Who Shot Waldo: The Adventures of Philip Marlowe (June 12, 1947)

“Who Shot Waldo” is an episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, the old-time radio show, first broadcast June 12, 1947. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Private detective Philip Marlowe witnesses a shooting at a bar and becomes entangled in a web of blackmail involving a priceless pearl necklace, stolen bills, and a mysterious woman. As bodies pile up and secrets unravel, Marlowe must navigate between protecting his client and solving the murder of the man called Waldo.

Los Angeles, including bars, apartment buildings, and the beach at Malibu, on a hot night when the Santa Ana desert wind is blowing

Characters: Philip Marlowe, Lola Barcely, Waldo, Leon, Frank Passaleil, Jeannie Colchink, Baldy, Van Hefflin

Listen for: The atmospheric opening describing the Santa Ana wind's effects on the city; the tense confrontation between Marlowe and the killer Baldy in his apartment; the revelation of the blackmail scheme involving the pearls and unpaid bills; Marlowe's final act of justice at Malibu

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.