The Restless Day: The Adventures of Philip Marlowe (January 8, 1949)

“The Restless Day” is an episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, the old-time radio show, first broadcast January 8, 1949. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

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.

Characters: 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.

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.