Podcast Summary: "The Fat Man 46-09-09 (034) The Crooked Horse"

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Host: Harolds Old Time Radio
Episode Air Date: October 8, 2025 (original radio play 1946)
Golden Age Classic: The Fat Man, "The Crooked Horse"

Episode Overview

This episode of "The Fat Man" delves into an atmospheric detective thriller set in a hotel, involving espionage, murder, and a missing secret formula. The hard-boiled private detective, Brad Runyon (aka The Fat Man), is pulled into a labyrinthine plot by a mysterious woman claiming to be a U.S. secret agent. A vanished body, unreliable witnesses, and international intrigue unravel as Runyon sets out to untangle a web of lies and murder.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. The Mysterious Murder in Room 610

• [02:58–04:03]
  A woman, Miss Farley, seeks out Runyon, insisting she witnessed a murder the previous night in hotel room 610. Yet, the body—and any evidence—has vanished.

  • Memorable description: "The girl wasn’t beautiful, but there was a straightforwardness about her… I liked her."
    —Runyon, [01:38]

• [03:20] She recounts hearing code phrases—"a thousand and one pardons, but have you the time? ... The time is now... White... Black..."—before a "popping noise," a groan, and running footsteps.

2. Conflicting Testimonies & Early Clues

• [06:11–07:11]
  Runyon confronts the night clerk, but the clerk insists he never saw the woman and that room 610 was reserved.
  • Notable exchange:
    • "A popular room, isn't it?" —Runyon
    • "Afraid I don't follow you." —Clerk

3. Espionage Revealed

• [13:16]
  The woman reveals herself to be a U.S. secret agent on an urgent mission, admitting she was eavesdropping on the next room with a cocktail glass.

  • "I'm a United States secret agent." —Miss Farley, [13:16]
  • She cannot show identification, explaining, "Obviously, I can't carry identification when I'm on a mission. I'm completely on my own." [13:19]

• She explains the murdered man was a foreign agent supposed to pick up a secret formula from an American contact, but was apparently killed by an imposter.

4. The Missing Formula & More Deaths

• [16:17–18:18]

  • Runyon suspects the night clerk is the hidden agent with the formula.
  • The mysterious Walker checks out, likely suspecting the setup.

• [20:01] The missing body's found staged as a sleeping guest across the hall.

  • "That's the man. The man I followed from the airport." —Miss Farley, [20:01]

• [21:00–22:00] The search continues. The bodies begin to pile up—a clear sign of convoluted espionage intrigue.

5. Violence Escalates and The Secret Hiding Place

• [23:47–24:05]
  Miss Farley is attacked and tied up by the murderer, later rescued by Runyon.

• [25:03–26:34]
  Runyon deduces the formula wasn’t hidden as a typical piece of paper.

  • Memorable reveal:
    • "The easiest way in the world to fool people is by what you might call misplaced attention." —Runyon, [25:04]
    • He notices the wallpaper's haphazard alignment and discovers the formula written on the back of a strip behind the bed.

6. Final Showdown

• [26:39–27:47] The imposter (Walker) returns, gun in hand, trying to seize the formula. Runyon uses quick thinking and physically overpowers Walker, saving the secret.

  • ”This life is made up of chance, sweetheart. Besides, I used to drop kick from my college football team.” —Runyon, [27:54]

• [28:02–29:21] Miss Farley pleads with Runyon to hand over the formula.

  • "But you can’t give it to me. I've got to return it, don’t you see? Please, quickly, before somebody comes." —Miss Farley Runyon, unsure of her true allegiance, decides to turn it over himself to Washington.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Cynicism about detective work:
  "The life of a real detective isn’t made up of silk dressing gowns, briar pipes and intricate clues any more than the life of a real son soldier is made up of pretty uniforms." —Runyon, [01:00]

• On the murder and the vanished body:
  "The body of the dead man is gone. The hotel doesn't think there was a murder..." —Miss Farley, [03:10]

• Sound of murder described:
  "I heard a soft popping noise. As if someone had shut off a very weak firecracker. Then I heard a groan of pain and the slam of a door..." —Miss Farley, [04:54]

• On misplaced suspicion:
  "You know, a cocktail glass with water on it makes a swell Dictaphone. If you press the glass against the wall, put your ear to the stem." —Runyon, [11:52]

• Discovery of the formula:
  "Here, look here at this strip of paper behind the bed. See this figure of a horse? The horse is split in two where the paper joins..." —Runyon, [25:47]

• Coded suspense and closure:
  "The fate of a nation is riding again. Are you drunk? What's that mean? It means that I’ve got to make a very important trip to Washington, O'Hara." —Runyon, [29:25]

Key Timestamps

• 00:46 – Introduction of The Fat Man (Brad Runyon)
• 02:58 – The girl reports the murder in room 610
• 04:30 – The coded conversation (‘white’/‘black’) and gunshot
• 06:11 – Confrontation with the night clerk
• 13:16 – Woman reveals she’s a secret agent
• 16:25 – Runyon suspects the night clerk as the foreign agent
• 20:01 – Discovery of the body staged in another room
• 23:47 – The woman is attacked and tied up
• 25:11 – The misdirected clue: wallpaper’s “crooked horse”
• 27:43 – Final confrontation with Walker
• 28:29 – Runyon decides to hand-deliver the formula to Washington himself

Tone & Style

The episode is a rich example of hard-boiled detective fiction, with snappy dialogue, dry wit, and a sense of atmospheric paranoia befitting wartime espionage tales. Brad Runyon’s narration is self-deprecating and sardonic but ultimately principled and sympathetic.

Conclusion

This story offers a tightly-woven mix of classic detective tropes and cloak-and-dagger espionage. Through twists, double-crosses, and the clever deduction involving a crooked horse on the wallpaper, "The Crooked Horse" captures the suspense and misdirection that mark the best of Golden Age radio mysteries. Runyon’s detective instincts—and his human judgment—save the day, as the fate of a secret formula and the nation hang in the balance.