The White Carnation: The Adventures of Philip Marlowe (September 22, 1950)

“The White Carnation” is an episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, the old-time radio show, first broadcast September 22, 1950. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Philip Marlowe is called in when his friend Casey reports that Dr. Ben Reynolds, a young physician due to be married tomorrow, has mysteriously disappeared after visiting a flower shop and becoming terrified upon seeing something there. Marlowe discovers a dead man named Gregory Toledo in Ben's apartment, and soon finds the flower shop owner, Harlan Steiner, dead from an apparent heart attack—with forty thousand dollars missing from his safe and a lipstick-stained cigarette at the scene.

Los Angeles, primarily around Ben Reynolds' apartment and Steiner's Flowers on Temple Street, with scenes at a police station and Sarkesian's gypsy cellar restaurant.

Characters: Philip Marlowe, Casey (best man), Dr. Ben Reynolds, Margaret Van de Vere, Gregory Toledo, Lieutenant Matthew, Harlan Steiner, Ruby Vadena

Listen for: The mystery of why Ben Reynolds feared Gregory Toledo, where Ben has gone, what connection exists between the flower shop owner's death and the missing forty thousand dollars, and Ruby Vadena's role in the events.

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.