The Adventures of Sam Spade: The Vendetta Caper 03/30/1951

Summary

Detailed Summary of "The Adventures of Sam Spade: The Vendetta Caper"

Introduction

In the August 9, 2025 release of Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio, listeners are treated to an enthralling episode titled "The Adventures of Sam Spade: The Vendetta Caper." Hosted by Choice Classic Radio, this episode transports fans back to the Golden Age of Radio, featuring the iconic private detective Sam Spade as he navigates a complex web of deceit, revenge, and corporate intrigue.

Main Characters

• Sam Spade: The seasoned private detective at the center of the narrative, known for his sharp wit and unyielding determination.
• Effie: Sam Spade's trusted associate, who often assists him in his investigations.
• Chandler Gosden: A wealthy businessman facing turmoil within his company, seeking Sam Spade's expertise.
• Virginia Gosden: Chandler's wife, who becomes entangled in the unfolding drama.
• Monte Kristoff (also referred to as Barney Moffat and Bertuccio): A mysterious and formidable antagonist with a vendetta against the Gosden family.
• Lieutenant J.F. Randall: A representative from the San Francisco Police Department who interacts with Sam Spade.

Plot Overview

The episode opens with Sam Spade being approached by Chandler Gosden on March 30, 1951, seeking assistance to uncover the mysterious activities of Monte Kristoff. Chandler suspects that Kristoff's sudden appearance in town and his lavish parties are connected to the recent misfortunes of his electrical company. As Sam delves deeper, he uncovers a tangled history of betrayal, revenge, and familial ties that threaten to plunge the Gosden family into ruin.

Key Scenes and Notable Quotes

The Investigation Begins

Chandler Gosden approaches Sam Spade with concerns about Monte Kristoff's influence:

Chandler Gosden [04:29]: "I'm Chandler Gosden."

Sam Spade [04:31]: "Well, I recognize you."

Chandler reveals the recent downturn in his business and the strange behavior of his associates following Kristoff's arrival.

Chandler Gosden [06:12]: "You got it. Next thing is the rumor gets around that the Gosden Electrical Company is on the verge of bankruptcy."

A Sinister Encounter

Sam Spade is lured into Monte Kristoff's mansion under suspicious circumstances, leading to his kidnapping:

Sam Spade [08:25]: "Bertuccio. I see. How long have they been calling you that?"

The tension escalates as Sam realizes he's been taken hostage, highlighting the perilous nature of his investigation.

Unraveling the Vendetta

Through relentless pursuit and detective work, Sam uncovers Monte Kristoff's true motives rooted in a deep-seated family vendetta:

Monte Kristoff [22:11]: "So you notice how dirty it is? Notice that it isn't even stuffed with feathers. They were too good. It's stuffed with dirty cotton rags."

Sam Spade [22:25]: "Who did?"

Monte Kristoff [22:26]: "A man named Elwood Gosden. A man who cheated and lied and stole everything he had in his life."

The Climactic Confrontation

In a high-stakes showdown during the annual stockholders meeting, Sam exposes the truth behind Monte Kristoff's vendetta:

Sam Spade [27:19]: "Well, things are beginning to gel now."

Monte Kristoff [23:09]: "I set out to make one thing in this world. Money. And I made it in handfuls."

Sam reveals that Monte Kristoff's vendetta is a twisted version of The Count of Monte Cristo, aiming to ruin the Gosden family for past grievances.

Sam Spade [27:17]: "He found that he couldn't bring himself to revenge the wrongdoings of families on their innocent children."

Resolution and Aftermath

The episode concludes with the downfall of Monte Kristoff and the preservation of the Gosden family's legacy. Sam ensures that justice is served, allowing Chandler Gosden to maintain control over his company.

Chandler Gosden [28:22]: "I don't care what happens now. I bow to the majority stockholder."

Reflections and Closing Thoughts

In the aftermath, Effie and Sam reflect on the events, contemplating the nature of human desires and relationships.

Effie [29:15]: "Do you think the world will ever get to a time when everybody has all he wants and instead of trying to get more, everybody spends his time just trying to enjoy life?"

Sam Spade [29:37]: "Well, you gotta believe something. It's better than nothing, I guess I."

Their conversation underscores the moral complexities and the perpetual struggle between ambition and contentment.

Themes and Insights

"The Vendetta Caper" delves into themes of revenge, power, and the corrupting influence of unchecked ambition. Monte Kristoff's character embodies the destructive nature of vengeance, mirroring the classic narrative of The Count of Monte Cristo while adding a modern twist. Sam Spade's role as the detective highlights the importance of truth and justice in dismantling personal vendettas that threaten societal order.

Conclusion

This episode of The Adventures of Sam Spade masterfully weaves a tale of mystery and intrigue, staying true to the essence of old-time radio dramas. Through sharp dialogue, compelling character development, and a tightly plotted narrative, listeners are drawn into Sam Spade's relentless pursuit of truth. "The Vendetta Caper" not only entertains but also invites reflection on the deeper motivations that drive individuals to seek revenge at any cost.

Listeners who enjoy intricate detective stories with rich character dynamics will find "The Vendetta Caper" to be a standout episode in the Sam Spade series, showcasing the timeless appeal of classic radio mysteries.

Transcript

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[Sam Spade]

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 [e-mail].

[Narrator]

The National Broadcasting Company presents the Adventures of Sam Spade. Detective.

[Effie]

Sam Spade. Detective me, sweetheart. Sam, I heard you were hobnobbing with a wealthy set of our city.

[Sam Spade]

If what I was doing is their idea of hobnobbing, f I'm glad I'm in the lower income brackets.

[Effie]

What do you mean? What happened?

[Sam Spade]

I will only reveal that, Effie, in the intimate secrecy of our office.

[Effie]

Was it that bad?

[Sam Spade]

Worse. F emotions ran amok. Passions were strewn from Fisherman's Wharf to the Peninsula. Hatreds festooned the very air. And there was jealousy, too. My, it was positively lurid, as they say.

[Effie]

Do you think it's all right for me to hear it?

[Sam Spade]

Well, I'll expurgate it a little. Eph. I'll water it down to your strength. I'll use monosyllabic instead of polosyllabic words and so on.

[Effie]

Now, Sam, I want you to tell me everything you think I should hear and then just a little more.

[Sam Spade]

It's a deal. F. Prepare yourself for listening. And I will shortly make my entrance with a saga of society, skullduggery, the. The lowdown on the uptown and all that. If we need a name for it, why not call it the Vendetta Caper or the Revenge of Monte Kristoff?

[Narrator]

Transcribed for NBC William Speer, Radio's outstanding Producer director of mystery and crime drama, brings you the greatest private detective of them all in the Adventures of Sam Spade.

[Effie]

You don't have to call Sam. I'm right here. Let me take your coat.

[Sam Spade]

Well, if he Isn't this sufficient of you?

[Effie]

Now be quiet and give me a coat.

[Sam Spade]

All right. Thank you.

[Effie]

Now, I've oiled your chair so it won't squeak. Sit down.

[Sam Spade]

Well, you make me feel like an emotional invalid. But it's wonderful.

[Effie]

And here.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, will miracles never cease?

[Effie]

A double? Well, it's eight year old stuff. I had Friskin's Drugstore send it up. Applejack.

[Sam Spade]

It's called Applejack. Well, what brought it on? F why this particular polishing of the applejack? Well, come on, out with it.

[Effie]

No, I just thought, well, you've been working with the rich people and maybe you were handsomely compensated and my back salary. You're not mad, Sam?

[Sam Spade]

Well, as it happens, I did make a few dollars and yours will be the first account settled.

[Effie]

Oh, Sam.

[Sam Spade]

So it wasn't me, it was the money all the time.

[Effie]

No, Sam, no. I just.

[Sam Spade]

I accept your apology. To Lieutenant J.F. randall, San Francisco Police Department, from Samuel Spade, license number 137596. Subject the Revenge of Monte Christoff, Monte Cristo.

[Effie]

Is this a historical drama?

[Sam Spade]

Christoph C R I S T O F F Monty M O N T Y and it's still a historical drama, Dear Lieutenants. Revenge is an old fashioned motive, but when you get it raw and distilled as in the Gosden affair, it's new all over again. This was the slow burning, deliberate kind of passion that starts smoldering way back in the forgotten days and explodes among some people who never knew they were living over a keg of dynamite. It was yesterday morning that the distant sputtering of the fuse began to be heard by a man named Chandler Gosden. You know him? The hulking rich boy. The electrical appliance scion who took a professional boxing for a while. I think he was billed as Gold Plate Gosden, a society scrapper. And he was doing well, too, until a right cross by someone who needed the money more than he did sent him back to clipping coupons.

[Chandler Gosden]

Spade.

[Sam Spade]

Yeah.

[Chandler Gosden]

I'm Chandler Gosden.

[Sam Spade]

Well, I recognize you.

[Chandler Gosden]

What do guys like you charge?

[Sam Spade]

Well, it depends on the job, investigation. $60 a day and any unusual expenses.

[Chandler Gosden]

Cheap. Well, do you guys have some kind of a code?

[Sam Spade]

Huh? Code?

[Chandler Gosden]

You know, like doctors do you keep things in confidence?

[Sam Spade]

Well, most of us do. Including me.

[Chandler Gosden]

Yeah. I don't suppose it'd make any big difference if it got out. I'm not afraid of him. I just as soon punch him in the mouth as look at him.

[Sam Spade]

Who?

[Chandler Gosden]

Monte Kristoff. Heard of him?

[Sam Spade]

No, no.

[Chandler Gosden]

Moved into the Peninsula, my neighborhood. Bought the Major Dunhill place.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, yeah, I know. The estate must have cost plenty to buy.

[Chandler Gosden]

250,000, I hear.

[Sam Spade]

And what's money these days?

[Chandler Gosden]

Everybody's got it.

[Sam Spade]

Isn't it awful? It's a tax scheme, I suppose.

[Chandler Gosden]

Ever since he moved into that arc of a house, he's been throwing parties. They're a cross between the last days of Pompeii and a Polish wedding. He invites Hundreds of guests, everybody who is anybody.

[Sam Spade]

Disgusting. But it seems legal.

[Chandler Gosden]

So far he's been there four months. Throwing parties, inviting everybody in the phone book. Everybody but me.

[Sam Spade]

Well, maybe he just doesn't like you.

[Chandler Gosden]

What are you talking about? I'm one of the best liked guys in the Peninsula. Everybody likes me. Little kids, cops, the guys at the country club. I never had an enemy in the world. Besides, I got Virginia.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, who's she?

[Chandler Gosden]

My wife.

[Sam Spade]

Oh.

[Chandler Gosden]

One of the sweetest little girls that ever came down the pike. Well, my apology, she was a bald one.

[Sam Spade]

Oh.

[Chandler Gosden]

The year I married her, she was the social catch of the year among the women.

[Sam Spade]

Really? Yeah.

[Chandler Gosden]

So was I among the men. Well, look, I gotta tell you some more. A month ago, one of my company warehouses burned down. Somebody slipped up and the fire insurance hadn't been renewed. I lost $350,000. Guess who had lunch with my insurance man a week before the fire?

[Sam Spade]

Monty Kristoff.

[Chandler Gosden]

You got it. Next thing is the rumor gets around that the Gosden Electrical Company is on the verge of bankruptcy.

[Sam Spade]

Well, of course it isn't.

[Chandler Gosden]

Absolutely not. A gossip columnist reports that I'm going to close up shop and beat it to South America with what dough is left. Then when the stock prices start dropping, somebody suddenly buys them up so fast they disappear overnight. Some corporation I never heard of called the Dantes Corporation.

[Sam Spade]

I see.

[Chandler Gosden]

And then all my friends start getting unfriendly. As soon as I show up, everybody stops talking. Act as if there's some big secret about me that I don't know.

[Sam Spade]

And they've all been to Monte Kristoff's parties lately.

[Chandler Gosden]

That's right. The week after he arrived in town, all these things started happening. Now what I want to find out is why. I don't even know the guy, but he's making a big change in my life.

[Sam Spade]

Well, it sounds like you're entitled to know. I don't know how far I can get. The best I can do is find out who he is, where he comes from, who his friends are, all those things.

[Chandler Gosden]

Okay, you're hired. Now, find out everything about this Monte Kristoff. I gotta know what's going on.

[Effie]

I'm sorry, Chandler. I wasn't able to get here when.

[Virginia Gosden]

You said the traffic was absolutely unbelievable. Cars, cars everywhere. They must be giving cars away. These days, everybody has one. I think we should get a helicopter.

[Chandler Gosden]

Mr. Spade, my wife, Ginny.

[Sam Spade]

Well, how do you do, Mrs. Gusden?

[Virginia Gosden]

Chan. I hope you haven't lost your head and blabbed everything to him. I Told you these sort of men and weren't trustworthy.

[Sam Spade]

I beg your pardon, madam.

[Chandler Gosden]

Look, Ginny, I told him and he's a good guy.

[Effie]

Well, if you just want to go.

[Virginia Gosden]

Around giving your life secrets.

[Chandler Gosden]

Oh, shut up, will you? I'm the man of the house. Really.

[Virginia Gosden]

And I suppose I count for nothing.

[Chandler Gosden]

Oh, forget it, Spade. I'm depending on you. Don't let me down.

[Sam Spade]

You wouldn't think a millionaire would be hard to biograph, but I came up with very little information on Mr. Monte Kristoff. He'd arrived in town four months ago, stayed 10 days at the St. Mark Hotel, then bought his house. He had a bank deposit running into seven figures. He had no known business connections, just money. The register at the St Mark said he came from Chicago and an airline company verified that he'd been a passenger aboard one of their ships from the Windy City. This was as far as I delved when my place of business was entered by a man in powder blue livery. You sprayed the same.

[Chandler Gosden]

Mr. Monty Kristoff sent me to pick you up.

[Sam Spade]

I see.

[Monte Kristoff]

Up for where?

[Sam Spade]

For his mansion on a peninsula. Oh.

[Chandler Gosden]

He said he knew what a rough time you must be having at your present job and that he'd be glad.

[Sam Spade]

To make the whole thing simple to you. You really said that?

[Chandler Gosden]

That's what he said. Well, But I don't know what it means exactly.

[Sam Spade]

Well, I don't know what it means exactly either, but there's one good way to find out. Home, James.

[Chandler Gosden]

My name is Bertuccio, sir.

[Sam Spade]

Bertuccio. I see. How long have they been calling you that? Well, let me see. It's about.

[Chandler Gosden]

What do you mean?

[Sam Spade]

I mean, it's my name. All right, all right. We'll talk it over in the car. The car was long and blue and smooth. I'm as democratic as the next guy. And I would just as soon have ridden up front with Bertuccio. But no, he wouldn't hear of it. I had to ride in a back seat with a window of bulletproof glass separating us and thus we rode down to the peninsula. We glided down elm shaded streets and finally through the gate of Monte Kristoff's estate. The driveway was lined with spring green pots. The mansion door was opened by a rear admiral and I was ushered in. I wouldn't want to say that the living room was large, but I coughed once and it was a full minute before the echo came back. A door opened somewhere and a tan, hard bodied man walked in across the marble floor with an outstretched hand. It was tougher Than whalebone.

[Monte Kristoff]

I appreciate you coming, Mr. Spett. Mr. Kristoff. Did you have a drink? Champagne, Scotch Irish? What?

[Sam Spade]

Oh, anything, whatever you like.

[Monte Kristoff]

Good.

[Sam Spade]

I figured you're for rye.

[Monte Kristoff]

It's already ordered.

[Sam Spade]

Rye it is.

[Monte Kristoff]

You got em?

[Sam Spade]

No thanks.

[Monte Kristoff]

The customer. Old Havana's made expressly to my own taste.

[Sam Spade]

Oh, thanks anyway, but I have some beat up cigarettes here, son.

[Monte Kristoff]

I'll try mine. The King of England. I did him a favor once he ships them over.

[Sam Spade]

How is George? You drink, Mr. Spit. Oh, thank you. For Tuccio.

[Monte Kristoff]

Now you've been investigating me?

[Sam Spade]

Yes.

[Monte Kristoff]

And you haven't found out anything?

[Sam Spade]

How'd you know, Mr. Christoph?

[Monte Kristoff]

There was nothing to find out.

[Sam Spade]

You're rad.

[Monte Kristoff]

I'll do you a service and save you time and money.

[Sam Spade]

That's a handsome offer. I accept.

[Monte Kristoff]

I was born in Michigan to a prosperous lumber family. I went to Phillips Andover, in Harvard Mark's Fair. I served with the army in the recent war. Major military police. Wounded twice, parents died while I was in Italy. I inherited enormous lumber holdings which I sold. Hence my bank account. I like San Francisco. Came here and settled down.

[Sam Spade]

Well, you're very kind, but I don't need all this information.

[Monte Kristoff]

I have more money than a man can spend in a lifetime. And by that I don't mean to boast. It was an accident of birth, yes.

[Sam Spade]

Now, Mr. Kristoff, I'm only trying to find out.

[Monte Kristoff]

I know what you're trying to find out, Chandler. Gaz didn't put you on my trail.

[Sam Spade]

Well, there's no need to deny it.

[Monte Kristoff]

And what would you take to get off my trail, Mr. Spade? Well, new car, a selection of fine liquor, a better job, cash.

[Sam Spade]

All rather enticing. But I'm afraid you've misjudged me, sir. I only work for one client at a time.

[Monte Kristoff]

Is there anything wrong with switching your allegiance?

[Sam Spade]

Well, I'm afraid it wouldn't be cricket. Is that the way they say it at Andover? Very well then.

[Monte Kristoff]

I'm afraid I've given you all the information I can about myself.

[Sam Spade]

Well, you've been very generous. But just one other thing. How long did you live in Chicago?

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[Monte Kristoff]

Chicago?

[Sam Spade]

Yes.

[Monte Kristoff]

I never lived there.

[Sam Spade]

But you flew here from Chicago. Oh, that.

[Monte Kristoff]

I was just there on business.

[Sam Spade]

Well, if you say so.

[Monte Kristoff]

Bertuccio is outside with a car. He'll drive you back to your office.

[Sam Spade]

And with that, he turned and left me outside. Bertuccio was waiting. Impassively. He ushered me into the limousine and started out. Only we didn't head for my office. Instead, we seemed to be leaving town. I banged on the glass between us, but Bertuccio didn't choose to answer. When we stopped at a light, I tried the doors, but they were both mysteriously locked. I was a prisoner in a moving jail. I made desperate signs to passers and traffic policemen I knew, but they just smiled and waved back at me. It was all very jolly. So I sat back and waited. About 20 or 30 miles out of town, we pulled onto a lonesome road and stopped.

[Chandler Gosden]

Here we at.

[Sam Spade]

Well, just where are we and why now?

[Chandler Gosden]

Don't blow your top. Kristoff told me to take you out here and to give you this.

[Sam Spade]

Oh. What's on the envelope?

[Chandler Gosden]

Money. Two grand.

[Sam Spade]

The big Zack. Well, that's a lot of grands. They're going to do a lot for you.

[Chandler Gosden]

You're going to take it and keep going north. 48 hours will be long enough.

[Sam Spade]

Just so you keep out of Frisco. Well, just so you know how I stand, I'm going back.

[Chandler Gosden]

You know, I was hoping you'd say that.

[Sam Spade]

Now I can do things my own. He pulled out a long black SAP and started wielding. The first cut just grazed my head and smashed into my shoulder. I blocked his second blow and moved in for some close work. The third time he swung at me, his arm caught an overhead tree branch and that was his undoing. He took four or five and then went down and out. I searched him, and his billfold revealed that he was Joseph Kowalski, late of Chicago, Illinois. The cards and addresses it contained left little doubt that Kowalski was in the rackets. I threw him in the car and drove back to town and police headquarters. He was awake by then and I had to drag him into the hall.

[Lieutenant J.F. Randall]

You want him locked up, Sam? What for?

[Sam Spade]

Assault and battery, assault with a deadly weapon, assault with intent to murder, mayhem, anything. You can't lock me up. I didn't do any of those things. Anyway, if I did do him, it was in San Martin county, not Frisco.

[Lieutenant J.F. Randall]

Sam, I don't know what I can do. He's got to do something in Our jurisdiction.

[Chandler Gosden]

Sure. See?

[Sam Spade]

All righty. Pick my pocket on the way into town. Here, Kowalski. What? Say, look. He's got my wallet in his hand right now. Why have all the brazen lawbreakers? Are you going to let him get away with this? Walking right into headquarters with the evidence in his hand. Oh, wait a minute.

[Monte Kristoff]

Come on.

[Lieutenant J.F. Randall]

Come on, Kowalski. We go pretty hard on pickpockets in this town.

[Chandler Gosden]

I'm being claimed.

[Sam Spade]

I want a lawyer.

[Chandler Gosden]

Get me a telephone.

[Sam Spade]

He was dragged away protesting. He got no sympathy from me. He started Lieutenant Randall, then teletyped Chicago to find out more about him. In about an hour the report came back.

[Lieutenant J.F. Randall]

I won't read his whole record, Sam, but he's paid for everything. They say he's clean. However, it does say he was the bodyguard for a man named Barney Moffat. Says Moffat was a shady business operator picked up several times. Nothing hung on him. He left town about the same time Kowalski did. He's listed as undesirable, but he's not wanted.

[Sam Spade]

Thanks, Lieutenant. If a man named Barney Moffat had a hood named Joseph Kowalski as a bodyguard and they both disappeared from Chicago at the same time, the obvious conclusion was conclusively obvious. I drove the limousine back to Kristof's estate. But as I parked the car, my headlights hit another car. There was someone getting into it. Mrs. Chandler Gosling?

[Effie]

Who are you? What do you think you're doing?

[Sam Spade]

Remember me? Sam Spade.

[Virginia Gosden]

Oh, Detective, yes.

[Effie]

What are you following me for?

[Sam Spade]

What were you doing in Kristoff's house? I thought he was a. Wasn't a friend of yours or your husband, Mr. Spade?

[Virginia Gosden]

Get in, Please. Let's talk.

[Sam Spade]

Okay, spill it.

[Virginia Gosden]

It's none of your business what I was doing in there. Whatever it was, I want you to forget you ever saw me.

[Sam Spade]

That'll be pretty hard to do.

[Lieutenant J.F. Randall]

Would money help you in this case?

[Chandler Gosden]

No.

[Virginia Gosden]

What do you care what happens to my life or Chan's or Kristoff's?

[Sam Spade]

Because your husband's paying me to worry.

[Virginia Gosden]

All right. But if I were you, I'd just forget that you ever met any of us. Because this mess we're in is so bad that nothing you or anybody else can do is going to get us out of trouble.

[Sam Spade]

With that. She burst out crying and I couldn't get anything else out of her. So I let her go and she drove off. I walked up to Kristof's house, knocked on the door and a servant opened it a couple of steps inside. When six pairs of arms grabbed me, some of them had fists on the Struggle was just getting lively when Kristof appeared.

[Chandler Gosden]

Let him go.

[Sam Spade]

Let him go. Well, I don't appreciate this kind of treatment. Kristoff, you weren't it, Sven?

[Monte Kristoff]

All right, men, take a walk.

[Sam Spade]

Now, what's it all about?

[Monte Kristoff]

It was my orders if you ever showed up here again.

[Sam Spade]

Why'd you soften?

[Monte Kristoff]

I just heard about Kowalski. You managed that very well. I admire resourcefulness. How would you like to work for me?

[Sam Spade]

No, thanks. Moffat.

[Monte Kristoff]

Moffat?

[Sam Spade]

Barney Moffat, late of Chicago and the rackets.

[Monte Kristoff]

So you know, huh?

[Sam Spade]

Well, I wasn't sure until just now. But you cleared up the doubt.

[Monte Kristoff]

How much do you know?

[Sam Spade]

Very little. Just that you were a shady operator. But nobody's looking for you or anything.

[Monte Kristoff]

Sved. I did a lot of things. Several years at tightrope walking with the law. But I never did anything they could jail me for.

[Sam Spade]

I have an idea you're considering doing something in the near future.

[Monte Kristoff]

What makes you say that?

[Sam Spade]

Well, it's a vendetta, isn't it? Monte Kristoff and Bertuccio the steward and the Dantes Corporation. You couldn't resist the drama, could you? All from Dumas novel.

[Chandler Gosden]

But why?

[Sam Spade]

Why do you want to play the Count of Monte Cristo? What did Gosden do to you to merit all this revenge?

[Monte Kristoff]

Tomorrow. It'll be over tomorrow.

[Sam Spade]

And with that, he clutched at his heart and fell forward at my feet.

[Narrator]

You are listening to the weekly adventure of radio's most famous detective, Sam sp. Three chimes mean good times on NBC. If you've been searching for mystery on Saturday night, put away your magnifying glass and follow these clues. Dial this NBC station tomorrow evening and listen for the chimes. And then you'll be off on a perilous trip with the Man Called X starring Herbert Marshall. And if you've been searching for music, too, on Saturday, then Eileen Wilson is your dish as she stars in your hit parade with Snooki Lanson and Raymond Scott's orchestra. And now back to the Vendetta caper or the Revenge of Monte Kristoff, Tonight's adventure with Sam Spade.

[Sam Spade]

I bent over and listened to his heart. It was okay. Monte Kristoff had just keeled over. Apparently from a crescendo of emotion, he blacked out. I didn't want to be held up by his henchmen, so I left the room and walked out of the house without calling anybody. I walked down the road and good luck. There was an empty cab cruising along at Chandler Gosden's. I found him pacing the living room in a state of physical and mental disorder. I told him what I knew.

[Chandler Gosden]

Vendetta. Why? I never heard of him. I never did anything to the man.

[Sam Spade]

Why would your wife go and see him?

[Chandler Gosden]

I don't know.

[Sam Spade]

Why don't you ask her?

[Chandler Gosden]

Because she hasn't been home all day and here it is, one o' clock in the morning, she still isn't in.

[Sam Spade]

Tell me, is there something special happening tomorrow? Kristoff seemed to think that everything would be settled tomorrow.

[Chandler Gosden]

It's our annual corporation election. Just a matter of form. I'm elected president. A few other people voted into office. Always the same people.

[Sam Spade]

Then he must plan to swing the election his way. Maybe put you in office.

[Chandler Gosden]

He's got a fat chance of that. I don't care how much stock he buys. Ginny owns 10%. I own 41. That's 51%. If he bought 49% in the open market, that still wouldn't be enough. We could still outvote him.

[Sam Spade]

You're sure you've got the stock in your position?

[Chandler Gosden]

I saw it last week when I was down in the hall looking for my birth certificate. Stupid me. Forgot I don't have a birth certificate. No, that must be Edson. My lawyer called and said he had something on his mind. Chandler. Chandler, I have bad news for you. It can wait.

[Sam Spade]

No.

[Chandler Gosden]

No, it can't. This is Sam Spade. Ralph itz.

[Sam Spade]

How do you do?

[Chandler Gosden]

Spade. Now, Chan, listen to me. All right, what's my biting? You?

[Sam Spade]

Just this.

[Chandler Gosden]

We're liable to lose that election tomorrow.

[Sam Spade]

What?

[Chandler Gosden]

What are you talking about? We can't. I just found out that Monte Kristoff has 59% of the voting stock in Gosden Electric. 15. He can't have it.

[Monte Kristoff]

Oh, look.

[Chandler Gosden]

Wait a minute. Wait a minute. If my wife sold her stock, he could have 59, couldn't he?

[Sam Spade]

He could.

[Chandler Gosden]

Spade.

[Sam Spade]

Hmm?

[Chandler Gosden]

Are you positive you saw her coming.

[Sam Spade]

Out of Kristoff's house? I'm afraid I did.

[Chandler Gosden]

I'm gonna find her. I'm gonna find her, and if she sold any of her stock to Kristoff, I'll kill her.

[Sam Spade]

I tried to dissuade him, but he brushed me and the lawyer aside, ran out of the house. I called the police and told them to try and find Virginia Gosden before her husband did. Then I went looking myself. The first place I tried was Monty Kristoff's mansion. There were lights on, so I entered, gun in hand. I didn't have any time to dicker with servants and bodyguards. Kristoff appeared in a matter of seconds.

[Monte Kristoff]

All right, Spade, what is it you want now?

[Sam Spade]

Virginia Gosmer.

[Monte Kristoff]

She hasn't been here since the last time you saw her.

[Sam Spade]

You know where she is?

[Monte Kristoff]

Haven't any idea.

[Sam Spade]

Well, if you know, tell me. Her husband's looking for her with homicide in his eyes.

[Monte Kristoff]

I can't say I'm sorry.

[Sam Spade]

Well, that's a nice sentiment. She sold you her stock in the Guzman company, didn't she?

[Monte Kristoff]

Since you seem to know about it, yes.

[Sam Spade]

Why? She in love with you?

[Monte Kristoff]

I think maybe she is.

[Sam Spade]

And you're in love with her.

[Monte Kristoff]

She's a stupid, empty headed nothing. I can't stand the sight of her.

[Sam Spade]

I hate her. I. Hold it now. You'll knock yourself out again. Yes? Yes.

[Monte Kristoff]

Come over here. Take a good look at that.

[Sam Spade]

It's a pillow. An ordinary pillow.

[Monte Kristoff]

So you notice how dirty it is?

[Sam Spade]

Yeah.

[Monte Kristoff]

Notice that it isn't even stuffed with feathers. They were too good. It's stuffed with dirty cotton rags. Well, my father's head was lying on that pillow when he died. I've kept it ever since as a reminder of who killed him.

[Sam Spade]

Who did?

[Monte Kristoff]

A man named Elwood Gosden. A man who cheated and lied and stole everything he had in his life.

[Sam Spade]

Chandler's father, huh? Yes.

[Monte Kristoff]

My father and Elwood Gosden had a hardware store once. My father invented an electric iron. Ever heard of the Gosden iron? Yeah, it should have been the Moffat iron. Elwood Gosden stole the plans for my father, registered them first, and then drove my father out of business. He made a fortune out of it and then went into other electrical appliances.

[Sam Spade]

Well, things are beginning to gel now.

[Monte Kristoff]

My father became a peddler and died poor and broke and ill. My mother died 20 years before she should have from overwork while the Gosdens grew fat and respected on the Moffat brains.

[Sam Spade]

So you started Joe Vendetta, huh?

[Monte Kristoff]

I started it. The day my father died, I set out to make one thing in this world. Money. And I made it in handfuls. You can look me up. Barney Moffat. Chicago gambling, black markets, gun running, slave trading. Anything and everything that had a big profit in it. And then I set out for San Francisco to break that cretin son of Elwoods and his whole family.

[Sam Spade]

And on the way you lost a guy named Barney Moffat.

[Monte Kristoff]

What difference?

[Sam Spade]

Look, you've got money now and everything you need. Why go on with it?

[Monte Kristoff]

I don't care anything about money. I only want to use it against them. Do you know why I had all those parties?

[Sam Spade]

To buy stock from people.

[Monte Kristoff]

Yes, stock in the Gosden Company. I paid Twice. Three times what the shares were worth. But right Now I own 59% of the Gosden enterprises. And tomorrow morning when the two of us meet at the stockholders meeting, I'm going to vote him out of office and take over the company. And then I'm going to drive it right into bankruptcy.

[Sam Spade]

And you got Mrs. Gosden's stock by making her fall in love with you? I had to.

[Monte Kristoff]

Don't let's talk about it anymore.

[Sam Spade]

About Chandler Gosden. He's a man with a very short and violent temper. He might come gunning for you.

[Monte Kristoff]

That's just what I hope he does. Ask the man at the door to show you out.

[Sam Spade]

I spent most of the night trying to find Virginia Gosden with no luck. Chandler didn't return to his house, so I didn't know what he was up to. It was early the following day when I got my first report. Lieutenant Randall called me down to police headquarters.

[Lieutenant J.F. Randall]

We found her. Spade.

[Sam Spade]

Dead or alive?

[Lieutenant J.F. Randall]

Oh, about halfway in between. She was shot in the chest at close range, gun right up against her. But she's still living.

[Sam Spade]

And what are her chances, fam? Where'd you find her?

[Lieutenant J.F. Randall]

In a walk up apartment on Polk Street. It was registered to her. Looked like a love nest. A place where she met a boyfriend or something. No weapon.

[Sam Spade]

I see.

[Lieutenant J.F. Randall]

I figure murder attempt. Her husband. We have a pickup on him right now, but so far he's vanished.

[Sam Spade]

Shame.

[Lieutenant J.F. Randall]

Fine old San Francisco family. What do you know, Sam?

[Sam Spade]

Well, give me a free hand for a couple of hours, will you? Maybe I can do something for this fine old San Francisco family. I had no more idea than the police where Chandler Gosden was at the moment, but I had a good idea where he might be. Later in the morning, I put a call into Ralph Edson, his lawyer. The stockholders meeting of the Gosden Company was to be held at 11 o' clock at their executive office. Edson got me in, and at five minutes to 11, Monty Kristoff walked in. There were three of us. None of us spoke. We just sat around a long polished table, alternately watching the clock and the door. At 11:3, the door opened. Chandler Gosden stood there, rumpled, red eyed, vicious. He had a gun.

[Chandler Gosden]

The first man who moves is gonna get a bullet right in the face. Chandler, for heaven's sake, shut up.

[Sam Spade]

Is that the gun you tried to kill your wife with?

[Chandler Gosden]

It's the gun. But I didn't try to kill her. She did it herself. Because he drove her to it.

[Sam Spade]

Me?

[Chandler Gosden]

Yeah, you.

[Lieutenant J.F. Randall]

Kristoff.

[Chandler Gosden]

You were meeting her in an apartment. Don't think I've been dumb.

[Monte Kristoff]

Put the gun away and let's get down to business.

[Chandler Gosden]

Are you kidding? I got the same gun she used on herself and I'm gonna use it on you.

[Monte Kristoff]

Well, stop talking and get it over with.

[Chandler Gosden]

You act as if you want me to do it. All right, Edson, Spade, clear out of here.

[Sam Spade]

Gas, and use your head.

[Chandler Gosden]

I said get out of here. Now, go on.

[Sam Spade]

Okay, but don't take your eye off him. He's got a gun in his pocket.

[Chandler Gosden]

Don't worry, I won't. You were working for him.

[Narrator]

Working for him all along.

[Chandler Gosden]

Everybody was. No.

[Sam Spade]

Now listen to me. He wanted you to kill him. He doesn't care about himself. He just wanted you to be put away for murder.

[Monte Kristoff]

Spade, this is our affair, not yours.

[Sam Spade]

Now look, both of you, shut up and listen. This is a tough thing to try to settle something that's been boiling up in you, Moffat, ever since you can remember. You spent all of your grown up life trying to get back at the wrong man. It appealed to some ironical sense of yours to carry out the Monte Cristo revenge story. Now let me ask you this. You remember all about Monte Cristo and how he ruined the people who had ruined his life. And how his father died heartbroken. But do you remember the end of that book?

[Monte Kristoff]

Go on.

[Sam Spade]

He found that he couldn't bring himself to revenge the wrongdoings of families on their innocent children.

[Monte Kristoff]

That reads good enough book. But I don't feel that way.

[Sam Spade]

Well, maybe you will when you hear this. What? This man right here that you spent 20 years getting ready to ruin is not even a Gosden.

[Chandler Gosden]

What?

[Sam Spade]

He's an adopted son. Elwood Gosden adopted him from an Oakland Orphanage on October 11, 1907. I got the records to prove it this morning.

[Chandler Gosden]

I don't believe it. I would have known.

[Sam Spade]

Mr. Edson. You've always been the family lawyer. Isn't this true? It was a long chance that Edson would play along with it. But to bring it off, it needed the final clincher. Lawyer. Edson looked at me, then looked at Chandler. Gosden. He gulped and licked his lips.

[Chandler Gosden]

It's true. It's true. Chandler adopted.

[Monte Kristoff]

Your father. Never wanted you to know.

[Sam Spade]

Chandler didn't move. He just stood there, stunned. But Barney Moffat sank down into a chair and buried his head in his hands. Edson and I looked at each other and waited. Finally, Kristoff looked up and spoke.

[Monte Kristoff]

Start the meeting, Mr. Edson.

[Chandler Gosden]

I hereby declare the annual stockholders meeting of the Gosden Company Open, Mr. Gosden. I don't care what happens now. I bow to the majority stockholder.

[Monte Kristoff]

Oh, Mr. Christopher.

[Chandler Gosden]

I beg your pardon, Mr. Moffitt.

[Monte Kristoff]

As the majority stockholder, I vote that the chairmanship of the Gosden Electrical Corporation remain as it has for the past 20 years with Chandler Gostin.

[Sam Spade]

Period. End of report.

[Effie]

Oh, Sam, you were magnificent.

[Sam Spade]

It was rather a stirring scene, wasn't it?

[Effie]

I was good, but it was superb. It really was. Did he sign over the stock and everything?

[Sam Spade]

Oh, he did indeed.

[Effie]

Oh, Sam, do you think the world will ever get to a time when everybody has all he wants and instead of trying to get more, everybody spends his time just. Just trying to enjoy life?

[Sam Spade]

Well, you know best, Effie.

[Effie]

Do you really believe that, Sam?

[Sam Spade]

Well, you gotta believe something. It's better than nothing, I guess I.

[Effie]

Have a theory too, Sam.

[Sam Spade]

Well, spout it out.

[Effie]

Well, if everybody in the world picks somebody else to be nice to, there'll never be any more trouble anywhere.

[Sam Spade]

How do you figure that?

[Effie]

Well, before you can be nice to somebody, you have to think nice thoughts, see? And once you start thinking nice thoughts, well, you can see how silly the bad ones are.

[Sam Spade]

Effie, come here. You know, I might just put you up as a candidate for a chair of philosophy at Columbia.

[Effie]

Oh, Sam. I know who you picked out to be nice to me.

[Sam Spade]

True.

[Effie]

And I picked you. Good night, Sam.

[Sam Spade]

Good night, sweetheart.

[Narrator]

Tonight's transcribed adventure of Sam Spade was produced, edited and directed by William Speer. Sam Spade was played by Stephen Dunn. Loreen Tuttle as Effie. Script for tonight's adventure by John Michael Hayes. Musical scoring by Lud Gluskin conducted by Robert Armbruster. Join us again next week, same time, for another adventure with Sam Spade. Tomorrow, Dennis Day and Judy Canova entertain you on NBC.