The Adventures of Sam Spade: The Lawless Caper 08/29/1948

Summary

Summary of "The Adventures of Sam Spade: The Lawless Caper"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
• Episode: The Adventures of Sam Spade: The Lawless Caper
• Host/Author: Choice Classic Radio
• Description: Old time radio fans! Choice Classic Radio brings to you old time radio’s greatest detectives! Each day we feature a program chosen from the most popular shows of the period. So sit back and enjoy the best detectives The Golden Age of Radio has to offer!
• Release Date: November 16, 2024

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Introduction

In "The Adventures of Sam Spade: The Lawless Caper," listeners are immersed in a classic hardboiled detective story featuring the iconic private eye, Sam Spade. Set against the backdrop of post-World War II San Francisco, the episode weaves a tale of deception, murder, and intricate mob connections. This summary delves into the key plot points, character dynamics, and pivotal moments that define this thrilling narrative.

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Plot Overview

The episode begins with Sam Spade addressing rumors about his associations with unsavory characters, setting a tone of personal conflict and mystery. Effie Perine, a recurring character, confronts Sam over allegations reported in the press, hinting at his involvement with Virginia Vale and gangland activities.

Key Events:

1. Allegations and Backstory (00:42 - 05:54):

   • Effie Perine accuses Sam of consorting with crooks and being seen dancing with Virginia Vale at Club Iberia.
   • Sam refutes the claims, explaining misunderstandings and emphasizing his innocence.
   • A flashback reveals Johnny Lawless’s trial for manslaughter, where Sam was an unintended witness tied to Lawless’s criminal activities.

2. Johnny Lawless’s Murky Dealings (08:26 - 13:12):

   • Johnny Lawless contacts Sam with a seemingly clean job to save an innocent man from the gas chamber.
   • Sam investigates the meeting at Alma Arms, discovering Joe Morales dead from gunshot wounds.
   • Tension escalates as Sam uncovers inconsistencies in Lawless’s story, suggesting deeper mob entanglements.

3. Investigation Deepens (16:26 - 22:37):

   • Sam grapples with the missing corpse and enlists information from Porky Grout, linking Joe Morales to mob activities in Las Vegas.
   • The interaction between Sally Morales, Joe’s sister and Sam’s lawyer, introduces conflicting motives and potential betrayals.

4. Confrontation and Revelation (24:02 - 27:08):

   • Sam confronts Sally Morales and Johnny Lawless, unraveling their schemes to frame each other for crimes.
   • Through strategic manipulation and deduction, Sam exposes Lawless’s attempts to pin murders on others, including Sam himself.
   • The climax sees Lawless admitting his involvement, leading to his downfall as Sam ensures justice is served.

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Notable Quotes

Throughout the episode, several lines stand out, encapsulating the tension and wit characteristic of Sam Spade:

• Sam Spade (00:48): "Every word of it."
• Effie Perine (03:15): "As a senorita provocatively leads a pursuing caballero through a series of gay worlds, turns and figures."
• Sam Spade (05:02): "You didn't even look at the judge while he was dishing it out."
• Sam Spade (09:31): "Aims for the belly. Or did you mean it to look like an amateur job?"
• Sam Spade (16:26): "In most murder cases, there are too many suspects, too many motives and too many clues."
• Sam Spade (22:25): "Nuts. Nuts. I don't care whether either of you is guilty or both or neither."

These quotes highlight Sam's investigative prowess, his interactions with other characters, and pivotal moments in unraveling the mystery.

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Character Dynamics

• Sam Spade: The quintessential hardboiled detective, Sam exhibits sharp intuition, moral ambiguity, and resilience. His interactions reveal a man deeply entrenched in the murky underworld yet striving for personal integrity.

• Effie Perine: Serving as Sam's confidante, Effie provides emotional support and insights into Sam's personal struggles, particularly concerning his relationships and reputation.

• Johnny Lawless: A central antagonist, Lawless embodies the corruption and violence of the mob. His manipulative tactics and desperation to protect his interests drive much of the conflict.

• Sally Morales: Positioned between loyalty to her brother Joe and her professional obligations as Sam’s lawyer, Sally adds complexity to the narrative, showcasing themes of betrayal and moral conflict.

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Key Scenes and Insights

1. The Initial Confrontation (00:40 - 03:15):

   • Effie confronts Sam over newspaper allegations, setting the stage for underlying tensions and past associations.
   • The dance scene with Virginia Vale introduces the facade Sam maintains versus the reality of his entanglements.

2. Revealing the Past (05:02 - 06:19):

   • Sam's recounting of Johnny Lawless's trial sheds light on the interconnectedness of mob figures and flawed legal maneuvers.
   • Lawless’s threat and Sam’s quick thinking demonstrate his tactical approach to dangerous situations.

3. Unraveling the Murder (16:26 - 22:37):

   • Sam's investigation leads him to unexpected alliances and exposes the fragility of Lawless's plans.
   • The disappearance of Joe Morales's body serves as a critical turning point, emphasizing the lengths to which Lawless will go to cover his tracks.

4. Final Confrontation and Resolution (24:02 - 27:08):

   • The intense exchange between Sam, Sally, and Lawless culminates in the revelation of Lawless’s true intentions.
   • Sam's strategic confession and deduction ensure that justice prevails, illustrating his role as both detective and moral arbiter.

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Conclusion

"The Lawless Caper" masterfully intertwines elements of suspense, character depth, and intricate plotting synonymous with Sam Spade's adventures. Through sharp dialogue, compelling character interactions, and a tightly woven narrative, the episode delivers a quintessential hardboiled detective story. Sam Spade's relentless pursuit of truth amidst deception and danger not only resolves the central mystery but also reinforces his enduring legacy as a stalwart figure in detective fiction.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Sam Spade (00:48): "Every word of it."
  [00:48]

• Effie Perine (03:15): "As a senorita provocatively leads a pursuing caballero through a series of gay worlds, turns and figures."
  [03:15]

• Sam Spade (05:02): "You didn't even look at the judge while he was dishing it out."
  [05:02]

• Sam Spade (09:31): "Aims for the belly. Or did you mean it to look like an amateur job?"
  [09:31]

• Sam Spade (16:26): "In most murder cases, there are too many suspects, too many motives and too many clues."
  [16:26]

• Sam Spade (22:25): "Nuts. Nuts. I don't care whether either of you is guilty or both or neither."
  [22:25]

These quotes encapsulate crucial moments in the episode, highlighting Sam's investigative acumen and the escalating tension between characters.

Transcript

[Narrator]

Welcome to Choice Classic Radio where we bring to you the greatest old time radio shows like us on Facebook. Subscribe to us on YouTube and thank you for donating at choice classicradio.com the Adventures of Sam Spade Detective brought to you by Wild Root Cream Oil Hair Tonic, the non alcoholic hair tonic that contains lanolin. Wild Root Cream Oil. Again and again, the choice of men who put good grooming first.

[Effie Perine]

Sam Spade Detective Agency.

[Sam Spade]

Hey, it's me. Hey, Sammy the Spade.

[Effie Perine]

Sam.

[Sam Spade]

Sam.

[Effie Perine]

It's not true, is it?

[Sam Spade]

Every word of it.

[Sally Morales]

What?

[Effie Perine]

That you've been consorting with unsavory characters.

[Sam Spade]

Well, she was a savory enough girl, Effie. Although a crook.

[Effie Perine]

Well, according to the paper, she's practically a murderess. Not to mention that she's dancing the Roomba with you.

[Sam Spade]

That's a lie.

[Effie Perine]

There's a picture of you, Virginia Vale, gangland glamour girl caught at the Club Iberia in Barefoot Roomba with private Eye.

[Sam Spade]

It was not a Roomba. It was a Bambuco.

[Effie Perine]

Oh, damn. Not over the phone.

[Sam Spade]

I can't stop. Stay where you are. I'll be right down to dictate my report on the lawless capers.

[Narrator]

Dashiell Hammett, America's leading detective fiction writer and creator of Sam Spade, the Hardboiled Private Eye, and William Speer, radio's outstanding producer director of mystery and crime drama, join their talents to make your hair stand on end with the Adventures of Sam Spade presented by the makers of Wild Root Cream Oil. The hair. Say, have you gotten acquainted with Wild Root Cream oil yet? Tell you what, mister. If you haven't, even if you don't use any hair tonic at all, why not ask at your drug or toilet goods counter tonight or tomorrow for the brand new 25 cent get acquainted bottle of Wild Root Cream oil. You like the way Wild Root Cream Oil grooms your hair neatly and naturally relieves dryness and removes loose dandruff. You never dreamed one hair tonic could do so much. So give it a try. Get the generous new 25 cent bottle of Wild Root Cream Oil again and again. The choice of men who put good grooming first. And now, with Howard Duff starring A. Spade, Wild Root brings to the air the greatest private detective of them all in the Adventures of Sam Spade.

[Sam Spade]

I think I'm getting it.

[Sally Morales]

Even.

[Sam Spade]

Lost your shoes ready, sweetheart?

[Effie Perine]

Yes, Sam.

[Sam Spade]

No questions?

[Effie Perine]

No, Sam.

[Sam Spade]

That picture in the paper doesn't mean a thing, Effie. There was nothing between Virginia and me.

[Effie Perine]

Just wasn't room.

[Sam Spade]

Well, that Bambuco, you know that's Way we dance it authentic, Sam.

[Effie Perine]

I trouble to call my girlfriend, Edna May Schwartz, who is an instructor at Arthur Murray. I quote, the partners exchange graceful nods in the center of the dance floor and then separate. Well, as a senorita provocatively leads a pursuing caballero through a series of gay worlds, turns and figures.

[Sam Spade]

There, you see? Provocative.

[Effie Perine]

But he never catches her, Sam.

[Sam Spade]

Well, I had my shoes off. That gave me the advantage.

[Effie Perine]

You know best, Sam.

[Sam Spade]

Well, that clears that up. Date?

[Effie Perine]

August 29th.

[Sam Spade]

I will give the date. Fill it in.

[Effie Perine]

That still doesn't explain you're operating on the wrong side of the law.

[Sam Spade]

Down, Effie. This goes to John M. Lawless, a known gangster. What else From Samuel Spade license number 137596. Boom. Thank you, Effie. Subject, Joe Morales. Uh, dear Johnny, you hired me yesterday morning, but the real start of it was back in 45 flashback. San Francisco was just recovering from VJ Day and Crime was practically at a standstill because your number one competitor in the west coast mobs had just been rubbed out and you were on trial for sane. Nothing about the trial made any sense. The tea time chatter in the better fool rooms was that you were taking the wrap for your worst enemy, Joe Morales. What made even less sense, the lawyer defending you was Joe's brother. So I wasn't a bit surprised to receive your check for $25 together with an invitation to be in the third row of the courtroom when the jury returned the verdict. I was.

[Judge]

The defendant will please rise. Step forward, please. Have you anything to say why judgment of this court could not be passed upon you?

[Johnny Lawless]

Yes, it's a bad beat.

[Judge]

The judgment of this court is that you, John Lawless, for the crime of manslaughter, having feloniously run down, run over and killed with a certain automobile, the deceased person named in the indictment and having subsequently departed the scene in violation of the hit and run statute, are hereby sentenced to a term of three to 10 years in the state prison of the state of California.

[Sam Spade]

You didn't even look at the judge while he was dishing it out. Your eyes were on the. The man sitting directly in front of me. The man you were supposed to be taking the rap for. The man you deliberately planted me behind. Joe Morales. I wondered what that meant. When the judge brought down his gavel. I found out. You came up the aisle with a deputy on one arm and your lawyer on the other. He seemed upset about something.

[Sally Morales]

I'm sorry, Johnny. I did the best I could. They've given me the judge. I asked.

[Johnny Lawless]

You passed on that jury, you cheap shyster. Okay.

[Sally Morales]

Just waiting to get my bill.

[Johnny Lawless]

Shut up. Now, wait a minute, Sheriff. I want to speak to a friend.

[Sally Morales]

Hey, Johnny, hurry it.

[Sam Spade]

We got a train to catch.

[Johnny Lawless]

Hey, you Joe? Yeah, Johnny, I got just this to say to you. I'm going up, but I'm not staying. See, if I'm not paroled out in three, I'll break out. Either way, I'll get you, even if it means a murderer. Oh, now listen, Johnny. You heard me. Spade.

[Sam Spade]

Yeah, Johnny. I wish I hadn't.

[Sally Morales]

Come on, Johnny, we gotta go.

[Johnny Lawless]

Okay, okay. Don't forget what I said, Joe. Salah, Sam.

[Sam Spade]

Good luck, Johnny. Hey, Sally.

[Sally Morales]

Yeah, Joe?

[Johnny Lawless]

You hear what he said? I know he's gonna knock me. This guy's a witness. Name of Spade. Spade?

[Sally Morales]

My brother, Sally Salvador Morales. You may have heard of me.

[Sam Spade]

Yeah, if I remember.

[Sally Morales]

Up.

[Sam Spade]

Hit and run. Remind me not to hire you.

[Sally Morales]

How long? Spade, we can talk quietly just over here. My conference room.

[Sam Spade]

Look, we got nothing to talk about.

[Sally Morales]

Oh, yes, we have.

[Narrator]

Watch it.

[Sam Spade]

I just got this suit present.

[Sally Morales]

Yeah, right in here.

[Effie Perine]

Sally. Is it all over? How did it come out?

[Johnny Lawless]

Where were you?

[Sam Spade]

In here.

[Effie Perine]

I couldn't force myself to stay out there. What did he get?

[Sally Morales]

3 to 10.

[Effie Perine]

3 to 10? Is that. I mean, how terrible.

[Sally Morales]

Best I could do. This is Sam Spade, My dear Miss. Virginia Vale, Johnny Lawless's fiance.

[Johnny Lawless]

This ain't quite a widow.

[Sam Spade]

Well, how's drugs, Virginia?

[Effie Perine]

Why did they bring you here?

[Sam Spade]

Maybe they know he's a witness.

[Sally Morales]

Witness To a threat Johnny made against my brother's life. My own client.

[Johnny Lawless]

What's funny?

[Sam Spade]

Ask your brother. That threat wouldn't even get you writ against them to keep the peace.

[Effie Perine]

What do you mean?

[Sam Spade]

Sam, sweetheart, threats don't mean anything in law unless they're backed up by some action. Even if he told you the when, the where and the how, it wouldn't be worth anything until you're dead.

[Effie Perine]

But it would be worth something then?

[Sam Spade]

Sure. It shows premeditation.

[Effie Perine]

Then if he knew he was overheard, you'd be forced to testify if anything happened to Joe.

[Johnny Lawless]

Hey, beautiful.

[Narrator]

What are you trying to do to me?

[Effie Perine]

Well, I mean, he'd think twice before he tried anything. You'd be safe, Joe.

[Johnny Lawless]

Well, honey, I. I didn't know you cared about you.

[Effie Perine]

I don't. I just wouldn't want Johnny to do anything foolish.

[Sam Spade]

End of flashback. That was three years ago. A lot of big news has broken since then. But the only items that interested you in San Quentin were printed on the inside pages of the Local press item. Virginia Vale, your fiance, got herself engaged to Joe Morales, your worst enemy. And item, Salvador Sally Morellis, your mouthpiece, had taken over your mob. Which brings us up to yesterday morning. Yeah?

[Johnny Lawless]

That you, Sam?

[Sam Spade]

Who's this?

[Johnny Lawless]

Johnny Lawless. Remember me?

[Sam Spade]

No.

[Johnny Lawless]

I was hoping you'd say that. Look, Sam, I got a job for you.

[Sam Spade]

Call Peeper Breen. He may need it bad enough I've.

[Johnny Lawless]

Got no contacts in the mobs anymore. This is clean.

[Sam Spade]

How clean?

[Johnny Lawless]

A chance to save an innocent man.

[Sam Spade]

From the gas chamber while there's a.

[Johnny Lawless]

Grand in it for you.

[Sam Spade]

Well, I got a pencil now. What was the address?

[Johnny Lawless]

The Alma Arms on Pine street near Jones. Bust me three times, one long, too short. And make sure there's no one on your tail.

[Sam Spade]

Got it. I was not tailed. I found your name on the bell panel. Buzzed one long and two short, and the automatic lock clicked me in. You were waiting one flight up. In the open door of your apartment. You didn't say anything, Just made sure it was me, motioned me inside, locked the door, and led me back to a bedroom.

[Johnny Lawless]

Well, there it is, Sam.

[Sam Spade]

Mm. Joe Morales. Dead about three hours, I'd say. Four slugs. Chest, shoulder and head. Looks like amateur work at professional. Aims for the belly. Or did you mean it to look like an amateur job?

[Johnny Lawless]

Would I be SAP enough to drop him in my own apartment? Besides, he's my lawyer's brother, and I might need Sally again.

[Sam Spade]

Why did you call me?

[Johnny Lawless]

Well, you heard what I said to Joe after the trial.

[Sam Spade]

Who told you that? Virginia?

[Johnny Lawless]

Yeah, but she didn't have to. Didn't I ask you to sit there?

[Sam Spade]

Well, that's one thing that worries me.

[Johnny Lawless]

Look, let's go in the other room, huh? I feel like a drink. Well, here's my pitch, Sam. I checked out of San Quentin yesterday morning. I didn't have a mark against me. The warden himself put my case before the parole board. He called me the ideal prisoner.

[Sam Spade]

Shall we dance?

[Johnny Lawless]

Okay, Sam. Okay. But a man can change a lot in three years.

[Porky Grout]

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[Johnny Lawless]

So can a woman. Virginia met me at the gate and we drove into the city. We didn't have a thing to say to each other. The way I felt, by the time the ride was over, Joe could have her. Unwelcome. I had other plans.

[Sam Spade]

Such as?

[Johnny Lawless]

Well, the parole board was getting me a job with a mining firm. A surveyor. I took a course up at Quinton.

[Sam Spade]

You seriously expect me to swallow this line of guff?

[Johnny Lawless]

Listen, you don't get fat making a living on the mace. Take half of these guys, you hear, telling the world what wonders they are at puffing boxes, knocking over joints and the rest of the lays.

[Sally Morales]

Yeah.

[Johnny Lawless]

Not half of them make three meals a day at it. Then what chance has a guy without a regular racket? And brother, that's me.

[Sam Spade]

I'll buy that. For now, let's talk about that dead body.

[Johnny Lawless]

All right. Well, I. I called Joe on the phone this morning, see, and I told him to meet me here at 3 this afternoon. I wanted to tell him forget about what I said about how I was going to get him. Not that I wanted to write off that rap I took for him, but if he was scared he might come gunning for me. I might have to break parole to defend myself. Pop. Virginia, like I told you, we got nothing to talk about.

[Sam Spade]

Yeah. Yeah, it was beautiful while it lasted. So he was due here at three, huh? Huh?

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Johnny Lawless]

Yeah, I was held up. As a matter of fact, I was with my lawyer at the time, Sally. I phoned the building and told the superintendent to let him let Joe in. And then I got here about a quarter past four. But I didn't find him till just before six. When I called you, Sam, how come? Well, I just didn't look in the bedroom. I figured he got tired waiting and left, you know.

[Sam Spade]

Well, look, Johnny, assuming your story is true, and if it isn't, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. Who do you think did it?

[Johnny Lawless]

Well, that depends on why. If it was somebody gunning for him, it would depend on what's going in the mob. Since I've been in Quinton, you know more about that than I do. If it was somebody trying to frame me.

[Sam Spade]

What do you mean, trying?

[Johnny Lawless]

Hey, wait a minute.

[Sam Spade]

I got a phone homicide. You must have known that when you called me.

[Johnny Lawless]

Yeah, that's why I ripped the wires out.

[Sam Spade]

That's cute. That's very cute. That makes you look real good.

[Johnny Lawless]

Look, look, Sam. Look, I'm not asking you to do anything extracurricular. Sure, you have to yell cop, but you'll do it over a pay station downstairs. And by the time anybody can get back up here. That stiff will be out.

[Sam Spade]

It will. How's that going to be done?

[Johnny Lawless]

I. I got a friend in the undertaking business. Met him up at Quinton. He just installed a new crematorium.

[Sam Spade]

You should have called him first.

[Johnny Lawless]

I did. But I can call him off.

[Sam Spade]

Yes, sir.

[Narrator]

Abby.

[Johnny Lawless]

Look, Sam.

[Narrator]

Look.

[Johnny Lawless]

How about it, huh? So the cops come in tonight, tomorrow, who cares? Not Joe. The weather he'll keep. What do you say, Sam? What do you say?

[Sam Spade]

I say you're probably bluffing. That you got no way of getting rid of the stiff. But on the outside chance that you might not be bluffing, I'll swing along with you for a couple of hours. If I don't turn up anything by then, the deal is off.

[Johnny Lawless]

Okay. That's fair enough.

[Sam Spade]

Yeah, but this isn't.

[Johnny Lawless]

Hey.

[Sam Spade]

Sorry. I hated to do it, Johnny. You were out of condition and you weren't expecting it. But I wanted you to look like a hospital case. After you went down and out, I transferred my fee from your wallet to mine, examined your wounds and decided you were good for two hours. It's St. Agnes Hospital where I know the head nurse, incidentally. Never mind. So without further delay, I toted you downstairs, threw you into a taxi and delivered you to the ambulance entrance. That's when I remembered that I had forgotten one thing. I hadn't given you a chance to call off your alleged undertaker friend. I was sure that that part of your story was bluff. But just to make sure, I rushed back to your apartment in less time than it takes the average undertaker to back his hearse out of the garage. I thought when I got there, I. I wasn't so sure. The apartment had been tidied up. Ashtrays empty, glasses put away. They'd even vacuumed the rug. The blood stained bedspread had been removed and with it, the corpus delicti. I found myself humming an old tune. I ain't got no body.

[Narrator]

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[Sam Spade]

In most murder cases, there are too many suspects, too many motives and too many clues. From the very beginning, I'd been on this one three hours and I succeeded in turning up no suspects, no clothes, and the most shameful thing of all, I had lost the body of the victim. I consoled myself with the thought that he was in no condition to tell me anything anyway. But then, neither were you, Johnny. You'd checked out of the hospital, no forwarding address. But in a gin mill down on the mission, I found a character with the unlikely name of Porky Grout. Porky is theoretically alive and will tell all he knows about anybody, which is plenty. But two fingers of rye. I gave him a handful. Easy, easy.

[Sally Morales]

Joe Morales mob?

[Sam Spade]

Yeah.

[Sally Morales]

Yeah, they dusted this town. They moved to Las Vegas five, six months ago.

[Sam Spade]

How come Joe stayed in San Francisco?

[Sally Morales]

Oh, him and his brother had a beef with each other.

[Sam Spade]

That's Sally Morales, the lawyer.

[Sally Morales]

Yeah, the mouthpiece.

[Sam Spade]

Not too close. What was it all about?

[Sally Morales]

Oh, that dame, Virginia Vale. After seeing Joe frame Johnny Ross on that hit and run job. Oh, they disagreed on methods of administration.

[Sam Spade]

Not so close.

[Sally Morales]

So she and Sally team up. And Sally uses his business connections to pull off this big combine, you see?

[Sam Spade]

Yeah, I heard of it. Las Vegas. How do I get to Sally?

[Sally Morales]

Oh, my throat's dry. I can't hardly talk.

[Sam Spade]

Hey, Riley, put out the bottle and bring an Airwick.

[Sally Morales]

Easy, easy.

[Sam Spade]

I'll help you. Great, huh? Great, sir. Not too close.

[Sally Morales]

Now. When do you want to get to it? Tonight.

[Sam Spade]

Right now.

[Sally Morales]

Let me see now. Dame don't dance to nothing but rumba music and she don't drink nothing but imported French champagne.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Sally Morales]

Furthermore, she don't go nowhere where she don't get her picture taken. And he don't dare take a drink in a place that pays him protection. Well, this being after hours, there's only approximately one place they could be at that's the Iberia out on Van Ness.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, yeah. Thank you and good night. Porky Grout. If your friends won't tell you, I will. Please don't bother to answer. I don't have any trouble picking out that table. Virginia spotted me at about the same time, grabbed up her purse, muttered an excuse to her escort and edged around the dance floor. She caught me in the middle of a bambuco, a combination of a roomba, a samba and guarasha and whirled me lightly out onto the floor. I followed as best I could.

[Sally Morales]

Listen.

[Effie Perine]

You shouldn't have come here.

[Sam Spade]

How did I know her first dance would be a bambuco?

[Effie Perine]

You dance divinely. But you must leave it once. Sally is insanely jealous. And he's an especially bad mood tonight.

[Sally Morales]

Yeah, so am I. I know why you came.

[Sam Spade]

You one up on me.

[Effie Perine]

Johnny Lawless has been in touch with you, hasn't he?

[Sam Spade]

You talked to him since yesterday morning?

[Effie Perine]

No. He's bound to get in touch with you. I don't know what story he's told you, but don't believe a word of it. He only wants to get you out of the way so he can get back to Joe. Joe thinks Joe strained him into San Quentin.

[Sam Spade]

You can stop worrying about Joe, huh?

[Effie Perine]

Sam, what are you.

[Sam Spade]

He's dead. If that's news to you, I think.

[Effie Perine]

You'D better talk to Sally after all. Come on.

[Sam Spade]

Well, I was just getting the hang of it.

[Sally Morales]

Well, my dear, so you've met another old friend.

[Sam Spade]

Hello, Sally.

[Sally Morales]

Hello. Sit down, Spade.

[Sam Spade]

Thanks. Sally.

[Sally Morales]

Huh?

[Effie Perine]

Sam says Joe is dead.

[Sally Morales]

Joe?

[Johnny Lawless]

Murdered?

[Sam Spade]

Yeah.

[Sally Morales]

Well, it was bound to happen. I want him to get out of town before Johnny Lawless came back.

[Sam Spade]

Johnny says he was with you when it happened.

[Sally Morales]

Juries don't go for alibis, Spade. Best defense I could give him would be that I defend him despite the fact he's accused of killing my own brother. But look here. As his attorney, I have the right to know what he retained you for.

[Sam Spade]

To find out who did kill Joe. That's what he said.

[Sally Morales]

Have you found out?

[Sam Spade]

Not yet.

[Sally Morales]

Any leads?

[Sam Spade]

Not many.

[Sally Morales]

Now what's the difficulty?

[Sam Spade]

The corpse. Somebody swiped it.

[Effie Perine]

You can't mean that.

[Sam Spade]

I can and I do.

[Sally Morales]

Wow. That doesn't make sense. Unless Johnny arranged it himself. But he couldn't have no contacts. Of course, he might have disposed of it without help. It's been done, you know.

[Sam Spade]

Not tonight. I'm his alibi.

[Sally Morales]

There.

[Effie Perine]

I don't believe it. You're just telling that story to see how we'll react.

[Sam Spade]

That's why I'm telling it. But it's not a story. It's the McCoy.

[Effie Perine]

What can it mean? If Johnny didn't do it, then somebody must have done it to frame him. And if they did that, they wouldn't turn around and get rid of the evidence, would they?

[Sally Morales]

Why, the whole thing is wild. Wild?

[Sam Spade]

You know, there might have been two people who thought they were a team. But one of them was really working against the other. And for Johnny.

[Effie Perine]

Well, that's absurd, isn't it, Sally?

[Sally Morales]

Is it, my dear?

[Effie Perine]

He's trying to play us off against each other. Don't fall for it, Sally. I had nothing to do with any of it. You gotta believe that.

[Sally Morales]

Yes, I was sure of you. When Johnny was out of the way.

[Effie Perine]

You wanted him out of the way. You admit it?

[Sally Morales]

You're still in love with him, aren't you? All at you.

[Effie Perine]

Ali, are you hurting me?

[Sally Morales]

Hurting? I'll help the DA write his brief. He'll go to Tehachapi for body snatching.

[Effie Perine]

I can't wait to get on the stand. The things I'll tell about you.

[Sally Morales]

How you let Johnny go up on that hit and run when you knew.

[Effie Perine]

It was my idea and I was.

[Johnny Lawless]

In the car with Joel.

[Sally Morales]

You will not a jury in the country would blame me for protecting my own brother.

[Effie Perine]

You were friending it even then. So you can have me for yourself.

[Sally Morales]

I'll have you in a gas chamber if you keep insisting your own brother squeeze out of that one. If you can. Love of woman surpasses brotherly love. I can see the jury now. Edie, get up. Victim of a designing woman caught on the court.

[Sam Spade]

Nuts. Nuts. I don't care whether either of you is guilty or both or neither. Or what of. If I get that body back tonight, I'll let the cops worry about it. If I don't, I'll confess to everything myself and name all three of you as accomplices.

[Sally Morales]

You all right? All right, Spade, you say your only concern is that body, right? Right here. Here's $500. Another 500 when you find it, huh? Does that convince you?

[Sam Spade]

Well, it helps. Here.

[Effie Perine]

My diamonds. Take them all now.

[Sam Spade]

Keep the diamonds, Virginia. If Sally gets sent up first, you'll need them for your defense. Think it over, kids. I'm calling the cops right now. Homicide. Lieutenant Garrett. Roy. Sam Spade. Where's Dundee? Oh, he's asleep. Sam, I've been trying to reach you. Yeah, but do you know why? Why, sure. About Johnny Lawless. Is there something we don't know, Sam? Well, I'll come down and give you a statement. It's about Joe Morales. What about him? Well, he got knocked off and somebody lifted the corpse. Oh, Sam, nobody lifted it. Then who did? We picked it up, Sam, right after you called us. Right after. Oh, yeah, yeah. What time was that? Let's see.

[Narrator]

I got it here.

[Sam Spade]

20 minutes past 6. Lose your watch? Funny at all.

[Johnny Lawless]

What's that, Sam?

[Sam Spade]

Call you back. What's up, Sally?

[Sally Morales]

Come out of there.

[Sam Spade]

Well, I wasn't planning to spend the night in a phone booth. Why the heater?

[Sally Morales]

It's for you, Sam.

[Sam Spade]

You must be nuts, pulling a gun in a crowded joint like this.

[Sally Morales]

Hey, stop looking at it. Come on up those stairs.

[Sam Spade]

Now look, Sam.

[Sally Morales]

In there.

[Sam Spade]

Where's your girlfriend?

[Sally Morales]

Well, I. I sent her home, Sam. She can't stand the sight of blood.

[Sam Spade]

You clown.

[Sally Morales]

Oh, you were pretty funny, too. When you made that phone call. I didn't believe you. Go through with it?

[Sam Spade]

What makes you think I mentioned that old rap? Johnny's already done the time for it. Joe can't talk and I don't want to.

[Sally Morales]

I don't care what you want. It's what I want. That's what counts.

[Sam Spade]

Does it? You want it, Virginia, you got it.

[Sally Morales]

Oh, not the point. Just doesn't sound good. Salvador Morella's sweetheart going up on a murder rap.

[Sam Spade]

Well, you trimmed it down to manslaughter for Johnny Lawless. And she's enough prettier to rate an acquittal. Or are we talking about the same killing? You think Virginia killed Joe Morales, don't you? Why? Because she seems so anxious? Dependent on Johnny Lawless.

[Sally Morales]

Well?

[Sam Spade]

Well, nothing. Only I've got a score to settle with Johnny Lawless myself. You see, he left me out in a limb with that body snatch. If I can turn the killing on him, I got a story for the cops now. Show how smart you are. Shoot me.

[Sally Morales]

I fully intend to.

[Sam Spade]

Now, look.

[Johnny Lawless]

Hold it, Sally.

[Sam Spade]

Hello, Johnny.

[Sally Morales]

You can do it yourself, Johnny. I was going to do it for you, but you can do it.

[Johnny Lawless]

I don't get it.

[Sally Morales]

He's trying to pin that murder on you, Johnny.

[Johnny Lawless]

Like you pin that old hit and run on me.

[Sally Morales]

It's not the same, Johnny. Joe's killing is worth life if you're lucky.

[Johnny Lawless]

I never had much luck.

[Sally Morales]

Let him have it, Johnny. What have you got to lose? Well, you want me to.

[Johnny Lawless]

No, no, no. Step back, Sally. Okay.

[Sally Morales]

He dead?

[Sam Spade]

Yeah. You planned it different, didn't you, Johnny?

[Johnny Lawless]

Yeah, yeah, but I might as well get two for the price of one. Yeah, I planned it Different. But I don't seem to care anymore.

[Sam Spade]

Well, then you won't need that, huh? Sorry, Johnny. By the way, I'd like to thank you for keeping me in the clear.

[Johnny Lawless]

How come?

[Sam Spade]

That phone call you made the homicide using my name. Without that, I might be going up with you.

[Johnny Lawless]

How'd you figure it?

[Sam Spade]

Nobody but you had anything to gain by making that body seem to disappear. You knew I wouldn't check with the police till I'd made a try at locating it on my own. You know I'd use the disappearance as I handle to shake what I could out of Sally and Virginia. You knew they suspect each other because I had you alibi for the time of the body snatch. And that would start them screaming accusations at each other.

[Johnny Lawless]

Did they say enough to send them up?

[Sam Spade]

Yeah. Yeah. I don't know how much will stick, but enough.

[Johnny Lawless]

They both admit Joe did that hit and run job I was sent up for.

[Sam Spade]

He and Virginia together.

[Johnny Lawless]

So she was with him three years ago. I wouldn't have wanted to know that. Now it sounds good.

[Sam Spade]

I didn't think it really sounded good to you. I was sorry to hear it myself. And after all, I'd only danced the bambuco with a mouse. I'm sorry things turned out the way they did. And it's a little late to be making with the advice, but. Well, you know, the best laid plans of mice and men gang after glay of what? And as you say, what chance has a man got without a regular racket? Period. End of report.

[Effie Perine]

Heavens to Betsy. How can you be so sympathetic with a girl who did all those terrible things?

[Sam Spade]

Oh, I know it's a silly dance, but she looked cute while she was doing it.

[Effie Perine]

I don't mean the dance.

[Sam Spade]

You mean the best laid plans.

[Effie Perine]

What does that mean, Sam? That gang aft the glaze.

[Sam Spade]

I give you a hint, sweetheart. It's something you never need worry about.

[Effie Perine]

No.

[Narrator]

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[Effie Perine]

Well, here it is, Dan. My terribly confusing.

[Sam Spade]

I sensed that somehow.

[Effie Perine]

Who was that? Hit and run Victoria?

[Sam Spade]

Well, they named that dance after him. George L. Bambuco.

[Effie Perine]

I don't believe it, Sam. What does it mean? What does it mean?

[Sam Spade]

You know the gang after Glay Snafu.

[Effie Perine]

Oh, why didn't you say so? Dialect. Good night, Sam.

[Sam Spade]

Good night, sweetheart.

[Narrator]

The Adventures of Sam Spade, National Hammett's famous private detective are produced and directed by William Spear. Sam Spade is played by Howard Dove. Laureen Tuttle is Effie. The Adventures of Sam Spade are written for radio by Bob Tolman and Gil Dow. Musical direction is by Lud Gluskin with score composed by Renee Gerrigang. Join us again next Sunday when author Dashiell Hammett and producer William Spear join four for another adventure with Sam Spade brought to you by Wild Root Cream Oil. Again and again, the choice of men who put good grooming first. This is Dick Joy reminding you to get Wild Root Cream Oil, Charlie.

[Sam Spade]

It keeps your hair in trim.

[Narrator]

You see, it's non alcoholic, Charlie. It's made with silver lanolin. You better get Wild Root Cream Oil, Charlie. Start using it today. You'll find that you will have a tough time, Charlie, keeping all the gals away. Hiya, baldy. Get wild rude right away. 50,000Americans die from tuberculosis every year. Yet tuberculosis is curable. The disease can be wiped out. The secret is discover it in its early stages. Why not be sure you and your family don't have tuberculosis by getting a chest X ray right away. This is cbs, the Columbia Broadcasting System.