The Marlowe Files

Originally Aired: April 25, 1950
Philo Vance #94, "Shower Bath Murder Case," opens with a mysterious phone call that sets the stage for murder. Sylvia receives a call from George, who wants to speak with her husband Jim. She puts him off, explaining that Jim is shaving and about to take a shower. George pushes to come over to the house, revealing tension between him and Sylvia, who seems resistant to his attention. George mentions that Jim actually invited him over, but their conversation is suddenly interrupted by urgent pounding at the door.
A police officer demands entry, explaining that a scrubbing brush just came flying through a narrow bathroom window into the street. The officer insists on investigating immediately. When they reach the bathroom, they discover Jim dead under circumstances that appear decidedly unnatural. The officer's grim pronouncement leaves Sylvia and the audience with a chilling mystery: How did Jim die in his own shower, and why did a scrubbing brush come flying through the window moments before his body was discovered?

Originally Aired: April 18, 1950
Philo Vance #93, "Golden Key Murder Case," Philo Vance returns from a three-day trip to find his secretary Ellen waiting with an unusual delivery: a mysterious golden key that arrived in the mail with no accompanying letter or explanation. Their lighthearted banter about his absence quickly turns dark when Vance enters his private office and makes a chilling discovery—a dead man is sitting at his desk, clutching another golden key in his hand.
What begins as a peculiar puzzle transforms into a murder investigation as Vance must determine the identity of the victim and the significance of the matching golden keys. With District Attorney Markham having just called moments before the grim discovery, Vance finds himself pulled into a case that has literally arrived on his doorstep. The enigmatic keys suggest a carefully planned message, but who sent them and why remains a deadly mystery that only Philo Vance can unravel.

Originally Aired: April 11, 1950
Philo Vance #92, "Nylon Murder Case," District Attorney Markham calls upon Philo Vance to investigate a series of high-society robberies plaguing prominent citizens. A well-organized gang of female thieves has been infiltrating parties and stealing furs, jewelry, and cash from the wealthy elite. The tension within the gang runs deep as Doris and another member clash repeatedly, with leader Grace struggling to maintain control. The situation escalates when Grace reveals she's brought in Sally Jo Russell, a woman wanted by police for murder, to help with their biggest job yet.
Meanwhile, Doris successfully executes a solo heist by faking an accident and getting carried into Mrs. Williams' mansion, where she steals a blonde mink coat and escapes through French windows while a policeman calls for an ambulance. When Vance interviews Mrs. Williams during one of her massage sessions with Florette, he learns an important clue: the thief left behind a torn stocking. As tensions within the gang reach a boiling point and nearly turn deadly, Grace must keep her volatile team together long enough to pull off their most ambitious crime.

Originally Aired: April 4, 1950
Philo Vance #91, "Mimic Murder Case," begins with a nightclub impressionist named Danny demonstrating his remarkable talent to the mysterious Mr. Payne. Danny boasts he can mimic anyone, and after hearing a recording of Philo Vance's radio speech about crime and criminals, he confidently assures Payne that he could impersonate the detective so perfectly "even his mother wouldn't know it wasn't him talking." Payne offers Danny a thousand dollars for the job, with one condition: he must keep quiet about it for the rest of his life. Meanwhile, District Attorney Markham visits Vance to discuss his upcoming trial against Albert Payne, expressing confidence despite limited evidence.
The situation takes a dangerous turn when two of Payne's thugs, Steve and Jerry, ambush Vance outside his apartment building as his secretary Ellen departs. Despite Vance putting up a fierce fight, the criminals overpower him and drag him away. As Markham proceeds with prosecuting Albert Payne in court, he receives an urgent phone call from someone claiming to be Philo Vance, requesting an immediate recess in the trial.

Originally Aired: March 28, 1950
Philo Vance #90, "Ivory Murder Case," a fortune in African ivory leads to murder and deadly secrets. When Joe Hillary returns from an expedition claiming his partner Tom Duncan disappeared in the jungle, Duncan's widow doesn't believe the story, especially since Hillary brought back a fortune in ivory she believes rightfully belongs to her. Her suspicions deepen when Tondo, a native who worked for both men, arrives in America insisting that Hillary murdered Duncan and demanding the ivory be returned to his people. As Philo Vance and District Attorney Markham investigate, tensions escalate and danger mounts.
The case grows more complex as Vance interviews the calculating Mrs. Duncan, who frankly admits she wants what she deserves from her late husband's expedition. Meanwhile, Hillary barricades himself in his workshop, seemingly afraid of something or someone. When Tondo confronts Mrs. Duncan with claims he can prove Hillary's guilt, an uneasy alliance forms. Vance and Markham head to Hillary's home seeking answers about what really happened in the African jungle.

Originally Aired: March 21, 1950
Philo Vance #89, "Jackpot Murder Case," District Attorney Markham brings Philo Vance along to a midnight meeting with an informer named Weeping Willie, who claims to know who killed racketeer Al Laporte. When they arrive at Willie's remote shack in the pouring rain, they discover Willie's body with a knife in his back. Someone got to the informer before he could reveal what he knew. Meanwhile, a criminal named Dave celebrates eliminating both his competition and any witnesses. He's rigged slot machines for a new illegal operation and violently punishes Sam, his educated assistant, when a machine accidentally pays out the jackpot.
The case takes a bizarre twist when fingerprints on the murder weapon are identified as belonging to Al Laporte himself—impossible, since Laporte had been dead for twenty-four hours when Willie was killed. As Sam considers going to the authorities after Dave's brutal treatment, and Millie tends to his injuries, Vance and Markham must solve how a dead man's fingerprints ended up on a murder weapon and unravel the connections between these gangland killings.

Originally Aired: March 14, 1950
Philo Vance #88, "Mathematical Murder Case," opens with a tense dance rehearsal between partners Eddie and Betty Lou. The atmosphere crackles with frustration as Eddie, a demanding and arrogant dancer, berates Betty Lou for missing steps in their routine. What begins as professional criticism quickly escalates into something far more sinister when Eddie threatens to quit their partnership and walks out for a sandwich. Betty Lou's response reveals a darker undercurrent to their relationship—she warns Eddie in menacing terms not to walk out on her, threatening that his "next dance" will be "at the end of a rope" if he doesn't return. The exchange transforms from a simple artistic disagreement into a chilling confrontation that hints at deadly consequences.
The amateur rehearsal space, lacking even basic amenities like mirrors or a piano, becomes the setting for what appears to be the prelude to murder. As tensions boil over between the two dancers, their professional frustrations clearly mask deeper, more dangerous conflicts that will soon require Philo Vance's analytical mind to unravel.

Originally Aired: March 7, 1950
Philo Vance #87, "Church Murder Case," a wealthy businessman named Mr. Church invites his assistant Paul to his isolated home late one evening, ostensibly to sign some important papers. What begins as a routine business matter quickly turns unsettling when Church subjects the young man to cruel practical jokes, including an exploding cigar and a hand buzzer. Church seems to take perverse pleasure in Paul's discomfort, laughing at his reactions and claiming these old gags still work wonderfully.
The evening takes an even darker turn when Church confronts Paul about discrepancies in the company books. He accuses either Paul or Miss Kraft, another employee, of embezzling a substantial sum of money over the past six months. Despite Paul's protests, Church cryptically warns him not to worry about the stolen money, saying he has plenty of time to decide what to do about it. The ominous conversation leaves Paul shaken as he prepares to leave the lonely house, unaware of the sinister events that will soon unfold.

Originally Aired: February 28, 1950
Philo Vance #86, "The Big Nick Murder Case partial,"
District Attorney Markham recaps the case: Big Nick Bramley has been found shot to death, but not by police as initially believed. His gang member, Ears Snyder, is also dead. The suspects include Nick's widow Mrs. Bramley, his girlfriend Mitzi Courtney, and his brother Tommy. Tommy has inherited everything from his brother and has taken up with Mitzi, but their romantic reunion turns tense when Mitzi accuses Tommy of having Ears kill Nick for him. She reveals that Nick's widow has been relentlessly hounding her with accusations, pushing her to the breaking point. Tommy promises to deal with Mrs. Bramley.
When Mrs. Bramley visits Markham's office, she insists that either Mitzi or Tommy killed her husband. Philo Vance devises a plan using Mrs. Bramley as bait, instructing her to tell the suspects that Ears Snyder left evidence implicating them before his death. When Vance and Markham arrive at Mitzi's apartment earlier than planned, they find all three suspects present and in chaos, with Mrs. Bramley claiming both Mitzi and Tommy pulled guns on her when she delivered Vance's fabricated story.

Originally Aired: February 21, 1950
Philo Vance #85, "The Psychic Murder Case partial," District Attorney Markham finds himself convinced by a mysterious young woman named Ruth who claims to possess psychic powers. After Ruth provides information that leads Sergeant Heath to shoot and kill Duke Peters, a suspect in a series of truck robbery murders, Markham is certain of her abilities. However, Philo Vance remains skeptical, suspecting Ruth had an accomplice at a demonstration party and that the hijacking gang hasn't been fully broken up. When Markham tries to thank Ruth at her supposed apartment, he discovers she doesn't exist there and never has.
Vance persuades Markham to host another party, theorizing that someone from the original gathering worked with Ruth and will attempt to clear themselves of suspicion by having her perform again. Among the guests is Jack Greer, who receives a pointed invitation from Markham. As predicted, Ruth appears and successfully demonstrates her supposed telepathic abilities by taking a handkerchief from guest Eldridge Williams's pocket without any apparent communication. While Markham grows more convinced, Vance watches carefully, determined to expose the deception and identify the true mastermind behind the hijacking scheme.