Pat Novak for Hire: “Go Away Dixie” (04/16/1949)
Podcast: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Host: Choice Classic Radio
Episode Date: January 3, 2026

Episode Overview

In this classic radio detective tale, hard-boiled San Francisco gumshoe Pat Novak finds himself tangled in a deadly web of intrigue, mistaken identity, and murder on the city’s waterfront. Hired under mysterious circumstances to “frighten” a man named Dixie Gillian, Novak is quickly framed for murder, ensnared in a hunt for a missing microfilm, and forced to untangle the intentions of a femme fatale, corrupt cops, and ruthless gangsters—all before dawn breaks over the Bay. As always, the episode showcases the show’s signature snappy dialogue, relentless pacing, and noir atmosphere.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. The Hire Job and the Femme Fatale

• [00:38–04:32]
  Pat Novak is approached by Lee Underwood, a sultry, enigmatic woman who offers him $300 to scare a man, Dixie Gillian, into leaving town. She insists the job isn’t murder and gives Novak an “empty” gun for the task.
  • Notable Quote:
    Pat Novak [00:38]: “Down on the waterfront in San Francisco, you always bite off more than you can chew. It's tough on your windpipe, but you don't go hungry.”
  • Interaction Highlights:
    • Lee’s offer is suspiciously rich for a small job, suggesting danger.
    • She refuses to tell much, only that Dixie’s been bothering her sister.
    • Novak’s skepticism: “For $300, I won’t buy a tissue paper plot.”

2. The Hit Goes Wrong: Death at Folsom Street

• [04:32–07:36]
  Novak confronts Gillian at a deserted machinery office on Folsom Street. A struggle breaks out, and the man is shot and killed.
  • Quote:
    Pat Novak [06:36]: “He slid down to the floor and trembled for a minute, then flattened out like a leaf in a pool of water.”
  • Novak suspects he’s been set up—his “empty” gun somehow fired a fatal bullet.

3. Inspector Hellman Arrives: Novak Gets Framed

• [07:36–11:45]
  Police Inspector Hellman catches Novak at the scene and hauls him in for murder. During the interrogation, the police discover the bullet that killed the victim doesn’t match Novak’s gun, muddying the case.
  • The banter between Novak and Hellman is classic noir:
    • Hellman [07:46]: “He’ll like you for that, Novak. How’d it happen?”
    • Novak [07:47]: “A team play. We worked it out together.”
  • Novak is released, convinced he’s been framed, and the mysterious “empty” gun is a key clue.

4. Seeking Answers: Novak Turns to Jocko

• [11:58–15:24]
  Novak consults his eccentric, drunken friend Jocko Madigan for help. Jocko provides comic relief and investigative assistance.
  • Quote:
    Jocko [13:07]: “Patsy, I've just passed through a crisis—a few minutes ago, they set me a glass with a woman's lipstick all around the ring.”
  • Jocko is tasked with searching Lee’s apartment for any clues that connect her to the victim.

5. Showdown at the Cat’s Paw Club – Confronting Lee

• [15:24–17:42]
  Novak tracks down Lee at her nightclub (The Cat’s Paw). Lee insists she gave Novak a gun loaded with blanks and expresses shock at the murder.
  • Important revelation: Lee wanted to scare off Dixie over some microfilm, not have him killed.
  • Quote:
    Pat Novak [16:32]: “I just want to know where to break it.” (Admiring Lee’s neck—noir innuendo) Lee [16:49]: “He was after some microfilm. I thought I could scare him away.”

6. Violence Escalates: Lee’s Fate

• [18:20–19:25]
  Lee is confronted at the nightclub by a gunsel (later revealed as Dixie), who forcibly removes her. Novak follows, only to find Lee killed, and himself knocked unconscious.

7. Back to the Clues—Jocko’s Discovery

• [20:33–21:41]
  Novak finds a battered Jocko at Lee’s apartment. Jocko reveals that Lee was married to the initial victim (the man with the scar), and that clues point to an address connected to Dixie.

8. The Final Pursuit and the Truth

• [21:41–30:09]
  Novak and Jocko track Dixie to his apartment, uncovering evidence. They then chase him onto a ferry bound for Oakland, leading to a tense confrontation.
  • Twist: The “dead body” went missing from the morgue; it was removed by Dixie to retrieve the microfilm hidden in a capsule in the victim’s mouth.
  • The finale involves a struggle on the ferry, Dixie's death, and Novak piecing together the real sequence of crimes.
  • Quote:
    Pat Novak [27:37]: “I kind of wound up last, huh?” Dixie Gillian [27:42]: “Yeah, that’s the way it looks. Did you get the microfilm?”

Memorable Moments & Notable Dialogue

• Noir Voiceovers:
  Novak’s narration is filled with hard-boiled metaphors and wry cynicism, lending a grimy poetry to the proceedings.

  • Example:
    Pat Novak [04:32]: “She walked with a nice, easy swing of a satisfied leopard. For a small leopard, she had pretty good spots too.”

• Jocko’s Wit:
  Jocko Madigan repeatedly steals scenes as Novak’s delightfully inebriated confidant.

  • Example:
    Jocko [15:08]: “Yes, that's what you thought about that gun. But the fellow got an awful jolt out of it. Good night, lover.”

• Show’s Cynical Tone:
  The script continually skewers morality and fate.

  • Example:
    Pat Novak [07:58]: “You feel flabby to anybody else, but to yourself, I suppose you feel good.”

Important Timestamps

• [00:38] – Pat Novak introduces himself and sets the waterfront scene
• [02:11] – Lee Underwood arrives and offers the job
• [05:28] – The lethal confrontation with Dixie Gillian
• [07:36] – Inspector Hellman investigates the murder scene
• [09:35] – Interrogation at police headquarters
• [11:58] – Novak seeks help from Jocko Madigan
• [15:24] – Novak heads to the nightclub to find Lee
• [16:49] – Lee reveals the plot behind the microfilm
• [19:18] – Lee is killed by the gunsel
• [20:33] – Jocko reveals the victim’s identity and Dixie’s address
• [24:08] – The morgue mix-up: body is missing
• [26:31] – Ferry confrontation with Dixie Gillian
• [27:37] – The final struggle and revelation
• [30:09] – Episode credits roll

Conclusion & Resolution

Pat Novak unravels that the entire assignment was a deadly setup over a piece of microfilm—presumably valuable for espionage or blackmail. Lee Underwood’s motivations were personal but she herself was caught in a dangerous game. Multiple deaths, double-crosses, and the slick, wisecracking dialog bring everything to the kind of downbeat, fatalistic conclusion typical for noir—but Novak, ever the survivor, dusts himself off with another lesson from the city’s underbelly.

The Noir Atmosphere & Tone

The episode is drenched in shadowy atmosphere, rapid-fire banter, bleak violence, and a perpetual sense of looming betrayal. Pat Novak’s sardonic introspection (“I’ll dirty you up like a locker room towel” [04:11]) is matched by Jocko’s comic relief and Hellman’s antagonistic interrogations.

If you love atmospheric, brisk, and cleverly written audio dramas brimming with vintage noir flavor, “Go Away Dixie” is a prime example from radio’s Golden Age detective shows.