Rita Malloy: Pat Novak, for Hire (April 23, 1949)

“Rita Malloy” is an episode of Pat Novak, for Hire, the old-time radio show, first broadcast April 23, 1949. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Pat Novak, a waterfront investigator in San Francisco, is forced at gunpoint to surrender his boat keys by a mysterious man. When the boat is found wrecked at the pier with a dead man inside, Novak becomes the prime suspect in a murder case—complicated by the discovery of a dead nightclub dancer, Rita Malloy, in a hotel room. With Inspector Helman breathing down his neck and only 24 hours to solve the crime, Novak must uncover the connections between the victims before he takes the fall.

San Francisco waterfront, including Pat's apartment, Pier 19, Royal Arms Hotel, and the El Palateo nightclub on Mason Street

Characters: Pat Novak, Inspector Helman, Joe Paz, Jocko Madigan, Manny Ryan, Tony Drake, Bruno Schweis, Rita Malloy

Listen for: The clever detective work uncovering why Rita Malloy was found in a dressing gown, the revelation of Tony Drake's connection to Bruno's wife, and the final confrontation in the nightclub dressing room.

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.