Prodigal Daughter Caper: The Adventures of Sam Spade (August 28, 1949)

“Prodigal Daughter Caper” is an episode of The Adventures of Sam Spade, the old-time radio show, first broadcast August 28, 1949. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Sam Spade is hired by Dr. Kensington to convince Chick Torpy, a nightclub owner, to stop seeing Helen Scully, the headstrong daughter of a wealthy multi-millionaire. Casper Scully threatens to change his will if Helen continues her relationship with the unsuitable man. When Sam visits Chick at his apartment, he discovers that Helen and Chick have secretly married. That evening, Sam finds Casper Scully shot dead near his home, with Chick fleeing the scene.

San Francisco, including the Scully mansion on Knob Hill, the Blue Goose nightclub, an apartment building on South Metropolitan, and the city morgue.

Characters: Sam Spade, Dr. Kensington, Casper Scully, Helen Scully, Chick Torpy, Danny Cavello, Maxie, Julio

Listen for: A complex murder case involving hidden marriages, mistaken identities with a body double, and deception about the actual circumstances of a death. The mystery deepens when Sam discovers evidence that contradicts the obvious suspect.

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.