Radio Recap: The Adventures of Philip Marlowe

The Adventures of Philip Marlowe had a lengthy run on the radio. It began in 1947 as a summer replacement for Bob Hope on NBC, inheriting his sponsor Pepsodent. Van Heflin starred as Raymond Chandler's private detective and the first episode (an adaptation of Chandler's story "Red Wind") made a point of reminding listeners that they'd seen the character on the big screen several times (through the films Murder, My Sweet, the Big Sleep, Lady in the lake and the Brasher Doubloon). The series strove for fidelity to the source material but apparently Chandler didn't like it. It lasted for just 13 episodes; 3 of them still exist. Amazingly, one of the episodes ("King in Yellow") features a belligerant jazz musician who tussles with Heflin's Marlowe - and he was played by Gerald Mohr!

The series returned on CBS with Gerald Mohr assuming the lead role and lasted from 1948-1951 (Ford briefly sponsored it in 1950). Mohr would open each episode with the hard-boiled line: "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 an early grave." Mohr had a terrific voice that was perfect for radio, a deep bass growl. Of course, he toiled as much in comedy as he did drama. I would say that Mohr's Adventures of Philip Marlowe wasn't quite as hard-boiled as Heflin's; it wasn't as farcical as the Adventures of Sam Spade but there was a light touch to the programs, particularly Marlowe's frequent desire to just be left alone so he can get some sleep.

Marlowe's entire supporting cast consisted of Lawrence Dobkin as Lt. Matthews, Marlowe's usual friend on the force. Dobkin was a great performer, but the casting on The Adventures of Philip Marlowe was so economical that he sometimes doubled up on roles in episodes (in one episode I think I heard him as three different characters). I was taken aback in one episode where Marlowe surprised a figure from behind; when the character spoke in Dobkin's voice I assumed that Marlowe would soon realize he'd made a mistake and accosted his friend Lt. Matthews. As it turned out, Dobkin didn't play Matthews in that episode.

The Adventures of Philip Marlowe was a fairly typical post-war private eye show, with Marlowe usually getting knocked unconscious once per episode (typically before the mid-act break). Still, it had a pretty consistent quality once Gerald Mohr took the lead role. It's hard to cite examples that are particularly notable but I'm fond of "the Last Laugh," involving a practical joker who arranges a mock reading of his will, then ends up dead.

The Old-Time Radio Researchers Group has a collection of the Adventures of Philip Marlowe on the Internet Archive.