Fleet Lady: Pat Novak, for Hire (March 6, 1949)

“Fleet Lady” is an episode of Pat Novak, for Hire, the old-time radio show, first broadcast March 6, 1949. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Pat Novak is hired by jockey Jackie Gregg to find Fleet Lady, a racehorse that has disappeared from the waterfront. When Pat investigates, he discovers that Gregg is murdered in a stable and Fleet Lady is found dead. As the case unfolds, Pat uncovers a scheme involving Sybil Thornton, who owns Fleet Lady, and gambler Rudy Hauser, who appears to be manipulating the upcoming Bonanza Handicap race.

San Francisco waterfront and racetrack, 1949

Characters: Pat Novak, Jackie Gregg, Sybil Thornton, Rudy Hauser, Lieutenant Helman, Jocko Madigan, Ronnie Stark, Iris Snow

Listen for: The clever dialogue and dark humor as Pat navigates between a dead jockey, a dead racehorse, and a murder investigation, with clues pointing to a fixed race scheme.

Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.