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Philip Marlowe: Red Wind (Encore) (EP4594) - The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio| Daily Mystery Dramas | Wave AI Podcast Notes

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Philip Marlowe: Red Wind (Encore) (EP4594)

The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio| Daily Mystery Dramas

Tue Jan 07 2025

Today's Myster: Marlowe witnesses a murder and is drawn into the problems of a woman being blackmailed. Original Air Date: September 26, 1948Originating in Hollywood Starring Gerald Mohr as Philip Marlowe Support the show monthly...

Summary

Summary of "Philip Marlowe: Red Wind (Encore)" (EP4594)

Podcast: The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio
Host: Adam Graham
Episode Title: Philip Marlowe: Red Wind (Encore)
Release Date: January 7, 2025

Introduction

In this encore presentation of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, host Adam Graham delves into one of the most acclaimed episodes from the Golden Age of Radio. Highlighting Gerald Moore's portrayal of the iconic private detective, Graham sets the stage for a suspenseful narrative infused with Chandleresque flair.

Background on Gerald Moore and Philip Marlowe

Gerald Moore, renowned for his versatile voice acting, brings Philip Marlowe to life in the CBS radio adaptation. Known for his roles in post-war radio dramas and films, Moore's rendition of Marlowe is celebrated for its depth and authenticity. Adam Graham notes, “Moore's unique voice creates a memorable and powerful Marlowe” (03:24).

Plot Overview

Setting the Scene

The episode opens on a sweltering night in Los Angeles, influenced by the harsh Santa Ana winds. Philip Marlowe, weary from his day's work, decides to unwind with a cold beer. This decision sets off a chain of events that thrust him into a web of mystery and danger.

The Murder at the Bar

Marlowe's visit to the bar takes a dramatic turn when a drunk patron unexpectedly brandishes a gun, leading to a fatal shooting. Marlowe witnesses the aftermath and is promptly approached by a hauntingly beautiful woman named Lola Barsley, clad in a distinctive bolero jacket (03:39 - 07:02).

Encounter with Lola Barsley

Lola Barsley claims innocence but reveals that her husband, a hydroelectric engineer named Frank Barclay, might be involved in the unfolding mystery. She seeks Marlowe's assistance in recovering her stolen pearls, which hold sentimental value as a gift from her late lover, Johnny Dalmas. Marlowe's interaction with Lola is tense, culminating in a confrontation that hints at deeper secrets (07:03 - 15:21).

Discovery and Investigation

As Marlowe delves deeper, he discovers that Waldo, Lola's chauffeur, had been embezzling funds and had connections to both Lola and her husband. The plot thickens with the murder of Leon Velasanos, a man hired to retrieve stolen bills from Waldo. Marlowe's investigation leads him to uncover fake pearls and exposes the intricate lies spun by those involved (17:02 - 25:25).

Climax and Resolution

In a dramatic climax, Marlowe confronts Lola with the truth about the pearls and Waldo's deceit. The episode concludes with Marlowe disposing of the fake pearls, symbolizing the end of the "red wind" turmoil, and restoring calm after the tempestuous events (26:17 - 29:37).

Notable Quotes

Philip Marlowe: "On nights like that, every booze party ends in a fight." (04:11)
Lola Barsley: "I couldn't tell the police." (09:21)
Philip Marlowe: "I put down both glasses slowly so I wouldn't be misunderstood." (08:15)
Lola Barsley: "I love Johnny. Well, you'd love just one time. You understand that?" (15:54)
Philip Marlowe: "I remember Philip Marlow." (27:44)

Host's Commentary and Insights

After the dramatization, Adam Graham reflects on the episode's execution, praising Gerald Moore's energetic performance and the episode's ability to introduce recurring characters effectively. He notes, “This is a strong start for the series and it works as an introduction to Marlow and even Lieutenant Ibarra, who will be a regular character in the series." Graham also addresses listener feedback, acknowledging requests to feature characters like Dick Tracy and promising future inclusions (31:49 - 32:58).

Listener Feedback

The episode received positive responses from listeners, with Richard commending the new incarnation of Marlowe: “This incarnation of Marlo is new to me. It's fantastic. Thank you for broadcasting it.” Additionally, Jeff inquired about the inclusion of Dick Tracy in future episodes, which Graham assured him would be addressed, albeit with some logistical considerations regarding episode formats.

Conclusion and Future Episodes

Adam Graham concludes the episode by inviting listeners to tune in for upcoming adventures, including a feature on Nick Carter the following day and a continuation of Philip Marlowe's stories the subsequent Wednesday. He encourages listener interaction through comments and social media platforms, fostering a community of old-time radio enthusiasts.

Final Thoughts

"Philip Marlowe: Red Wind (Encore)" stands out as a quintessential radio detective story, skillfully blending intrigue, character development, and atmospheric elements. Gerald Moore's portrayal of Marlowe, combined with Adam Graham's insightful commentary, offers both nostalgia and fresh engagement for fans of old-school radio fiction.

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Transcript

Adam Graham (0:28)

Today we're bringing you another encore of an episode based on a book or short story. A reminder that any offers or information mentioned in these older episodes are not valid unless currently displayed on our Great Detectives website. Now enjoy today's encore. Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham. It if you have a comment, send it to me box Thirteenreatetectives.net follow us on Twitter radiodetectives and become one of our friends on Facebook, facebook.com radiodetactives before we do get started, I do want to let you know that today's program is brought to you by the financial support of our listeners. And I especially want to thank Nicholas for her support. We'll send access to the premium site as we do with all donations of $7 or more and you may@support.greatdetectives.net today we're going to get into one of the most lauded Golden Age radio programs, the CBS version of the Adventures of Philip Marlowe. The series starred Gerald Moore. Moore was best known at this point in his career for his character work over radio. He played all sorts of roles with just great power and just a fantastic voice for radio, but he'd also had some film work. He had been the star of the first three post war Lone Wolf movies about Michael Lanyard in 1946 and 47 and even starred in the Lone Wolf radio program. Of course, Philip Marlow and Michael Lanyard were two different characters. In addition, he would also end up narrating the Lone Ranger when it came to television. The Adventures of Philip Marlow this would be to me the series when I most think of Gerald Moore, what comes to me because his unique voice creates a memorable and powerful Marlowe. This is the very first episode of his run and not all of the series best known aspects such as his get this and get it straight introduction are present, but you get a feel for the way the series is going to go. So we begin with CBS's presentation of the Adventures of Philip Marlow in the episode red wind from September 26th of 1948.

Philip Marlowe (3:24)

It was hot, boiling hot that night. I wanted to grab a beer and turn in early. So what happens? I get my beer, but with it comes a gunshot, a beautiful woman in trouble and murder.

Narrator (3:39)

From the pen of Raymond Chandler, outstanding author of crime mysteries. CBS presents his most famous character brought to you now in the Adventures of Philip Barlow with Gerald Moore starred as Philip Barlow. We bring you tonight's unusual story, Red Wind.

Philip Marlowe (4:11)

There was a rough Desert wind blowing into Los Angeles that evening. It was one of those hot, dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that, every booze party ends in a fight. And meek little housewives feel the edge of a carving knife and study their husband's necks. Anything can happen when the Santa Ana blows in from the desert. I closed up my office early. I got tired of reading Philip Marlow, Private Investigator backwards on the ground glass of my office door. So I locked up and decided a nice cold beer would taste good before I went up to my apartment. Fill her up again, Mr. Marlin. Marlowe. Marlin? Yeah. Marlin's a fish. Yeah, I know. Marlon's also the name of a lady on the radio. Marlon, comma Mary. The story of. Yeah, my wife listens to it. Yeah, Good for her. Are you a bartender? Another ride? Yeah. That drunk again. What do you expect in this business? Autograph hounds made us sapping, you hear? Be right with your sport. Gotta draw this man a beer. Crying out loud, these stumble bums. Hey, bud, you got another customer. Backers.

Philip Marlowe (10:23)

I went to the door, making a loud yawning sound. Foolishly, I didn't have my gun. That was a mistake. Because when I opened the door. The guy on the other side certainly had one.22 target automatic. That had already killed one man that night. And I knew the bald head, the flat, shiny eyes. And the face like a poisonous lizard. Baldy put the muzzle of his gun lightly against my throat. I backed into the room and Baldy kicked the door shut. You alone? Look for yourself. I'm asking, not looking. I'm alone. You and that dumb bartender saw me dust off Waldo. What did Waldo do to you? Who's asking? Just making conversation. He stewed on me on a bank job we did together. Got me four years in Michigan. Penn. How is he? Dead. Well, I'm still good, drunk or sober. Tell me why I came here, pal. You heard the bar keeping me talking. I told him my name and where I lived. That's how. Pal, I said. Why skip it? A hangman won't ask you to guess why he's there. You're pretty tough at that, ain't the pal. But you're slamming off. All right, but could you get that gun out of my neck and try somewhere else? Just any place. This better? This suits you? All right. Just so it isn't my neck. Say when, pal. It's your party. I leaned against the gun weakly. The door of the dressing room showed a crack of darkness. The crack widened. I began to shake a little in spite of the heat. The girl came quietly into the room. But there was white all around her irises. She was scared. She had a gun in her hand. But I was sorry for her. Dead sorry. She tried to make the door a scream. Either way, it would be curtains for both of us. Scared, mister? Worried about any little thing? I couldn't talk. The girl floated in the air somewhere behind Paulie and her horrified face was drifting toward us. My mouth was as cold and dry as yesterday's toast. Well, kid, how's it feel? You ready yet? Say the word. Well, don't think all night about it. If you're gonna do something about it, do it. Why not, pal? I like this. Suppose I yell, go ahead? Yeah.

Adam Graham (32:58)

Welcome back. Well, this was essentially the same script as was performed by Van Heflin we listened to about a month ago. And while I thought Heflin did a decent job, this was better performance just in terms of the amount of energy and Moore's overall style. Overall, this is a strong start for the series and it works as an introduction to Marlow and even Lieutenant Ibarra, who will be a regular character in the series. With that, on to some listener comments and feedback. And Richard has this to say. This incarnation of Marlo is new to me. It's fantastic. Thank you for broadcasting it. Well, thanks so much. And that's one thing I really do strive to do, is to just bring people every version of a character. And sometimes it can be, you know, whether it was Sherlock Holmes or Johnny Dollar. I know when we were going through the other series with John Lund and Charles Russell and Edmund O'Brien, I kept getting emails asking me when we were going to get to Bob Bailey. But there were some great episodes and great stories along the way and some hidden gems, even if they haven't become the most commonly played programs. And I think the Van Heflin stories were definitely good radio and some great stories that haven't been adapted elsewhere for radio. We also have a listener question here from Jeff regarding our big list of radio detective shows who ask, what about Dick Tracy? Dick Tracy, Dick Tracy, yes, we're going to do Dick Tracy eventually. One of the classic characters of detective fiction in the United States. For some reason I didn't have him on my yes list. I meant to copy him over and I will do that. But yeah, we've got them on the list. Most of the episodes of Dick Tracy are serial episodes that aren't complete, so we can't use them. But there are a couple half hour shows and I think they'll definitely be worth listening to when we get to them. So thanks for the question, Jeffrey. I'll make that clarification. And yeah, we will get to Dick Tracy one of these days. Thanks so much. All right. Well, that will do it for today. Join us back here tomorrow for Nick Carter. And we'll be back next Wednesday with another episode of the Adventures of Philip Marlow. In the meantime, send your comments to Box13greatdetives.net follow us on Twitter Radio Detectives and become one of our friends on Facebook, facebook.com Radiodetectives from Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham, signing.