Wheel of Life Caper: The Adventures of Sam Spade (July 11, 1948)

“Wheel of Life Caper” is an episode of The Adventures of Sam Spade, the old-time radio show, first broadcast July 11, 1948. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

Sam Spade is visited by a mysterious woman who calls herself Lana O'Farrell, claiming to have complete amnesia and no memory of her identity or past. She tells Sam that a man grabbed her on a moving streetcar, saying someone named Lathrop wanted to see her, and she jumped from the car in fear. Now Sam must help her discover who she really is before someone silences her permanently.

San Francisco, 1948. Sam Spade's office, the streets, and various locations around the city including the Embarcadero and Hotel Calcutta.

Characters: Sam Spade, Lana O'Farrell, Bernadine, Lieutenant Dundee, Shiggy Bellows, Clancy, Officer

Listen for: A woman with complete amnesia seeking Sam's help, mysterious references to the Wheel of Life, and dangerous figures from her unknown past closing in.

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.