Podcast Summary: Pat Novak for Hire: "Fleet Lady"

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode Date: December 5, 2025
Original Airdate: March 6, 1949

Overview

This episode presents the classic noir detective drama Pat Novak for Hire in the story "Fleet Lady." Set against the foggy piers and racetracks of San Francisco, Pat Novak is enlisted by a jittery jockey to find a missing racehorse, only to quickly become embroiled in a tangled web of deception, murder, and fixed gambling. The episode delivers razor-sharp dialogue, tough-as-nails characters, and a twisting mystery in true pulp radio style.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Unfolding

1. The Job: Jockey Jackie Greg and the Missing Horse

• Pat Novak introduces his hard-luck, cash-for-anything waterfront services. He is approached by Jackie Greg, a nervous jockey, who offers him $200 to find a horse named "Fleet Lady," due to run the next day's Bonanza Handicap.
  • Quote (Pat Novak, 01:36): "Because down on the waterfront in San Francisco there's a price tag on everything."
• Jackie claims someone stole Fleet Lady, trailing a van to the waterfront, but losing it at the Ferry Building. Suspiciously, he can't explain his stake beyond "Maybe I love horses."

2. Enter Sybil Thornton: Femme Fatale Owner

• Novak's search leads him to Fleet Lady’s owner, Sybil Thornton, at the racetrack. Their flirtatious but guarded exchange sets up Sybil as a classic noir femme fatale with ambiguous motives.
  • Quote (Sybil, 05:20): "No. You lean nicely but you'd probably feel safer with a platform."
• Upon inspecting Fleet Lady’s stall, instead of the horse, they find Jackie Greg dead—shot in the back (08:38). Sybil is cagey, and the scene strongly implicates both her and Novak.

3. Hellman and the Set-Up

• Inspector Hellman arrives, hostile as ever toward Novak, presuming him guilty due to the circumstances; Novak rails at Hellman’s incompetence and lack of impartiality, highlighting their caustic relationship.
  • Quote (Pat Novak, 10:00): “Hellman, you ought to run an idiot. The heavy thinking's too much for you.”

4. A Tangled Web: Key Suspects and Red Herrings

• Jocko Madigan, Novak’s boozy ex-doctor friend, is enlisted to check the horse gambling scene for clues, while Novak investigates Sybil's background—a well-married divorcee involved with shady gambling kingpin Rudy Hauser.
• Novak ruffles feathers with Rudy, suspecting him of fixing the race with a ringer horse and dangerous intentions.
• Hellman finds a picture of Sybil in Greg's wallet, suggesting a personal connection (19:09).

5. Race Day: Odds Against the Truth

• Jocko learns Fleet Lady is a huge underdog. At the racetrack, Novak notices Rudy betting heavily on rival horses, inflating odds for Fleet Lady, while Sybil acts nervous and evasive.
• Fleet Lady runs the race against expectations—contrary to assumptions she was dead—exposing the complexity of the ruse (26:06).

6. Climax: The Scheme Unravels

• In the stables post-race, as Sybil tries to flee, Rudy confronts her at gunpoint, realizing he has been double-crossed—his $100,000 in bets are lost when Fleet Lady runs and loses (27:39-28:14).
  • Quote (Rudy Hauser, 27:46): "You let me drop a hundred grand because you ran Fleet Lady."
• A struggle results in Rudy’s accidental death, trampled by the horse.

7. The Reveal – Motive and Murder Explained

• Ronnie Stark, Sybil's bookie accomplice, reveals Sybil killed Jackie Greg to cover her scheme—she'd let Rudy think Fleet Lady was dead to boost the odds and took his bets through Stark (29:04).
  • Quote (Ronnie, 29:19): "A dead girl can't spend 40 grand. She killed your guy, copper, and tried to palm it off on Novak. I was there, so I'll testify."
• The original plan? Substitute a fast "ringer" for Fleet Lady and fix the race. But Hauser’s gunman mistakenly killed the real ringer, not Fleet Lady, throwing the scheme into chaos.

Notable Quotes & Classic Noir Humor

• Novak on Trouble (01:47):
  "Because that's one thing you can't duck. It's like trying to dance the minuet in skis. And the best trouble always looks good from the outside."
• Jocko’s poetic reflection (13:38):
  "There's nothing in nature so sad as a half empty bottle. It's like a broken vow or an unfulfilled promise in the skies. A falling star. Almost."
• Novak on Odds (23:01):
  "That's because you killed one of the jockeys. The rest of the people have a more casual interest."
• Hellman on Novak (10:03):
  "We come out here and find a dead man with you kicking up dust 40ft away."

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:09–02:34]: Jackie Greg introduces the missing horse plot to Novak
• [05:09–06:36]: First meeting between Novak and Sybil Thornton; they find the body
• [08:00–10:03]: Hellman arrives and accuses Novak; reveals murder scene details
• [13:07–15:22]: Jocko and Novak discuss the case and Novak’s potential doom
• [16:03–18:28]: Novak digs into Sybil and Rudy's backgrounds; confrontations
• [19:09–20:18]: Hellman reveals Sybil’s photo in Greg’s wallet, timeline investigations
• [25:41–26:54]: Race begins; Jocko’s betting and shifting odds; Fleet Lady unexpectedly runs
• [27:31–28:25]: Rudy’s shakedown of Sybil turns deadly; Rudy is trampled
• [28:47–29:30]: Ronnie exposes Sybil’s involvement and the complete scam
• [29:56–31:23]: Novak narrates the full unraveling, motives, and who did what

Memorable Moments

• The Classic Riffing: Novak and Jocko spar with their signature sardonic banter, maintaining the episode’s dry, fatalistic wit.
• Plot Twists: The fake-out with the dead horse, double-crosses, and surprise ending (“the horse that killed Hauser was a filly”—31:23) maintain suspense, typical of noir storytelling.
• Pat Novak’s Last Word (29:56): “Well, Hellman finally worked it out. Started out as a fixed race. And when they were all through, it was up to the horse.”

Conclusion

"Fleet Lady" exemplifies Golden Age radio noir, packed with complex characters, fast talk, and a twisting plot set amid petty criminals and shady racetrack dealings. With sardonic narration, memorable supporting players, and a heap of double-crosses, Pat Novak turns the case on its head—proving in classic noir fashion, you can fix a race, but in the end, you can’t beat the horses… or the house.