The Little Wishbone: The Adventures of Philip Marlowe (December 10, 1949)

“The Little Wishbone” is an episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, the old-time radio show, first broadcast December 10, 1949. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

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

Characters: 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

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.