Pat Novak for Hire: "Sam Tolliver" (Aired 04/09/1949)

Overview

In this atmospheric episode of Pat Novak for Hire, trouble finds Novak when an old friend, Sam Tolliver, resurfaces with a seemingly simple request. Tapped to retrieve a mysterious package from a ship in the bay, Novak is quickly pulled deep into a complex frame job involving murder, drugs, crooked cops, and San Francisco’s rough-and-tumble waterfront politics on the eve of an election. Hard-boiled narration, wise-guy dialogue, and a moody cast of supporting characters deliver classic noir storytelling from the golden age of radio.

Key Discussion Points & Narrative Structure

1. An Old Friend and a Dangerous Favor

• [01:42] Pat Novak introduces himself and the relentless peril of his trade on the San Francisco docks.
• [03:02] Sam Tolliver, an old friend with a checkered past, visits Novak seeking a favor: pick up a package from a ship in the bay, the China Star.
  • Notable exchange:
    • Tolliver: "You'd be doing me a real favor and you wouldn’t get hurt."
    • Novak (skeptically): "Nobody gets hurt. Honest. It’s the other way I’m worried about." ([04:33])

2. Aboard the China Star

• [06:36] Novak confronts the steely Captain Axel Arm, whose rough hospitality soon turns violent.
• [07:57] Awakening with a headache, Novak encounters Ellen Morrow, adding a femme fatale element to the intrigue. She is enigmatic, seductive, and tight-lipped about the package’s contents.
  • Memorable lines:
    • Novak (to Ellen): "From where I was, she had a figure like a shot of brandy on a winter night." ([08:53])

3. A Murder Frame

• [11:43] Novak returns to his office to discover a corpse and Sergeant Grimes from Homicide. Suspicion falls on Novak, and the mysterious package is addressed to a John Reedy at 720 Post Street.
• Grimes, later revealed to be phony cop Vic Rothery, takes Novak with him to Reedy’s apartment, where violence erupts and more bodies drop.

4. Betrayal and Deeper Conspiracies

• [16:01] Real cop Hellman confronts Novak, revealing that there is no "Sergeant Grimes" on the force—Novak’s been set up.
• Novak tries to unravel the plot by consulting his drunken confidant, Jocko Madigan. They connect the political dots: the dope-stuffed package is meant to ruin Reedy, a political candidate running for office.
  • Notable monologue:
    • Jocko: "Patsy, when you die, the artwork is going to be simple. On your grave, they'll chisel a picture of a pair of slacks, a hamburger, and a double malt." ([19:04])

5. The Trail to the Truth

• [21:19] Novak finds out the package is loaded with drugs—the intent is to plant it as evidence to discredit Reedy. Hellman views the case differently, seeing the mounting dead men—all ex-cons linked to Joliet prison.
• [22:25] Novak tracks Ellen Morrow, who reveals that Sam double-crossed him and gives up Sam’s location at the Herrick Hotel.

6. Final Showdown

• [26:16] At Vic Rothery's hotel, Hellman and Novak burst in on Sam Tolliver, armed and desperate. In a tense standoff, Sam laments the turn of events and apologizes to Novak for dragging him into it.
  • Dramatic lines:
    • Sam Tolliver: "You were a good guy to me, Novak. I'm sorry you drew the deuce." ([27:09])
    • Novak (on Sam's fate): "No, you’re a small time bum, Sam, and you’re better off dead." ([28:00])

7. Resolution & Noir Closure

• [28:52] Hellman pieces together the full scheme: Rothery’s gang intended to smear John Reedy by planting the drugs, but Sam tried to cut his own deal, triggering a lethal double-cross. Novak’s “friendship” with Sam ends in tragedy.
• The closing narration is bleak and wry, revealing Reedy lost the election regardless:
  • "It worked out for everybody except John Reedy. He lost the election anyway. Jocko forgot to mention the guy was a Republican." ([30:23])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Novak’s Opening Monologue ([01:42]):

  • "If you’re gonna make a living down here, you gotta do everything you can. Gotta be out of the henhouse by sunup. Even then, it doesn’t always work out—because you get trouble tax-free. It’s like leukemia. There’s nothing you can do about it."

• On Friendship and Betrayal

  • Novak: "There’s nothing wrong with old friends, Sam—except sometimes they wear out on you." ([05:19])
  • "That's the trouble with close friends. You give them the shirt off your back so they can see where to put in the knife." ([25:19])

• Noir Wordplay & Wit

  • Ellen Morrow: "What have I got to gain except your gratitude? I can get that any night with a couple of drinks." ([09:44])
  • Jocko, on civilization: "They love horses but they die on a stock farm. It’s the same with you and civilization." ([19:13])

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment/Development | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------------------|-----------| | Pat Novak’s opening reflection on trouble | 01:42 | | Sam Tolliver asks Novak for a favor | 03:02 | | Showdown with Captain Axel Arm | 06:36 | | Ellen Morrow, the femme fatale, appears | 08:50 | | Novak discovers the dead body in his office | 11:43 | | Reveal: Phony cop “Grimes” is Vic Rothery | 16:01 | | Jocko’s sardonic advice | 19:03 | | Ellen Morrow gives up Sam’s location | 22:25 | | Final confrontation: Sam, Novak, and Hellman | 26:16 | | Hellman explains the full frame | 28:52 | | Closing line: Reedy loses the election anyway | 30:23 |

Tone and Style

The episode is thick with the hard-boiled, wisecracking narration that defined 1940s noir, interlacing cynicism with moments of vulnerability. Novak’s exchanges are quick, caustic, and laced with dark humor, while the supporting characters—Jocko’s erudite drunkenness and Ellen's sharp-tongued fatalism—add emotional texture and moral ambiguity.

Summary

“Sam Tolliver” exemplifies Pat Novak for Hire’s blend of sharp dialogue, murky morality, and gritty atmosphere. In a city where “trouble is tax-free,” Pat Novak’s loyalty to an old friend nearly costs him everything—and in the end, justice and loyalty remain as elusive as happiness on the San Francisco waterfront.