The Adventures of Sam Spade was first heard on ABC July 12, 1946, as a Friday-night summer series. The show clicked at once, and went into a regular fall lineup on CBS September 29, 1946. From then until 1949, Sam Spade was a Sunday-night thriller for Wildroot Cream Oil, starring Howard Duff in the title role. With Duff's departure, NBC took the series, leaving it on Sunday for Wildroot and starring Stephen Dunne as Spade. This version lasted until 1951, the last year running as a Friday sustainer.
Spade's appearance on the air marked an almost literal transition from Dashiell Hammett's 1930 crime classic, The Maltese Falcon, where he first appeared. Spade was a San Francisco detective, one of the most distinctive of the hardboiled school. His jump to radio was wrought by William Spier, who had already carved out a reputation as a master of mystery in his direction of another highly rated CBS thriller, Suspense.
Spier was editor, producer, director. A lifelong radio man, he had broken in during the primitive days of 1929 and earned his stripes serving on such pioneering shows as The March of Time. Spier assembled the writing team of Bob Tallman and Ann Lorraine and began putting Spade together. He was impressed by the deep, cynical, tough qualities in Howard Duff's voice.
Duff had long experience as an actor, a career that traced back to his high school days in Seattle. He had originally wanted to be a cartoonist, but the sound of applause in a senior-year play at Roosevelt High changed all that. Suddenly stagestruck, Duff began hitting the boards. He worked in local theatre groups and craked radio as an announcer on a local station. When the war came, Duff went with Armed Forces Radio as a correspondent, a job he held for more than four years. He emerged in Hollywood in 1945, a seasoned but unsung microphone veteran. With his perfect voice and polished delivery, it wasn't long before Duff was playing supporting parts in top dramas of the air.
Sam Spade shot him to national fame. The character, as Spier saw it, would Have many easily identifiable traits. The first thing Spade usually wanted to know was, "How much money you got on you?" "Two hundred? Okay, I'll take that and you can pay me the rest later." But Spade wasn't a spendthrift -- he never threw silver-dollar tips a la Johnny Dollar, even if he could have put it on his expense account. Spade favorite way to travel was by streetcar; it took him almost anywhere for a dime. He disliked cabs and liked cheap booze. You didn't need more than an occasional, subtle reminder: those glasses clinking every week as Sam opened his desk drawer and began dictation were enough. We knew Sam and Effie weren't toasting each other with Sal Hepatica. Sam was a man who worked out of his desk, and the thing closest at hand in that top drawer just might be a half-empty bottle of Old Granddad.
His clients got bumped off with startling regularity. Then Sam sent his report (and presumably his bill) to the widows. He dictated his cases to his faithful secretary, Effie Perrine, a babbling, man-hungry female who might have been the adult Corliss Archer. Each case came out as a report, dated, signed, and delivered. Spade license number - 137596 - was always included in the report. The cases unfolded in chronological order, the scenes shifting between Sam and Effie and the dramatization of Sam's dictation. Effie, who always seemed on the verge of tears whenever Sam became involved (as he did weekly) with a curvy client, was beautifully played by Lurene Tuttle, Jerry Hausner played Sam's lawyer, Sid Weiss. Lud Gluskin directed the music and Dick Joy announced. Soon after the series began, Ann Lorraine dropped her writing duties, and Gil Doud became Bob Tallman's writing partner.
The show ran in its original format through the episode of September 17, 1950. Then Howard Duff quit for a fling at movies, and Sam Spade languished for two months. On November 17, 1950, it returned on NBC. Duff's absence was handled in usual network form: by importing a new voice. NBC ran the show as though nothing had happened, using Steve Dunne as a boyish-sounding Spade. Spier and Miss Tuttle followed the series over, and for a time so did Wildroot. Wildroot and the listeners all got wise around the same time. Dunne was a good radio man, but he sounded like Sam in knee pants.
Duff once said that Hammett had done such a great job in The Maltese Falcon that any actor could have played Sam and become a radio hero. He saw that theory proved wrong. In spades.
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1 The Adventures Of Sam Spade Intro - Doug Hopkinson & Roger Hohenbrink - 07:21
2 Samuel Dashiell Hammett Biography - Doug Hopkinson & Roger Hohenbrink - 05:18
3 Howard Duff Biography - Doug Hopkinson & Roger Hohenbrink - 02:17
4 Lurene Tuttle Biography - Doug Hopkinson & Roger Hohenbrink - 02:29
5 A & C Sam Shovel 48-10-28 (240) Case Of A Boy Named Tony - Abbott & Costello - 29:55
6 A & C Sam Shovel 48-11-11 (242) Sorry Wrong Rhumba - Abbott & Costello - 29:50
7 A & C Sam Shovel 48-11-18 (243) Case Of The Russian Diplomat - Abbott & Costello - 28:53
8 A & C Sam Shovel 48-12-02 (245) Case Of The Curbstone Murder - Abbott & Costello - 28:45
9 A & C Sam Shovel 48-12-09 (246) Case Of Two Gun Gertie - Abbott & Costello - 29:53
10 A & C Sam Shovel 48-12-16 (247) It Was Time For A Change - Abbott & Costello - 29:50
11 A & C Sam Shovel 48-12-23 (248) I'm All Yours In Buttons & Bows - Abbott & Costello - 29:18
12 A & C Sam Shovel 48-12-30 (249) The Murder At The Radio Quiz Show - Abbott & Costello - 29:58
13 A & C Sam Shovel 49-01-27 (253) General Custer's Last Hamburger - Abbott & Costello - 30:07
14 A & C Sam Shovel 49-03-03 (258) Caught With His Prints Down - Abbott & Costello - 30:00
15 A & C Sam Shovel 49-04-28 (266) Tony's Home Permanent - Abbott & Costello - 28:40
16 A & C Sam Shovel 49-05-19 (265) Dust Be My Destiny - Abbott & Costello - 29:03
17 Academy Award Theater (1946-07-03) The Maltese Falcon - Sam Spade on Academy Award Theater - 27:35
18 BBC - The Maltese Falcon Parts 1 - 4 - BBC Radio - 01:56:26
19 BBC Sam Spade - ( The Original Private Eye) - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 28:20
20 BBC Saturday Night Theater- D. Hammett's Maltese Falcon 1-4 - BBC Saturday Night Theatre - 31:02
21 BBC Saturday Night Theater- D. Hammett's Maltese Falcon 2-4 - BBC Saturday Night Theatre - 31:01
22 BBC Saturday Night Theater- D. Hammett's Maltese Falcon 3-4 - BBC Saturday Night Theatre - 30:47
23 BBC Saturday Night Theater- D. Hammett's Maltese Falcon 4-4 - BBC Saturday Night Theatre - 24:11
24 Burns& Allen (1949-02-10) Sam Spade - George Burns & Gracie Allen - 28:37
25 Fred Allen 1948-11-07 Sam Shovel, Private Eye - The Fred Allen Show - 28:24
26 Lux Radio Theater (1943-02-08) The Maltese Falcon - Sam Spade on Lux Radio Theater - 57:39
27 Sam and Psyche aka The Death of Dr Denoff - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:32
28 The Dead Duck Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 25:05
29 The Calcutta Trunk Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 24:39
30 The Convertible Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 23:20
31 The Adam Figg Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 24:30
32 The Bow Window Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:12
33 The One Hour Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 22:45
34 The Gold Key Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 23:27
35 The Death Bed Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:28
36 The Bail Bond Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:36
37 The Rushlight Diamond Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:55
38 The Wheel of Life Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:36
39 The Missing Newshawk Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:33
40 The Mad Scientist Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:20
41 The Dry Martini Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 28:52
42 The Bluebeard Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:35
43 The Critical Author Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:49
44 The Vaphio Cup Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:45
45 Sam Spade 1948-08-29 Lawless Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:39
46 Sam Spade 1948-09-05 Stella Starr Caper (4min in middle missing) - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 24:40
47 Sam Spade 1948-09-12 Lazarus Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:21
48 Sam Spade 1948-09-19 Hot Hundred Grand Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:31
49 Sam Spade 1948-09-26 Dick Foley Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:29
50 Sam Spade 1948-10-03 Sugar Kane Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:03
51 Sam Spade 1948-10-24 Insomnia Caper AFRS - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 25:07
52 Sam Spade 1948-10-31 Fairley-Bright Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:43
53 Sam Spade 1948-11-07 SQP Caper AFRS - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 24:23
54 Sam Spade 1948-11-28 Quarter Eagle Caper AFRS - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 25:24
55 Sam Spade 1948-12-12 Bouncing Betty Caper AFRS - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 24:54
56 Sam Spade 1949-01-16 Betrayal In Bumpus Hell Caper AFRS - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 24:33
57 Sam Spade 1949-03-27 Love Letter Caper AFRS - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 26:01
58 Sam Spade 1949-04-10 Stopped Watch Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:30
59 Sam Spade 1949-04-17 Subject - Edith Hamilton AFRS - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 25:35
60 Sam Spade 1949-05-14 Battles of Belvedere AFRS - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 23:51
61 Sam Spade 1949-06-05 Overjord Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:43
62 Sam Spade 1949-06-19 Apple of Eve Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 28:24
63 Sam Spade 1949-07-10 Queen Bee Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 27:17
64 Sam Spade 1949-07-17 Cuttyhunk Caper (1st 15 min only) - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 14:12
65 Sam Spade 1949-07-24 Tears of Night Matter - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 27:58
66 Sam Spade 1949-08-07 Champion Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:35
67 Sam Spade 1949-08-28 Prodigal Daughter Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 28:31
68 Sam Spade 1949-09-25 Indian Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 27:26
69 Sam Spade 1949-11-06 Cheesecake Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 25:08
70 Sam Spade 1949-12-04 Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 27:24
71 Sam Spade 1950-05-13 Honest Thief Caper (Rehearsal or unfinished) - 24:06
72 Sam Spade 1950-05-21 Red Amapola Caper (Rehearsal or unfinished) - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 22:25
73 Sam Spade 1950-09-03 Farmer's Daughter Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:25
74 Sam Spade 1950-11-17 Caper Over My Dead Body - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:21
75 Sam Spade 1950-11-24 Terrified Turkey Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:49
76 Sam Spade 1950-12-01 Dog Bed Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:52
77 Sam Spade 1950-12-08 Dry Gulch Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:03
78 Sam Spade 1950-12-15 The 25-12345679 Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:27
79 Sam Spade 1950-12-29 Prodigal Panda Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:49
80 Sam Spade 1951-01-05 Biddle Riddle Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:33
81 Sam Spade 1951-01-12 Red Star Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:28
82 Sam Spade 1951-01-19 Cloak and Dagger Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 28:52
83 Sam Spade 1951-01-26 Chateau McCloud Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:43
84 Sam Spade 1951-02-02 String of Death Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:43
85 Sam Spade 1951-02-09 Sure Thing Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:31
86 Sam Spade 1951-02-16 Soap Opera Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:38
87 Sam Spade 1951-02-23 Shot in the Dark Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:17
88 Sam Spade 1951-03-02 Crab Louie Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:22
89 Sam Spade 1951-03-09 Spanish Prisoner Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:31
90 Sam Spade 1951-03-16 Sinister Siren Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:00
91 Sam Spade 1951-03-23 Kimberly Cross Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:43
92 Sam Spade 1951-03-30 Vendetta Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:56
93 Sam Spade 1951-04-06 Denny Shane Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:36
94 Sam Spade 1951-04-13 Civic Pride Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:42
95 Sam Spade 1951-04-20 Rowdy Dowser Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:57
96 Sam Spade 1951-04-27 Hail & Farewell Caper - The Adventures Of Sam Spade - 29:49
97 Suspense 46-12-05 The House In Cypress Canyon - Sam Spade on Suspense - 26:41
98 Suspense 48-01-10 ( Sam Spade) The Kandi Tooth - Sam Spade on Suspense - 01:01:04
99 The First Nighter Program - Sam Spade Spoof - The First Nighter Program - 19:32
