Each guide is written from the episode itself, sets up the story and 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.
The Adventures of Philip Marlowe: 103 episode guides
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: 001 Red Wind (1948)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe is drawn into a dangerous case when a mysterious woman in a balaero jacket appears at his apartment building, the same night a man named Waldo is shot in a nearby bar. The woman, Lola Bosseline, is desperate to recover a valuable pearl necklace stolen by Waldo, but the investigation spirals into blackmail, murder, and betrayal as Marlowe uncovers a web of secrets involving stolen bills, a dead man in Waldo's apartment, and a ruthless killer.
Los Angeles on a hot night when the Santa Ana winds blow through the city, including bars, apartment buildings, and the Pacific coast near Malibu. · Philip Marlowe, Lola Bosseline, Waldo, Baldy, Leon Velasanos, Frank Bosseley, Eugenie Colchenko, Detective Lieutenant Ibarra
Listen for: The atmospheric description of the oppressive desert heat and wind that sets the mood for chaos and danger; the hard-boiled detective narration capturing Marlowe's cynical observations; the revelation that the pearls Lola treasured are fakes; the final scene of Marlowe discarding the phony pearls into the ocean.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: 002 The Persian Slippers (1948)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Carl Delaney to find his wife Norma, who disappeared thirty-six hours earlier after a quarrel. Marlowe's investigation leads him to Madam Jeanette, a fortune teller on Olvera Street, and to Pierre Gillum, a man with connections to Norma's past. As Marlowe pursues the case through the fog-shrouded night, he uncovers a complex scheme involving jealousy, blackmail, and murder.
Los Angeles in 1948, including the Hollywood Hills, Olvera Street, a bar, Madam Jeanette's cottage, Pierre Gillum's apartment at the Beachwood apartments, Carl Delaney's house on Holly Crest Road, and the Bradford Arms Hotel · Philip Marlowe, Carl Delaney, Norma Delaney, Madam Jeanette, Pierre Gillum, Lieutenant Ibarra, Charlie the bartender, Pinky the newsboy
Listen for: Marlowe's internal monologue as he navigates the foggy Los Angeles night, the clever twist involving the Persian slippers that reveals the identity of the murder victim, and the final confrontation at the Bradford Arms Hotel
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: 003 The Panama Hat (1948)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Isabelle Gordon to protect her husband Bruce, a photographer who has been receiving threatening unsigned letters and is being watched by a mysterious man in a white Panama hat. When Bruce is kidnapped and a ransom demand is made, Marlowe must uncover the truth behind the abduction and the murder of a man named Skip-a-Martin.
Los Angeles and Malibu, California, including the Fairchild Estate, the Pelican Inn, the Wilshire Gardens bungalows, and Pacific Palisades · Philip Marlowe, Isabelle Gordon, Bruce Gordon, Uncle Avery Fairchild, Skip-a-Martin, Brock, Carla Winters, Lieutenant Ibarr
Listen for: The revelation of Bruce Gordon's involvement in his own kidnapping scheme, the connection between the white Panama hat and the central mystery, and Marlowe's discovery of the photograph hidden in Bruce's studio
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: 004 Where Theres a Will (1948)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired to help three heirs—Edward Shields, his cousin Harlan Crane, and secretary Barbara Haynes—locate $300,000 in bonds hidden by their eccentric aunt Bernice. The aunt's will requires them to find the bonds within 24 hours using three transparent map pieces that only reveal the location when combined. Marlowe soon discovers that someone is willing to kill to keep the others from the prize, and he must navigate a web of deception on Twin Islands to uncover who is really behind the scheme.
Los Angeles and Twin Islands in Indian Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains · Philip Marlowe, Edward Shields, Harlan Crane, Barbara Haynes, Bernice (deceased aunt), Luther Willard, Jambul (caretaker), The little man with a scar
Listen for: The reveal of who planned the murders and sabotage, Marlowe's witty commentary about the heirs and their schemes, and the unmasking of the real conspirators among the trio.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: 005 The Heart of Gold (1948)
Private detective Philip Marlowe accepts a case from a mysterious Helen Asher, who pays him fifty dollars to investigate a man named Elliot Purdue. When Marlowe arrives at the wealthy home of Arthur Stewart to report his findings, he discovers that the woman he was hired to investigate—introduced as Mrs. Asher—has apparently shot herself. As Marlowe digs deeper into the circumstances surrounding her death, he uncovers a web of deception involving a small-time bookie, a nightclub singer, and a dark secret from an accident in Canada three years earlier.
Los Angeles, including North Ogden Street, Bel Air, the Conga Club on Sunset Strip, and the Regent Apartments on Doheny. · Philip Marlowe, Helen Asher, Arthur Stewart, Elliot Purdue, Benita Malone, Robert the butler, Lieutenant Ibora
Listen for: The clever use of the heart-shaped locket and its photograph as the key piece of evidence that unravels the entire mystery, along with the shock revelation about the switched identities.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: A Seaside Sabbatical (1951)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is called to a seaside town by Dale Higgins, who sends an urgent wire but then cancels the appointment, saying the situation has resolved itself. After Marlowe agrees to leave, a frightened young woman calls his name in the fog and begs for his help, claiming she's in danger from someone named Bao and fears for her life.
Long Beach at night, a seaside town with the Ship's Galley restaurant, the Quick Quack shooting gallery, and the fog-shrouded streets near the warehouse district at 7th and Anaheim. · Philip Marlowe, Dale Higgins, Red, the young woman
Listen for: The mysterious identity of the young woman and what threat Bao represents; why Higgins cancelled despite his urgent summons; what danger the woman faces.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: Face to Forget (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe has been searching for Dave Stroud, a young man who abandoned his job and fiancée Ellen Wyatt without explanation. Marlowe tracks Stroud to a rooming house and learns he's taking the 10 o'clock train to San Francisco. Marlowe boards the same train, hoping to find Stroud and uncover what drove him to disappear.
Los Angeles and aboard a train to San Francisco, 1950s · Philip Marlowe, Ellen Wyatt, Dave Stroud, The Landlord, Arbags
Listen for: Marlowe's investigation unfolds as he searches the train for his quarry, encountering various passengers including a talkative man named Arbags and a quiet stranger in the dining car.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: Heir for G-String (1951)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by a Philadelphia lawyer named Martin Almond to locate a man named Buff Ryan, who came west a year ago and has been missing for about six months. Marlowe's search leads him to an East Los Angeles address, where he discovers a blonde woman living in a small house behind the main residence. The woman's photographs reveal she knows Buff Ryan intimately, though she refuses to cooperate with Marlowe's questions. He follows her to her job at a burlesque theater, where she performs under the stage name Blossom.
Los Angeles in summer, including the Broadview Hotel, East Los Angeles residential streets, and a burlesque theater downtown. · Philip Marlowe, Martin Almond, Buff Ryan, Blossom, C.A. Douglas
Listen for: Marlowe's wry observations about air conditioning, Philadelphia lawyers, and trench coats; his technique of pursuing reluctant witnesses; the revelation of Blossom's connection to Buff Ryan through her photographs.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: Heir for G-String eprehearsal (1951)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a Philadelphia law firm to locate a man named Buff Ryan and inform him of a $5,000 inheritance from a woman named Julie Leader. Ryan hasn't been seen in six months at his last known address in East Los Angeles. Marlowe's investigation leads him to a mysterious blonde woman who appears to have a personal connection to Ryan and works as a dancer at a burlesque house downtown.
Los Angeles in summer, including the Broadview Hotel downtown, an East Los Angeles neighborhood on Wearing Street, and a burlesque theater on Skid Row · Philip Marlowe, Martin Almond, Buff Ryan, Julie Leader, C.A. Douglas, Blossom
Listen for: Marlowe's sardonic observations about air conditioning and his encounters with the mysterious blonde woman who refuses to discuss Buff Ryan
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: Mexican Boat Ride (1949)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by a man confined to darkness with a temporary eye ailment to investigate why his wife was seen on a boat off the Mexican coast, despite her supposed fear of water. Marlowe travels to Ensenada to find the woman, but discovers he's become entangled in a dangerous situation involving mysterious figures and threats.
Los Angeles and Ensenada, Mexico in 1949 · Philip Marlowe, Carl Esterbrooke, Ona Esterbrooke, a man with frog-like eyes in a grey suit, Crabby, a knife-wielding attacker
Listen for: Marlowe's sharp observations about his clients' secrets and his characteristic wisecracks as he navigates from a wealthy man's darkened bedroom to a Mexican hotel and into a dangerous confrontation.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: Nether Nether Land (1951)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is awakened in the middle of the night by a frightened young woman named Carolyn Shepherd who claims someone has been following her. After Marlowe makes coffee and takes a quick shower, Carolyn mysteriously disappears from his apartment, leaving only a billfold behind. Marlowe begins investigating her background, discovering she moved out of her previous address six weeks ago without leaving a forwarding address.
Los Angeles; Marlowe's apartment and a residential building where Carolyn previously lived · Philip Marlowe, Carolyn Shepherd, Simon, Hester Hutchinson
Listen for: The mystery of who is following Carolyn Shepherd and why she fled Marlowe's apartment; Marlowe's investigation into her past
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: Nether Nether Land eprehearsal (1951)
Detective Philip Marlowe is interrupted during his desperately needed sleep by Carolyn Shepherd, a frightened young woman claiming someone has been following her. After Marlowe showers and changes, Carolyn mysteriously vanishes from his apartment, leaving him to track down answers about who she really is and why she came to him.
Los Angeles: Marlowe's apartment building and surrounding neighborhood, late night into early morning · Philip Marlowe, Carolyn Shepherd, Dee Dee Reynolds, Simon (apartment dweller), Mr. Norton (neighbor), Hester Hutchison (building manager)
Listen for: The mystery of Carolyn's sudden disappearance and her connection to Dee Dee Reynolds; Marlowe's determination to find out who is following the girl and why
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: Night Tide (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Mike Basso to find out what recently-released convict Johnny Dyke intends to do after serving three years in prison for a crime Dyke claims he didn't commit. When Basso is found murdered with a knife in his back, all evidence points to Dyke as the killer, but Marlowe discovers the frame is more complex than it appears.
San Pedro waterfront and docks in Los Angeles, late evening through night · Philip Marlowe, Mike Basso, Johnny Dyke, Christine Dyke, Ed Geils, Sharky, Ginger
Listen for: The clever revelation that solves the case hinges on a detail about the tide and what could or couldn't be seen from certain locations at specific times.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: Red Wind (1947)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe closes his office early on a hot desert wind evening and stops at a bar for a drink. A man is shot dead by a mysterious gunman, and minutes later, a tall brown-haired woman in a blue dress appears at Marlowe's apartment building, claiming to be in trouble. She reveals the dead man was her former chauffeur who stole something valuable from her, but darker forces are closing in.
Los Angeles, a bar, and Marlowe's apartment building on a hot desert wind evening · Philip Marlowe, The bartender, Waldo, The tall brown-haired woman, Baldy, A drunk patron
Listen for: The mystery of what was stolen, the connection between the dead chauffeur and the woman's husband, and why Baldy is hunting everyone involved
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: Red Wind (1948)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe has a quiet evening interrupted when a man is shot dead in a nearby bar before asking about a beautiful woman in a distinctive jacket. When the same woman appears at Marlowe's apartment building, she draws him into a complex case involving stolen pearls, blackmail, and murder. As bodies pile up and secrets unravel, Marlowe must navigate between protecting the woman and uncovering the truth.
Los Angeles on a hot night when the Santa Ana wind blows through the city, including a bar, Marlowe's apartment building, the home of Frank and Eugenie Bartley, and Waldo's apartment. · Philip Marlowe, Lola Bosseline, Waldo, Baldy, Leon Velasanos, Frank Bartley, Eugenie Colchenko, Lieutenant Ibarra
Listen for: The atmospheric description of the desert wind's effect on the city and its people; Marlowe's hard-boiled narration as he pieces together the blackmail scheme; the revelation that the pearls Lola treasured are actually phony glass.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: Sound and the Unsound (1951)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is called to investigate strange tapping sounds coming from his neighbor's bungalow at a modest court. When he and his elderly neighbor Lucille Bellows investigate, they discover the building's resident Clinton Rogers has just returned home from out of town, claiming he made the noises with his suitcases. Marlowe notices something doesn't add up about Rogers' story and finds a suspicious crack in the wall that suggests someone was searching for something.
A bungalow court in Los Angeles, late evening · Philip Marlowe, Lucille Bellows, Clinton Rogers, Barbara Curtis, Mr. Larry
Listen for: The mysterious tapping sounds that prompt the investigation, and hints of what Clinton Rogers might be hiding
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Angry Eagle (1950)
Philip Marlowe, posing as a sports writer from Detroit, arrives at Clovea Lake training camp in the Malibu mountains to help his friend Babe Durney protect young fighter Danny Eagle. Lance, the camp's manager, has fired Danny after a confrontation over Lance's wife Myra, and now threatens to have his muscle man rough up the kid. Marlowe must gain Lance's trust while keeping Danny safe from harm.
Clovea Lake training camp, a converted summer hotel in the Malibu mountains about 20 miles outside the film colony, featuring boxing rings, cabins, and a lake a hundred feet below a cliff's edge. · Philip Marlowe, Babe Durney, Danny Eagle, Raleigh Lance, Myra Lance, Weatherwax, Kelly
Listen for: Marlowe's investigation into Lance's operations and his growing awareness of the tensions between Lance, his wife Myra, and the fighters at the camp; the revelation that Marlowe is a private detective despite his cover story.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Anniversary Gift (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Stanley Tana to recover his late wife's platinum wristwatch, set with emeralds and inscribed with a loving anniversary message. The watch disappeared after Mrs. Tana died of a heart attack in their Beverly Hills garage, and Mr. Tana believes it is somewhere in Camino Beach. Marlowe begins his search at this small oceanside town, tracking down leads through pawn shops and local contacts.
Beverly Hills and Camino Beach, California · Philip Marlowe, Stanley Tana, Catherine Tana, Margaret Tana, Chip Menashe, Sean, Ziegler, Leon Stice
Listen for: Marlowe's investigation into the missing platinum wristwatch and the mysterious murder of Leon Stice; the connection between the watch and the body found on an isolated beach
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The August Lion (1949)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe finds a dead woman in his apartment, brought there by his old acquaintance Judd, who confesses he was involved with the victim, Eileen Voss, a stockbroker. Judd begs Marlowe to find the real killer before police discover his involvement and expose his criminal past. Marlowe discovers a gold lion tie clasp at the victim's home and encounters a dimpled man searching for Voss, who claims she owed him fifty thousand dollars.
Los Angeles, including Marlowe's apartment, Eileen Voss's home at 91 Hollycrest Drive, and the Garden Room nightclub. · Philip Marlowe, Judd, Eileen Voss, Detective Lieutenant Matthews, The dimpled man, Judy Monday, Burlaffy
Listen for: Marlowe's growing web of clues connecting a mysterious lion-adorned tie clasp, a debt of fifty thousand dollars, and the performers at the Garden Room nightclub.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Baton Sinister (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a nervous importer named Schindler to deliver a valuable 15th-century tapestry to a collector in Seattle. After retrieving the tapestry from a bus station locker, Marlowe is attacked by a scarred man named A-car seeking revenge against Myron Loft, and then knocked unconscious by a mysterious woman in a green veil who steals the tapestry from his office.
Los Angeles and environs, including Marlowe's apartment, a bus depot, an alley, and his office. · Philip Marlowe, Schindler, Myron Loft, A-car, Arthur Merritt, Lieutenant Matthews, Woman in green veil
Listen for: Discussion of the valuable tapestry, its theft, and the mysterious baton sinister marking on the Duke's shield; encounters with the revenge-seeking A-car and the woman in green.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Bedside Manners (1950)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe, recovering from a broken leg in his apartment, takes on a case for Odine Patterson when her brother Maynard receives a blackmail demand for fifty thousand dollars from someone called Fish. Maynard can't remember what happened during a drunken night out at the Colony Club, so Marlowe begins investigating from his sickbed, tracing Maynard's movements through gambling establishments and trying to identify the mysterious Fish before the deadline passes.
Los Angeles, including Philip Marlowe's apartment, the Colony Club, and various gambling locations in the valley · Philip Marlowe, Odine Patterson, Maynard Patterson, Fish, Fay Hoffman, Hunger Malloy, Sid Rayfield
Listen for: The mystery of who Fish is and what happened to Maynard Patterson during his blackout; Maynard's fragmented memories of a large old-fashioned house with high ceilings and ornate chandeliers
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Bid for Freedom (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is approached by a woman named Helen Asher at a restaurant who asks him to find someone named Leon Rodell. When she abruptly leaves, Marlowe follows and discovers she's actually Charlotte Rodell, a patient who has escaped from a psychiatric nursing home. Dr. Chidere asks Marlowe to find Charlotte and return her before the police do, providing him with an address from her lost handbag.
Los Angeles, California, including a restaurant, a psychiatric nursing home, and the San Fernando Valley hills · Philip Marlowe, Helen Asher (Charlotte Rodell), Leon Rodell, Dr. Chidere, Elton Hook
Listen for: A mystery involving a woman's escape from a mental institution and her desperate search for her husband, with questions about her mental state and the true reasons behind her confinement.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Big Book (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe investigates the death of Jane Temple, a middle-aged woman found shot in her skid row apartment, initially ruled a suicide. When a shoemaker named Nodella approaches him with a scrapbook containing Jane's theatrical past and a hidden clipping linking a man named John Gordon to theater embezzlement in 1928, Marlowe discovers that Jerome Laki, now a successful Hollywood agent, may be connected to both the crime and Jane's mysterious past.
Los Angeles, including a skid row rooming house where Jane Temple dies, the street outside, and Nodella's shoe repair shop across the way. · Philip Marlowe, Lieutenant Mooney, Lieutenant Matthews, Jane Temple, Andrew Nodella, Jerome Laki, John Gordon
Listen for: The revelation of Jane Temple's theatrical past through her scrapbook and the mysterious connection between Jerome Laki and John Gordon that suggests a motive for murder.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Big Step (1950)
When Betty Chanter, a waitress, asks private investigator Philip Marlowe to help find her friend Shirley Vitello, she explains that Shirley became frightened after reading something in the newspaper and vanished. Marlowe investigates, discovering that Shirley—a chemist's assistant—took a gun and booked a flight to New York under an assumed name. A newspaper clipping about a man hit by a taxi who confessed to a crime before losing consciousness suggests the connection to Shirley's sudden disappearance.
Los Angeles, including Veteran Avenue where Shirley lives, Dr. Softman's laboratory on Melrose, Gilbert's studio in Benedict Canyon, and a shoe repair shop where Marlowe begins his investigation. · Philip Marlowe, Betty Chanter, Shirley Vitello, Dr. Abraham Softman, Gilbert Vitello
Listen for: Marlowe's matter-of-fact narration and the revelation of the mysterious newspaper clipping about a man's deathbed confession that triggers Shirley's flight.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Birds on the Wing (1949)
Philip Marlowe is hired by Miss Pembroke, guardian of her wealthy but irresponsible nephew Page Pembroke, to investigate trouble he has gotten into in Oxnard, California. Page has lost five million dollars, and Miss Pembroke stands to lose her lucrative job managing his estate if he disappears or is institutionalized. Marlowe travels to Oxnard where a county fair is being held and begins searching for Page among the midway attractions.
A Hollywood bar, then Oxnard, California, at a county fairgrounds and midway during a county fair. · Philip Marlowe, Miss Pembroke, Page Pembroke, Kingston, Taffy, Mitch Maynard
Listen for: Discussion of a dangerous parachute act where people jump from a biplane, and questions about someone named Kingston's activities late at night near parachute equipment.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Black Halo (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Felix Drum, an importing executive in a wheelchair, to find his missing assistant Julia Perry, a blonde woman who vanished three days ago. Marlowe's investigation leads him from Drum's Santa Barbara estate to Los Angeles, where a matchbook found in Julia's cottage points him to the elegant Mrs. Eve Bentley. When Marlowe questions Mrs. Bentley about her connection to the missing woman, she admits the matches likely came through her fiancé, Marvin Whitaker, who works in the perfume business like Julia.
Southern California, primarily Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, during a three-day rainstorm in 1949 · Philip Marlowe, Felix Drum, Julia Perry, Ruby, Mrs. Eve Bentley, Marvin Whitaker
Listen for: The discovery of the matchbook as a crucial clue, Ruby's suspicious behavior with the postcard, and Mrs. Bentley's mysterious explanation involving her fiancé
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Bums Rush (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe receives a letter from his Aunt Jessie in Montana asking him to find a man named Jonathan Midas who has run away from his love. The trail leads Marlowe to Los Angeles where he visits a wool business and encounters a mysterious man claiming to be Ross J. Crowley of Canada, who bears a striking resemblance to the photograph of Midas in Marlowe's pocket.
Montana and Los Angeles, including a wool merchant's office and warehouse district · Philip Marlowe, Aunt Jessie, Jonathan Midas, Ross J. Crowley, Mr. Hirsch, A chorus girl
Listen for: A fast-paced mystery with Marlowe using clever deception to track down his quarry, featuring exchanges about wool quality and mistaken identities as the detective tries to unravel whether Crowley and Midas are the same man.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Busy Body (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Liz Stewart to find her missing fiancé Dean Howard, who was supposed to meet her but never arrived and mysteriously mentioned a horrible mistake on the phone. Marlowe's investigation at Howard's house leads him into a dangerous situation involving debts, a mysterious blonde visitor, and a discovery that suggests violence has occurred.
Los Angeles, including a coffee shop at Franklin and Bronson, Dean Howard's house at 312 Normandy, and the neighboring house. · Philip Marlowe, Liz Stewart, Dean Howard, Uncle Hanley Stewart, Agatha Lambrigger, Leo, Carol
Listen for: Marlowe is knocked out and hidden in a broom closet, only to find a cedar chest filled with blood; his neighbor Agatha rushes from the driveway in terror.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Cloak of Kamehameha (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe travels to Honolulu after being hired to handle a transaction involving a valuable feathered cloak belonging to Hawaiian royalty. A wealthy young woman named Lani Kalya has purchased the cloak to resell for profit, but Marlowe discovers someone else has already claimed his hotel reservation and identity, suggesting complications ahead.
Los Angeles and Honolulu, Hawaii in 1949, involving a taxi ride, an airport, an airplane, and the Halamorna Hotel · Philip Marlowe, Lani Kalya, Pollard Schimbers, An unnamed Chinese man in a Panama hat
Listen for: The mystery of who is impersonating Marlowe and what complications surround the valuable feathered cloak of Kamehameha
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Cloak of Kamehameha (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Pollard Schindler to travel to Hawaii and retrieve a valuable feathered cloak of King Kamehameha from a young woman named Lani Collier, who plans to resell it to a New York millionaire. When Marlowe arrives at the Halimorana Hotel in Honolulu, he discovers that someone else has already checked in using his name, and a mysterious blonde woman claims she just left the real Philip Marlowe at the beach.
Los Angeles and Honolulu, Hawaii; the Halimorana Hotel and its surroundings · Philip Marlowe, Pollard Schindler, Lani Collier, Leland Dunn, desk clerk at Halimorana Hotel
Listen for: The contrast between the tough private eye and the tropical island setting; the mystery of the impostor Marlowe; the valuable historical Hawaiian artifact at the center of the plot
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Collectors Item (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe tails a suspicious character for a coin dealer client, only to discover he's been chasing an empty hat in a taxicab. When Marlowe reaches the dealer's shop, he finds the man murdered and a rare Confederate half-dollar missing from its display case. Marlowe tracks the culprit to a mansion in Sherman Oaks, where a volatile Southern collector named Appleboro and his hired thug stand in his way.
Los Angeles, including a coin dealer's shop, various streets, and Sherman Oaks · Philip Marlowe, Rayati, Appleboro, Sour Face, Joe
Listen for: Marlowe's wry observations as he unravels the scheme, Appleboro's obsessive ranting about the stolen Confederate coin, and the tense confrontation that leaves Marlowe outmatched against two men
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Dancing Hands (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Beth Tyler to investigate a man, leading him to the Saddle Club nightclub where Beth and her identical twin sister Edie perform a piano act. When a mysterious and menacing character named Sippy appears, the evening descends into chaos: Edie is attacked in her dressing room, Sippy is found murdered at a motel, and $30,000 in gambling debts hangs over the club owner Neil Redmond. As Marlowe pieces together the clues—a stolen green purse, dancing hands in the dark, and a murder—he must determine which twin is guilty and uncover the truth before it's too late.
Los Angeles, primarily at the Saddle Club nightclub and surrounding locations including the Arrow Motel and Beth Tyler's cottage on Hazelteen Street · Philip Marlowe, Beth Tyler, Edie Tyler, Neil Redmond, Sippy, Paul Ceder, George (waiter)
Listen for: The clever use of the 'dancing hands' imagery from the piano act as a motif; Marlowe's deductive reasoning as he untangles the web of deception between the identical twins; the tense confrontations with the menacing Paul Ceder over the missing $30,000; the twist revelation of which twin committed murder and why.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Dark Tunnel (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is approached by a young man named Ira Clausen, who has been beaten up in an alley by a man named Link Austin. Clausen asks Marlowe to find his missing girlfriend Julia Thayer, who disappeared a month ago after working at the Blossom Dance Land. When Marlowe learns that a prominent crime figure named Fay Patilio has been killed in a car crash under mysterious circumstances, he begins to uncover connections that lead him to investigate a warehouse in East Los Angeles.
Los Angeles, including a cheap hotel room, bars, dance halls, and an industrial warehouse in East LA · Philip Marlowe, Ira Clausen, Link Austin, Julia Thayer, Fay Patilio, Louie, Joe Stapp, Pork
Listen for: Marlowe's wise-cracking narration and dialogue as he pieces together clues about Julia's disappearance and its connection to the death of gangland figure Fay Patilio
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Dear Dead Days (1951)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by the elderly and genteel Mrs. Phoebe Cardwell to locate Stevens, her former chauffeur who now works for another family in Pasadena. Mrs. Cardwell misses Stevens's regular Thursday visits and is concerned about his absence, though she cannot afford to employ him herself since her husband's death in 1948.
Venice and Pasadena, California in 1951 · Philip Marlowe, Mrs. Phoebe Cardwell, Matilda Reed, Stevens, Kip Harcourt, The Brands
Listen for: Marlowe's wry observations about his clients and the case, the contrast between Mrs. Cardwell's faded gentility and her present circumstances, and the developing connection between Marlowe and the young Mrs. Harcourt.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Deep Shadow (1950)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by Harvey Kettering to find his fiancée Shirley Doyle, who disappeared after receiving a mysterious note at her apartment asking her to meet someone named Francis Dragato. When Marlowe investigates, he discovers that Eddie, the owner of the Blue Chip nightclub where Shirley and Kettering had been the night before, has been murdered that morning. The police believe a young blonde woman is responsible for the killing.
Studio City and Hollywood, California, including the Blue Chip nightclub and various locations around the city. · Philip Marlowe, Harvey Kettering, Shirley Doyle, Eddie, Cocky Netherlands, Lieutenant Matthews
Listen for: The investigation into Shirley's disappearance becomes entangled with a murder investigation when Marlowe learns the nightclub owner has been killed. Listen for clues about Shirley's connection to Eddie and the mysterious note from Francis Dragato.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Dude from Manhattan (1949)
Philip Marlowe arrives at Rainbow Ranch, a guest dude ranch operated by his old acquaintance Buck Lawson, expecting a quiet vacation in the Arizona desert. When a temperamental black stallion named Thunder causes trouble and Marlowe witnesses a heated argument between guests Mr. and Mrs. Morton over a lost emerald, he finds himself drawn into the ranch's personal conflicts despite his intention to rest.
Rainbow Ranch, a guest dude ranch in the Arizona desert, featuring cabins, stables, a bar, and bunkhouse · Philip Marlowe, Buck Lawson, Virgil Sawyer, Mr. Morton, Mrs. Morton, Mr. Doherman
Listen for: Marlowe's casual involvement in the Mortons' marriage troubles and the mystery surrounding the lost emerald; the tension over the dangerous black stallion Thunder and why Virgil Sawyer is leaving the ranch
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Eager Witness (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe testifies at the trial of Earl Jernigan, a gambler accused of murdering horse trainer Kurt Hopper. When a prominent real estate broker named Leonard Gaines provides an alibi claiming Jernigan spent the entire day with him, the case seems to collapse. But Marlowe is hired by Gail Hopper, the victim's daughter, to prove Gaines is lying and uncover the real killer before the jury votes.
Los Angeles and Sunland Sulfur Springs resort, 1949 · Philip Marlowe, Earl Jernigan, Leonard Gaines, Gail Hopper, Debbie Jansen, Eugene Maory, Langley, Judge Albert Winston
Listen for: A murder at a health spa, a blackmail scheme that goes wrong, courtroom testimony that turns the case upside down, and gunplay in the dark woods.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Easy Mark (1949)
Philip Marlowe is hired by Mrs. Corey Gilbert to find a blackmailer. When he investigates, he discovers her husband Ross badly beaten by a thin, bearded man, and follows a suspicious character named Plummer to a bungalow in Beverly Hills where he meets the mysterious and seductive Nanette Lamont. Marlowe begins to uncover connections between Plummer, Nanette, and various people connected to Ross Gilbert, but the full scope of the blackmail scheme remains unclear.
Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, 1949—including an unfinished house on Melrose, the Camden Arms Court bungalows, and various office and residence locations. · Philip Marlowe, Mrs. Corey Gilbert, Ross Gilbert, Plummer, Nanette Lamont, Marsh
Listen for: Marlowe's hardboiled narration as he pieces together the blackmail plot, the seductive French-accented Nanette Lamont's denials and threats, and the mysterious Plummer's involvement in Ross Gilbert's beating.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Ebony Link (1949)
Philip Marlowe is hired by Ivan Pack, a man in a wheelchair, to find out who is blackmailing him for fifty thousand dollars. A mysterious redhead visits Marlowe first with a false story, and a blackmail letter written on distinctive stationery leads him to the Beverly Crest Hotel, where he discovers a redheaded manicurist named Rhea Fleming may be involved in the scheme. Marlowe finds an ebony cufflink at the scene of a hit-and-run and must unravel the blackmail plot before the deadline.
Los Angeles, including Marlowe's apartment building, the Beverly Crest Hotel, and various city streets. · Philip Marlowe, Ivan Pack, Rhea Fleming, Leona Pack, Ramsay, Moro Chek
Listen for: The distinctive ebony cufflink that becomes a key clue, the blackmail letters on special stationery, the hit-and-run car with license number 440, and revelations about Leona Pack's past imprisonment.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Fatted Calf (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Junius Poppy, creator of the Peter Pageant comic strip, to investigate his assistant Sid Kagan's wife Louise. Louise recently spent a week in San Francisco and has been evasive about her activities, standing Poppy up for a meeting after being frightened by a rough-looking man. Marlowe agrees to meet Louise in Poppy's place at a nightclub to learn what she's hiding.
Los Angeles, including Studio City, the San Fernando Valley, and a nightclub called the Talisman, during a rainstorm · Philip Marlowe, Junius Poppy, Louise Kagan, Sid Kagan, Bert Flack, Maynard Roper
Listen for: The distinctive voice of Gerald Moore as Marlowe, and the hard-boiled atmosphere of this Raymond Chandler adaptation with its cynical detective narration
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Feminine Touch (1949)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by Baldwin Granville to keep his daughter Adrian away from Pepper Riggs, a daredevil motorcyclist who performs on the Wall of Death at the Redondo Pier. When Marlowe investigates the stunt riders, he discovers tension among the performers—Lou Bryan is accused of losing his nerve, and there are hints of sabotage brewing among the group.
Los Angeles, including the Bel-Air estates and the Wall of Death motorcycle stunt show at Redondo Pier · Philip Marlowe, Adrian Granville, Baldwin Granville, Pepper Riggs, Lou Bryan, Mickey North, Moon, Mr. Hadley
Listen for: The clash between Marlowe's skepticism and Adrian's fascination with danger; tensions among the motorcycle performers hinting at larger trouble ahead; the mysterious threats and accusations of sabotage
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Fifth Mask (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is called to Vivian Barr's apartment by a frightened woman claiming a man named Fred Sears, burned in a hotel fire six months ago, has threatened her life. Marlowe refuses to take the case without more information, but when Vivian calls back insisting she'll tell him everything, he returns to find her murdered and a mysterious man named Douglas Peck fleeing the scene.
Hollywood and Los Angeles, present day · Philip Marlowe, Vivian Barr, Fred Sears, Pomeroy, Douglas Peck
Listen for: Marlowe's hard-boiled reasoning about why he won't work without facts; the discovery of Vivian's body and the cryptic note from Sears; Marlowe's pursuit of the fleeing suspect.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Final Payment (1950)
Philip Marlowe visits death row inmate Billy Scenerro, who is scheduled for execution that evening for a robbery-murder. Scenerro reveals that the jewels he allegedly stole and claimed were lost at sea actually still exist, and he asks Marlowe to find them and return them to the widow of the man he killed before his execution.
A state penitentiary in California, September 1950. The action centers on the warden's office and death row. · Philip Marlowe, Warden Riker, Sergeant Kennedy, Billy Scenerro, Emil Nagrado, Mrs. Nagrado, Jesse Tap
Listen for: Marlowe's investigation into the whereabouts of the stolen jewels and his meeting with Scenerro, who seeks redemption before his execution.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Fine Italian Hand (1949)
Philip Marlowe is hired by Mr. Angelo, who runs a small amusement park, to investigate a dangerous love triangle involving his son Bernardo. The young veteran has fallen for a dancer named Paula, who belongs to Frank Saffron, a ruthless gambler. Marlowe must uncover whether Paula genuinely loves Bernardo or is merely using him as part of Saffron's game, before the situation turns violent.
Los Angeles area, including an amusement park at Magnolia and Van Nuys Boulevard, Frank Saffron's gambling ranch house south of Ventura, and a dance studio on Wilshire Boulevard. · Philip Marlowe, Mr. Angelo, Bernardo Angelo, Frank Saffron, Paula, Red-faced man, Cleaning woman
Listen for: Marlowe's investigation as he tracks Paula to a dance studio and breaks into Saffron's office to uncover the truth about the dangerous entanglement.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Foxs Tail (1950)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by Oren Medcap to impersonate a dead man named Max Redmond. Redmond was blackmailed by Justin Shepard into silence about a valuable nail polish formula and subsequently took his own life. Marlowe's task is to convince Shepard that Redmond is still alive and refusing to leave town, hoping to force a settlement in an upcoming trial before Shepard realizes the truth.
Los Angeles, including the Blue Chip Bar on Melrose, the Garden Court apartment on South Ogden, and the Hollywood Hills along Lookout Road. · Philip Marlowe, Oren Medcap, Max Redmond, Louise Redmond, Justin Shepard, Gaffey
Listen for: Marlowe's dangerous masquerade as a dead man and his confrontation with Shepard's enforcer in the hills.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Friend from Detroit (1949)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe receives a frantic midnight call from Dave Pryor, a coffee shop owner, reporting that his wife Betty has vanished after a shot was fired through their back door. When Marlowe investigates, he discovers a man's hat with initials V.V.R. at the scene and is accosted by a mysterious figure who warns him to stay away from Betty and Dave, mentioning $25,000. Marlowe's search leads him to a hotel where a man has been murdered and money stolen, with witnesses reporting a woman fleeing the scene.
Los Angeles, primarily in Dave Pryor's home and backyard, then a local hotel where a murder has occurred. · Philip Marlowe, Dave Pryor, Betty Pryor, Van Remini, Lieutenant Barra, The mysterious man with the gun
Listen for: The mysterious connection between Betty Pryor, the $25,000, and the murder at the hotel; who the mysterious man threatening Marlowe really is; the significance of the hat with initials V.V.R.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Girl from Pitchfork Corners (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Donna Rollins to trail a man named Arnold Latimer to San Francisco, but discovers the case is far more complicated than it appears. When Marlowe returns to Donna's house, he finds her dead—shot twice in the back—and becomes entangled in a blackmail scheme involving a small-town girl named Beverly Cheskin, her lover Doug Sattler, and a gambling racketeer named Herbert Ring.
Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, including a train to San Francisco, Donna Rollins' house on North Bronson Drive in Hollywood, the Old Mexico Club in Studio City, Vista Point in the valley, and police headquarters. · Philip Marlowe, Donna Rollins, Beverly Cheskin, Doug Sattler, Herbert Ring, Arnold Latimer
Listen for: A hard-boiled detective story with multiple layers of deception, blackmail, and murder. Listen for the relationship between the idealistic country girl and her sophisticated city boyfriend, and how a simple case of surveillance becomes a deadly tangle of crossed loyalties and secrets.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Glass Donkey (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe learns that his old acquaintance Helen Lofton has been murdered—shot at close range on the stairs of her home with no apparent motive. Marlowe takes the case personally, discovering a mysterious glass donkey figurine with a missing hind leg at the crime scene, and begins investigating Helen's boss and recent acquaintances.
Los Angeles, including Marlowe's apartment, the police morgue, Helen's house on Sunset Boulevard, and Maffy's home on Ogden Drive. · Philip Marlowe, Helen Lofton, Lieutenant Matthews, Lila Hughes, Norman Maffy, Mrs. Maffy
Listen for: Marlowe's pursuit of a mysterious figure in Helen's backyard and his discovery of the broken glass donkey figurine, which may be connected to the murder.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Gold Cobra (1950)
Philip Marlowe is hired by the nervous Roth Wyngham to help transport a valuable gold cobra to Chicago. Wyngham claims the cobra is a gift to repay an old friend, but a pursuer named Aqbar is after it. After a high-speed chase through the city, Marlowe retrieves what he believes is the cobra from a hotel checkroom, only to have a red-haired woman pull a gun on him and steal both the suitcase and his car.
Los Angeles, streets and hotel, with plans to travel to Chicago · Philip Marlowe, Roth Wyngham, Aqbar, Jake, Red-haired woman
Listen for: The tense cat-and-mouse game between Marlowe, Wyngham, and the mysterious Aqbar as they pursue the valuable gold cobra through city streets and hotels.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Green Witch (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a worried real estate man named John Bishop to locate Dale Estes, an escaped convict who has just broken out of an Illinois prison and may be seeking revenge. Bishop fears Estes will strike during a masquerade party at the Pacific Palace that night, so Marlowe must find him before the evening festivities begin. Marlowe's search takes him through the shadowy streets of Los Angeles on Halloween, following slim leads and encountering various characters, while Bishop arranges a devil costume for Marlowe to wear to the masquerade.
Los Angeles on Halloween night, 1949; Spanish restaurants, gyms, fishing piers, a costume shop, and suburban Pacific Palisades · Philip Marlowe, John Bishop, Dale Estes, Madeline Hughes, Alberto Zendaro
Listen for: Marlowe's investigation through the city's underworld on Halloween; encounters at various locations where he searches for Estes; the mysterious visitor in a brown tweed suit; the fitting of Marlowe's devil costume at Zendaro's shop; Bishop's growing anxiety about the masquerade party that evening
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Grim Echo (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is stranded by a blizzard when his car skids off a mountain road. He finds refuge at a nearby lodge, but discovers the residents despise him—he once shot and killed Virgil Barroki in self-defense during an investigation in Los Angeles. Now Marlowe is trapped in the snow with the dead man's widow and other members of Barroki's family, all consumed by rage and seeking revenge.
A mountain lodge during a severe blizzard, with Marlowe's car stuck in a ditch on the road below · Philip Marlowe, Donna, Helen, Mrs. Barroki, Ralph Tillman, Old Jacker, the gas station boy
Listen for: The revelation of why Marlowe killed Virgil Barroki and how the residents of the lodge plan to take their revenge on the trapped detective
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Grim Hunters (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe receives a panicked call from Helen Palmer claiming she needs help urgently, but when he rushes to her address in the Hollywood Hills, he discovers it's actually a scavenger hunt party. Later that night, Lieutenant Ebarra calls Marlowe to inform him that Helen Palmer is dead, and Marlowe must follow a mysterious woman to a cottage on North Ogden Drive where she confronts him with a gun.
Hollywood Hills and Los Angeles, night time · Philip Marlowe, Helen Palmer, Lieutenant Ebarra, Mr. Grover, Thaddeus, Larry Samples, Mooney, Miss Langley
Listen for: A scavenger hunt turns deadly when one of the party guests is found murdered, and Marlowe finds himself drawn into a dangerous investigation involving a mysterious woman with a gun.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Hairpin Turn (1950)
Detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Mr. Vanimonee to investigate his headstrong 26-year-old niece Kay and her mysterious boyfriend. When Marlowe visits a local private investigator named Mutt Pomeroy for information, he finds the office ransacked. Following leads to a man named Cliff Lace, Marlowe discovers a tangle of romantic complications involving multiple women and dangerous secrets.
Los Angeles, including the Vanimonee estate on Sunset Boulevard, Mutt Pomeroy's office on Bronson, and Cliff Lace's bungalow at the foot of the Hollywood Hills. · Philip Marlowe, Kay Vanimonee, Mr. Vanimonee, Mutt Pomeroy, Cliff Lace, Estelle
Listen for: The sound of gunshots from Kay's target range in a converted garage; Marlowe's hard-boiled narration connecting the clues; tension-filled dialogue as Marlowe confronts Cliff Lace about the ransacked office and learns of conflicting romantic entanglements.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Hard Way Out (1948)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by factory president August Quig to find general manager Frank Emery, who has embezzled $60,000 and disappeared. Marlowe meets Emery's beautiful wife Sheila and discovers the couple has been living far beyond Emery's stated salary, with an expensive car, a sailboat, and a beach cottage. As Marlowe investigates, he encounters Keith Slater, the wayward son of Quig's late partner, lurking near the Emery house.
Los Angeles, including a factory building, the Golden Crown cocktail lounge on Santa Monica Boulevard, the Emery home in Brentwood, and the beach near Santa Monica · Philip Marlowe, August Quig, Frank Emery, Sheila Emery, Keith Slater
Listen for: The mystery of how Frank Emery afforded his lavish lifestyle on $175 a week, and what connection Keith Slater has to Emery's disappearance
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Headless Peacock (1949)
Philip Marlowe is hired by Ruth Dennis to find out about her boyfriend Gordon, who may be involved with stolen property—specifically a valuable headless peacock figurine worth $100,000 that was stolen months ago from eccentric millionaire Isaac B. When Marlowe investigates the theft and traces a connection to a betting operation disguised as a hat shop in Beverly Hills, he discovers a beautiful blonde woman making mysterious phone calls at the scene.
Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, including Marlowe's office, Isaac B's mansion on West Adams Boulevard, and a hat shop called Lester's that serves as a front for illegal gambling · Philip Marlowe, Ruth Dennis, Gordon Holzer, Isaac B, Everett Buzzwell, Ransom, a blonde woman
Listen for: The opening narration about crime as a 'suck-as-road nose,' the description of the stolen headless peacock and its $100,000 value, and Marlowe's discovery of the betting operation hidden behind the hat shop.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Heart of Gold (1948)
Private detective Philip Marlowe accepts a mysterious assignment from Helen Asher, who sends him fifty dollars and asks him to investigate a man named Elliot Purdue. When Marlowe arrives at Mrs. Asher's residence to report his findings, he discovers she has apparently shot herself. But the case proves far more complex than a simple suicide when Marlowe uncovers connections between Purdue, a nightclub singer named Benita Malone, and a heart-shaped gold locket.
Los Angeles in 1948, including Marlowe's office, North Ogden Street, Stewart's mansion in Bel Air, the Conga Club on Sunset Strip, police headquarters, and the Regent Apartments. · Philip Marlowe, Helen Asher, Arthur Stewart, Elliot Purdue, Benita Malone, Lieutenant Ibora, Roberts the butler, Casey from the police lab
Listen for: The revelation that the woman who died was not who everyone believed her to be, the significance of the heart-shaped locket containing a revealing photograph, and how a simple insurance fraud scheme led to murder.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Heat Wave (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Karen Driscoll Jr. to discover whether a mysterious dancer performing as "the Heat Wave" at a burlesque theater is actually her estranged sister Midge. Karen fears her sister is staging this public humiliation to ruin her wedding to a diplomat's son, happening tomorrow. Marlowe must uncover the dancer's identity before the midnight reveal.
Los Angeles during a heat wave in August, including the Palace Theater of Burlesque on Main Street and an airport cocktail lounge. · Philip Marlowe, Karen Driscoll Jr., Midge Driscoll, Jesse, Hinky Bonds, Tracy Leake, Josh Freeman
Listen for: Marlowe's investigation of the mysterious masked dancer, his encounters with the theater's security and the comic Hinky Bonds, and the revelation of family secrets and rivalry.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The High Collared Cape (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by prima ballerina Vivian Ordway to find André, a sick and troubled ballet impresario who has disappeared. Marlowe tracks André to an apartment hotel, where he finds the man in a disturbed mental state, muttering dark thoughts about someone named Imogen Wyatt. When Marlowe investigates a car in the building's garage, he discovers evidence that it was recently in an accident and hastily repaired—suggesting André may be involved in something far more sinister than a nervous breakdown.
Los Angeles, including a theater, Vivian Ordway's ballet company, the Winthrop Arms apartment hotel on Havenhurst Drive, and an underground garage. · Philip Marlowe, Vivian Ordway, André, George Melekov, Imogen Wyatt, Baker, Stanley, Garage attendant
Listen for: The mysterious man in the high-collared cape seen by the garage attendant, and the significance of the freshly replaced headlight on the car.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The House That Jacqueline Built (1949)
Philip Marlowe is hired by Professor Phoenix Piper, who has returned from a year of botanical research in South America only to discover that the house where he stored all his notes and research papers has vanished. Marlowe begins investigating the mysterious disappearance, learning that the house belonged to Catherine Stuyvesant and was moved six months earlier by the Gilligan wrecking and moving company under mysterious circumstances.
A coastal city with residential neighborhoods and a moving company office; the investigation begins at Marlowe's office and expands to include interviews with neighbors and company employees. · Philip Marlowe, Professor Phoenix Piper, Stephanie Fraser, Catherine Stuyvesant, Mrs. Elmo Laitrok, Bessie, Botten Schleig
Listen for: The curious details about why a house was moved in such a rush and where it was ultimately taken; the mention of an old woman's barge and shipping something out to sea.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Indian Giver (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is called to a curio dealer's shop after a mysterious pottery bowl is stolen. The bowl bears unusual inscriptions that fascinate both an archaeologist and a woman claiming Apache heritage, each eager to possess it for their own reasons.
Los Angeles, a curio shop and downtown streets at night, the Walker Hotel · Philip Marlowe, Alex Van Nord, Fenor, Mona Waters, Uncle George Waters
Listen for: The mystery of who truly owns the pottery bowl and what its inscriptions reveal about Apache heritage
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Iron Coffin (1950)
Philip Marlowe is hired by Mrs. Newbold to find her daughter Irene's fiancé, Bennett Baragos, a history student who has become obsessed with 16th-century Spanish history and disappeared a month ago. Mrs. Newbold believes they may be at a reconstructed Spanish castle built on the California coast near Morro Bay, a place locals claim is haunted by sealed coffins kept in its depths.
Los Angeles and the California coast near Morro Bay, including a reconstructed 16th-century Spanish castle on Point Starrow. · Philip Marlowe, Mrs. Newbold, Irene Newbold, Bennett Baragos, Chesty
Listen for: Marlowe's skeptical attitude toward the supernatural as he learns about the castle's dark history and the mysterious sealed coffins beneath it.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Key Man (1949)
Philip Marlowe meets a nervous client at a movie theater who hires him for fifty dollars to ensure safe passage to the airport, claiming a dangerous man named Hippo Kovac is threatening his life. After driving to the client's house to retrieve a suitcase, Marlowe discovers his client Mark Hummel dead in the bedroom, killed by a blow from a crystal ball, with the murder weapon and a mysterious key left at the scene.
Los Angeles, including the Boulevard cinema, Mark Hummel's house on Fountains, and Hippo Link's underground parking garage on Santa Monica Boulevard · Philip Marlowe, Mark Hummel, Hippo Kovac, Hippo Link, a brown-eyed blonde woman, Poom
Listen for: The murder mystery unfolds as Marlowe investigates the cryptic key found at the crime scene and the connection between the victim, the garage owner Hippo Link, and the dangerous Kovac.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Kid on the Corner (1949)
Detective Philip Marlowe is approached by a street newspaper vendor named Tommy about his missing Uncle Bert Lawson, who has mysteriously left town with two hundred dollars and a cryptic note. Following the trail, Marlowe discovers that Bert is entangled with the Conning family—a house divided by infidelity, where the husband is involved with Carole King, an ice skater at the Igloo nightclub, while his wife Julia squanders the family fortune.
Hollywood, California, including a street on Hollywood Boulevard, the Connings' home, a cafeteria, and the Igloo nightclub. · Philip Marlowe, Tommy, Uncle Bert Lawson, Lester Conning, Julia Conning, Susan Conning, Carole King
Listen for: A young boy's desperate plea for help finding his missing uncle leads Marlowe into a dangerous tangle of family secrets, infidelity, and hidden trouble.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The King in Yellow (1947)
Philip Marlowe is called to the Carlton Hotel on the Sunset Strip in the middle of the night to deal with a noisy guest named King Leopold, a trumpet player in yellow pajamas. When Marlowe ejects the disruptive pair, he discovers the woman has a gun and blue bruises around her throat, suggesting she's been strangled. The mystery deepens when Marlowe learns the woman gave a false name at the hotel.
Hollywood after midnight, including the Carlton Hotel on the Sunset Strip and the Club Belvedere · Philip Marlowe, King Leopold, George Millar, Marilyn Delormay, A girl with red hair
Listen for: Marlowe's investigation into who King Leopold really is and why the mysterious woman checked into an expensive hotel under a false name with visible signs of violence.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Ladies Night (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Gigi Onsby, a magazine editor, to find a missing woman named Clarice Lawrence who has disappeared from her hotel and hasn't been seen in two days. Marlowe's search leads him to Annie Stringer's Hollywood Health Club for women, where he discovers Clarice has been spending mysterious time and possibly meeting with a man.
Hollywood, California, including Marlowe's apartment, the Tulip Room nightclub, a hotel, and Annie Stringer's Hollywood Health Club · Philip Marlowe, Gigi Onsby, Clarice Lawrence, Annie Stringer
Listen for: Marlowe's investigation into Clarice Lawrence's disappearance and his encounters with the various women involved in the case
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Lady Killer (1949)
When handsome composer Paul Niles hires private detective Philip Marlowe for protection from a vengeful woman named Nora Kirby, Marlowe refuses without knowing the full story. Hours later, Niles is found dead in his studio, and Marlowe finds himself investigating a tangled web of blackmail, jealousy, and hidden motives among the wealthy Negrado family and those connected to a tragic accident from Nora's past.
Hollywood and surrounding areas including Cold Water Canyon, the Negrado mansion, Marlowe's office, and a motel bungalow · Philip Marlowe, Paul Niles, Nora Kirby, Lynn Horton, Garrett Horton, Mr. Negrado, Mrs. Negrado, Detective Lieutenant Matthews
Listen for: A tense confrontation in a gas-filled bungalow where Marlowe must prevent both a murder and an explosion
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Lady in Mink (1949)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by Grace Tyler to find her sister June Drake, who has sent a suicide note saying she's trapped with no way out. Marlowe begins searching through the fog-shrouded streets of Los Angeles, following leads from a mysterious man named Frank Melnyk to June's boyfriend Hugh Jaffe. As Marlowe digs deeper into June's life, he discovers a tangle of affairs and broken relationships that may hold the key to her disappearance.
Los Angeles, 1949, in the fog-covered city including a hotel cocktail lounge, Beverly Hills, a walk-up hotel on Main Street, and various residences · Philip Marlowe, Grace Tyler, June Drake, Frank Melnyk, Hugh Jaffe, Mrs. Jaffe (Margarita)
Listen for: Marlowe's hard-boiled narration as he pieces together the mystery of June Drake's disappearance, sharp dialogue revealing the complicated relationships between the suspects, and the ominous foreshadowing of violence to come
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Last Laugh (1949)
Philip Marlowe, a private detective, is summoned to the will reading of Julius Spangler, a practical joker who once threw him down the stairs as a prank. Marlowe joins five other heirs on rain-soaked Catalina Island to hear the reading of Spangler's half-million dollar estate. The will contains unexpected and peculiar bequests that seem designed to mock and manipulate those who inherit.
Catalina Island, during a rainstorm; begins in Marlowe's Los Angeles office and includes a ferry journey to the island · Philip Marlowe, Darwin, Julius Spangler, Matthew Spangler, Nikki, Roderick, Melissa, Millicent Burke Ashby
Listen for: The eccentric nature of Spangler's will and the strange conditions attached to each heir's inheritance; tensions among the six heirs as they gather in the library for the reading
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Last Wish (1950)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe is asked by Dr. Talman to find Jack Schiller, the son of a dying man named Jacob Schiller who desperately wants to see his boy one last time before passing away. The old man is headed to Israel that very night, and time is running out. Marlowe's investigation leads him to the Sherry Towers apartment building and then to the Crown Club, where he catches a glimpse of Jack with a mysterious woman.
Los Angeles, including Dr. Talman's office, the Sherry Towers apartment building on Wilshire Boulevard, and the Crown Club nightclub. · Philip Marlowe, Dr. Sam Talman, Jacob Schiller, Jack Schiller, Peggy Grant, The doorman at Sherry Towers, Lieutenant Matthews
Listen for: The story of a dying man's last wish and Marlowe's race against the clock to reunite father and son before the old man passes away.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Little Wishbone (1949)
Philip Marlowe meets a charming woman named Cordelia Jones over a chicken at a butcher shop, and they begin a romantic relationship. When Marlowe spots a mysterious fat man at a square dance who terrifies Jonesy, she flees and disappears. Marlowe discovers the man is a wanted murderer and learns that a hit-and-run death occurred in Laguna Beach a month earlier, forcing him to confront a dangerous mystery connected to his lost love.
Los Angeles and Laguna Beach, California, in the present day with flashbacks to events a month earlier · Philip Marlowe, Cordelia Jones (Jonesy), Orland Begley (also known as Jim Oley, James Holland, Big Lo), Lieutenant Matthews, Mr. Early, Mrs. Winkle, Mr. Schwartz
Listen for: The charming opening scene where Marlowe and Jonesy compete for a chicken at the butcher shop, and Marlowe's growing realization that the woman he loves is connected to a dangerous criminal and a fatal hit-and-run accident
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Lonesome Reunion (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Kay Gordon to deliver a mysterious satchel to her brother Joe Gordon in Phoenix. But when a criminal named Marty Stapka steals the bag through an open window, Marlowe learns the satchel contains valuable financial documents worth $120,000. The theft connects to a bank robbery in the small town of Lonesome, Arizona two years prior, and Marlowe must travel there to unravel the tangled affair.
Arizona, beginning in Phoenix and heading to the small town of Lonesome, Population 802 · Philip Marlowe, Kay Gordon, Joe Gordon, Marty Stapka, Sam Dietrich, Gigi Ganther
Listen for: The confusion and complications that mount as Marlowe realizes he's been caught in the middle of a scheme involving stolen goods, ex-convicts, and a two-year-old crime.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Long Arm (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is drawn into the troubles of Ernie Parch, an ex-con who contacts him after his wife Grace is murdered. Ernie claims he's being framed for the killing and reveals he was recently released from prison after serving time for a gun planted on him during a raid at a local casino. When Marlowe finds Grace's body in Ernie's car, he must uncover the truth before the suspicious Detective Sturman arrives.
Bay City, a seacoast town twenty miles southwest of Los Angeles, known for its gambling houses and corrupt elements within the police force. · Philip Marlowe, Ernie Parch, Grace Parch, Detective Lieutenant Sturman, Art Manelli, Lou Gumborsky
Listen for: The exploration of Ernie's troubled marriage, his suspicions about who might have framed him, and Marlowe's dangerous encounter with the dapper casino owner Art Manelli in Ernie's car.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Long Rope (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by the wealthy Sydney Vanita to fly a valuable string of pearls to Chicago. When Marlowe arrives at Vanita's home for their meeting, he finds the man dead from a heart attack—and the pearls missing from the wall safe. Marlowe must uncover who stole the pearls and why a mysterious nurse never arrived at the appointment.
Los Angeles, including Vanita's home on Adams Boulevard, a nurse's registry, and Vivian Russell's art studio in Hollywood near Bronson. · Philip Marlowe, Sydney Vanita, Temple, Vivian Russell, Nick Takalakis, Miss Drew
Listen for: The mysterious phone number on the cash register receipt, the missing pearls worth $30,000, and the nurse who never showed up.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Long Way Home (1951)
Philip Marlowe is hired to find Amy Harper, a young woman who disappeared Monday morning while supposedly taking laundry to a local laundromat in the San Fernando Valley. Her mild-mannered husband Enos reports she left home around nine o'clock and never returned, and the laundromat attendant confirms she did drop off laundry that day. Marlowe begins investigating her disappearance by checking hospitals, calling relatives, and visiting transportation offices around the area.
The San Fernando Valley in Southern California, including the Hopper residence, a local laundromat community center, and various transportation offices. · Philip Marlowe, Enos Hopper, Amy Harper, Cousin Beatrice, Ray
Listen for: Marlowe's methodical investigation techniques as he gathers information about Amy's last known movements and searches for clues about her whereabouts.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Man on the Roof (1950)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by an elderly Spanish woman named Señora Andrabi to help her son Pedro, who has been beaten and fired from his job at the Brucher-Fugh Company warehouse. Pedro was accused of involvement in hijackings of freight shipments, though his mother insists he is innocent. Marlowe visits the warehouse to investigate and encounters the mysterious Cori Haines, a glamorous redhead in a mink coat, along with the rough warehouse manager Connor who warns him to stay out of the matter.
Los Angeles, including a Spanish home and the Brucher-Fugh Company warehouse on Commercial Street in downtown LA · Philip Marlowe, Señora Andrabi, Pedro Andrabi, Alex Brucher, Connor, Cori Haines, Helen Castile
Listen for: Marlowe's investigation into the warehouse hijackings and his encounters with the mysterious Cori Haines and the threatening Connor; the mysterious phone call that changes Brucher's plans
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Medium Was Rare (1951)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe is preparing for a fishing vacation when Mrs. Lillian Collins appears at his apartment, desperate for help recovering jewelry worth $10,000 that was stolen from her bedroom the night before. She refuses to call the police because her husband Leonard is away on business back east and she fears the theft will become public knowledge. As Marlowe investigates the circumstances of the robbery, he discovers that Mrs. Collins had removed the jewelry from a safe deposit box with the intention of pawning it to cover a gambling debt unknown to her husband.
Los Angeles and the surrounding area, including Mrs. Collins' home in La Corral and Marlowe's apartment · Philip Marlowe, Mary, Cookie, Lillian Collins, Leonard Collins, Sylvia, Pat
Listen for: The details of how the jewelry disappeared from the bedroom with French doors opening onto a terrace, and whether Marlowe can recover it before Leonard Collins returns home
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Monkeys Uncle (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Wesley McDuff, who claims he's been swindled out of thirty thousand dollars by Lord Ashley Duke and his wife for a trained chimpanzee named Cornelius. When Marlowe confronts the so-called Lord and Lady about the deal, they insist the chimp is theirs and they're taking him on the road, but McDuff seems desperate to get the animal back before they leave town.
Los Angeles, including Lord Ashley Duke's home, a drugstore near Worsing Square, and a freight house · Philip Marlowe, Wesley McDuff, Lord Ashley Duke, Lady Ashley Duke (Gert), Merle Bremmer, Cornelius the chimpanzee, Junior, Kipling
Listen for: A phony English lord and lady arguing about money and a chimpanzee, and Marlowe's growing suspicion that there's more to this case than a simple dispute over an animal purchase.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Name to Remember (1949)
Philip Marlowe is hired by Eddie Malitz, a war surplus businessman, to find out information about a mysterious man. When Marlowe visits Eddie's house to investigate, he encounters a violent stranger in a t-shirt who punches him and flees after getting what he came for. Marlowe then discovers Eddie's girlfriend Ruth Dunn at the house, and together they find Eddie dead in the garage with a crushed skull. Now Marlowe must uncover the connection between Eddie's death, the violent stranger, and a man named Clay from Nevada.
Los Angeles, primarily Eddie Malitz's home and surrounding areas, with connections to Mexico City and Nevada. · Philip Marlowe, Eddie Malitz, Ruth Dunn, Lieutenant Ibarra, Tina Malitz, Lou Tripp, The Man in the T-shirt
Listen for: The mystery of who the man in the t-shirt is and what he was searching for in Eddie's house; the significance of Ruth Dunn's letters and the man named Clay from Nevada.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Old Acquaintance (1948)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired on New Year's Eve by insurance broker Paul Riker to find his fiancée Nancy Marshall, who has disappeared and told Riker she's in terrible trouble. When someone takes shots at Marlowe's office, he pursues the shooter's pickup truck and then investigates Nancy's villa, where he discovers a newspaper story about three escaped convicts—including a man named Steve Doyle whose photograph matches one found in Nancy's home. Marlowe encounters a mysterious woman at the villa who identifies herself as an old acquaintance and forces him at gunpoint into a closet before disappearing.
Los Angeles on New Year's Eve: Marlowe's office, Nancy Marshall's villa on North Havenhurst Drive, and Jerry Graff's mechanic shop and slot machine operation. · Philip Marlowe, Paul Riker, Nancy Marshall, Steve Doyle, The mysterious woman, Jerry Graff, Fred, Lieutenant Ibarra
Listen for: The identity and motives of the mysterious woman at Nancy's villa; the connection between escaped convict Steve Doyle and Nancy Marshall; what Jerry Graff reveals about his involvement with the pickup truck and the escaped convict.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Open Window (1949)
A terrified woman appears at private detective Philip Marlowe's apartment with complete amnesia—she doesn't know her own name, why she's being followed, or how she arrived in Los Angeles. All she has are a few clues: a card with Marlowe's name, an address on North Virgil Avenue, and a snapshot album missing one picture. Marlowe begins investigating her mysterious past, discovering connections to a man named Tompkins who has suddenly fled town to Vancouver with cash provided by a mysterious red-haired man connected to a dive bar.
Los Angeles, California—Marlowe's third-floor apartment, a run-down rooming house on North Virgil Avenue, and a dive bar called the Pearls on Highland Avenue near 3rd Street. · Philip Marlowe, The amnesia victim woman, Jake Philpotts, Tompkins, The red-headed man, Cooper, Gerard, Norm
Listen for: A woman's desperate plea for help, the gruff manager Jake Philpotts revealing clues about Tompkins's sudden departure, and cryptic conversations at the bar suggesting trouble involving a woman and betrayal.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Orange Dog (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a man named Shelley to look into his sister Marion's involvement with a San Francisco broker named Lou Horn. When Marlowe visits Shelley's home, he discovers a dead body behind the couch with no identification. After reporting the body to police, Marlowe pursues a lead about a mysterious orange dog of Faux, a supposedly non-existent Chinese artifact said to be worth twenty thousand dollars, which may hold the key to the case.
Los Angeles, including Marlowe's office, Shelley's home on Los Fearless, and a curio shop in Chinatown owned by James Tang. · Philip Marlowe, Shelley, Marion, Lou Horn, Lieutenant Borret, James Tang
Listen for: Marlowe's investigation into the orange dog of Faux and its connection to Marion and the murder; the mysterious long-haired man fleeing in a green coupe; the revelation that the supposedly worthless artifact is worth a fortune.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Panama Hat (1948)
Private detective Philip Marlowe accepts a case to protect photographer Bruce Gordon from anonymous death threats at his uncle's Malibu estate. When Bruce is kidnapped and a ransom demanded, Marlowe must uncover the truth behind the white Panama hat-wearing figure and the shadowy connections between the Gordon family and others involved in the case.
Malibu, California and surrounding areas including Hollywood, Pacific Palisades, and Ventura; takes place primarily at the Fairchild estate and various locations around Los Angeles · Philip Marlowe, Isabelle Gordon, Bruce Gordon, Avery Fairchild, Skip-a-Martin, Brock, Carla Winters, Lieutenant Ebarra
Listen for: The mystery of the white Panama hat worn by the mysterious figure; the details of Bruce Gordon's kidnapping and the ransom demand; Marlowe's discovery of the photograph hidden in Bruce's studio; the connection between Skip-a-Martin, Carla Winters, and the kidnapping scheme
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Parrots Bed (1950)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by a woman named Daphne McGregor to find a hard-drinking sailor named Lash Lauterbach before a ship departs at four in the morning. McGregor reveals the real stakes: Lauterbach knows the location of a valuable map to a bed of black pearls hidden on Parrot Island, and a rival sailor named Rupert Semble is also after him.
San Pedro, California, including the Pirate's Cove bar, a hotel, and the docks at night · Philip Marlowe, Daphne McGregor, Lash Lauterbach, Rupert Semble, Ted Peterson
Listen for: Marlowe narrowing down leads on Lauterbach's whereabouts while dodging a knife-wielding assailant and learning the true value of finding the mysterious sailor.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Persian Slippers (1948)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Carl Delaney to find his wife Norma, who disappeared after a quarrel. Marlowe's investigation leads him to Madam Jeanette, a fortune teller, and to Pierre Gillum, a man with a mysterious past connection to Norma. As Marlowe pieces together the puzzle, he discovers that Norma has killed her jealously possessive husband and staged an elaborate deception involving Madam Jeanette.
Los Angeles in 1948, including the Sunset Strip, Hollywood Hills, Olvera Street, a bar, Madam Jeanette's cottage, Pierre Gillum's apartment, Carl Delaney's house, and the Bradford Arms Hotel. · Philip Marlowe, Carl Delaney, Norma Delaney, Madam Jeanette, Pierre Gillum, Lieutenant Ibarra, Charlie the bartender
Listen for: The clever use of the Persian slippers as the key clue that reveals the true identity of the body in the car; Marlowe's internal monologue as he investigates; the twist ending where Norma fakes her own death using Madam Jeanette's body.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Pigeons Blood (1949)
A mysterious woman with soft brown eyes and a French accent hires private detective Philip Marlowe to locate a collection of thirty rare pigeon's blood rubies worth $150,000, stolen from her friend Vivian's family by a wealthy businessman named Marty Loomis. Marlowe's investigation leads him into a dangerous underworld of criminals and fences as he searches for the stolen jewels.
Los Angeles, including a hotel bar, Marty Loomis's house on North Crossmore Street, and a tropical fish shop on La Siena near Melrose. · Philip Marlowe, Chaudine (the woman who hires Marlowe), Vivian, Marty Loomis, Big Mouth, Lefty, Zig Slater, Tony
Listen for: Marlowe's tough-talking inner monologue as he navigates danger from criminals and discovers a network of thieves and fences while searching for the missing rubies.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Promise to Pay (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Garfield Randall, a rising executive, to recover a gambling marker worth $1,000 that the man lost at a gaming club. The marker is being held by Terry Dodge, Randall's former girlfriend, who is demanding $20,000 to keep quiet about the debt. Marlowe's investigation into the blackmail scheme leads him to discover that Terry has been murdered, and he must uncover who killed her and find the marker before it destroys his client's career.
Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley in the late 1940s, including a cottage on Sunswept Drive, a gambling club on North Lancashire Boulevard, and Randall's hillside home. · Philip Marlowe, Garfield Randall, Terry Dodge, Maxine Rossi, Paul Naylor, Rip Strannigan, Quincy
Listen for: The mystery of who murdered Terry Dodge and why; the hunt for the missing gambling marker; Marlowe's encounters with dangerous criminals and an unexpected ally; a climactic confrontation that results in a fatal car crash.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Quiet Magpie (1950)
Vincent Callaway stands trial for murdering his father, Homer Callaway, with the prosecution building a case based on motive—Vincent's extravagant lifestyle, his recent marriage to a showgirl against his father's wishes, and Homer's plan to change his will. Philip Marlowe is hired by Felix Lohman, Homer's old friend, to investigate, as Felix believes Vincent is innocent and suspects something far more complicated involving blackmail and a mysterious man named Stonor.
Los Angeles—a courtroom during Vincent Callaway's murder trial, and later the streets and homes of the city as Marlowe begins his investigation. · Philip Marlowe, Vincent Callaway, Homer Callaway, Felix Lohman, Joyce, Stonor, The District Attorney
Listen for: Felix Lohman's sudden collapse in the courtroom and his equally sudden recovery; his cryptic hints about blackmail and a suspicious man with gold teeth; Marlowe's first glimpse of the mysterious Stonor outside Joyce's home.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Restless Day (1949)
When a yacht explodes and sinks at Santa Monica with a man aboard, everyone assumes it's an accident—except the man himself, who appears at detective Philip Marlowe's door claiming he's Benjamin Rollins and that someone tried to murder him. Marlowe must investigate three suspects: Rollins' ex-partner Walter Pittman, his business manager Arthur Slater, and his wife Lucille, while someone continues trying to kill the supposedly dead man.
Los Angeles area including Santa Monica, a yacht, Slater's cottage, the Rollins home, and Inspiration Point overlooking the sea. · Philip Marlowe, Benjamin Rollins, Lucille Rollins, Arthur Slater, Walter Pittman, Angie Gordon
Listen for: The clever plot twist involving Rollins' hair curler invention that everyone is after, and the climactic confrontation at Inspiration Point where the real murderer is finally revealed.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Rustin Hickory (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is drawn into a murder investigation when schoolteacher Joan Madden contacts him in a panic after a man she met is killed. Joan had been posing for glamour photographs with photographer Aubrey Nickle, but when he takes her to an upscale nightclub, he becomes distracted and distant, eventually sending her away with a cryptic note just before shots ring out. Joan discovers Nickle dead and flees, but now someone is pursuing her, and Marlowe must navigate the dangerous world of Hollywood racketeers and murder.
Los Angeles, including Philip Marlowe's apartment, a nightclub called Cyrano's on the Strip, a photography studio, and Dawson Memorial Hospital. · Philip Marlowe, Joan Madden, Aubrey Nickle, Sy Nester, Erm-God Fury, Ham Lacey, Detective Lieutenant Matthew, Dr. Chambers
Listen for: The tension builds as Marlowe uncovers connections between two murders and realizes there's more at stake than a simple crime of passion. Watch for the appearance of the mysterious 'frogman' who pursues Joan, and the revelation of Ham Lacey's role in Sy Nester's death.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Sea Horse Jockey (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by the ailing Mrs. Lola Demerus to guard a valuable seahorse brooch—a six-inch jeweled figurine worth $50,000—while it's being sold to a San Francisco dealer. When Marlowe arrives at her home, he finds Mrs. Demerus dead, the brooch stolen, and a mysterious new lawyer supposedly hired that day. As Marlowe investigates, he uncovers a second murder: a bearded sailor named Paul Crater shot dead in his Surfside home, setting off a chain of revelations about blackmail, resentment, and theft.
Los Angeles and Surfside, 1950. The investigation moves from a barber shop to Mrs. Demerus's Victorian cliff-side home, a beachfront boatyard, a bar on Front Street, and a cramped house in the Surfside neighborhood. · Philip Marlowe, Lola Demerus, Gillian Demerus, Bertie Lockfield, Jug Nolan, Paul Crater, Lieutenant Matthews, Helen Crater
Listen for: A clever twist involving mistaken identity and the revelation that the seemingly loyal companion is the real culprit. Listen for Marlowe's methodical piecing together of clues—from a cigarette paper to a beard—that expose layers of deception and hidden motives beneath the surface of this seaside mystery.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Soft Spot (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Earl Hanley, a newspaper circulation businessman, to find an old gardener named John Cooper who has disappeared after stealing some valuable silver goblets from Hanley's mansion. Marlowe learns that Hanley sympathizes with Cooper because fifteen years ago he was in a similar desperate situation himself. Using the clues of Skid Row connections, a taste for Aces Up cigars, and whittling as a hobby, Marlowe begins searching the bars and shelters of the city's poorest district.
Los Angeles during a thick fog, primarily on Skid Row and in the wealthy Los Feliz neighborhood · Philip Marlowe, Earl Hanley, John Cooper, Skeeter
Listen for: The hardboiled detective work as Marlowe searches the seediest parts of town for a down-and-out gardener, with the twist that his employer sympathizes with the thief's circumstances.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Strangle Hold (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by radio transcription company owner Manny Faber to find proof supporting inflammatory statements made by now-deceased sports commentator Frank Gaynor about wrestler John Peachy Keene. Keene is suing Faber for slander, and Marlowe must locate evidence that Gaynor's accusations were factual or Faber faces a costly lawsuit. Marlowe begins his investigation at Gaynor's private recording studio, where he encounters trouble.
Los Angeles, 1949: a wrestling arena, Manny Faber's home in the Hollywood hills, and Frank Gaynor's private recording studio on Sunset Boulevard. · Philip Marlowe, Manny Faber, John Peachy Keene, Jules Caesar, Frank Gaynor, Ruth Gaynor, Coll Bennett
Listen for: A tense investigation into a dead man's accusations, the mystery of the brunette woman connected to the wrestler, and danger lurking in a soundproof studio after dark.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Sword of Cebu (1950)
Philip Marlowe is hired by Henry Palm, a pearl importer, to recover a stolen sword of Cebu that arrived from his murdered business partner in Manila. The sword, whose handle and sheath form a complete pattern when together, has vanished from Palm's house, and a planted rent receipt leads Marlowe to a beach shack in Venice where he confronts a mysterious blonde woman who claims to have the sword but demands a high price for its return.
Los Angeles and Venice, California, 1950 · Philip Marlowe, Henry Palm, Eugene Voss, Babisco, Hideki, Miss Saunders, Kurt
Listen for: A classic detective mystery involving an Oriental artifact, international intrigue connected to Manila, and a dangerous woman with secrets about the sword's true value.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Tale of the Mermaid (1949)
Private investigator Philip Marlowe receives an urgent call from a nurse after a man named Stanley Ott is critically injured in a car accident. Before falling into a coma, Ott pleads with Marlowe to stop a girl in a plaid coat from meeting someone at two o'clock to collect $75,000. With only cryptic clues and the name Constantine to go on, Marlowe races against time to uncover the mystery of the mermaid.
Los Angeles and the San Pedro waterfront, present day · Philip Marlowe, Corey Riggs, Stanley Ott, Prince Constantine Chevenoff, Louis Paradise, Evelyn Van Oen
Listen for: The unfolding mystery of the mermaid and the $75,000 scheme, with Marlowe pursuing clues from the hospital to the waterfront to an exotic house where he discovers a dead body and overhears a suspicious phone conversation.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Torch Carriers (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe encounters a frightened young woman named Claire at a hotel bar and agrees to help her recover a borrowed diamond bracelet from a loan shark named Larry Sulfin. His investigation leads him through a dangerous web of people connected to a fatal car accident and a woman named Janice Trauer who died two nights before.
Los Angeles, including a hotel bar at Wilshire Gardens, an old foundry in East Los Angeles, and Larry Sulfin's bungalow in Hollywood near Lucerne. · Philip Marlowe, Claire Osman, Larry Sulfin, Madge Gilbert, Cobra, Freeman Best, Janice Trauer
Listen for: A noirish tale of misguided love and loyalty, with Marlowe uncovering secrets about a car accident, a dead woman, and the lengths people will go to protect those they care about.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Uneasy Head (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe arranges to meet a man named Sammy Archer at a bar to discuss a business deal, but someone slips a Mickey into his drink and he passes out. When he wakes and tracks down Archer at his apartment, Marlowe discovers the man dead with a knife in his back. The case connects to a stolen diamond tiara worth a hundred grand that disappeared from a Palm Springs mansion, with Archer apparently posing as a gardener at the time of the theft.
A bar in Hollywood and Sammy Archer's basement apartment, with the investigation leading toward Palm Springs · Philip Marlowe, Sammy Archer, Slattery, Louie, Detective Remini
Listen for: The clever setup where Marlowe is drugged at the bar, the gruesome discovery of Archer's body, and the connection between a murdered two-bit thief and a high-society jewel heist
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Unfair Lady (1949)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired to travel to a remote mining town in Mexico near the Arizona border to catch a thief systematically stealing diamonds from Mr. Bjornsson's mine. Upon arrival at the isolated compound, Marlowe meets the multi-millionaire mine owner, the stern Captain Lupino who guards the property, and the Austins who are staying as guests while their own house is being built. A mysterious tall man with wavy hair was spotted near the grounds the previous night, and Marlowe learns that a black market diamond smuggler named Nut Campbell has been operating in the region.
A diamond mining compound at Rislow, a remote hamlet 100 miles south of Nogales, Arizona, near the Mexican border, featuring a large open-pit mine surrounded by barbed wire fencing and armed guards. · Philip Marlowe, Mr. Florie, Mr. Bjornsson, Captain Juan Lupino, Helen Austin, Kelly Austin, M.J. Calder, Nut Campbell
Listen for: Marlowe's investigation into the diamond thefts and his encounters with the suspicious characters at the mine, particularly his conversation with Helen Austin and the mysterious Calder.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Vital Statistic (1950)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by Mrs. Terry LeBar, a silk merchant's wife, to identify a woman in black slacks who has been following her. When Marlowe visits Terry's home to report, he's knocked down the stairs by the mysterious woman, who is searching for something. Marlowe discovers the study has been ransacked and Terry is missing.
Los Angeles, including bars, dance studios, and Terry LeBar's house in the Beechwood Circle area of the hills · Philip Marlowe, Mrs. Terry LeBar, Joe Temple, Harlan Casey, Vince LeBar, The woman in black slacks
Listen for: A tale of missing love letters, jealous husbands, and a mysterious woman who will stop at nothing to find what she's after in this classic hard-boiled detective story.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The White Carnation (1950)
Philip Marlowe is called in when his friend Casey reports that Dr. Ben Reynolds, a young physician due to be married tomorrow, has mysteriously disappeared after visiting a flower shop and becoming terrified upon seeing something there. Marlowe discovers a dead man named Gregory Toledo in Ben's apartment, and soon finds the flower shop owner, Harlan Steiner, dead from an apparent heart attack—with forty thousand dollars missing from his safe and a lipstick-stained cigarette at the scene.
Los Angeles, primarily around Ben Reynolds' apartment and Steiner's Flowers on Temple Street, with scenes at a police station and Sarkesian's gypsy cellar restaurant. · Philip Marlowe, Casey (best man), Dr. Ben Reynolds, Margaret Van de Vere, Gregory Toledo, Lieutenant Matthew, Harlan Steiner, Ruby Vadena
Listen for: The mystery of why Ben Reynolds feared Gregory Toledo, where Ben has gone, what connection exists between the flower shop owner's death and the missing forty thousand dollars, and Ruby Vadena's role in the events.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: The Young Mans Fancy (1951)
Private detective Philip Marlowe stops at a fruit stand run by Alex Leznovich to buy limes for a Moscow mule on a scorching Los Angeles summer day. He overhears a heated argument between Alex and his son Dominic about the young man's recent behavior. While making purchases around the neighborhood, Marlowe learns that Dominic has changed dramatically since leaving school in the spring, neglecting his responsibilities and spending time with a truck driver at Soli's bar.
Los Angeles shopping district on a hot summer day, including Alex's fruit stand, a nearby shop, and a service station · Philip Marlowe, Alex Leznovich, Dominic, Miss Gabriel, Nick
Listen for: The casual mystery building around young Dominic's sudden behavioral changes and what might be driving them; Marlowe's observations about how the neighborhood is reacting to the boy's transformation.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: Trouble Is My Business (1947)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a stern old man named Jeter to investigate a gold digger named Harriet Huntress who plans to marry Jeter's adopted stepson Grover, and to look into forged IOUs allegedly signed by Grover for $50,000 owed to gambler Marty Estelle. When Marlowe discovers that the handwriting expert analyzing the documents has been murdered, the case becomes far more dangerous than anyone anticipated.
Los Angeles, including Sunset Boulevard, the El Milano Hotel on North Sycamore, and various offices around the city · Philip Marlowe, Mr. Jeter, Harriet Huntress, Grover, Marty Estelle, John D. Arbergast, house detective
Listen for: The interplay between Marlowe's tough-guy attitude and his moral code as he navigates multiple suspects with unclear motives; Harriet Huntress's revelation of her vendetta against Jeter for ruining her father; the sudden violence that erupts when Grover arrives at Harriet's hotel room.
Adventures of Philip Marlowe: Where Theres a Will (1948)
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired to help three heirs locate $300,000 in hidden bonds left by their eccentric late aunt, with a 24-hour deadline to find them on Twin Islands in Indian Lake. A mysterious woman enlists his help the night before, and soon Marlowe discovers that not everyone in the search party is being truthful about their intentions.
Los Angeles and Twin Islands in Indian Lake, San Bernardino Mountains; the story spans about 24 hours from Marlowe's apartment to a lawyer's office to a hillside house in Laurel Canyon to the remote islands. · Philip Marlowe, Barbara Haynes, Edward Shields, Harlan Crane, Luther Willard, Jambul, The little man with a scar
Listen for: A clever mystery involving deception and a search for hidden bonds. Listen for Marlowe's tough-talking narration, the tension between the three heirs as they search the island, and the revelation of who has been plotting against whom throughout the case.
The Adventures of Philip Marlowe: Who Shot Waldo (1947)
Private detective Philip Marlowe witnesses a shooting at a bar and becomes entangled in a web of blackmail involving a priceless pearl necklace, stolen bills, and a mysterious woman. As bodies pile up and secrets unravel, Marlowe must navigate between protecting his client and solving the murder of the man called Waldo.
Los Angeles, including bars, apartment buildings, and the beach at Malibu, on a hot night when the Santa Ana desert wind is blowing · Philip Marlowe, Lola Barcely, Waldo, Leon, Frank Passaleil, Jeannie Colchink, Baldy, Van Hefflin
Listen for: The atmospheric opening describing the Santa Ana wind's effects on the city; the tense confrontation between Marlowe and the killer Baldy in his apartment; the revelation of the blackmail scheme involving the pearls and unpaid bills; Marlowe's final act of justice at Malibu