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January 4, 2023 29 mins

Welcome to "The Adventures of Sam Spade," the classic radio show that follows the exploits of the iconic hardboiled detective. Each week, tune in to hear Sam Spade solve crimes and navigate the seedy underworld of 1940s San Francisco. With razor-sharp wit and a no-nonsense approach to justice, Sam Spade is the ultimate detective for fans of classic radio shows and detective fiction.

Join Sam Spade as he takes on dangerous criminals and unravels complex mysteries, using his keen intuition and clever tricks to outsmart the bad guys. Whether he's tracking down missing persons or exposing criminal plots, Sam Spade always gets his man (or woman).

Don't miss a single episode of "The Adventures of Sam Spade" - the classic radio show that brings the excitement and mystery of detective fiction to life. Tune in and join Sam Spade on his adventures through the gritty streets of San Francisco and beyond.


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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 75 episodes on NBC in 1949–1951. The series starred Howard Duff (and later, Steve Dunne) 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, Spier and 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 (in a 1943 Lux Radio Theater production) and by Humphrey Bogart (in a 1941 Academy Award Theater production), 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.

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