The Adventures of Sam Spade - Single Episodes
William Spier
The Adventures of Sam Spade first aired on ABC on July 12, 1946, quickly becoming a popular series. It transitioned to CBS on September 29, 1946, where it continued until 1949, featuring Howard Duff as the titular detective. After Duff's departure, the show moved to NBC, with Stephen Dunne taking over the role until 1951.
Sam Spade, a San Francisco detective, was known for his hardboiled demeanor and distinctive traits. The series was crafted by William Spier, who assembled a talented writing team and directed the show. Spade's adventures were narrated through his dictations to his secretary, Effie Perrine, played by Lurene Tuttle, adding a unique dynamic to the storytelling.
The show ran in its original format until September 17, 1950, before briefly going off the air. It returned on November 17, 1950, with Dunne as the new Spade, but the transition was met with mixed reactions from fans.
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.
Chapters
Reviews
Several different Spades
smbhax
A mostly fun, and varied series. It starts off playing things semi-serious, but Duff and Tuttle's playful banter soon gets nuttier and nuttier, and the series, at its peak, features constant wordplay, self-parody, and self-awareness. Really fun stuff. Maybe halfway through Duff's run, however, the smartness goes out of the writing, the wordplay becomes mediocre, and listening a bit of a slog. Dunne's voice is nothing like Duff's, and it's a tough adjustment to make. Under Dunne, the series moves away from light humor to a bit more of a hard-boiled thing; I wasn't digging it at first but it grew on me, and all in all is competently pulled off. The Spade-Effie relationship hasn't aged well: she's his secretary, but it gradually emerges that they're also vaguely romantically involved--he orders her around, she sometimes harps at him about other women, but inevitably melts in his arms...and then goes home. Did this make sense in the 40s?
SAM I AM?
harron68
These shows shouldn't be confused with the Bogart film version. Both Duff and Dunne play the role more with style than seriousness, a la Dick Powell's RICHARD DIAMOND, the breezy plots have danger in every dark alley, but never fear, all will come out fine. The demeaning of Steven Dunne's voice has truth, but some guys do have higher voices, and the plots of the later shows keep the quality of the series well. I enjoy the tales' twists. The Effie bits that close episodes I once enjoyed in the 1970s seem overdone, and make me wince in embarrassment for the way "good" women were too often portrayed back then.
Excellent
Rik Back
Good or reasonable quality throughout, thank you OTR for saving these. every one has a reasonable storyline. I enjoyed every episode.
Abbott & Costello
degemike
Having Abbott & Costello here is not a mistake. In their radio show A&C would to a parody of Sam Spade, calling it Sam Shovel. The shows here have included everything related to Sam Spade. I have listened to these shows, some of them are quite funny
Includes Abbott and Costello
rjdawson
This collection includes some episodes of the 'Abbott and Costello' which I assume is an error
Effie
jonfrum
The nickname Effie is short for Ephemia, of Greek origin meaning well-spoken.
Copyright Question.
Davos3000
Are these episode in the public domain?