We bring you tonight's unusual story, Red Wind.

There was a rough desert wind blowing into Los Angeles that evening. It was one of those hot, dry, Santa Ana's that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump when you're skin-ish.

On nights like that, every booze party ends in a fight and meek little housewives feel the edge of a carving knife and study their husband's necks. Anything can happen when the Santa Ana blows in from the desert.

I closed up my office early. I got tired of reading Philip Mahlo private investigator backwards on the ground glass of my office door. So I locked up and decided a nice cold beer would taste good before I went up to my apartment.

Tiller up again Mr. Mahlo? Mahlo. Yeah, Mahlo. Yeah, Mahlo. Yeah, Mahlo. Yeah, I know. Mahlo's also the name of a lady on the radio. Mahlo and comma marry the story of. Yeah, my wife listens to it.

Yeah, good for her. Alright. Hey, you'll bark at her. Another ride. Yeah, that drunk again. What do you expect in this business, autograph hounds? Might as sappin'! You hear? Be right with ya, sport. Gotta draw this man a beer.

Cryin' out loud, these stumble-blums. Hey, Pot. You got another customer back, guys. Hey, Pot, you seen a lady in here lately? A lady? A tall, good-looking brown hair, a print-ballero jacket, and a blue sub-dress.

No, sir. No, sir. Eh, nobody like that's been in. All right, straight scotch fast. Yes, sir? Yes, sir. As the man drank, I noticed the drunk was grinning at him. And then without changing his grin, the drunk swept the gun from somewhere so fast it was just a blur coming out.

Made a couple of hard snaps and a little smold. Very good. You're the guy. Don't move. So long, Waldo. Don't move, you two. Poor Waldo. I bet I made his nose, please. So long, boys. Drink up.

Get on the phone, kid. I'll get his license number. number. Oh, smoke. Oh, wait. He drove away in the dead guy's car. Maybe he ain't dead. No, he's dead all right. That guy was using a 22 target just the one they use that kind of gun. They don't make mistakes. Where's your phone? This is for the police.

Proud car boys were there in five minutes. Willow was out of business all right. Nothing in his pockets told who he was, but he had about $700 on him. With that kind of heavy coin, you can buy a good 1910 automobile even today. Now I told the cops what I knew, including about Wallo's brown head pretty girl in the Balero jacket.

It was about nine o'clock when I stepped out of the elevator in my apartment house and almost walked right into a brown head pretty girl in the Balero jacket waiting for the elevator on my floor.

Oh, excuse me. Just a minute lady. What is it? I'm a great admirer of Balero jackets. What? Now take the one you've got on, for instance. I'm sorry, but I'm gonna hurt you. No, no, no, wait.

If you'll be good enough to let me, but... Oh, you've made me miss the elevator. It's just as well. What? Well, it's better you don't go out in those clothes. What do you mean? Tall, good looking, blarrow jacket, blue silk dress.

Lady, might I take the trouble of telling you that you're in trouble? Trouble. And the cops are looking for you in those clothes. I haven't done anything. Maybe not. But if I were you, I'd have a little talk with me.

Wait, hold on a minute. I'm 41 across the hall. And I know things about you. Well... Good girl. Come along. It took a firm grip on her arm, but I managed to get it in my room.

I rustled up some drinks, but when I turned to give her hers, I... I saw she held a small automatic. She looked at me steadily. I put down both glasses slowly, so I wouldn't be misunderstood.

Look, sister, I know it's hot tonight, and heat does funny things to people, but... Let's put that little thing away and have a nice cool drink, huh? Oh, I'm strictly frozen in my tracks. Stay that way.

Okay, okay. But wouldn't you like to know that I'm a private detective? Private detective. I can prove it if you let me. That's better. I don't like those things pointed at me. I'll have that drink.

Oh, good. I don't often give good liquor away like this. I can't afford it. Why are they after me? Well, a man was just shot in a bar down the street before he got it, even asking about But a tall pretty girl with a Balero jacket.

What did he look like? This man. He was tall, about 5'11". Slim, dark, dark brown eyes with a lot of glitter. Dark suit, white handkerchief in the breast pocket. And he must have seen you early at night to know how you were dressed.

Am I getting anywhere? He used to be my chauffeur. He had an appointment with him, didn't you? He asked for you, didn't he? Yes, I had an appointment with him. He'd stolen something from me when he left three days ago.

I was going to buy it back from him. Why didn't you tell the police? I couldn't tell him. It was valuable, wasn't it? Valuable enough for Warlord of Steel. $16,000? Peanuts. But it wasn't the value.

You see, it meant something to me. The man I loved gave it to me. And now he's dead. He shot down over Germany. I go back and tell my husband that he'll probably hire you.

He did? How much is he paying me? And where is this husband of yours? Is that a meeting? This late at night? He's a very important man. The hydroelectric engineer. Never mind about him. What about Waldo?

Why was he knocked off? I mean, he's dead. Waldo is dead. Yes, sister. He's dead. Very dead. Screaming won't bring him back. I'm not going to scream. Who would that be? There's a dressing room behind the door.

Hi there. Take your glass with you. All right. Oh, making a loud yawning sound. Foolishly, I didn't have my gun. That was a mistake. Because when I opened the door, the guy on the other side certainly had one.

A 22-target automatic that had already killed one man that night. And I knew the bald head, the flat shiny eyes, and the face like a poisonous lizard. Baldy put the muzzle of his gun lightly against my throat.

I backed into the room and baldy kicked the door shut. You alone? Look for yourself. I'm asking, not looking. I'm alone. You and that dumb bartender saw me dust off Waldo. What did Waldo do to you?

Who's asking? Just making conversation. He still done me on a bank job we did together. Got me four years in Michigan pen. How is he? Dead. Man. Heh heh heh. Well, it's still good. Drunk or so, but...

Tell me why I came here, pal. You heard the bar keeping me talking, I told him my name and where I lived. That's how, pal. I said, why? Skip it. A hangman won't ask you to guess why he's there.

You're pretty tough at that, ain't you, pal? But you're slamming off. All right? But could you get that gun out of my neck and try somewhere else just anyplace? This better? This suit y'all right?

It just so it isn't my neck. Say, Wentpow, it's your party. And weekly, the door of the dressing room showed a crack of darkness, the crack widened, and began to shake a little in spite of the heat.

The girl came quietly into the room, but there was white all around her irises. She was scared. She had a gun in her hand, but I was sorry for it. Dead sorry. She tried to make the door a scream.

By the way, it would be curtains for both of us. Scared, mister. Worried about any little thing. The girl floated in the air somewhere behind Paulie. And the horrified face was drifting toward us. My mouth was as cold and dry as yesterday's toast.

Well, kid, how's it feel? You ready yet? Say the word. Well, don't take all night about it if you're going to do something about it, do it. Why not, pal? I like this. Suppose I yell.

Go ahead. Yeah. Hey, go ahead. Thanks, sister. That buys me. Everything I have is yours. Now and forever. Is it dead? You flatter me. No end, lady. I only punched him. Now get out of here while I call the cops down on this killer.

Good night. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. That jacket marks you for the cops. Leave it here. You don't need it in this kind of weather. Oh, not here. Okay. See you again. Why? Who might it be the rival of a dead flyer and things like that?

No, I second thought forget the whole thing. I'll see that the police get Jesse James here. Good night, lady. You mean me? Yes, please.

Oh, you again. Get in. I want to talk to you. You want to know what happened at headquarters? Yes. I went down to headquarters with the law and gave him the story. I left you out of it.

Oh, fast. You saved my life. So no one knows anything about you. No one knows anything about you. Incidentally neither do I. Mrs. Frank Bartley, two twelve Fremont plates. Olympia two four five nine six.

Is that what you wanted? I guess so. Well there it is. Now why'd you really come back? I wanted my curls. Oh no, pearls too? Yes. Alright, tell me about the pearls. We've had a murder, a beautiful mystery woman, and this sadistic killer, and an heroic rescue.

Now we will have pearls. I was to buy them back from the man called Waldo. And I saw everything that came out of his pockets and weren't any pearls. But they'd be hidden in his apartment.

It's possible. Waldo lived on the same floor you do in this apartment house. And why didn't I know him, at least by sight? Well, he just moved in last week. He managed to get a sublet.

Sort of amateur magician on the side, huh? It's, uh... getting out of the lake. Yeah. What about your husband this hot, mysterious night? He's still at his meeting. Good. Why did you say that? I didn't have any answers.

We just sat there looking at one another. I was suddenly aware of the hot desert winds starting at the night. I took hold of her and I kissed her. She said very still, I was shaking when I let go of her.

A boy's troubled little when she spoke. I meant you to do that. I wasn't always this way. Only since Johnny Dalmas was killed in the war. He gave me those pearls. Forty-one of them were the Diamond Propeller Clasp.

They loved them as they were wooden beads because he gave them to me. I loved Johnny. We loved just one time. You understand that? But I don't understand how you could explain a $15,000 pearl necklace to your husband.

Told him they were imitation. That I bought them myself. How did Waldo latch on to them and what they stood for? When my husband was in Argentina, Waldo and I would go for long drives.

I was restless and wretched because of Johnny. Sometimes Waldo and I had a little drink together. But that was all... But you can fight it in Waldo about those pearls. And when your husband came back, Waldo stole the pearls, and I was to sell them back to you.

He'd tell Papa. Oh, I was a fool. And now you think the pearls are upstairs and Waldo's apartment? I suppose it's a lot to add. I've been paid. Now go look. Wait here. Was I gone along, Waldo?

Well? No. No pearls? No pearls. Oh. There was a man in Waldo's room. Man. You know a guy named Leon Velasanos? No, no, by name, I don't know. Mexican South American about 45 small iron gray hair, very neat.

Fawn colored suit, wine colored tie. No, I don't think I know such a man. You say he was in the room? Yeah. What did he say? Very little. In fact, nothing. He was dead. You are listening to the adventures of Philip Barlow created by one of America's most outstanding writers of crime and mystery fiction, Raymond Chandler.

Our story for today, The Red Wind, continues in just a moment. But first, a message of interest for all young men. How would you like to be up there in the wild blue sky flying America's mightiest bombers, fastest fighters, and newest jet jobs? Believe me, it's a great feeling to know that you have

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school graduate, plan to see the Aviation Cadet interviewing team. If you pass the mental and physical examination, you'll be accepted for the 52-week Aviation Cadet training program. When you graduate, you'll be a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, the mightiest of all.

And now, back to the adventures of Philip Marlow. With Gerald Boers, our star, we continue Today's adventure. I sat with Lola Bosseline in her car, listening to the hot wind gallop around in the midnight streets.

I just told her about the lapping-looking man I'd found in Wallo's room in a very dead condition. I held her hands until they stopped trembling, and then I gave her the few remaining details. He had a gun in a shoulder holster, but someone had strangled him before he could set up in business with a gun.

Someone? I mean, Wallo. Maybe? You see that convertible coop to cars ahead of us? It's been there for hours there before I parked here to wait for you. Leon, the guy in Waller's room, came in that car.

But according to the key container he carried, it isn't his car. Who's car? Does it matter? It belongs to a lady according to the tag on the car keys. Eugenie Colchenko, West Los Angeles. I've never heard of her.

You better go home now. What are you going to do? Drive that flossy convertible around and wave at my friends. Impress people. You run along now. Me, I've got another date. What is it, please?

Miss Eugenie Coachenco? Yes. What is it? Did you lose on this place a pigeon-gray convertible coupe? What are you saying? I don't feel alarmed. I found it brought it home to you. Come in, please.

It is every word you wish. Shall we say? Now, part of a dragon lady, who was he? Who was who? A little guy. Leon, you loaned your car to his dad. Who was he? Oh, no. No.

Good evening. Darling Darling come here please. What's the matter my dear? Who is this man? I came about Miss Colchenko's car. What about a car? A legitimate bar it couldn't return it on account of his and alive.

He's dead darling he is dead. That's putting it more bluntly of course. Yeah yeah completely. Who are you? Philip Marlow, private investigator. My car. Have you told the police yet? Never do it once what can be profitably deferred pending negotiation. I stopped. I might negotiate.

He just what do you know. I'm a man name of all over shot now bar tonight. I happen to have the inside as the who he was and when I visited his apartment tonight. I found this Leon Velizano's dead. He wouldn't have had five hundred dollars and twenty on him would he know. With his wall though head over

seven hundred dollars on him when he was killed night cocktail bar mostly in 20s. Is there a basis for negotiation yet? Very well, mono. There were certain bills for some stuff, Ms. Colchenco here had charged to my account.

But darling, you told me I'm not charged to your account. All right, my dear, so I wasn't bright. That might be the understatement of the decade, but go on. I had the bills safely in my briefcase.

Somehow there's Waldo had a chance to steal the briefcase. I hired Leon, gave him $500 to buy back those bills from Waldo. Instead, Waldo took Leon's coupons, was forced to kill Leon in the process.

And he went out to keep another date and walked into an old pal hostile enough to blow him down. And somebody still has those bills, and I'm in for a divorce, dude, huh? The man who shot Waldo got away in Waldo's car with your briefcase in it could be.

Cops caught him. And the police have the briefcase? Maybe. But the police are interested in solving crimes, not enticing mud for the benefit of sensation-eaters. I have a friend or two at headquarters. Let me see what I can do.

It's worth $500 to me, Marlowe. Then that's what it'll cost you. Good luck and thank you, Mr.... Marlow. Philip Marlow, remember? My name is Frank Barfley. Barfley? Oh. And that's what it is that means?

The big hydroelectric engineer. Yeah. Yes, how do you know? Never mind. May I use your telephone? Someday I must tell you about Ibarra. Daois is a soul of the Ereti bara, detective lieutenant over at Central homicide.

Well, I phoned Ibarra from the Miss called Chanko's house and told him where he could find a well-dressed cadaver named Leon, and furnished a few small details. I gave Ibarra time to check my tip and then I went down to see the good lieutenant, and told him why I'd been up in Waldo's room, only to find Leon instead of a certain lady's string of pearls.

Pearls, eh? Yeah, I thought Waldo might have had them up there. Whose pearls were they? Now ladies, go on. Oh, they might have been in Warlow's car that Warlow's killer drove away in. Yeah? What?

Yeah, they might have. Yeah. Also a batch of bills charged to the account of a certain Frank Bosselie. Yeah? The police aren't interested in domestic scandal. They want to prevent or solve crimes, right? So?

So I've got $500 for the police fund. If those pearls and those bills are returned to their rightful owners. Quit your kidding. It's a valuable necklace. Yeah. There's your necklace, take it away. On the lovely bar, just tell me straight what it's all about.

All I ask, sure, sure. Well, you see, this Waldo was blackmailing a wife with a pearl's and her husband with a bill's. Bosley, that's the guy's name. Sentley on to get the bill's from Waldo.

Waldo killed him and then stepped out and got nailed by that guy in the bar, ate stool pigeoned against once. Well, if Bosley's name stays out of the papers, I get 500 bucks. It goes to the police fund.

Thanks. We'll keep them out. And that in this case for money, I just want to get back to bills and the pearls. Sure. And like you say, Marlow, the police aren't in business to sling mud.

Look, you can deliver the pearls to the lady yourself if you like. No, you better take them to a Marlow, you see. Except for that diamond propeller clasp on them, they're phony. Phoney. But look, Marlow, I know pearls.

Real pearls feel gritty between the teeth. These are hot and glassy. Try. Yeah. Mm. They're phony. All but the clasp, Marlowe. All but the clasp. I took the pearls and had them appraised the next morning at a gilded edge place in Beverly Hills.

Fony all but the clasp. Hmm. An imitation as good as these couldn't have been made that fast. These were the pearls that walled out stolen. I took the glass pearls to a dive on Melrose and had them duplicated for $20.

I had the jeweler attach the diamond clasp for the $20 duplicate string of pearls. And I called up Lola. Hello Lola, okay you're in? Oh Mr. Marlow, yes it's okay here. You have a string of pearls for you.

Oh really? Really? Wait a minute, wait a minute Lola. Lola was getting set to jip you. We sold the real pearls and made up a string with the diamond clasp. What have the clasp? Sure.

Meet me at four at Nickel Ives. Nickel Ives at four. Hey yeah Lola. These are the pearls of the police found in Waldo's car. You're right. They're not my pearl. I'm sorry, Lola.

No. Still have the class that Johnny gave me. I'm happy if you were. Happy? No, not quite happy. Leave this morning, my husband told me where to separate. No, I'm very sorry, Lola. You've been very kind.

That's all right? This is... Good-bye, I suppose. Yeah. You'll never get over Johnny Dalmas. Good-bye, Lola. If anybody ever bothers you again, let me know. Name's Mollow. Philip Mollow. Philip Mollow. I drove almost to Malibu.

And I parked. And I walked way out on a rock cliff, jotting into the Pacific Ocean. And then I reached into my pocket and dug out the Pacific Ocean. dug out the string of bohemian glass pearls, the tenety bar I had found in Waldo's car.

I cut the knot at one end, slipped the pearls off, one by one. One by one I flipped them into the water. Should have seen the gull swoop down on them. Then they flapped up again, screaming indignantly.

phony pearls. They'd fooled Waldo and Lola Barcelain. They couldn't fool the seagull. I said aloud. For the memory of Johnny Delmas, just another four-flushing. I listened a while to the wheeling seagulls. All at once I realized that the wind had died. The sadder Anna had blown itself out. The red wind was done that

was over. It was cool again. The Adventures of Philip Barlow, created by Raymond Chandler, stars Gerald Moore and is produced and directed by Norman McDonald. In tonight's story, Red Wind, Lola was played by Peggy Weber and Barry Kroger was Baldy. Joan Banks played Eugenie Colchinko, Jeff Corey was Lutetity Barra, Polly Bear was Barcely, Lou Krugman was Waldo, and Wilms Herbert played

the bartender. The special music was conceived and conducted by Ivan Dittmarz. Philip Marlow will be back in just a moment. Young man, be a Marine. Combine travel, adventure and education at no expense to yourself.

When you're a Marine you can travel to the far places of the earth and carry on at the same time your own educational program through free Marine Corps Institute Correspondence courses. You have plenty of courses to choose from and an ideal way of studying geography or history, is to take a course dealing with the background of the area in which you are

stationed or any of the more than 160 Marine Corps Institute courses. Thanks to this Marine Corps Institute, thousands of Marines are making continual educational advancements during their service in the U.S. Marine Corps. That opportunity upon becoming a U.S. Marine is yours for the asking.

Next week at the same time, be sure to tune in for another adventure of Philip Marlow, when Marlow says, I was low. Very low the night I set out searching for the girl with the strange hazel eyes.

The fog which hung over Los Angeles didn't help. And I felt even worse when I found it. For by then I had death on my hands. But I felt even worse when I found it.

But by then I had death on my hands. If you like your laughs mingled with spicy music, be around tomorrow to hear the premiere of Alka Seltzer Time featuring Herb Schreiner and Raymond Scott's quintet.

There'll be guest stars too. Here's a show that's guaranteed to keep Monday from being blue. It's coming your way Mondays through Fridays over most of these CBS stations. consult your local newspaper for the time of Alka Selser time. This is Roy Rowan speaking for CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.