The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective | Old Time Radio

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents “Biddle Riddle Caper,” originally broadcast January 5, 1951. In this NBC sustaining-era revival episode, Steve Dunne stars as San Francisco private detective Sam Spade, with Lurene Tuttle as Effie Perrine. Written by Harold Swanton and produced by William Spier, it is episode 229.

Spade is hired by Olympic Radio Productions as it prepares a true-crime program about the unsolved murder of burlesque performer Carol Stevens. A large reward, a vanished former suspect, and a trail winding through radio studios and San Francisco nightlife draw him into a case where recorded testimony may matter as much as what people say in person.

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:49 Original Broadcast
30:22 Closing

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The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents “Stopped Watch Caper,” originally broadcast on CBS on April 10, 1949. This Howard Duff episode is identified in established episode logs as No. 133.

Sam Spade is hired by wealthy Rowena Raven after threatening letters begin arriving—and mysteriously disappearing—at her ominous home, Ravenswood. Inside its poisonous-plant-filled conservatory, Sam finds an unsettling clue: his watch stops, just like every other timepiece in the house. Written by Bob Tallman and Gil Doud, the story gives the series’ hard-boiled detective style a distinctly macabre edge.

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:48 Original Broadcast
30:18 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents “Hail and Farewell Caper,” originally broadcast on NBC on April 27, 1951. This final broadcast of the series is episode 245 overall and episode 24 of the 1950–1951 NBC run, starring Stephen Dunne as Sam Spade and Lurene Tuttle as Effie Perrine.

A nervous man brings Spade a desperate warning tied to Willie Johnson, scheduled to be executed at San Quentin that night. When the man is unable to finish his story, Spade must work from scattered clues and a vanishing deadline in this Harold Swanton mystery, produced and directed by William Spier.

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:40 Original Broadcast
30:29 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents “Farmers Daughter Caper,” originally broadcast on September 3, 1950. This is episode 206 of the NBC radio series, starring Howard Duff as private detective Sam Spade and Lurene Tuttle as Effie Perine.

Driving toward San Francisco after helping a client in Middletown, Sam takes a bad shortcut and winds up needing a room at an isolated California tourist home. A young woman eager to escape farm life, a missing relative, and unsettling signs around a recently sealed cave turn an overnight stop into a dangerous rural mystery. The script was written by John Michael Hayes and E. Jack Neuman and produced and directed by William Spier.

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:47 Original Broadcast
30:12 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents “Prodigal Panda Caper,” originally broadcast December 29, 1950. This NBC-era episode stars Steve Dunne as private detective Sam Spade, with Lurene Tuttle as Effie Perrine; it is commonly cataloged as episode 228.

When a young boy asks Spade to recover a stolen stuffed panda, the seemingly small case leads the detective from a department-store toy counter toward a more troubling mystery. Written by Harold Swanton, this playful hard-boiled adventure also features William Conrad, Wally Maher, Tommy Cook, Cathy Lewis, Sidney Miller, and Tony Barrett.

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:37 Original Broadcast
30:26 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents “Convertible Caper,” originally broadcast on June 15, 1947. Howard Duff stars as San Francisco private detective Sam Spade, with Lurene Tuttle as his secretary, Effie Perrine.

Spade is hired by Miss Estrada to recover a valuable foreign convertible, but the missing car comes with complications that make the case anything but routine. Following the trail through San Francisco, he finds competing claims and hidden motives surrounding the automobile’s remarkable value.

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:40 Original Broadcast
24:00 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents “Apple of Eve Caper,” originally broadcast June 19, 1949. This is episode 156 of the series, starring Howard Duff as private detective Sam Spade and Lurene Tuttle as Effie Perrine.

A romantic rivalry brings Eve Adams to Spade’s office seeking help against Dreama Love, but a heated confrontation quickly leaves Sam with more questions than answers. Written by Bob Tallman and Gil Doud, this late CBS-era mystery was produced and directed by William Spier.

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:50 Original Broadcast
29:14 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents “Spanish Prisoner Caper,” originally broadcast March 9, 1951. This is episode 17 of the 1950–51 NBC revival, starring Steve Dunne as hard-boiled private eye Sam Spade, with Lurene Tuttle as Effie Perrine.

When retired teacher Marjorie Loveland loses $1,000 to a classic Spanish Prisoner confidence scheme, Sam follows a trail involving the missing Señor Palmera, an alleged Mexican prison, and the promise of family jewels. Written by Harold Swanton and directed by William Spier, the episode draws on the detective created by Dashiell Hammett.

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:53 Original Broadcast
30:24 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents “Bouncing Betty Caper,” originally broadcast on CBS on December 12, 1948. Episode 116 stars Howard Duff as Sam Spade and Lurene Tuttle as Effie Perrine.

When butler Randall Carruthers seeks Sam’s help after threats against Kathy McGraw, Spade goes undercover as the McGraw family’s new chauffeur. Inside the wealthy household, tensions involving Kathy’s brother Mark and stepfather, Dr. Anthony McGraw, complicate the case. The title alludes to a German World War II anti-personnel mine.

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:49 Original Broadcast
25:43 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents “Bluebeard Caper,” originally broadcast on CBS on August 8, 1948. Commonly listed as episode 98, this archival installment stars Howard Duff as hard-boiled San Francisco detective Sam Spade, with Lurene Tuttle as Effie Perrine.

Ned Towers fears for his sister Sylvia’s future when she prepares to marry Jefferson Davies Calhoon, whose earlier marriages ended in unsettling circumstances. As a sizable insurance policy raises the stakes, Spade follows the case into a shadowy carnival world. The episode was written by Bob Tallman and Gil Doud and directed by William Spier.

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:43 Original Broadcast
30:18 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio