Philip Marlowe was a fictional private eye created by author Raymond Chandler and was first seen in movies portrayed by Humphrey Bogart in the 1939 classic, "The Big Sleep." In 1947 the fictional detective was heard on radio beginning in 1947, and by 1949 was the most popular radio program in the country. It was one of the only popular radio programs to have no sponsor, except for a short period in 1950 when Ford automobiles were advertised on the shows.