Night Tide: The Adventures of Philip Marlowe (May 21, 1949)

“Night Tide” is an episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, the old-time radio show, first broadcast May 21, 1949. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

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

Characters: 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.

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