Case Closed! – October 15, 2025

Episode: "Marlowe and Murder By Experts"

Podcast by RelicRadio.com

Overview

This episode of Case Closed! revives two memorable old-time radio crime dramas. First, the hard-boiled detective Philip Marlowe faces a deadly quest in "The Gold Cobra," featuring a high-stakes pursuit involving a priceless artifact, murder, and a real—and artificial—snake. The second half transitions into "Freeze a Crowd" from the series Murder By Experts, centering on a roadhouse piano player ensnared in a web of jealousy, deceit, and violence. Both stories encapsulate the drama, intrigue, and atmospheric tension of radio’s golden age, with energetic, noir-laden performances and memorable one-liners.

Segment One: Philip Marlowe in "The Gold Cobra"

(Starts at 00:18, ends ~30:33)

Key Discussion Points & Plot

• Opening Warning:
  Marlowe voices the classic hard-boiled warning about crime’s ultimate futility:

  "Crime is a sucker's road and those who travel it wind up in the gutter. The prison of the grave. There's no other end, but they never learn."
  (Philip Marlowe, 00:18)

• The Client and the Quest:
  Marlowe is hired by Roth Winkum, a frantic, ulcer-prone man with an odd Dickensian manner, to transport a suitcase—supposedly containing a priceless gold artifact—for a museum in Chicago.

  "We've got to get out of here. My very life may be in danger. And have you been seen with me, sir? Yours as well."
  (Roth Winkum, 03:05)

• The Gold Cobra:
  The artifact is revealed to be a ceremonial gold cobra from a vanished Indian kingdom:

  "A cobra. A snake, sir. Made of 250 separate links ... and each solid gold ... flexible like the real thing."
  (Roth Winkum, 04:25)

• Dangers & Enemies:
  Akbar, a menacing East Indian fanatic, pursues the artifact, believing it rightfully belongs to his ancestors' temple.

  "He has no claim morally or legally. He's merely a fanatic."
  (Roth Winkum, 05:20)

• Chases and Double-Crosses:
  Marlowe is drawn into a web of rival claimants, car chases, and red herrings—including a fiery redhead, Abigail Seaburn, who holds Marlowe up at gunpoint and steals the suitcase (08:39).

• Deadly Deceptions:
  At Mordecai Zif’s exotic home, Marlowe finds Zif murdered. Accusations fly, and the true value of the suitcase comes into deadly focus:

  "How could I even think of it? You only stick up people in alleys, steal cars, walk off with gold lucky pieces worth 20 grand or better."
  (Philip Marlowe, 13:44)

• Life-Threatening Suspense:
  A tense scene erupts when a real cobra emerges from the suitcase, plunging the room into darkness and terror (15:27–18:16). Marlowe helps Abigail stay calm:

  "Start talking. Don't stop. Talk softly."
  (Philip Marlowe, 16:23)

• Plot Unraveling:
  Secret alliances and betrayals are exposed. Winkum, revealed as Zif's criminal partner, tries to claim the gold for himself, only to be fatally bitten by the cobra (21:05–23:23).

• Resolution:
  Snake expert Otis Crumpler contains the cobra in a show-stopping scene:

  "That's the way. Into the sack, Birdie. Little more. Now put your head in like a good girl... Now we've got you safe and sound."
  (Otis Crumpler, 24:30–24:43)

• Final Words:
  Over coffee, Marlowe and Abigail reflect on the "snake playing Cupid," with a touch of hard-boiled longing and humor:

  "You know, there are many things that can lead to romance. Usually it's moonlight, sometimes it's a bit of a song. But whoever heard of a snake playing Cupid?"
  (Philip Marlowe, 27:13)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Marlowe’s noir tone:

  "Get this and get it straight. Crime is a sucker's road…" (00:18)

• The double-cross revelation:

  "Not exactly. That part was a small lie. Mordecai Sif was my partner." (Roth Winkum, 21:31)

• Cobra crisis:

  "Look out, Milo. It's Ray and the cobra…" (Abigail Seaburn, 14:14)
  "Stand still, baby. Freeze. Don't move a muscle." (Philip Marlowe, 16:05)

• Snake capture:

  "Now we've got you safe and sound… Crumpler’s the name. Otis Crumpler. Snakes are my business." (Otis Crumpler, 24:49–24:55)

• Wry closing:

  "There was a snake in the Garden of Eden. Yeah. But come to think of it, he kicked up quite a fuss." (Philip Marlowe, 27:13)

[Transition to Segment Two]

"Murder By Experts" with Brett Halliday
(Begins ~30:33)

Segment Two: "Freeze a Crowd" from Murder By Experts

(Starts ~30:33, ends 59:40)

Key Discussion Points & Plot

• Murder By Experts Context:
  Introduced by Brett Halliday, creator of Michael Shane, the episode "Freeze a Crowd" is selected by mystery expert Lenore Glenn Offord.

  "Our guest expert ... has chosen a tense and dramatic tale of a man who found himself enmeshed in a web of jealousy and violence with an ending he didn't foresee."
  (Brett Halliday, 31:09)

• Roadhouse Drama:
  Dick Starr, a piano player, arrives at the Hedgehog Inn for a summer gig, greeted with suspicion and local intrigue.

• Warning Signs:
  The cook, Gus, warns Dick about the boss's beautiful, troubled wife, Alice Hedges:

  "Stay away from her. Far away." (Gus, 33:43)

• Toxic Marriage:
  John Hedges, consumed with jealousy, threatens Dick:

  "Stay away from my wife … The next man she makes a play for is gonna get it." (John Hedges, 35:39)

• Alice's Plight:
  Dick sees Alice as misunderstood and trapped:

  "You look like a nice girl to me, Mrs. Hedges. Very nice girl." (Dick Starr, 39:08)

• Plans, Secrets, and Friendship:
  Alice and Dick become confidants. Alice pleads with Dick to keep distance to protect his job, but they cannot help but grow close.

• Illegal Gambling Angle:
  Dick reports the Hedgehog Inn’s illegal gambling to the police, hoping to free Alice from John by getting him arrested.

• Clandestine Love:
  Dick and Alice meet secretly on the boat dock, confessing their love (49:11–50:43):

  "She loved you just as you loved her." (Dick Starr, 49:26)

• Violent Confrontation:
  John appears, pulls a knife on Dick, and is killed in the ensuing fight—ostensibly self-defense (50:44–51:31).

• Desperate Cover-up:

  "Hide him, get him out of sight. ... His car. It's parked at the end of the dock." (Alice Hedges, 52:24–52:33)
  The pair hides John’s body in the car’s luggage compartment. Police arrive to bust the gambling operation, and Dick narrowly escapes with the car but crashes.

• Twist Ending:
  Dick wakes in the hospital. Gus delivers shocking news:

  "She framed that fight with Hedges… She set you and them other piano players up as decoys… but all the time it was Slade she was after." (Gus, 57:47)
  Alice manipulated both men. She leaves to marry Andy Slade, revealing Dick as her latest pawn.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Jealousy’s stain:

  "Why would he want to do that? ... Don't trust her, that's why." (Gus and Dick Starr, 33:36)

• Alice’s fatalism:

  "See that lake out there?... Someday that's where I'm going. That's one place he won't follow." (Alice Hedges, 39:39)

• Fatal love:

  "Don't worry, Alice. I'll get you out of this. I'll think of a way. Don't worry, baby." (Dick Starr, 45:35)

• Ironic closure:

  "You still got her on your mind, eh? ... She went away to get married. Yeah, to Andy Slade." (Gus, 57:38–58:16)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:18 – Marlowe's hard-boiled opening
• 03:05 – Roth Winkum flees with Marlowe, fearing for their lives
• 04:25 – The gold cobra is described
• 08:39 – Abigail Seaburn (the redhead) holds Marlowe up with a pistol
• 13:36 – Marlowe encounters a murder at Zif's mansion
• 15:27 – The live cobra springs from the suitcase; room plunged into darkness
• 21:31 – Winkum reveals partnership with Zif and murderous intent
• 24:43 – Snake expert Otis Crumpler captures the cobra
• 27:13 – Marlowe and Abigail’s closing romantic interplay

• 31:09 – Brett Halliday introduces "Freeze a Crowd"
• 33:43 – Gus warns Dick about Alice Hedges
• 35:39 – John Hedges threatens Dick
• 39:39 – Alice’s despair about her marriage
• 49:11 – Secret meeting at the dock; love's confession
• 50:44 – Showdown: Hedges attacks Dick, who kills him in self-defense
• 52:24 – Alice persuades Dick to hide the body
• 57:47 – Gus reveals Alice’s true scheme; Slade wins her
• 59:06 – Episode and story wrap

Final Thoughts & Takeaways

Both radio dramas combine suspenseful storytelling, snappy dialogue, and noir ambiance, built on the classic formulas of betrayal, deception, and the moral ambiguities of love and justice. Philip Marlowe’s adventure illustrates deadly greed over a golden artifact, culminating with poetic justice via a cobra’s bite. Freeze a Crowd pivots from romantic rescue to bleak manipulation, with a protagonist left nursing his wounds—both physical and emotional—after a woman’s schemes.

Listeners are treated to top-notch storytelling with quick pacing, evocative characterizations, and settings that bring to life the shadowy world of classic detective radio.