SAM SPADE Cases, Rather Than Dictate Them to a Secretary
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sam_spade.qxd:8 pg. Booklet 8/23/10 1:20 PM Page 1 had a slightly changed format. Wild, at first, would record the reports of his SAM SPADE cases, rather than dictate them to a secretary. He also gained a new The Final Capers assistant, ironically named McCoy. Later, on TV, he gained a girl Friday to Program Guide by William Nadel type up his cases. Radio veteran George Petrie played Wild with Peter Thousands of letters from fans brought The Adventures of Sam Spade back to Hobbs as McCoy. By the time radio in the closing weeks of 1950, after a brief hiatus. The extremely popular Dunne returned as Spade, Wild was detective, who had led one of the top shows on the air, was in the midst of his being aired in both radio and greatest challenge! television versions with actors Kevin O’Morrison, and John McQuade taking Warner Brothers was turns as the dual media sleuth. The claiming that they owned radio Wild finished his run by the all media rights to the summer of 1951, with the TV version character (they didn’t, but limping across three networks and that wasn’t settled until ending in the summer of 1952. The the middle of the 1950’s). amazing part of this is that during the As if that weren’t first four months of 1951, the radio enough, Spade creator Spade - in the person of Steve Dunne - Dashiell Hammett, and was actually competing with his clone Spade portrayer Howard (or alter ego) Wild, who was solving Steven Dunne Duff, had been labeled as crimes on both radio and television. communists. Days after these accusations appeared in the infamous “Red These program notes are dedicated to the memory of the late Ray Stanich—one Channels,” the sponsor, of the greatest of all radio researchers. Wildroot, cancelled its backing of the show. The network banned Duff and the program from the air after the summer 1950 season ended. To bring www.RadioSpirits.com back the battered private PO Box 1315, Little Falls, NJ 07424 detective , Hammett’s name had to be dropped from © RSPT LLC. All Rights Reserved. the show, and a different RSPT LLC is successor in interest of Lawrence White. actor was cast to play Audio programs released under license. Spade. (Hammett did agree to his name being Program Guide © 2010 William Nadel and RSPT LLC. All Rights Reserved dropped, as long as he was getting paid.) 44742 Steven Dunne sam_spade.qxd:8 pg. Booklet 8/23/10 1:20 PM Page 2 Director William Spier chose actor detective, yet two weeks after this broadcast the program leaves the air! Shirley Steve Dunne to don the trench coat. No Mitchell is Kitty, Jack Kruschen is Carlson and Ralph, Sidney Miller is Welsh, newcomer to radio, Dunne had starred Paul Frees is Kesley, Lou Merrill is Mitchell and Carter, and Herbert Rawlinson in Deadline Mystery some three years is Mayor Sullivan. earlier, and was making a name for himself on the big screen. Born in Another one of the great ironies is that just as Sam Spade is the idealized version Northampton, MA, on January 13, of the detective that Samuel Dashiell Hammett wanted to become, Steve 1918, Francis Michael Dunne graduated Dunne’s portrayal of Spade comes the closest to being just like Hammett himself Northampton High School in 1935. – a grown-up teenager, who loved a put-on, but could be depended on to be loyal After his second year as a student at the and true despite his own troubles. University of Alabama, Steve got a part- time job at a New York radio station. Re-enter Howard Duff Then came a full-time announcing job at WTAG in Worcester, MA. When his With The Adventures of Sam Spade breathing its final gasps, Howard Duff made new wife, Vivian, won a monetary an attempt to return to the air as a clone of the character he had portrayed so prize, the Dunnes were able to take a successfully. (His only horrible “communistic crime” was to attend a dinner honeymoon and start payments on a car. honoring and supporting former Vice-President Henry Wallace as he The couple relocated to New York in endeavored to run for President in 1948.) David Friedkin and Morton Fine wrote 1941, and Steve then found himself in and packaged The McCoy , a decidedly tongue-in-cheek play on the fact that Steven Dunne demand on the airwaves. Duff had been “the real McCoy” as Sam Spade. The short-lived series only exists in one surviving adventure. This time, Duff works alone as Mike McCoy At first, Dunne tried to emulate Duff’s approach to the role of Spade, eventually and types up his own reports. finding his own portrayal as a boyish, brash, wise guy—a style then in vogue. The network described Spade as “a private investigator, always managing to get CD 8B: The McCoy: “Three Wayward a case just when he is completely broke. His secretary works long and lovingly Girls” – 04/25/51 without salary until Spade gets enough money to pay off the back salary due Someone is murdering aspiring actress her—when cases are rare and too far between, Effie [played by Lurene Tuttle] in Los Angeles, and Mike finds himself threatens to walk out on the job and this spurs Spade into action…Spade takes in the midst of the mayhem. his profession light-heartedly without worrying about the future.” Betty Lou Gerson is Miss Ford, Ted In the spring of 1951, the final blow came. No sponsor was willing to back the Osborne is Charlie and Fulton, Sheldon show, as life was heating up for Hammett because of his “pro-communist Leonard is Cosca, and Barton activities.” (Ironically, Dashiell Hammett always thought of himself as an Yarborough is Mel in this hard-boiled American patriot, and publically stated that Russian communism was not dilemma. appropriate for the United States. Yet, his failure to reveal the whereabouts of some leading communists who had “jumped bail” led to Hammett’s jailing and A Final Note About Sam Spade and his troubles in the 1950’s.) The blacklist was in effect and no network, advertiser, Charlie Wild producer, actor or writer wanted to be smeared with being “a red” or condoning communism. After 24 more shows, Spade and Effie vanished into the ether as When Spade first left the airwaves in one of the blacklist’s first casualties. September 1950, the producers decided to salvage the character and save its The musical score for The Adventures of Sam Spade was written by Lud Gluskin sponsorship. Calling the morphed and conducted by Robert Armbruster. John Michael Hayes and Harold Swanton detective “Charlie Wild” (in deference wrote most of the scripts for Dunne, with Lou Merrill in a continuing role as Lt. to Wildroot—the sponsor), the program Howard Duff 2 7 sam_spade.qxd:8 pg. Booklet 8/23/10 1:20 PM Page 3 been the victim of one of the oldest of confidence Dundy in many episodes. Don Rickles (not the comedian) announces the games—the Spanish prisoner con. adventures. Verna Felton is wonderful as Marjorie, with Shirley CD 1A: “The Dog Bed Caper” by John Michael Hayes and Dick Powell (the Mitchell as Lolita, Nestor Paiva as Raymond, Tony writer, not the actor) – 12/01/50 Barrett as Palmera, and Ed Max and Jerry Hausner Sam investigates the possible laundering of racketeering money through the providing background voices in this scheme to fleece prestigious Cameron Investing Company, but is this crime merely a cover-up for a kind and gullible lady. some other scheme? CD 6B: “The Sinister Siren Caper” by Harold Peggy Webber stars as Celeste, with Virginia Gregg as Adela, and Jay Novello Swanton – 03/16/51 as Barkoe in this triangular crime. In this show and others, the name “Murphy” An alluring red-headed woman seems to bring death is mentioned. Raoul Murphy was the engineer for the program, and this is an to all those who have dealings with her—especially if inside joke honoring this most important member of the show. their last name beings with the letters “St.” CD 1B: “The 25- This tale, inspired by Lurene Tuttle and a recognition 1235679 Caper” by of her attributes, features Junius Matthews as Stryker, William Spier – 12/15/50 Cathy Lewis (seen here) as Mrs. Strutherton, and An attempted murder Lurene herself as “the cleaning woman.” leads Sam into the world of Russian spies, CD 7A: “The Kimberly Cross Caper” by Harold communist conspiracies, Swanton – 03/23/51 and murder. Hired to guard a precious jeweled cross, Sam is shot after the cross is stolen in a daring and most unusual This script, one designed Cathy Lewis robbery. to lessen the stigma of the show as being “pro- Fritz Feld makes another foray in to Spade’s world when he stars as Bergendorf, Soviet,” has Spade on the the gallery owner. Wally Maher is Stroud, and Georgia Ellis is Patricia, with side of the United States Sidney Miller as George, Olan Soule as G.J., Alice Wellman as the nurse, John chasing down Russian Monahan as the druggist, and Lurene does her “landlady routine.” spies and secret agents. Virginia Gregg is Mama, CD 7B: “The Denny Shane Caper” by Harold Swanton – 04/06/51 Jay Novello is Tony and Why does Sam aid and abet Sally in her brutal murder of Denny Shane? Just how the official, Olan Soule does the gumshoe square this caper with Lt. Dundy? is Dr.