Podcast Summary: Choice Classic Radio Detectives

Episode: Pat Novak for Hire – "Rory Malone" (Original Airdate: 03/20/1949)

Summary by an Expert Podcast Summarizer

Episode Overview

This episode of Pat Novak for Hire dives into classic noir territory, following gritty San Francisco operator Pat Novak as he gets embroiled in the world of boxing, double-crosses, and murder. What starts as a routine “watch and protect” assignment quickly turns dark, leading Novak through a tangle of shady deals, desperate lovers, and a fixed fight that spirals out of anyone’s control. The show typifies the snappy patter, bleak cynicism, and twisting plots of radio's golden age detective drama.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. The Waterfront and the Setup

• Pat Novak sets the scene on San Francisco’s Embarcadero—tough territory where “a friend is anybody who’s been dead more than 10 years.”
• He is approached by Con Regan (02:20), an alluring redhead, who tries to hire him to stay away from boxer Rory Malone for $300.
  • Memorable Novak Quote:
    “She pulled away and gave me a look you could take on a safari.” (03:33)

2. Old Man Neumeyer and the Real Job

• Hans Neumeyer, Malone’s elderly manager, pleads with Novak to protect his prizefighter from “bad people”—notably Joe Slagle, a slick and dangerous gambler (04:14-05:37).
  • Notable Moment:
    Both Con Regan and Neumeyer offer Novak the same sum to stay away or get involved, showing conflicting interests.

3. Fight Night & The Attack

• At the stadium, Malone’s hand is brutally smashed by thugs led by Slagle just before the fight (09:35-10:31).

  • Distinct Quote:
    “You better walk, Malone, unless you can outrun a bullet.” (09:41)
    “Put his hand on the table, Eddie. Now give me the block. ... You can cry, Malone. It’s gonna hurt.” (10:01, 10:22)

• Despite the injury, Malone is forced into the ring with a wrecked hand.

4. Novak Knocked Out

• Novak is knocked unconscious by Slagle’s men and wakes up hours later in an alley (10:46-11:46), only to learn that Hans Neumeyer is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

5. Murder at the Hospital

• When Novak visits Neumeyer, the manager is murdered behind a hospital screen as Novak speaks to him (13:09-13:30).
  • Atmospheric Narration:
    “The old man leaned back in the bed and quit without any fanfare, like a long summer coming to an end.” (13:30)

6. Hellman on the Case

• Inspector Hellman, a relentless and sarcastic homicide cop, thinks Novak is involved.

  • Great Hellman-Pat Exchange:
    Hellman: “You got a thin story, Novak.”
    Novak: “Look, I got a fat one, and I got all the gambling going town on my side.” (14:21-14:26)

• The twist: Despite his crippled hand, Rory Malone won the fight by knockout.

7. Piecing Together the Fix

• Novak and his companion, the philosophic drunk Jocko Madigan, gather clues.
  • Jocko delivers a poignant, rambling meditation on aging and change (17:32-18:51), lending depth and melancholy to the noir atmosphere.

8. The Love Triangle

• Connections between Rory Malone, Con Regan, and Joe Slagle are tangled; Regan is actually married to Slagle, but tension with Malone suggests deeper involvement.

• Second love interest Kitty is devastated, warning Malone:

  • “You know that doesn't count, Rory. The little money I saved doesn't count next to you... I died. I die of terrible heartbreak. It hurt me all my life.” (08:56-09:12)

9. The Blood Trail Grows

• Slagle, the gangster/fixer, is found dead, killed by a bullet—the dangerous world closes in (22:35).

• Suspicion grows against almost everyone, including Malone planning to flee town with Con Regan.

10. The Final Confrontation & Reveal

• As Novak and Hellman converge on Malone’s apartment, all parties collide. Arguments flare, a gun is drawn, and love turns poisonous.
  • Kitty breaks emotionally, confessing her love and her willingness to kill to keep Malone:
    “Oh, please, Rory. I loved you too much for this. I loved you enough to kill somebody. You can't leave, Rory. You can't leave me.” (25:31-25:41)
  • Malone, stone-cold, tells her to “Buy a dog.”

11. The Aftermath & Moral

• Hellman pieces the plot: the fight was rigged to ensure a windfall for Slagle, with the hand-smashing staged to change the betting odds. Neumeyer’s murder was about silencing the last moral witness. Kitty, driven mad with jealousy and betrayal, killed Slagle to keep Malone.
• Malone can no longer box, but he receives a $20,000 check—which turns out to be worthless, as Slagle was broke.
  • Final Novak Reflection:
    “Well, it doesn’t prove much. Except the right kind of a heel can grind you into the dirt fast.” (26:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Con Regan’s proposition:
  “I'm willing to pay you to stay away from him.” (02:56)

• Novak on Con Regan:
  “She was as safe as a tap dancer on a floor full of dynamite caps.” (03:33)

• Jocko Madigan’s melancholy on age and change:
  “It's like visiting a half forgotten neighborhood. ... It's that way with growing old.” (18:12-18:36)

• Kitty’s heartbreaking confession:
  “I loved you enough to kill somebody. You can't leave, Rory.” (25:31-25:41)

• Final cynical twist from Novak:
  “Joe Slagle was big-hearted, but broke.” (28:00)

Timestamps for Critical Segments

• 02:20 – Con Regan’s first approach & proposition
• 04:14 – Old man Neumeyer hires Novak
• 09:35 – Malone’s hand smashed; the fix begins
• 10:46 – Novak knocked out, scenes in the alley
• 13:09 – Neumeyer murdered in hospital
• 14:08 – Inspector Hellman questions Novak
• 17:32 – Jocko Madigan’s soliloquy
• 25:05 – Kitty reveals her unstable love; dramatic gun scene
• 26:40 – Novak’s wrap-up and bleak reflection

Conclusion

This episode exemplifies the razor-wit and bleak moral landscape of hardboiled radio drama, where loyalties shift, love is dangerous, and justice is never simple. The script brims with world-weary observations, sharp banter, and a story that falls, as Novak notes, “faster than snow off a warm roof.” By the end, Novak remains the battered but surviving cynic—a perfect avatar for the American noir hero.