Premier Collections: 
The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, Volume 1
Liner notes written by Ivan G. Shreve, Jr.

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"Get this and get it straight: crime is a sucker's road, and those who travel it end up in the gutter, the prison, or the grave..."

Author Raymond Chandler introduced mystery fans to hard-boiled gumshoe Philip Marlowe in his first novel, "The Big Sleep," in 1939. Chandler's "white knight in a trench coat" would go on to become one of the most popular sleuths in the history of the crime fiction genre, and the success of subsequent novels soon spread into other mass media as well - most notably the classic 1944 film noir, "Murder, My Sweet" (adapted from Chandler's "Farewell, My Lovely"), which starred former movie chorus boy Dick Powell as the detective. Powell was also instrumental in bringing the Marlowe character to radio, reprising his screen role (along with co-star Claire Trevor) in a "Lux Radio Theater" production of the film over CBS Radio June 11, 1945.

Philip Marlowe's first regular weekly series ("The Adventures of Philip Marlowe") premiered over NBC Radio June 17, 1947 as a summer replacement for "The Bob Hope Show," and starred actor Van Heflin as Chandler's famous creation. The author wasn't particularly thrilled with either Heflin or the series, remarking to his contemporary, Erle Stanley Gardner (creator of Perry Mason), "It was thoroughly flat." The Marlowe character would then return to the airwaves September 26, 1948 in a series for CBS with radio veteran Gerald Mohr as the titular sleuth. (Chandler grudgingly admitted satisfaction with this incarnation, remarking to one of the show's writers that Mohr's voice at least "packed personality.")

Mohr was an accomplished performer whose impressive acting range in radio covered both drama ("The Whistler," "Escape") and comedy (he had a recurring role on "Our Miss Brooks" as French teacher Jacques Monet), and he clearly made the role of Marlowe his own; a brash, forceful tough-guy who could let fly with the occasional wisecrack. Although the series was not considered a prestige show, it was fortunate to have experienced professionals at the helm - such as producer-director Norman Macdonnell and music director Richard Aurandt. The scripts were tough, gritty and focused on hard-hitting "blood-and-thunder" action, with scribes like Gene Leavitt, Robert Mitchell, Mel Dinelli and Kathleen Hite contributing much of the program's dramatic content. (Leavitt and Mitchell even took the opportunity to sneak in a little self-referencing humor on occasion; "The Hair-Pin Turn" has one of the characters reading the latest Raymond Chandler novel, prompting Marlowe to respond: "Chandler...where have I heard that name before?") The supporting players for Marlowe were also first-rate, showcasing many of the distinguished actors and actresses from Hollywood's Radio Row, including Lawrence Dobkin (who had a recurring role as Lt. Matthews), Jeff Corey (as Lt. Ybarra), Betty Lou Gerson, Lillian Buyeff, Junius Matthews and Harry Bartell, to name but a few. Roy Rowan capably handled the show's announcing chores.

"The Adventures of Philip Marlowe" was mostly sustained throughout its two-year run (except for a brief sponsorship by Ford Motors in 1950), and while it had difficulty landing an "angel" to pay its bills, it did have a devoted fan in CBS patriarch William Paley. (Paley pressed upon both Macdonnell and CBS' director of programming Harry Ackerman to create a "Philip Marlowe in the old west," a request that was nurtured for several years before finally giving birth to "Gunsmoke" in 1952.) After returning to CBS for a brief summer run in 1951, Philip Marlowe folded up his radio tent - but fortunately for OTR fans, approximately 98 episodes of the series have survived today -- including the following twenty shows in this brand new 10 CD Premier Collection, newly restored and remastered by the First Generation Radio Archives.

The Rustin Hickory (#49)
Vacationing tourist Joan Rustin - a schoolteacher from Nebraska - needs Marlowe's help after she finds herself implicated in the murders of a racketeer and photographer.
Saturday, September 10, 1949 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

The Tale of the Mermaid (#52)
A traffic accident outside of his office leads Marlowe to a murder on the waterfront...and a mermaid? With Michael Ann Barrett, John Dehner, Wilms Herbert, Mark Lawrence, Rita Lynn, Junius Matthews and Herb Vigran.
Saturday, October 1, 1949 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

The Open Window (#53)
A beautiful amnesiac asks Marlowe to help her discover her identity and ends up getting pushed out a window. With Harry Bartell, Ed Begley, Lillian Buyeff, Paul Dubov, Betty Lou Gerson and Jay Novello.
Saturday, October 8, 1949 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

The Bird's on the Wing (#60)
Hired to keep tabs on millionaire playboy Page Pembrooke, Marlowe encounters him at a county fair, along with a parachuting troupe known as "The Plunging Comets." With Lois Corbett, James Eagles, Rita Lynn, Junius Matthews, Jack Moyles, Don Randolph...and a cameo appearance by Gracie Allen at the show's wrap-up (Gracie asks for Marlowe's help in securing a radio show on which her husband, "Sugar-Throat" Burns, can sing).
Saturday, November 26, 1949 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

The Kid on the Corner (#61)
Marlowe helps newsboy Tommy Larson located his missing Uncle Bert and uncovers a murder in the process. With Joan Banks, Harry Bartell, Lawrence Dobkin, Virginia Gregg, Wilms Herbert, Vivi Janiss and Gil Stratton.
Saturday, December 3, 1949 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

The Torch Carriers (#66)
Marlowe is hired to retrieve a bracelet from a loan shark, which leads him to a lonely gangster. With Edgar Barrier, Harry Bartell, John Dehner, Wilms Herbert, Sammie Hill and Vivi Janiss.
Saturday, January 7,1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sponsored by Ford

The Covered Bridge (#67)
A man known only as "George" muscles Marlowe into driving across the Mexican border - but the gumshoe escapes and comes across an escaped convict hiding out in a deserted farmhouse. With Wilms Herbert, Vivi Janiss, Jack Kruschen, Jack Moyles, Barney Phillips and Ben Wright.
Saturday, January 14, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

The Bid for Freedom (#68)
Helen Asher wants Marlowe to locate a man named Leon Rodell - but "Helen" is actually an escapee from an asylum, who leads the P.I. on a trail of murder. With Jeanne Bates, Lawrence Dobkin, Harold Dryanforth, Jack Edwards, John T. Smith and Yvonne Peattie.
Saturday, January 21, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

The Hair-Pin Turn (#69)
Enoch Vanneman hires Marlowe to protect his niece Kay - a real pistol packin' mama - from her jilted boyfriend, in addition to getting the goods on her mysterious new swain. With Tony Barrett, Olive Deering, G.B. Hunter, Ralph Moody, Jay Novello and Charles Russell.
Saturday, January 28, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

The Long Arm (#70)
Marlowe's Bay City pal Ernie Parch phones him to ask for help - he's just been released from prison, and his wife has now turned up dead. With Bert Holland, Sidney Miller, Ted Osborne, Barney Phillips and Tom Tully.
Tuesday, February 7, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

The Grim Echo (#71)
Marlowe is forced to seek shelter at a lodge when his car is stalled in a ditch during a snowstorm. The proprietors of the inn provide a reception that's just as chilly as the weather, since they're related to a man the detective recently shot and killed! With Verna Felton, Betty Lou Gerson, Frank Gerstle, Sammie Hill and Junius Matthews.
Tuesday, February 14, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

The Ladies' Night (#72)
Magazine editor Gigi Ormsby invites Marlowe to the Tulip Room, and hires him to locate a writer named Henrietta Lawrence. The case embroils our favorite shamus in murder and blackmail. With Michael Ann Barrett, Jeanne Bates, Lillian Buyeff, Constance Crowder, G.B. Hunter (who reprises the Kay Venneman role from "The Hair-Pin Turn") and Jeanette Nolan.
Tuesday, February 21, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

The Big Step (#73)
Waitress Betty Cantor asks Marlowe to help one of her customers, a chemist's assistant who's upset by an item she's read in a newspaper. With Edgar Barrier, Jeanne Bates, Lawrence Dobkin, Paul Dubov, Vivi Janiss and Peter Leeds.
Tuesday, February 28, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

The Monkey's Uncle (#74)
A Scotsman named Wesley McDuff places a call to Marlowe, warning the P.I. that "Cornelius" is going to be killed. Gerald Mohr is selected by Radio and Television Life Magazine as "Best Male Actor on Radio." With Michael Ann Barrett, Harry Bartell, John Dehner, Sam Edwards, Mary Lansing, Junius Matthews and Tudor Owen.
Tuesday, March 7, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

The Vital Statistic (#75)
Mrs. Terry LaBarr jumps into Marlowe's car at an intersection and tells him a tale of being followed by a mysterious woman in slacks. With Lawrence Dobkin, Georgia Ellis, Bill Lally, Charlotte Lawrence, Elliott Reid, Doris Singleton and Hugh Thomas.
Tuesday, March 14, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

The Deep Shadow (#76)
Harvey Kittering's bride has mysteriously disappeared. Marlowe's investigation leads to a stabbing at a nightclub, a double cross and a missing $50,000. With Joan Banks, Lillian Buyeff, Jeff Corey, Lawrence Dobkin, Verna Felton, Tom Holland, Jack Kruschen and Yvonne Peattie.
Tuesday, March 21, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

The Sword of Cebu (#77)
Henry Pound hires Marlowe to locate an antique sword, stolen from an island in the Philippines. Marlowe finds it, all right - smack-dab through the back of a Romanian stranger! With Tony Barrett, Jeanne Bates, Paul Frees, Byron Kane, Junius Matthews and Barney Phillips.
Tuesday, March 28, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

The Man on the Roof (#78)
In flashback, Marlowe relates to Lt. Matthews a story of murder and robbery that explains why a young man is trapped on a roof as the cops close in. With Lillian Buyeff, Lawrence Dobkin, Jack Edwards, Virginia Gregg, Jack Kruschen and Doris Singleton.
Tuesday, April 4, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

The Anniversary Gift (#79)
Widower Stanley Tanner asks Marlowe to retrieve his late wife's platinum watch. Actor William Conrad fills in as Marlowe for series star Gerald Mohr in this episode. With Edgar Barrier, Harry Bartell, Jeanne Bates, John Dehner, Lawrence Dobkin, Sammie Hill and Ralph Moody.
Tuesday, April 11, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sponsored by Ford

The Angry Eagle (#80)
Former contender-turned-trainer Babe Durney invites his old friend Marlowe to the training camp of up-and-coming pugilist Danny Eagle, where murder soon shows up as a sparring partner. With Joan Banks, Frank Gerstle, Wilms Herbert, Howard McNear, Anne Morrison, Barney Phillips and Elliott Reid.
Tuesday, April 18. 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining

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