The Adventures of Sam Spade
The Adventures of Sam Spade, Detective was a radio series based loosely on the private detective character Sam Spade, created by writer Dashiell Hammett for The Maltese Falcon. The show ran for 13 episodes on ABC in 1946, for 157 episodes on CBS in 1946-1949, and finally for 51 episodes on NBC in 1949-1951. The series starred Howard Duff as Sam Spade and Lurene Tuttle as his secretary Effie, and took a considerably more tongue-in-cheek approach to the character than the novel or movie. The announcer was Dick Joy.
The series was largely overseen by producer/director William Spier. In 1947, scriptwriters Jason James and Bob Tallman received an Edgar Award for Best Radio Drama from the Mystery Writers of America.
Before the series, Sam Spade had been played in radio adaptations of The Maltese Falcon by both Edward G. Robinson and by Humphrey Bogart, both on CBS.
Dashiell Hammett's name was removed from the series in the late 1940s because he was being investigated for involvement with the Communist Party. Later, when Howard Duff's name appeared in the Red Channels book, he was not invited to play the role when the series made the switch to NBC in 1950.
The 1946-1951 series
The different incarnations of the series were:- The Adventures of Sam Spade - 13 30-minute episodes
- The Adventures of Sam Spade - 157 30-minute episodes
- The Adventures of Sam Spade - 51 30-minute episodes
- The Adventures of Sam Spade - 24 30-minute episodes
''The Adventures of Sam Spade'' (1946, ABC)
- "Sam and the Guiana Sovereign"
- "Sam and the Farewell Murders"
- "Sam and the Unhappy Poet"
- "Sam and the Psyche"
- "Death and Company"
- "Two Sharp Knives"
- "Zig Zags of Treachery"
- "Sam and the Scythian Tiara"
- "The Corporation Murders"
- "The Dot Marlow Caper, Part 1"
- "The Dot Marlow Caper, Part 2"
- "The Count on Billy Burke"
- "The Gutting of Couffignal"
''The Adventures of Sam Spade'' (1946-1949, CBS)
- "The Blood Money Caper"
- "The Unwritten Law Caper"
- "The Ten Clues Caper"
- "The Fly Paper Caper"
- "The Midway Caper"
- "The Certified Czech Caper"
- "Sam and the Farewell Murders"
- "The Hot Ice Caper"
- "The Kandy Tooth Caper, Part 1"
- "The Kandy Tooth Caper, Part 2"
- "The Minks of Turk Street"
- "The Picture Frame Caper"
- "Sam and the Three Wise Men"
- "The Golden Horeshoe"
- "The Liewelyn Caper"
- "The Cremona Clock Caper"
- "The False Face Caper"
- "The Agamemnon Caper"
- "The Dead Duck Caper"
- "The Girl With The Silver Eyes"
- "Inside Story on Kid Slade"
- "The Big Production Caper"
- "The Uncle Money Caper"
- "Orpheus and His Lute"
- "The Murder About Bliss"
- "Too Many Spades"
- "The Dancing Pearl Caper"
- "The Poisonville Caper"
- "The Double-Scar Caper"
- "The Scrooge of Portrero Street"
- "The Debutante Caper"
- "Duet in Spades"
- "The Yule Log Caper"
- "The Assistant Murderer"
- "Jury Duty"
- "The Mishakoff Emeralds"
- "The Calcutta Trunk Caper"
- "The Convertible Caper"
- "The Greek Letter Caper"
- "The Cosmic Harmony Caper"
- "The Simile Caper"
- "The Buff-Orpington Caper"
- "Sam and the Unhappy Poet"
- "The Gold Rush Caper"
- "The Crooked Neck Caper"
- "The Commonwealth Tankard"
- "The Doctor's Dilemma Caper"
- "The Jade Dragon Caper"
- "The Corkscrew Caper"
- "The Forty-Nine Cent, Caper"
- "The Cinderella Caper"
- "The April Caper"
- "The Madcap Caper"
- "The Adam Figg Caper"
- "The Tears of Buddha Caper"
- "The Untouchable Caper"
- "The Bonnie Fair Caper"
- "The Wrong Guy Caper"
- "The Bow Window Caper"
- "The Purple Poodle Caper"
- "The Caper With Eight Diamonds"
- "The Full House Caper"
- "The Palermo Vendetta Caper"
- "The Gumshoe Caper"
- "The Nick Saint Caper"
- "The Perfect Score Caper"
- "The One Hour Caper"
- "The Short Life Caper"
- "The Pike's Head Caper"
- "The Gold Key Caper"
- "The Nimrod Caper"
- "The Great Drought Caper"
- "The Goldie Gates Caper"
- "The Mason Grayson Caper"
- "The Grim Reaper Caper"
- "John's Other Wife's Other Husband"
- "The Ides of March Caper"
- "The Nightmare Town Caper"
- "The Blood Money Payoff"
- Title Unknown
- "The Judas Caper"
- "The Night Flight Caper"
- "The Great Lover Caper"
- "The Double-S Caper"
- "The Curiosity Caper"
- "The Girl Called Echs Caper"
- "The Navarraise Falcon"
- "The Prisoner of Zenda Caper"
- "The I.Q. Caper"
- "The Honest Cop Caper"
- "The Caper with Two Death Beds"
- "The Bail Bond Caper"
- "The Rushlight Diamond Caper"
- "The Wheel of Life Caper"
- "The Missing Newshawk Caper"
- "The Mad Scientist Caper"
- "The Dry Martini Caper"
- "The Bluebeard Caper"
- "The Critical Author Caper"
- "The Vaphio Cup Caper"
- "The Lawless Caper"
- "The Stella Starr Caper"
- "The Lazarus Caper"
- "The Hot 100 Grand Caper"
- "The Dick Foley Caper"
- "The Sugar Kane Caper"
- "The Bostwick Snatch Caper"
- "The Rumanian Con Game Caper"
- "The Insomnia Caper"
- "The Fairley-Bright Caper"
- "The S.Q.P. Caper"
- "The Gin Rummy Caper"
- "The Golden Fleece Caper"
- "The Quarter-Eagle Caper"
- "The Neveroff Masterpiece Caper"
- "The Bouncing Betty Caper"
- "The Giveaway Caper"
- "The Nick Saint Caper"
- "The Three-Sided Bullet Caper"
- "The Double Negative Caper"
- "The Betrayal in Bumpus Hell Caper"
- "The Main Event Caper"
- "The Double Life Caper"
- "The Firebug Caper"
- "The Brothers Keeper Caper"
- "The Attitude Caper"
- "The Three Cornered Frame Caper"
- "The Waltzing Matilda Caper"
- "The Underseal Caper"
- "The Trojan Horse Caper"
- "The Loveletter Caper"
- "The Vacation Caper"
- "The Stopped Watch Caper"
- "Edith Hamilton"
- "The Hot Cargo Caper"
- "The Battles of Belvedere"
- "The Fast Talk Caper"
- "The Darling Daughter Caper"
- "The Cartwright Clip Caper"
- "The Jane Doe Caper"
- "The Overjord Caper"
- "Sam and the Guiana Sovereign"
- "The Apple of Eve Caper"
- "The Goat's Milk Caper"
- "The Hamburger Sandwich Caper"
- "The Queen Bee Caper"
- "The Cuttyhunk Caper"
- "The Tears of Night Caper"
- "The Hot-Foot Caper"
- "The Champion Caper"
- "The Sourdough Mountain Caper"
- "The Silver Key Caper"
- "The Prodigal Daughter Caper"
- "The Flashback Caper"
- "The Costume Caper"
- "Over My Dead Body Caper"
- "The Chargogagogmanchogagogchabunamungamog Caper"
''The Adventures of Sam Spade'' (1949-1950, NBC)
- "The Junior G-Man Caper"
- "The Hot Hothouse Caper"
- "The Pretty Polly Caper"
- Title Unknown
- Title Unknown
- "The Cheesecake Caper"
- "The Blues In The Night Caper"
- "The Peacock Feather Caper"
- Title Unknown
- "The Floppsey, Moppsey and Cottontail Caper"
- Title Unknown
- "The Whispering Death Caper"
- "The Canterbury Christmas 7
- "The Gorgeous Gemini Caper"
- "The Third Personville Caper"
- "The Phantom Witness Caper"
- "The Wedding Belle Caper"
- "The Too Many Leads Caper"
- "The Black Magic Caper"
- "The Crossword Puzzle Caper"
- "The Valentine's Day Caper"
- "The Cornelius J. Morningside Caper"
- "The Homicidal Husband Caper"
- "The Barbary Ghost Caper"
- "The Emerald Eyes Caper"
- "The Bay Psalm Caper"
- "The Endurance Caper"
- "The Picture Frame Caper"
- "The Kansas Kid Caper"
- "The Caldwell Caper"
- "The Hamite Curse Caper"
- "Caper With Marjorie's Things"
- "The Prodigal Son Caper"
- "The Red Amapola Caper"
- "The Honest Thief Caper"
- "The V.I.P. Caper"
- "The Color Scheme Caper"
- "The Elmer Longtail Caper"
- "The Toytown Caper"
- "The Beryl Green Caper"
- "The Runaway Redhead Caper"
- "The Man Who Knew Almost Everything Caper"
- "The Stormy Weather Caper"
- "The Rod And Reel Caper"
- "The Bell Of Solomon Caper"
- "The Missing Persons Caper"
- "The Preposterous Caper"
- "The Too Many Clients Caper"
- "The Farmer's Daughter Caper"
- "The Big Little Woody Caper"
- "The Femme Fatale Caper"
''The Adventures of Sam Spade'' (1950-1951, NBC)
- "Caper Over My Dead Body"
- "The Terrified Turkey Caper"
- "The Dog Bed Caper"
- "The Dry Gulch"
- "The 25/1235679 Caper"
- "The Caper Concerning Big"
- "The Prodigal Panda Caper"
- "The Biddle Riddle Caper"
- "The Red Star Caper"
- "The Cloak and Dagger Caper"
- "The Chateau McCloud Caper"
- "The String Of Death Caper"
- "The Sure Thing Caper"
- "The Soap Opera Caper"
- "The Shot in the Dark Caper"
- "The Crab Louis Caper"
- "The Spanish Prisoner Caper"
- "The Sinister Siren Caper"
- "The Kimberley Cross Caper"
- "The Vendetta Caper"
- "The Denny Shane Caper"
- "The Civic Pride Caper"
- "The Rowdy Dowser Caper"
- "The Hail and Farewell Caper"
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