September 20, 2025 • 37 mins
Original Release Date: July 17, 2023
Today's Mystery:Spade is called in by the producer of a true crime radio program to find a witness who claims to know who committed an unsolved murder.
Original Radio Broadcast Date: January 5, 1951
Originated from Hollywood
Starred Steven Dunne as Sam Spade, Lurene Tuttle as Effie, William Conrad
Support the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.net
Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.net
Give us a call at 208-991-4783
Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectives
Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives
Today's Mystery:Spade is called in by the producer of a true crime radio program to find a witness who claims to know who committed an unsolved murder.
Original Radio Broadcast Date: January 5, 1951
Originated from Hollywood
Starred Steven Dunne as Sam Spade, Lurene Tuttle as Effie, William Conrad
Support the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.net
Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.net
Give us a call at 208-991-4783
Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectives
Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:28):
Welcome to the Great Detectives of OldTime Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
is your host, Adam Graham.If you have a comment, email it
to me Box thirteen at Great Detectivesdot net. Follow us on Twitter at
Radio Detectives, and check us outon Instagram, Instagram, dot com,
(00:51):
slash Great Detectives. If you areenjoying this podcast, please follow us using
your favorite podcast software. Today's Grahamis brought to you in part by the
financial support of our listeners. Youcan support the show on a one down
basis support dot Great Detectives dot net, and you can become one of our
ongoing Patreon supporters for as little astwo dollars per month. Just go over
(01:15):
to Patreon dot Great Detectives dot net. Well, now it's time for this
week's episode of Sam Spade. Theoriginal air date January fifth, nineteen fifty
one, and the title is TheBiddle Riddlecaper. The National Broadcasting Company presents
(01:36):
the adventures of Sam Spade. DetectiveSay Detective Agency, mean, sweetheart,
where have you been? I don'tknow what to tell them? The reporters
everybody. They also you're the firstprivate detective in the history of San Francisco
(01:59):
to get rich. Honestly, whenI think of all the back salary,
I'll be getting the fur coats.Easy girl, easy, prepare yourself.
Yeah you mean the fifty thousand dollarsis not available to employees of the network
or sponsor, which unfortunately I happento be. But cheer up, girl,
Think of the taxes we'll save.Now make everything fast. Time on
(02:21):
my way. Meanwhile, puzzle methis. You're ready? Oh why does
a man who was going to blowhis brains out set his mantle clock?
I had four hours and it doesmake fear, But it does mall and
ponder, sweetheart. I'll be downin a Trice nineteen fifty one model with
an intellectual type report to challenge seriousthinkers everywhere to wit the Biddle Riddle Caper
(02:47):
for NBC, William Spear, Radio'soutstanding producer director of History and crime Drama
brings you the greatest private detective ofthem all in the Adventures of Sam Spadello.
The microphone. If he I justcan't with it. Never kick on
(03:16):
the third down, Chirub given anothertrial, I'm mentally through. Well,
you know, Ben, I justgive up. M It was funny little
buns on your cheek. Go ahead, guess you're getting warm. That's what
(03:36):
happens when somebody hits you with amicrophone. Sweetheart, Now, if you
look closer, just above the marksunder my eyes, clearly and distinctly in
reverse of course, the three lettersof a network known far and wide for
its hospitality to unemployed private detectives.You mean s not here, girl,
always a pencil who knows a sponsormay be listening, ready to mister Tracy
Abbott, Drake Carlton Hotel copied theDundee, a homicide from Samuel Spade,
(04:00):
license number one three seven, fivenine six, subject the Bittle Riddle Caper.
Dear Tracy. It had a niceconventional start, this one, a
nice conventional phone call telling me todrop up to room four h two of
the Drake Carton around three in theafternoon. But when I got there,
I found that over the nice conventionalnumber on the door was hung a temporary
(04:20):
sign reading Olympic Radio Productions. TracyAbbott, Editor, director and producer,
bidding farewell to the nice conventional partI made bold end of the door.
Abbott, five foot eight of solidHollywood, was waltzing with what I took
to be a musician, composer orsome such. We opened coal Bunny like
this now Killer at large bangin withthe theme bampop Papa pop pop Papa bom
(04:46):
papa, bump bump, bump,bump bump bump bom, A great,
big wonderful cord there Bunny, checkcheck, and then the teaser quote,
don't go away you out there,stick right close to that radio set of
yours, because the next half hourmight put fifty thousand dollars in your pocket.
Yes, fifty thousand dollars. We'llbe paid by the sponsors of this
program for information leading to the arrestand conviction of a killer at LRD BAE
(05:15):
to night that should sustainable card Nightthe Murder Tremelo Tremeloe A Night the Murder
of Carol Stevens. Then got adeepot bump bump bub bub bump bump bump
bum check sh what's that simple crashdo it again? Don't need it?
Check check, big wonderful lush.That's the word lush with scope and sweep
(05:40):
and power. I got it.Well, I'll get as lush as I
can with eight piece scope, sweep, importance, got a sound, important,
check. Check and oh oh,I'm Sam Spade, mister Rabbits.
Oh yes, yes Spade, gladto see you. Please sit down.
And on the other hand, you'dbetter stand up. No time to lose.
You have twenty four hours to finda man for me. Well that's
pretty short notice, how, misterSpade, killer at large is real.
(06:02):
We keep a sensitive finger on thepulse of the people. Nice. We
deal in real fats, real people, real crimes, and real criminals.
Check. Just how do you dothis? How do you accomplish all this
on the radio budget of today?Now you see before you, Spade,
the mechanical marvel which makes this possible. The tape recorder. You're familiar with
the tape recorder? Oh more orless? Check tomorrow night, at nine
(06:24):
pm PST. The aid of thetape recorder, we shall reconstruct one of
San Francisco's more sensational unsolved crimes,the murder of Carol Stephens. You mean
the burl lest Dane three years ago, two years, eight months and twenty
nine days. You remember much aboutit? Let me see, she turned
up dead on the floor of herapartment, didn't she check? Victim of
the well known blunt instrument in thiscase, a bronze bookeend carrying the base
(06:46):
relief of Abraham Lincoln much Ado,much Ado headlines by the yard, A
parade of witnesses, but no arrestsperiod. Fine, now what about me?
Our shows spade is made up ofthe simple, honest, spontane a
statements of the witnesses themselves. We'reset on this one except for one man,
the most important one in the case, of course. Oh who's that?
Jimmy Biddle, the doorman at theBroadway Burlesque at the time the Stephens
(07:11):
girl was killed. Knew her.Some say he loved her. Top suspect
until he came up with an alibi. Our advanced men have combed the city
for two weeks trying to find him, but no luck. So he's born
term. That's what I thought untilthis morning. You mean you've heard from
him. I heard from someone whosaid he was Biddle. He also said
he knew who killed Carol Stephens,and he wanted the fifty thousand, right,
(07:32):
I mean, check fair enough?Well, that's what you advertise,
isn't it. Not two people whohang up when you get curious. If
it was Biddle, I've got torecord his story. I want him here
by eight tomorrow night. Check well, since you keep bringing it up,
check yes, you can make itoff for a hundred bucks. At homicide,
(07:54):
I cased the files on the Stephensthing, San Francisco's answer to the
Black Daddier, a cheap killing ofa name in a cheap apartment that he
used a lot of expensive news.Frank, She'd taken her last turn under
the blue spot around ten thirty,left the theater and hustled straight home because
at eleven sharp, according to theneighbor across the hall, someone had tried
the Abraham Lincoln bookend on carol Versize. She hit the floor just as
(08:16):
the eleven o'clock news came on.Biddle's alibi had to be good, and
it was. It came, asa matter of fact, from the greatest
little alibi factory in tom Biddle wasdrinking old fashions with Joseph P. Norgard,
the well known criminal lawyer at thetime of the killing. So I
trotted over to Norgard's office on MarketStreet, found him tied up and settled
(08:37):
down in the waiting room next toa gimlet eyed youth and a neon striped
suit who looked like he made aliving sticking up crap games. He was
filing his nails. Buddy, Yeah, buddy, you assure you in the
right office, buddy, positive,buddy, I just thought I might save
(08:58):
you some trot all. Damn Spading, You're a smart kid. I try
high m I still think you'd bewise to blow you know. This is
quite a turn you, dude,Buddy study nights with Richard Woodmark. Damn.
I told you I want to saveyou a bad time. You're a
nice guy. Thank you must bea lot of things you can do around
(09:22):
time to make a buck without comingin. I why don't you lift it
out of that chair. I'm notgoing to do it, mister Norgard,
and that's fine of you. I'llget with you later. Bye, buddy.
The guy who busts a lot ofNorgard's office was flebby florid and flighting
Penstripe gave me a last bailful lookand sidled out into the hall after him,
(09:45):
which was nice because I was runningout of punchlines. Look, I
thought I told you too, Oh, mister Norgarden. I'm sorry to barge
in. My name is Spade.I'm a private detective. Of course you
are. And Hu gray One,Well, we're polite him here too.
Why do you say that you're thefourth Today? I'm about a fair mimiograph
(10:07):
statement entitled what I know about theStephen's case? Or you two can make
fifty thousand dollars like a copy.You know, I can't remember when I've
been treated so nice? What doyou know about the Stephen's case, mister
Nogarden, It's all in a homicidefile. On the Fateful night, I
ran into Jimmy Biddles. I wascoming out of a bar in Chinatown.
He'd hit the skids, but heused to be a useful friend, so
(10:28):
I asked him up to my apartmentfor a drink. He sat him in
a chair, made him an oldfashion, loaned him five bucks, and
hustled him out. Total relapsed timeforty five minutes, from ten forty five
to eleven thirty PM. And thatis all I have to say at this
time. Have you seen Biddles since? Not? Since the investigation. I
don't know where he is now,and I don't know who killed Carol Stephens
(10:48):
period paragraph. Do you think Jimmyknows who killed him? Maybe he says
he does. Oh, where didyou see him? He's hungry too.
We worked the same bloodline. I'msorry I said that speed. Who are
you working for? Olympic Radio Productions? Killer at Large? Yea. They
(11:09):
want me to come to the studiotonight record a statement for them. I
wonder if I ought to tell themwhat I really think. What's that about
Biddle? There's no point in talkingaround it anymore. I think he killed
her. No, it's a neattrick if he was drinking your liquor at
the time. Oh, I thinkhe did it after he left my place.
Two things placed the time of death, the medical examiners report, which
(11:31):
could be off as much as threehours, and the neighbor who thinks he
heard the girl fall as the newscame on. How reliable is there?
Well they usually think of those thingsduring an investigation, but they didn't think
hard enough. Yeah, you sayyou talk to Biddle? He called my
client. Why. He had fiftythousand good reasons, according to him.
You know, funny things happen whenthe dog gets into him. Bought people
(11:54):
don't stay bought, lost people getfound. Yeah, well, I've told
you a line knows. If youhave no more question on just one more.
Who's a little weasel in the penstripe? You mean, Luke?
Yeah, I put him out thereto scare off the hungry ones. Nothing
to do with you, and thefat character he's tailing has nothing to do
with me either. Huh you reallywant to know? Love to he's a
(12:16):
pastry cook. I'm representing his wifein a divorce section. Thinks she's Casanova
pressure cooker right shoving nor guard penstripe and the flabby pastry cook and the
look up later section of my hatband. I took off for Biddle's last
known address, a boarding house onPacific Avenue. There, I held hands
(12:39):
with a landlady long enough to learnthat A she hadn't seen Biddles since a
few weeks after the murder, butB when last heard of Biddle had gone
on from the burlesque name to somethingeven more extremely female. According to the
landlady name rosually understand he's broken onthe line at the bow room, red
hair, bloom eyes and boom boom, get me, I got you Pacific
(13:05):
ballroom eye. Would you do thatlast again? Boom boom, Yeah,
just checking, thanks missus, lamblady, Hello, Hi am I the
(13:28):
lucky girl and you look like yourname want to be Rosalie. Oh you're
psyched? Got your ticket here?Let me let me know when they're used
up. Don't worry. You knowyou're a pretty good dancing Arthur Murray class
of nineteen oh six. Only Ididn't come here to dance. I'm looking
(13:52):
for Jimmy Biddy, you know,yeah, yeah, I know you were
cop not exactly. Oh what's thediffer? And copper no cup? You'll
find him one of these days wherein the bay, maybe with the morgue.
He knows it's the funny part.He knows it, and he can't
do anything about it. It's gothim, Rosalie. Baby, Look,
(14:13):
I'm out. That's enough about let'sdance. That'sn't you're paying for, isn't?
It? Will come on? Whereis he? You're wasting your time.
I won't sell him up. I'mtrue with him, but I won't
sell him up. I here,here's your ticket. I sauntered over to
(14:35):
the soft drink pumpain and mould theproblem over a cope for a minute or
two. There are ways of dealingwith dames like Rosalie, and some of
them are a little cruel, asthis one was going to have to be,
but time was of the essence.I kept out a site for twenty
minutes or so, watching or dancingin the arms of a moonstruck plumber,
and sidle into a phone booth.The Pacific Ballroom does not permit telephone conversations
while the girls are working. WhenI said it was the police, the
(14:58):
plumber was turned over to new candidate, and Rosalie came to the phone.
Oh it's the same spade, Rosalie. I was dancing with you a little
while ago. What is it?I found Jimmy Biddle's apartment. Oh,
what's the matter. He's hurt,that's right, I'm afraid so he wants
to see you. Okay, I'llbe right over. She didn't stop for
(15:22):
a raft, just plowed a zigzagfurrow for the mob at the main door
and climbed into a cab at thecurve. The driver must have been an
old fan of hers, because theywere almost out of sight by the time
my cab got rolling. And that'sthe way. It was across Market Street
and all the way our vand askedthe marina. Her cab was pulled up
in front of an apartment on JeffersonStreet and she just gotten out when we
slid in behind him. Hyeah,you want to go up together, but
(15:46):
you said you. I'm sorry,honey, I know it with a dirty
trick, but now that's no wayto be you shut up. A gold
card holder by the door bell listof the tenant as W. R.
Smith, Mister Smith was evidently nothome. A lady manager in the apartment
(16:06):
next to his was, and afterthe usual license showing and more than the
usual sweet talk, she came upwith a key. Biddle wasn't wealthy,
but he wasn't hungry either. Theplace had the well fixed man about Tom.
Look right down to the last crystalMartini glass in the portable bar in
the living room. Next to itwas a mahogany desk, in which were
sundry checkbooks and deposit slips, indicatingBiddle had found a prosperous widow or had
(16:32):
been doing rather well at canasta.A clock chimed four in the next room.
Since it was after ten, Iwondered why when end to take a
look? Maybe I was psychic,like the girl said. There was a
tape recorder against one wall, thesame kind I'd scene in your office,
Tracy, with a microphone and aroll of tape, and it half used
up. Holding the microphone of onehand was Jimmy Biddle. In the other
(16:56):
hand a thirty eight. He wasn'thurt, as I'd told her he was
dead. You are listening to theweekly adventure of radio's most famous detective,
Sam Spade. This Sunday, there'sanother outstanding production by Theater Guild on the
(17:29):
Air. It's a one hour adaptationof the thrilling tale of Intrigue and post
War Vienna, the Third Man.Joseph Cotton and Senior Hasso star in this
Theater Guild on the Air broadcast andSunday over most of these NBC stations also
means the Big Show, an hourand a half of the finest in comedy,
music and drama. To Lula willbe your hostess, and just listen
to a few of the stars,Fred Allan, MARLINI, Dietrich, Danny
(17:52):
Thomas, and Fran Warren. There'llbe many more too, So tune in
this Sunday and every Sunday for theBig Show. And now back to the
Biddle Riddle Caper. To night thatventure with Dam's Bide. In accordance with
(18:15):
Chapter five of the private Detective's manualentitled How to Keep Your License. I
called homicide and gave him the factsand figures, then went back to the
study. Jimmy Biddle was surrounded bypops like part one of a photo crime
puzzle. I carefully reached over hisshoulder and pressed the button on the tape
recorder. My name's Jimmy Biddle.The d A will remember me. We
(18:36):
saw a lot of each other duringthe week after Carol Stevens hit the deck
in her apartment three years ago,at just about this time of night.
I fooled him. Then I couldprobably go on fooling him, but I'm
tired of it. I'm tired ofliving this way. So here it is.
I knew Carol Stevens well. Iwas crazy about it, and I
will jealous too. That's why Ikilled her. I thought I could go
(19:00):
on and on playing Hide and goSeek for the rest of my life.
But sooner or later, this kindof thing gets too heavy to pacaronty.
You gotta get rid of it oneway or another. Period end of report.
I roused to the landlady again andwe went over the room together.
(19:21):
A helpful type landlady. She contributeda thousand odd bits of gossip about Jimmy
Biddle, only one of which struckme as interesting. She'd come in this
morning, she said, to cleanhis apartment, and, among other things,
had wound and set the eight dayclock on the mantel, the same
clock which was now exactly four hoursfast. Looking closer at the tape recorder,
I saw a small label pasted aboveone of the knobs reading more gas
(19:44):
and read recording technicians. Next scenethe manufacturing section of Sanson Street, a
five story building, all dark atthis hour except for a light in the
office on the second floor back,which happily turned out to be the one
where a gas read anybody, Hello, what do you want? Well,
(20:10):
I'm a pastry cook. I amsorry, we're clothes. You see the
office hours nine to five hour.Wait a minute, just a minute,
pastry cook, I'm not a pastrycook, sir. My name is Murgus.
I am one of the proprietors herejust a moment, sir, I'm
sorry. It was getting cold outin the hall. Oh so you're a
Murgus I am, And I don'tcare who you are. I know all
(20:30):
about it, sir, I knowit wasn't a practical joke. What wasn't
a practical joke? That tape?You can march right back to the man
you're working for and tell him hecan't buy me off? Is that clear?
Not very? There's no use denyingit. I saw you in his
office this afternoon when he when hefretted it, I called out on a
(20:56):
fire escape and time to see mybody and the pinstripe suit hit the bottom
lea alley. Praisebe was blind atone end, so Luke took off towards
the street. I caught him inone leg. He stumbled, fell,
smacked his head against the brick wallof the alley, and took the camp.
I was frisking, and when apowl cop who heard the shots moved
up, I convinced him I wasn'trolling a drunk and left him to run
back upstairs. Argus, Marcus here, I'm better get you to a hospital.
(21:26):
Who why Sam Spade, I don'twork for nor Guard right now,
I'm trying to hang a murder rapon him. Told me it was corectical
joke, a gag. Why heJimmy battle Jimmy rendered the machine from you
and made the tape himself, right, yes, he Norgard, What about
(21:52):
nor Garden try to beat me andtweet beat beat me? Who wouldn't give
it to him? Give what tape? No? No, I he tried
(22:15):
to point at the desk as hepassed out, and so to this already
bubbling stool. We had a crucialtypewriter while waiting for the ambulance. I
tasted it and found nothing, andstuck a piece of paper into it and
began to type four quick brown foxesthat jumped over four lazy dogs. When
a sound changed, I looked closerand then tackled A messy job. I
always leave to my secretary. Ihate to play with typewriter ribbons, but
(22:37):
this wasn't a typewriter ribbon. Sincesaid ribbon had come to an end and
I was picking away at a pieceof sound tape, Come on, Rosalie,
well, come on, my Peter, even more tired than they were
an hour ago. Okay, youfirst, all right, now, I
(23:02):
thought you were lying when you saidJimmy was let's not going to that now
he was blackmailing Norguard. Right,I don't even know who Norgard is.
You know, Jimmy was shaking someonedown. Didn't you never know where he
got his money. I just knewit was dirty money. He'd laugh and
say he was living high. Buthe never mentioned Norgard. No, he
said he was going to make fiftythousand dollars in a radio program. Did
(23:22):
he say how singing? I thoughthe was kidding. Then he showed up
with a tape recording when he wasn'tkidding. Then what he wanted to be
alone? He said he was goingto make an audition and said it to
a sponsor. That's where he madethe mistake. He sent it to the
wrong sponsor. He figured it hitNorguard for the biggest touch of all.
Thought hearing it might make him digdeeper. So he recorded his statement,
send it to Norguard for a sample. But there was something he didn't think
(23:47):
of it. What do you mean? He should have studied up on his
tape recorders. Baby, with apair of scissors and a good technician,
Jimmy's eyewitness account turned into a firstclass confession. The final phase of the
Biddle Riddle was, as you willrecall, Tracy enacted on one of the
sound stages of the nation's leading network, whereas you will also recall you were
(24:08):
busily at transcribing the testimony of variouswitnesses on the Carol Stevens case. How
you got him there I'll never know, but there he was, as big
and legal looking as ever, perjuringhimself once more into one of your microphones.
I walked out of the Twin Dragonon Grand Avenue, as I remember
it now, Biddle was across thestreet. He apparently recognized me, though.
(24:30):
Excuse me, hey, you idiots, you'll ruined it. I'm sorry,
Tracy. Oh, we'll have tostart it over again. Mister Norga,
would you mind if I record afew remarks? Spade, please understand
my position. Biddle's confession has changedeverything. I know. The killer is
not at large. Yeah, yeah, twenty four hours we spent recording the
show. Now it'll all have tobe done over again. These people at
(24:52):
this hot listen, Tracy, allright, Spade, what is it?
I'm only trying to help. Now, where's Biddle's confession on the machine.
There, we're going to dumb itonto the main tape. Good and I'll
be a good lad and show mewhere you're starting stopping. Huh right there?
Okay, what is this spa.This is going to interest you,
mister Norgard. Now let us turnto the tape, keeping our eyes on
the spool as it slowly feeds.Jimmy Biddle's last state. My name's Jimmy.
(25:18):
The DA will remember me. Wesaw a lot of each other during
the week after Carol Stevens hit thedeck in her apartment three years ago at
just about this time of night.I fooled him. Then I could probably
go on fooling him, but I'mtired of it. I'm tired of living
this way. So here it is. I knew Carol Stevens, well,
I was crazy about it, andI would tell us too. That's why
(25:41):
I there's a riddle for your Norgard. He said, the girl died quote
at just about this time of night, unquote, but the clock struck three
times. We know she died ateleven. What happened to the other eight
chimes? Spade? This is notake patient with me, Tracy. What
about it? Norgard? Well,how do I know the man was crazy?
Maybe? No, no, no, no, he wasn't crazy.
(26:02):
Stupid, but not crazy. Sowe take this spool of tape off and
what this one? What's that thisis the part that was cut out.
Got it from the guy who didthe spicing job for you, thinking it
was a practical joke or something,and you know what you're saying. Yeah,
but Biddle says it better. Thelast thing we heard was I was
crazy about her and I was jealoustoo. That's why I killed her.
(26:22):
Only he didn't say killed her,just that's why I were standing outside in
the whole way of her apartment tonightshe died. I had seen her leave
the theater with a guy I recognized. I followed him home to her place,
heard the argument everything that. Ihad no idea killer until I heard
her hit the floor. Door bustedopen then, and he came up looking
like a crazy man. It didn'teven see me, just ran down the
(26:45):
backstairs as fast as he could go. I went in and saw her lying
on the floor dead, and Icould have killed him then, but I
thought of something better. He's goodpay the cash comes right on time.
But I'm tired of living this way. So there's the story the man who
(27:07):
killed Carol Stephen, which is asfar as Biddles gut. Since nor Guard
had grabbed a stand mike and slammedit into the recording machine. In the
rule barb which followed, he alsoslammed it into my face, which is
why I carry the infront of thenation's number one network just below my right
(27:30):
eye. So that's about the crop. Tracy nor Garden pinstrife. Now lie
cheek by Joel and the jail hospitaltrying to think of an honest lawyer whill
defend them while you, Tracy,with a third round of interviews before you
are considering tossing out Carol Stevens anddoing the shooting of Dan mcgru period end
of report, unfortunate. Explain aboutthe cloth. It was four hours song
(27:53):
why Sweetheart? That's self explanatory.The clock said pour you see, but
it was twelve have been dead anhour, which makes it eleven carry one
once abtracting four from that leave seventhand assuming he'd been there an hour before,
that makes six. Damn What relentlesslogic, Queen fee On this program,
(28:15):
we do not plug rival products.I'll go and type that up while
I figure this out. School Schoolthree chimes mean good times on NBC.
There's Mystery and Music every Saturday onNBC. For Mystery Tomorrow, Herbert Marshall
stars as the man called X.The man called X is a man without
(28:38):
a name who travels the world over, combating the forces of international espionage and
intrigue for music. Tomorrow, yourhit parade brings you the top tunes in
the land, played by Raymond Scott'sOrchestra and with vocals by Snookie Lanson and
Eileen Wilson. Thank you, dearone, I see by the furrows in
(29:07):
your brow that you have not asyet solved them. Matter of the missing
chime? Oh why Norgard set theclock ahead when he shot Jimmy Biddle?
How to approach this? You realize? Norgard cut a hunk out of the
tape, removing Biddle's eye witness account, setting him up as a suicide.
Right, don't make me change myrip it. Oh. Biddle, by
his own statement, made the recordingat the time of the murder of Carol
(29:30):
Stevens to wit eleven o'clock. Now. In cutting out the crucial words,
Norgard also had to cut out eightchimes. This he realized would be noticed,
so he set the clock ahead tomake the number of chimes Gibe chimes,
Gibe chimes, gibe nice ring,Damn, I'll I'll be all right
(29:52):
with you if I just say Iunderstand when I really don't sure, Sweetheart,
I'll just type an answer the phone, and you you just se and
together we'll end up good night,sweet Eye. The Adventures of Sam Spade
(30:22):
are produced, edited, and directedby William Spear. Sam Spade was played
by Stephen Dunn. Loreene Tuttle isEffie. Script for tonight's adventure by Harold
Swanton, musical scarring by lud Gluskin, conducted by Robert Armbrister. Join us
(30:51):
again next week, same time foranother adventure with Sam Spade. Enjoy the
Magnificent Montague, then Duffy's Tavern onNBC. Welcome Back, well E.
Really interesting episode. I have toadmit that I did laugh quite a bit
(31:18):
in the scene where the producer andit's flunkey were rehearsing the program and doing
their sound effects. That was reallife Fannie. Now, the radio program
that's being portrayed here actually had areal life parallel and nineteen fifty CBS did
a summer replacement series called Somebody Knows, which covered unsolved crimes and used a
(31:45):
combination of real life interviews and reenactmentsto lay out the evidence. Of the
crime and offered a reward in hopesthat a case would be solved. I
don't think it was what fifty thousanddollars, but that was on CBS,
and that was the reference to themost popular network and the impression being left
(32:10):
on Sam. And that's the greatthing about radio. On television, they
never would have had Sam Spade madeup to have an impression of the CBS
microphone logo on his person, becausethey'd be afraid they'd get in trouble.
(32:30):
But on radio, they can giveus in impression without coming out and saying
it. And we are imagining thelogo on Sam. So I'm really clever
there. Now, it should bementioned that Somebody Knows was not the only
sort of true crime series that wason as a summer replacement. In nineteen
(32:55):
fifty, NBC offered its own seriesWanted, which was about criminals who were
fugitives from justice rather than crimes thatwere unsolved. We actually did an episode
of both series as part of thesummer of summer replacement Amazing World of Radio
(33:19):
series that we did a couple ofyears back. Now, of course,
this was a new thing for peoplelistening in nineteen fifty as someone who grew
up watching America's Most Wanted with JohnWalsh and Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack back
in the eighties and nineties. It'sa weird feeling, not so much nostalgia,
(33:40):
but of witnessing the birth of agenre of series that you know quiet
well. I imagine that they wouldhave had other ways of verifying that there
were splices on the tape, becausethat's not something that you could do seamlessly
back in nineteen fifty one, butthey went ahead with this way because it
(34:02):
was really dramatic. I guess thereference to Ellery Queen as an rival product
was interasting, but lacks a littlebit of the punch of the sort of
references from the duff Era because ElleryQueen was not a radio detective series at
this point. It was off theerror in the late nineteen forties, but
(34:28):
it was on television, So whetherthat joke counter or not kind of depends
on whether you think that TV detectivesand radio detectives are rivals. Now,
we turned a lesson our comments andfaeback. This is for an episode we
posted a while ago now, butI think it's still fair game. This
is regarding the farmer's daughter, Keeperand Kenneth Rotts. I loved Eppie's ending,
(34:54):
and I do too for those whodon't remember, Sam gave the conclu
illusion of the report in which thelocal police were actually the ones who saved
the day, but Effie rewrote itso that he had some sort of action
hero conclusion, and I like itbecause not only was it funny, but
(35:15):
it also speaks to what Effie thinksof and season Sam, so that was
definitely a nice touch. Now it'stime to thank our Patreon supporter of the
day, and I want to goahead and thank Lewis. Lewis has been
one of our Patreon supporters since Marchof twenty eighteen, currently supporting the program
(35:39):
at the Master Detective level of fifteendollars or more per month. Thank you
so much for your support, Lewis, and that will do it for today.
If you are enjoying this podcast,please follow us using your favorite podcast
software and be sure to rate andreview wherever you download us from. We'll
be back next Monday with another episodeof Sam Spade, but join us back
(36:04):
here tomorrow as we start another YoursTruly, Johnny doll or Cereal, where
please help me. Are you talkingto me? Yes? Please on your
way. Mister, this is private, you hear me here. Just keep
your hands to yourself, but I'llkeep rolling. Then we're having a little
argument private. Please. I don'tknow who you are, but I shut
up. She's had a little toomuch to drink, mister, that's all.
(36:25):
That's so doesn't look that way tome. I wants this all about.
I just told you, nosey,she's had a little too much to
drink. I'm going but get onyour way. Wait a minute, I
told you to keep your hands toyourself. Yeah, I don't want to
keep it up. I hope you'llbe with us then. In the meantime,
(36:45):
do send your comments to Box thirteenat Great Detectives dot and n,
follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and check us out on Instagram,
Instagram, dot com, slash GreatDetectives from Boise, Idaho. This is
your host, Adam graham Son andoff
Welcome to the Great Detectives of OldTime Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
is your host, Adam Graham.If you have a comment, email it
to me Box thirteen at Great Detectivesdot net. Follow us on Twitter at
Radio Detectives, and check us outon Instagram, Instagram, dot com,
(00:51):
slash Great Detectives. If you areenjoying this podcast, please follow us using
your favorite podcast software. Today's Grahamis brought to you in part by the
financial support of our listeners. Youcan support the show on a one down
basis support dot Great Detectives dot net, and you can become one of our
ongoing Patreon supporters for as little astwo dollars per month. Just go over
(01:15):
to Patreon dot Great Detectives dot net. Well, now it's time for this
week's episode of Sam Spade. Theoriginal air date January fifth, nineteen fifty
one, and the title is TheBiddle Riddlecaper. The National Broadcasting Company presents
(01:36):
the adventures of Sam Spade. DetectiveSay Detective Agency, mean, sweetheart,
where have you been? I don'tknow what to tell them? The reporters
everybody. They also you're the firstprivate detective in the history of San Francisco
(01:59):
to get rich. Honestly, whenI think of all the back salary,
I'll be getting the fur coats.Easy girl, easy, prepare yourself.
Yeah you mean the fifty thousand dollarsis not available to employees of the network
or sponsor, which unfortunately I happento be. But cheer up, girl,
Think of the taxes we'll save.Now make everything fast. Time on
(02:21):
my way. Meanwhile, puzzle methis. You're ready? Oh why does
a man who was going to blowhis brains out set his mantle clock?
I had four hours and it doesmake fear, But it does mall and
ponder, sweetheart. I'll be downin a Trice nineteen fifty one model with
an intellectual type report to challenge seriousthinkers everywhere to wit the Biddle Riddle Caper
(02:47):
for NBC, William Spear, Radio'soutstanding producer director of History and crime Drama
brings you the greatest private detective ofthem all in the Adventures of Sam Spadello.
The microphone. If he I justcan't with it. Never kick on
(03:16):
the third down, Chirub given anothertrial, I'm mentally through. Well,
you know, Ben, I justgive up. M It was funny little
buns on your cheek. Go ahead, guess you're getting warm. That's what
(03:36):
happens when somebody hits you with amicrophone. Sweetheart, Now, if you
look closer, just above the marksunder my eyes, clearly and distinctly in
reverse of course, the three lettersof a network known far and wide for
its hospitality to unemployed private detectives.You mean s not here, girl,
always a pencil who knows a sponsormay be listening, ready to mister Tracy
Abbott, Drake Carlton Hotel copied theDundee, a homicide from Samuel Spade,
(04:00):
license number one three seven, fivenine six, subject the Bittle Riddle Caper.
Dear Tracy. It had a niceconventional start, this one, a
nice conventional phone call telling me todrop up to room four h two of
the Drake Carton around three in theafternoon. But when I got there,
I found that over the nice conventionalnumber on the door was hung a temporary
(04:20):
sign reading Olympic Radio Productions. TracyAbbott, Editor, director and producer,
bidding farewell to the nice conventional partI made bold end of the door.
Abbott, five foot eight of solidHollywood, was waltzing with what I took
to be a musician, composer orsome such. We opened coal Bunny like
this now Killer at large bangin withthe theme bampop Papa pop pop Papa bom
(04:46):
papa, bump bump, bump,bump bump bump bom, A great,
big wonderful cord there Bunny, checkcheck, and then the teaser quote,
don't go away you out there,stick right close to that radio set of
yours, because the next half hourmight put fifty thousand dollars in your pocket.
Yes, fifty thousand dollars. We'llbe paid by the sponsors of this
program for information leading to the arrestand conviction of a killer at LRD BAE
(05:15):
to night that should sustainable card Nightthe Murder Tremelo Tremeloe A Night the Murder
of Carol Stevens. Then got adeepot bump bump bub bub bump bump bump
bum check sh what's that simple crashdo it again? Don't need it?
Check check, big wonderful lush.That's the word lush with scope and sweep
(05:40):
and power. I got it.Well, I'll get as lush as I
can with eight piece scope, sweep, importance, got a sound, important,
check. Check and oh oh,I'm Sam Spade, mister Rabbits.
Oh yes, yes Spade, gladto see you. Please sit down.
And on the other hand, you'dbetter stand up. No time to lose.
You have twenty four hours to finda man for me. Well that's
pretty short notice, how, misterSpade, killer at large is real.
(06:02):
We keep a sensitive finger on thepulse of the people. Nice. We
deal in real fats, real people, real crimes, and real criminals.
Check. Just how do you dothis? How do you accomplish all this
on the radio budget of today?Now you see before you, Spade,
the mechanical marvel which makes this possible. The tape recorder. You're familiar with
the tape recorder? Oh more orless? Check tomorrow night, at nine
(06:24):
pm PST. The aid of thetape recorder, we shall reconstruct one of
San Francisco's more sensational unsolved crimes,the murder of Carol Stephens. You mean
the burl lest Dane three years ago, two years, eight months and twenty
nine days. You remember much aboutit? Let me see, she turned
up dead on the floor of herapartment, didn't she check? Victim of
the well known blunt instrument in thiscase, a bronze bookeend carrying the base
(06:46):
relief of Abraham Lincoln much Ado,much Ado headlines by the yard, A
parade of witnesses, but no arrestsperiod. Fine, now what about me?
Our shows spade is made up ofthe simple, honest, spontane a
statements of the witnesses themselves. We'reset on this one except for one man,
the most important one in the case, of course. Oh who's that?
Jimmy Biddle, the doorman at theBroadway Burlesque at the time the Stephens
(07:11):
girl was killed. Knew her.Some say he loved her. Top suspect
until he came up with an alibi. Our advanced men have combed the city
for two weeks trying to find him, but no luck. So he's born
term. That's what I thought untilthis morning. You mean you've heard from
him. I heard from someone whosaid he was Biddle. He also said
he knew who killed Carol Stephens,and he wanted the fifty thousand, right,
(07:32):
I mean, check fair enough?Well, that's what you advertise,
isn't it. Not two people whohang up when you get curious. If
it was Biddle, I've got torecord his story. I want him here
by eight tomorrow night. Check well, since you keep bringing it up,
check yes, you can make itoff for a hundred bucks. At homicide,
(07:54):
I cased the files on the Stephensthing, San Francisco's answer to the
Black Daddier, a cheap killing ofa name in a cheap apartment that he
used a lot of expensive news.Frank, She'd taken her last turn under
the blue spot around ten thirty,left the theater and hustled straight home because
at eleven sharp, according to theneighbor across the hall, someone had tried
the Abraham Lincoln bookend on carol Versize. She hit the floor just as
(08:16):
the eleven o'clock news came on.Biddle's alibi had to be good, and
it was. It came, asa matter of fact, from the greatest
little alibi factory in tom Biddle wasdrinking old fashions with Joseph P. Norgard,
the well known criminal lawyer at thetime of the killing. So I
trotted over to Norgard's office on MarketStreet, found him tied up and settled
(08:37):
down in the waiting room next toa gimlet eyed youth and a neon striped
suit who looked like he made aliving sticking up crap games. He was
filing his nails. Buddy, Yeah, buddy, you assure you in the
right office, buddy, positive,buddy, I just thought I might save
(08:58):
you some trot all. Damn Spading, You're a smart kid. I try
high m I still think you'd bewise to blow you know. This is
quite a turn you, dude,Buddy study nights with Richard Woodmark. Damn.
I told you I want to saveyou a bad time. You're a
nice guy. Thank you must bea lot of things you can do around
(09:22):
time to make a buck without comingin. I why don't you lift it
out of that chair. I'm notgoing to do it, mister Norgard,
and that's fine of you. I'llget with you later. Bye, buddy.
The guy who busts a lot ofNorgard's office was flebby florid and flighting
Penstripe gave me a last bailful lookand sidled out into the hall after him,
(09:45):
which was nice because I was runningout of punchlines. Look, I
thought I told you too, Oh, mister Norgarden. I'm sorry to barge
in. My name is Spade.I'm a private detective. Of course you
are. And Hu gray One,Well, we're polite him here too.
Why do you say that you're thefourth Today? I'm about a fair mimiograph
(10:07):
statement entitled what I know about theStephen's case? Or you two can make
fifty thousand dollars like a copy.You know, I can't remember when I've
been treated so nice? What doyou know about the Stephen's case, mister
Nogarden, It's all in a homicidefile. On the Fateful night, I
ran into Jimmy Biddles. I wascoming out of a bar in Chinatown.
He'd hit the skids, but heused to be a useful friend, so
(10:28):
I asked him up to my apartmentfor a drink. He sat him in
a chair, made him an oldfashion, loaned him five bucks, and
hustled him out. Total relapsed timeforty five minutes, from ten forty five
to eleven thirty PM. And thatis all I have to say at this
time. Have you seen Biddles since? Not? Since the investigation. I
don't know where he is now,and I don't know who killed Carol Stephens
(10:48):
period paragraph. Do you think Jimmyknows who killed him? Maybe he says
he does. Oh, where didyou see him? He's hungry too.
We worked the same bloodline. I'msorry I said that speed. Who are
you working for? Olympic Radio Productions? Killer at Large? Yea. They
(11:09):
want me to come to the studiotonight record a statement for them. I
wonder if I ought to tell themwhat I really think. What's that about
Biddle? There's no point in talkingaround it anymore. I think he killed
her. No, it's a neattrick if he was drinking your liquor at
the time. Oh, I thinkhe did it after he left my place.
Two things placed the time of death, the medical examiners report, which
(11:31):
could be off as much as threehours, and the neighbor who thinks he
heard the girl fall as the newscame on. How reliable is there?
Well they usually think of those thingsduring an investigation, but they didn't think
hard enough. Yeah, you sayyou talk to Biddle? He called my
client. Why. He had fiftythousand good reasons, according to him.
You know, funny things happen whenthe dog gets into him. Bought people
(11:54):
don't stay bought, lost people getfound. Yeah, well, I've told
you a line knows. If youhave no more question on just one more.
Who's a little weasel in the penstripe? You mean, Luke?
Yeah, I put him out thereto scare off the hungry ones. Nothing
to do with you, and thefat character he's tailing has nothing to do
with me either. Huh you reallywant to know? Love to he's a
(12:16):
pastry cook. I'm representing his wifein a divorce section. Thinks she's Casanova
pressure cooker right shoving nor guard penstripe and the flabby pastry cook and the
look up later section of my hatband. I took off for Biddle's last
known address, a boarding house onPacific Avenue. There, I held hands
(12:39):
with a landlady long enough to learnthat A she hadn't seen Biddles since a
few weeks after the murder, butB when last heard of Biddle had gone
on from the burlesque name to somethingeven more extremely female. According to the
landlady name rosually understand he's broken onthe line at the bow room, red
hair, bloom eyes and boom boom, get me, I got you Pacific
(13:05):
ballroom eye. Would you do thatlast again? Boom boom, Yeah,
just checking, thanks missus, lamblady, Hello, Hi am I the
(13:28):
lucky girl and you look like yourname want to be Rosalie. Oh you're
psyched? Got your ticket here?Let me let me know when they're used
up. Don't worry. You knowyou're a pretty good dancing Arthur Murray class
of nineteen oh six. Only Ididn't come here to dance. I'm looking
(13:52):
for Jimmy Biddy, you know,yeah, yeah, I know you were
cop not exactly. Oh what's thediffer? And copper no cup? You'll
find him one of these days wherein the bay, maybe with the morgue.
He knows it's the funny part.He knows it, and he can't
do anything about it. It's gothim, Rosalie. Baby, Look,
(14:13):
I'm out. That's enough about let'sdance. That'sn't you're paying for, isn't?
It? Will come on? Whereis he? You're wasting your time.
I won't sell him up. I'mtrue with him, but I won't
sell him up. I here,here's your ticket. I sauntered over to
(14:35):
the soft drink pumpain and mould theproblem over a cope for a minute or
two. There are ways of dealingwith dames like Rosalie, and some of
them are a little cruel, asthis one was going to have to be,
but time was of the essence.I kept out a site for twenty
minutes or so, watching or dancingin the arms of a moonstruck plumber,
and sidle into a phone booth.The Pacific Ballroom does not permit telephone conversations
while the girls are working. WhenI said it was the police, the
(14:58):
plumber was turned over to new candidate, and Rosalie came to the phone.
Oh it's the same spade, Rosalie. I was dancing with you a little
while ago. What is it?I found Jimmy Biddle's apartment. Oh,
what's the matter. He's hurt,that's right, I'm afraid so he wants
to see you. Okay, I'llbe right over. She didn't stop for
(15:22):
a raft, just plowed a zigzagfurrow for the mob at the main door
and climbed into a cab at thecurve. The driver must have been an
old fan of hers, because theywere almost out of sight by the time
my cab got rolling. And that'sthe way. It was across Market Street
and all the way our vand askedthe marina. Her cab was pulled up
in front of an apartment on JeffersonStreet and she just gotten out when we
slid in behind him. Hyeah,you want to go up together, but
(15:46):
you said you. I'm sorry,honey, I know it with a dirty
trick, but now that's no wayto be you shut up. A gold
card holder by the door bell listof the tenant as W. R.
Smith, Mister Smith was evidently nothome. A lady manager in the apartment
(16:06):
next to his was, and afterthe usual license showing and more than the
usual sweet talk, she came upwith a key. Biddle wasn't wealthy,
but he wasn't hungry either. Theplace had the well fixed man about Tom.
Look right down to the last crystalMartini glass in the portable bar in
the living room. Next to itwas a mahogany desk, in which were
sundry checkbooks and deposit slips, indicatingBiddle had found a prosperous widow or had
(16:32):
been doing rather well at canasta.A clock chimed four in the next room.
Since it was after ten, Iwondered why when end to take a
look? Maybe I was psychic,like the girl said. There was a
tape recorder against one wall, thesame kind I'd scene in your office,
Tracy, with a microphone and aroll of tape, and it half used
up. Holding the microphone of onehand was Jimmy Biddle. In the other
(16:56):
hand a thirty eight. He wasn'thurt, as I'd told her he was
dead. You are listening to theweekly adventure of radio's most famous detective,
Sam Spade. This Sunday, there'sanother outstanding production by Theater Guild on the
(17:29):
Air. It's a one hour adaptationof the thrilling tale of Intrigue and post
War Vienna, the Third Man.Joseph Cotton and Senior Hasso star in this
Theater Guild on the Air broadcast andSunday over most of these NBC stations also
means the Big Show, an hourand a half of the finest in comedy,
music and drama. To Lula willbe your hostess, and just listen
to a few of the stars,Fred Allan, MARLINI, Dietrich, Danny
(17:52):
Thomas, and Fran Warren. There'llbe many more too, So tune in
this Sunday and every Sunday for theBig Show. And now back to the
Biddle Riddle Caper. To night thatventure with Dam's Bide. In accordance with
(18:15):
Chapter five of the private Detective's manualentitled How to Keep Your License. I
called homicide and gave him the factsand figures, then went back to the
study. Jimmy Biddle was surrounded bypops like part one of a photo crime
puzzle. I carefully reached over hisshoulder and pressed the button on the tape
recorder. My name's Jimmy Biddle.The d A will remember me. We
(18:36):
saw a lot of each other duringthe week after Carol Stevens hit the deck
in her apartment three years ago,at just about this time of night.
I fooled him. Then I couldprobably go on fooling him, but I'm
tired of it. I'm tired ofliving this way. So here it is.
I knew Carol Stevens well. Iwas crazy about it, and I
will jealous too. That's why Ikilled her. I thought I could go
(19:00):
on and on playing Hide and goSeek for the rest of my life.
But sooner or later, this kindof thing gets too heavy to pacaronty.
You gotta get rid of it oneway or another. Period end of report.
I roused to the landlady again andwe went over the room together.
(19:21):
A helpful type landlady. She contributeda thousand odd bits of gossip about Jimmy
Biddle, only one of which struckme as interesting. She'd come in this
morning, she said, to cleanhis apartment, and, among other things,
had wound and set the eight dayclock on the mantel, the same
clock which was now exactly four hoursfast. Looking closer at the tape recorder,
I saw a small label pasted aboveone of the knobs reading more gas
(19:44):
and read recording technicians. Next scenethe manufacturing section of Sanson Street, a
five story building, all dark atthis hour except for a light in the
office on the second floor back,which happily turned out to be the one
where a gas read anybody, Hello, what do you want? Well,
(20:10):
I'm a pastry cook. I amsorry, we're clothes. You see the
office hours nine to five hour.Wait a minute, just a minute,
pastry cook, I'm not a pastrycook, sir. My name is Murgus.
I am one of the proprietors herejust a moment, sir, I'm
sorry. It was getting cold outin the hall. Oh so you're a
Murgus I am, And I don'tcare who you are. I know all
(20:30):
about it, sir, I knowit wasn't a practical joke. What wasn't
a practical joke? That tape?You can march right back to the man
you're working for and tell him hecan't buy me off? Is that clear?
Not very? There's no use denyingit. I saw you in his
office this afternoon when he when hefretted it, I called out on a
(20:56):
fire escape and time to see mybody and the pinstripe suit hit the bottom
lea alley. Praisebe was blind atone end, so Luke took off towards
the street. I caught him inone leg. He stumbled, fell,
smacked his head against the brick wallof the alley, and took the camp.
I was frisking, and when apowl cop who heard the shots moved
up, I convinced him I wasn'trolling a drunk and left him to run
back upstairs. Argus, Marcus here, I'm better get you to a hospital.
(21:26):
Who why Sam Spade, I don'twork for nor Guard right now,
I'm trying to hang a murder rapon him. Told me it was corectical
joke, a gag. Why heJimmy battle Jimmy rendered the machine from you
and made the tape himself, right, yes, he Norgard, What about
(21:52):
nor Garden try to beat me andtweet beat beat me? Who wouldn't give
it to him? Give what tape? No? No, I he tried
(22:15):
to point at the desk as hepassed out, and so to this already
bubbling stool. We had a crucialtypewriter while waiting for the ambulance. I
tasted it and found nothing, andstuck a piece of paper into it and
began to type four quick brown foxesthat jumped over four lazy dogs. When
a sound changed, I looked closerand then tackled A messy job. I
always leave to my secretary. Ihate to play with typewriter ribbons, but
(22:37):
this wasn't a typewriter ribbon. Sincesaid ribbon had come to an end and
I was picking away at a pieceof sound tape, Come on, Rosalie,
well, come on, my Peter, even more tired than they were
an hour ago. Okay, youfirst, all right, now, I
(23:02):
thought you were lying when you saidJimmy was let's not going to that now
he was blackmailing Norguard. Right,I don't even know who Norgard is.
You know, Jimmy was shaking someonedown. Didn't you never know where he
got his money. I just knewit was dirty money. He'd laugh and
say he was living high. Buthe never mentioned Norgard. No, he
said he was going to make fiftythousand dollars in a radio program. Did
(23:22):
he say how singing? I thoughthe was kidding. Then he showed up
with a tape recording when he wasn'tkidding. Then what he wanted to be
alone? He said he was goingto make an audition and said it to
a sponsor. That's where he madethe mistake. He sent it to the
wrong sponsor. He figured it hitNorguard for the biggest touch of all.
Thought hearing it might make him digdeeper. So he recorded his statement,
send it to Norguard for a sample. But there was something he didn't think
(23:47):
of it. What do you mean? He should have studied up on his
tape recorders. Baby, with apair of scissors and a good technician,
Jimmy's eyewitness account turned into a firstclass confession. The final phase of the
Biddle Riddle was, as you willrecall, Tracy enacted on one of the
sound stages of the nation's leading network, whereas you will also recall you were
(24:08):
busily at transcribing the testimony of variouswitnesses on the Carol Stevens case. How
you got him there I'll never know, but there he was, as big
and legal looking as ever, perjuringhimself once more into one of your microphones.
I walked out of the Twin Dragonon Grand Avenue, as I remember
it now, Biddle was across thestreet. He apparently recognized me, though.
(24:30):
Excuse me, hey, you idiots, you'll ruined it. I'm sorry,
Tracy. Oh, we'll have tostart it over again. Mister Norga,
would you mind if I record afew remarks? Spade, please understand
my position. Biddle's confession has changedeverything. I know. The killer is
not at large. Yeah, yeah, twenty four hours we spent recording the
show. Now it'll all have tobe done over again. These people at
(24:52):
this hot listen, Tracy, allright, Spade, what is it?
I'm only trying to help. Now, where's Biddle's confession on the machine.
There, we're going to dumb itonto the main tape. Good and I'll
be a good lad and show mewhere you're starting stopping. Huh right there?
Okay, what is this spa.This is going to interest you,
mister Norgard. Now let us turnto the tape, keeping our eyes on
the spool as it slowly feeds.Jimmy Biddle's last state. My name's Jimmy.
(25:18):
The DA will remember me. Wesaw a lot of each other during
the week after Carol Stevens hit thedeck in her apartment three years ago at
just about this time of night.I fooled him. Then I could probably
go on fooling him, but I'mtired of it. I'm tired of living
this way. So here it is. I knew Carol Stevens, well,
I was crazy about it, andI would tell us too. That's why
(25:41):
I there's a riddle for your Norgard. He said, the girl died quote
at just about this time of night, unquote, but the clock struck three
times. We know she died ateleven. What happened to the other eight
chimes? Spade? This is notake patient with me, Tracy. What
about it? Norgard? Well,how do I know the man was crazy?
Maybe? No, no, no, no, he wasn't crazy.
(26:02):
Stupid, but not crazy. Sowe take this spool of tape off and
what this one? What's that thisis the part that was cut out.
Got it from the guy who didthe spicing job for you, thinking it
was a practical joke or something,and you know what you're saying. Yeah,
but Biddle says it better. Thelast thing we heard was I was
crazy about her and I was jealoustoo. That's why I killed her.
(26:22):
Only he didn't say killed her,just that's why I were standing outside in
the whole way of her apartment tonightshe died. I had seen her leave
the theater with a guy I recognized. I followed him home to her place,
heard the argument everything that. Ihad no idea killer until I heard
her hit the floor. Door bustedopen then, and he came up looking
like a crazy man. It didn'teven see me, just ran down the
(26:45):
backstairs as fast as he could go. I went in and saw her lying
on the floor dead, and Icould have killed him then, but I
thought of something better. He's goodpay the cash comes right on time.
But I'm tired of living this way. So there's the story the man who
(27:07):
killed Carol Stephen, which is asfar as Biddles gut. Since nor Guard
had grabbed a stand mike and slammedit into the recording machine. In the
rule barb which followed, he alsoslammed it into my face, which is
why I carry the infront of thenation's number one network just below my right
(27:30):
eye. So that's about the crop. Tracy nor Garden pinstrife. Now lie
cheek by Joel and the jail hospitaltrying to think of an honest lawyer whill
defend them while you, Tracy,with a third round of interviews before you
are considering tossing out Carol Stevens anddoing the shooting of Dan mcgru period end
of report, unfortunate. Explain aboutthe cloth. It was four hours song
(27:53):
why Sweetheart? That's self explanatory.The clock said pour you see, but
it was twelve have been dead anhour, which makes it eleven carry one
once abtracting four from that leave seventhand assuming he'd been there an hour before,
that makes six. Damn What relentlesslogic, Queen fee On this program,
(28:15):
we do not plug rival products.I'll go and type that up while
I figure this out. School Schoolthree chimes mean good times on NBC.
There's Mystery and Music every Saturday onNBC. For Mystery Tomorrow, Herbert Marshall
stars as the man called X.The man called X is a man without
(28:38):
a name who travels the world over, combating the forces of international espionage and
intrigue for music. Tomorrow, yourhit parade brings you the top tunes in
the land, played by Raymond Scott'sOrchestra and with vocals by Snookie Lanson and
Eileen Wilson. Thank you, dearone, I see by the furrows in
(29:07):
your brow that you have not asyet solved them. Matter of the missing
chime? Oh why Norgard set theclock ahead when he shot Jimmy Biddle?
How to approach this? You realize? Norgard cut a hunk out of the
tape, removing Biddle's eye witness account, setting him up as a suicide.
Right, don't make me change myrip it. Oh. Biddle, by
his own statement, made the recordingat the time of the murder of Carol
(29:30):
Stevens to wit eleven o'clock. Now. In cutting out the crucial words,
Norgard also had to cut out eightchimes. This he realized would be noticed,
so he set the clock ahead tomake the number of chimes Gibe chimes,
Gibe chimes, gibe nice ring,Damn, I'll I'll be all right
(29:52):
with you if I just say Iunderstand when I really don't sure, Sweetheart,
I'll just type an answer the phone, and you you just se and
together we'll end up good night,sweet Eye. The Adventures of Sam Spade
(30:22):
are produced, edited, and directedby William Spear. Sam Spade was played
by Stephen Dunn. Loreene Tuttle isEffie. Script for tonight's adventure by Harold
Swanton, musical scarring by lud Gluskin, conducted by Robert Armbrister. Join us
(30:51):
again next week, same time foranother adventure with Sam Spade. Enjoy the
Magnificent Montague, then Duffy's Tavern onNBC. Welcome Back, well E.
Really interesting episode. I have toadmit that I did laugh quite a bit
(31:18):
in the scene where the producer andit's flunkey were rehearsing the program and doing
their sound effects. That was reallife Fannie. Now, the radio program
that's being portrayed here actually had areal life parallel and nineteen fifty CBS did
a summer replacement series called Somebody Knows, which covered unsolved crimes and used a
(31:45):
combination of real life interviews and reenactmentsto lay out the evidence. Of the
crime and offered a reward in hopesthat a case would be solved. I
don't think it was what fifty thousanddollars, but that was on CBS,
and that was the reference to themost popular network and the impression being left
(32:10):
on Sam. And that's the greatthing about radio. On television, they
never would have had Sam Spade madeup to have an impression of the CBS
microphone logo on his person, becausethey'd be afraid they'd get in trouble.
(32:30):
But on radio, they can giveus in impression without coming out and saying
it. And we are imagining thelogo on Sam. So I'm really clever
there. Now, it should bementioned that Somebody Knows was not the only
sort of true crime series that wason as a summer replacement. In nineteen
(32:55):
fifty, NBC offered its own seriesWanted, which was about criminals who were
fugitives from justice rather than crimes thatwere unsolved. We actually did an episode
of both series as part of thesummer of summer replacement Amazing World of Radio
(33:19):
series that we did a couple ofyears back. Now, of course,
this was a new thing for peoplelistening in nineteen fifty as someone who grew
up watching America's Most Wanted with JohnWalsh and Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack back
in the eighties and nineties. It'sa weird feeling, not so much nostalgia,
(33:40):
but of witnessing the birth of agenre of series that you know quiet
well. I imagine that they wouldhave had other ways of verifying that there
were splices on the tape, becausethat's not something that you could do seamlessly
back in nineteen fifty one, butthey went ahead with this way because it
(34:02):
was really dramatic. I guess thereference to Ellery Queen as an rival product
was interasting, but lacks a littlebit of the punch of the sort of
references from the duff Era because ElleryQueen was not a radio detective series at
this point. It was off theerror in the late nineteen forties, but
(34:28):
it was on television, So whetherthat joke counter or not kind of depends
on whether you think that TV detectivesand radio detectives are rivals. Now,
we turned a lesson our comments andfaeback. This is for an episode we
posted a while ago now, butI think it's still fair game. This
is regarding the farmer's daughter, Keeperand Kenneth Rotts. I loved Eppie's ending,
(34:54):
and I do too for those whodon't remember, Sam gave the conclu
illusion of the report in which thelocal police were actually the ones who saved
the day, but Effie rewrote itso that he had some sort of action
hero conclusion, and I like itbecause not only was it funny, but
(35:15):
it also speaks to what Effie thinksof and season Sam, so that was
definitely a nice touch. Now it'stime to thank our Patreon supporter of the
day, and I want to goahead and thank Lewis. Lewis has been
one of our Patreon supporters since Marchof twenty eighteen, currently supporting the program
(35:39):
at the Master Detective level of fifteendollars or more per month. Thank you
so much for your support, Lewis, and that will do it for today.
If you are enjoying this podcast,please follow us using your favorite podcast
software and be sure to rate andreview wherever you download us from. We'll
be back next Monday with another episodeof Sam Spade, but join us back
(36:04):
here tomorrow as we start another YoursTruly, Johnny doll or Cereal, where
please help me. Are you talkingto me? Yes? Please on your
way. Mister, this is private, you hear me here. Just keep
your hands to yourself, but I'llkeep rolling. Then we're having a little
argument private. Please. I don'tknow who you are, but I shut
up. She's had a little toomuch to drink, mister, that's all.
(36:25):
That's so doesn't look that way tome. I wants this all about.
I just told you, nosey,she's had a little too much to
drink. I'm going but get onyour way. Wait a minute, I
told you to keep your hands toyourself. Yeah, I don't want to
keep it up. I hope you'llbe with us then. In the meantime,
(36:45):
do send your comments to Box thirteenat Great Detectives dot and n,
follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and check us out on Instagram,
Instagram, dot com, slash GreatDetectives from Boise, Idaho. This is
your host, Adam graham Son andoff
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