John St. John: Pat Novak, for Hire (October 13, 1946)

“John St. John” is an episode of Pat Novak, for Hire, the old-time radio show, first broadcast October 13, 1946. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Pat Novak, a waterfront investigator for hire in San Francisco, witnesses a hit-and-run accident that kills an old man. The dying stranger gives Pat three hundred dollars and a sealed letter to deliver to someone named John St. John, along with a mysterious message Pat can't quite understand. When Pat tries to track down this John St. John, he finds himself caught in a dangerous web of murder, blackmail, and espionage involving a shadowy organization trading in stolen government secrets.

San Francisco waterfront and surrounding locations including rooming houses, a sanitarium on the peninsula, and various apartments

Characters: Pat Novak, Jocko, Lee Norton, Sidney Bronson, Dr. Emil Shonig, Walter Avery, Helman, The Old Man

Listen for: Hard-boiled detective work with sharp dialogue, mysterious murder victims connected by a strange insignia of spliced crosses, the unmasking of a criminal espionage ring, and classic noir atmosphere

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.