The Sword of Cebu: The Adventures of Philip Marlowe (March 28, 1950)

“The Sword of Cebu” is an episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, the old-time radio show, first broadcast March 28, 1950. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

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

Characters: 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.

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.