Podcast Summary
Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Episode: The Falcon: The Case of the Babbling Brooks (07/06/1952)
Date: December 18, 2025
Host: Choice Classic Radio
Episode Overview
This episode follows Mike Waring, a.k.a. the Falcon, in “The Case of the Babbling Brooks.” The radio drama—set in post-war London—unfolds a tale of espionage, romantic entanglements, double-crosses, and murder. Waring becomes entangled in a deadly web involving stolen military secrets, a cunning femme fatale, and a duplicitous adversary, culminating in a tension-filled showdown with tragic consequences.
Key Discussion Points & Narrative Breakdown
1. Introduction to the Case and Key Players
- Setting: London, post-war, intrigue-laden atmosphere.
- Mike Waring (The Falcon): Summoned to London to investigate a murder tied to military secrets.
- Chris Draper: Secretary at the U.S. Embassy—complex and morally conflicted.
- Robert Vaughan: Soviet agent and Chris’s lover, manipulative and ruthless.
- Alfie Brooks: Porter/cleaner at the Embassy, unwitting blackmailer.
- Colonel Logan: American military attaché, Chris’s boss.
- Inspector Heathcliff: Scotland Yard investigator.
“Someone committed murder there and I'm supposed to accept the defense? Yeah, he claims he knows nothing about it because at the time he was in a fog.”
— Mike Waring, [00:46]
2. Chris's Betrayal and Espionage Plot (01:42–06:44)
- Chris is revealed as a double agent, passing sensitive information to Vaughan.
- She struggles with guilt, questioning her motives and the morality of her actions, yet coerced by love and compromise.
- Vaughan pressures her for secret tank plans; Chris resists due to increased police scrutiny but eventually yields.
“Let's not kid each other. I'm a traitor.”
— Chris Draper, [03:08]
- Alfie Brooks catches Chris with a camera in Colonel Logan's office. She bribes him to keep quiet, setting later events in motion.
3. Brooks Attempts Blackmail (09:08–11:24)
- Sensing an opportunity, Brooks tries to blackmail Vaughan for £500, hinting he knows Chris is up to espionage.
- Vaughan barely contains his annoyance, agrees to the deal, and arranges a 3:30 a.m. meeting at Brooks’s home—while slyly setting up an unbreakable alibi with Colonel Logan.
“Suppose we say £500?”
— Alfie Brooks, [10:43]
- Chris and Vaughan plot Brooks’s murder, with Chris as the reluctant assassin and Vaughan instructing her to plant Mike Waring’s cufflink as a false lead.
4. The Murder and the Frame-up (16:32–20:48)
- Chris kills Brooks. She leaves Waring’s cufflink by the body, as rehearsed.
- Waring arrives at the crime scene, meets Inspector Heathcliff, and finds himself the prime suspect due to the planted cufflink.
“Well, let's see it... Well, it could stand for Mike Waring, couldn't it?”
— Mike Waring & Inspector Heathcliff, [20:00–20:06]
- Waring reveals to the inspector that he suspects Vaughan stole the cufflink in Vienna two weeks earlier with the intent to frame him.
5. Vagaries of Alibi and Twist of Fate (21:46–24:23)
- Vaughan provides an alibi: that at 3:30 a.m., he was with Colonel Logan, playing chess.
- Big Ben's chimes corroborate the alibi; Inspector Heathcliff is convinced.
- Waring is unable to disprove it and is left at risk of prosecution.
“At 3:30 last night I was with Colonel Logan, the American attache.”
— Robert Vaughan, [22:44]
6. Final Revelations and Tragic Justice (25:17–29:13)
- The investigators seek confirmation from Colonel Logan, only to find him dead of a heart attack, eliminating the only potential alibi witness.
- Under mounting pressure, Vaughan pins the murder solely on Chris, suggesting Brooks tried to blackmail her.
- Chris, overcome and feeling cornered, shoots Vaughan and confesses her espionage and despair. Inspector Heathcliff declares Vaughan dead.
“I'm not angry, Robert. I always knew you'd cut my throat someday. But you taught me a lot too... Well, I'm over that.”
— Chris Draper, [26:56]
- Waring and Heathcliff reflect on the case’s ironies: a frame-up, a fragile alibi lost to fate, and the bleak costs of betrayal.
“Kind of ironic, wasn't it?... Vaughan's alibi turning on Colonel Logan. And the colonel dying of a heart attack before he could testify.”
— Inspector Heathcliff, [28:01]
- The episode closes with Waring receiving new orders to investigate mysterious deaths in Rome.
Memorable Quotes & Moments
- On Moral Compromise:
“You don't think I'm going to commit murder?”
— Chris Draper, [12:11] - On Being Framed:
“Well, it could stand for Mike Waring, couldn't it?”
— Inspector Heathcliff, [20:06] - On Justice & Fate:
“Too bad, too, because it was really a nice twist. While Vaughan is with the colonel, Chris killed Brooks.”
— Mike Waring, [28:09]
Notable Timestamps
- 00:46: Mike Waring introduced and foreshadowing of the murder case
- 01:42: Chris’s character and espionage motives explored
- 06:44: Chris bribes Brooks, Brooks accepts
- 09:08–11:24: Brooks's blackmail pitch, Vaughan plots deadly reply
- 16:32–18:52: Chess match, Brooks’s murder recounted
- 20:00–21:15: Discovery of the planted cufflink, Waring under suspicion
- 22:44: Vaughan’s alibi established
- 25:17: Visit to Colonel Logan, his unexpected death
- 26:56–27:39: Chris confronts and kills Vaughan
- 28:01–28:21: Final reflection on the tragic outcome
- 29:04: Waring receives new, ominous orders for Rome
Tone and Atmosphere
The tone is classic noir—cynical, world-weary, with sharp banter and deep moral ambiguity. The episode flows through suspense, irony, and a touch of melancholy as the darker realities of espionage consume all involved.
Conclusion
This taut episode of The Falcon delivers a full complement of post-war intrigue: betrayals, tragic downfalls, red herrings, and the cold calculus of espionage. With clever plotting and memorable performances, it’s a standout entry from the Golden Age of Radio’s detective canon.
End of Summary