The Vital Statistic: The Adventures of Philip Marlowe (March 14, 1950)

“The Vital Statistic” is an episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, the old-time radio show, first broadcast March 14, 1950. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

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

Characters: 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.

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.