 When it started the tide was high on the San Pedro waterfront and a hot-tempered kid had murder on his mind But there was a knife it might throw to beating under the piers and a corpse on the beach before the tide went out again And the kid was finally stopped From the pen of Raymond Chandler outstanding author of crime fiction comes his most famous character in The Adventures of Philip Marlowe Now with Gerald Moore starred as Philip Marlowe. We bring you tonight's exciting story Knight Tide in San Pedro The harbor of Los Angeles The lights on the ships were fuzzy through the wet mist that creeps up out of the ocean every night And I drove slowly looking for the establishment of Mike Basso my new client One side of the crooked street was nothing but the smell and the sound of oily salt water Sloshing through the pilings beneath the piers The other side was a tangle of walk dingy buildings Equipped to satisfy the thirsts of reckless men Never get beyond the waterfront of any port The fog horn out on the breakwater began to bellow as I parked near a U shaped pier Labeled basso docks private You walk past the line of moored fishing boats to a squat two-story office The bottom floor was dark the second floor had lights on So I started up the steep wooden stairs and was halfway to the top when I caught the voices One I'd already heard over the phone when I was hired. It was my client Mike Basso You'll make him jump or I'll get somebody who can He's both got to be handled faster. Why even the crook Johnny Dike was better on this job than you are Johnny Dike Why I order guy with a Latin jaw shove past me and stomp down the stairs So I went on up into the office Mike Basso looked like a block of concrete his 220 thick pounds hunched over a scarred roll-top desk As I walked in he swung a heavy bulldog head around and glared at me I never heard a knocking first I guess You Marlowe. That's right. The moose had just left here got me all out of the mood for courtesy that shocky my crew pusher Yeah, good man is slow Come here Sit down. We got all the business Have a drink konyaki. Thanks Okay now There's a hothead punk by the name of Johnny Dyke. I sent him to prison three years ago for stealing money from me I made it as tough as I could for him any special reason why sure because I trust a fellow who works for me Johnny Dyke used to have shocky's job But he took advantage when the police grabbed him and found my money in his own house He squeal like a pig and said he was framed like all cheap punks do mm How does this get around to you wanting a private investigator because Johnny Dyke is out of prison got out yesterday on parole And he's back in town now Hey you what you looking at your clock. How come it says 11 30 at 20 to 8 it's electric It was turned off last night, and I didn't start it yet Now look I was here with Ed Guiles when he heard some noise on my private launch out there He went down to see about and who's Ed Guiles my general manager While he was going the lights went out in here That's when I got clubbed on the head when I went down. I got kicked around plenty I'd be killed right now, but shocky happened to come along and the guy was scared off of me Would you happen to see who it was? No Ed Guiles did He got a good look. He admitted it only he claims you don't know who it was He lies and I can't if he's an old friend of Johnny Dyke's maybe girls isn't lying What makes you so certain it was Johnny who slugged you I found this Just a book of matches, huh? Mm-hmm, but see how the edges are crimped Johnny Dyke always did that He's nervous all the time fidgeting Sure, he might as well have left his crawling card for me. Ah, we're joining all right Okay, basso, but before you get too far in I'll tell you something. I don't go in for bodyguarding Who wants a bodyguard? Here's what you do Marlowe find that punk see what he's got in mind He beat me up once. Maybe that's all he wants Or maybe he's coming back to put a knife in me Just find out and let me know That's all I Looked out at the fishing boats along the pier gently nudging each other Well, Mike basso told me that Johnny had a blonde wife named Christine Ran the albatross cafe and the dead guiles lived alone in a house at 43 Terminal Road It was enough for a starter So I said I'd keep in touch and left As I walked off the pier the blinking neon light from a sign across the street made a swirling green veil out of the mist Between me and my car So I almost got up to it before I saw her Leaning lazily against the door on the driver's side A girl in a tight black silk dress cheap fur jacket double ankle strap spikes She smiled with one corner of her red mouth as I walked up to her and stopped. Hello sugar Hi, it's sweetheart the name ginger. That's too bad Ginger always gives me hype. Don't be like that What did Mike basso have to say? Yeah, we were talking business, baby. That's all Say tell me which way to Terminal Road and it intersects about ten blocks down. Mm-hmm. What's the number 43? Oh You'll want to turn right then Ed's place is a cozy secluded one by the water Oh, thanks, you know mr. Guiles, huh? Yeah, he's around Mike all the time. He's nothing I'll see you around You guiles Mike basso's man. Yeah, so what I'm Marlowe private detective. I'm looking for Johnny take Why'd you come here? Is your friend to his the only one? I haven't seen I heard from them So I'm afraid I can't help now wait a minute. Let's go inside. I'd like to talk about He's put himself in a pretty hopeless situation coming back here to Pedro. What do you think? Because he's got enemies like Mike basso and shocky. Yeah What's he gonna do fight it out to be smart and leave Tom this and private investigate? I told you once I don't know because I haven't seen him. You're a liar. You saw him last night. They're working for Mike, aren't you? Get out We'll try it the hot way Now where's Johnny I Don't know come on get up get up. Let's play again. You saw him last night. Didn't you didn't you? So I'm about 1130 I was standing on a deck of Mike's launch when I heard a commotion and looked up I saw Johnny jump down the stairs from Mike's office and run off the pier I haven't seen him since when that's the truth. Okay, sorry. I had to make a squeal on her friend Where's the albatross cafe albatross. Yeah Corner of front and castle Avenue, but look can't you leave Chris out of this? She's a good kid She's been through a lot already like Johnny's gonna leave her out of it Besides, it's for her own good that I want to see it. I suppose you're right But I'll tell you something for your own good tomorrow If you find Johnny Dyke don't push him too hard He was tough before he left now. He'll have a raw hide for brains depend on it At the corner of front and castle I spotted the albatross cafe Half on land half teetering on a set of spindly stilts ringing the high-water mark with jagged lumps of barnacles I parked down the street and started back when the door swung open and the Latin George moves shawky lumbered out I watched him cross the street without seeing me and disappear between two buildings. I Waited a couple of minutes and I went in took a booth near the front Place was neat and clean even the tablecloths a Soft brown-eyed blonde and a crisp peasant dress picked up a menu and came over good evening, sir Chris Yeah, yeah Well Chris, it's probably not on the menu around here, but how about a double order of plain facts straight? What are you talking about Johnny? You remember Johnny dyke your husband Who are you mister private detective named Marlowe? All I want to do is talk to him Chris. Just talk is he here. No, I I haven't seen him. He hasn't even called me How do you feel about this bird known as shawky? He always crowded Johnny and now he's got his job I hear he knows something. Have you seen him lately? No, I haven't That's funny. He just left here. Okay, so I'm a liar Maybe you're just blind I've heard that love does that baby Maybe Any skin off your nose? No Cigarette and how about a match for me, huh? Yeah here Hey These are cute at crimp border around the edge especially The one put there by somebody's jittery thumbnail. Maybe your eyes are bad Maybe not Chris But you better do something about your nerves. They're shot Good night, baby. I Didn't look back, but I knew she was watching me all the way out the door and down the street So I made it real good as far as the next block and around the corner And I doubled back fast and stayed in the shadows until I got within sight of the albatross cafe again And in time to see a man he's out of side door and slip out of sight among the pilings under the building I moved in closer and found a rickety trail of greasy planks that led out through the forest of slimy pilings under the pears And it felt better on a tight rope that was home ground to Johnny Dyke I felt my way slowly along this slippery planks And from behind the piling an arm like steel springs snapped under my chin while I hand pressed the point of a long thin knife For the curved white handle up against my throat You said you wanted to talk to me Marlosa talk, but fast because I don't have much time. He's up on my throat Okay You're a sucker Why don't you try to give up trying to even the score get out of town and forget it sure Sure to you that's easy You didn't spend three long years in the cooler for something you didn't do I'm gonna get even all right. I don't know how for sure yet But I will wind up right back in the coop sucker for keeps this time is it gonna be worth it could be I was a good boy up there every time I wanted to slug a guard. I said Mike Bassow to myself instead now. I got it all bottle up inside me. I'm gonna carry all that hate around forever I'm gonna get rid of it. There's only one way to do it. It girls was right. You've got raw hide for brains You better put the knife away Johnny. I think we got visitors sure. I have Marlowe rats big ones The piers are full of them. You should feel right at home. I don't sleep too long pal It's when the throbbing in my head And the numbness across my shoulders where my back struck the planks It took me five minutes to get to my feet And another fire to climb up the street level I then the pier was deserted So I headed for the Bassow docks on the double with the unpleasant answer to my client's question plus the added attraction that I'd even seen the Knife I contended to use I Still had a block to go when I saw a hook that had to be shocky stride off the pier and turn in my direction We got close enough I hailed. Yeah, I'm shocky What do you want, but is Mike still in the office or wants to know come on? This is no time to stall heavy. I'm Marlowe. I'm working for him. I got a message. You won't keep is he there or no? Oh, the office is locked up. He's gone. I'm looking for myself. Why what do you want him for? Because I'm pretty sure that Johnny Dyke is holed up in the back room of the albatross cafe Yeah, I only wish you were right shocky, but you're about a half hour too What was that came from up the street there? Yeah, let's go shocky. Maybe we're both too late. Let's find out. Yeah Hey, what the day by the guardrail? Ginger a pal of Mike Bassow. Yeah, you're right ginger ginger. What's the matter? What happened down there? Take a look really. I'm scared down where ginger in the water. I think I'm maybe I'm gonna be sick And well come here look Holy smoke has That's Mike down there with a knife in his back. Yeah A long thin knife for the curved white handle Alongs to a guy named Johnny Dyke In just a moment the second act to Philip Marlowe, but first He may be a close neighbor of yours. At least he lives quite near you. You go to the polls you elect him You bet him farewell trusting him to represent you in Washington from then on what happens to your congressman and the nation's capital What pressures are brought to bear on him in how many hundreds of fields must he rapidly become a good expert? Why does he vote as he does? Tomorrow night on cbs You'll hear Ralph Bellamy star of radio stage and screen playing a typical freshman congressman in the 81st congress History will be a drama taken from interviews and talks with many regular congressmen with washington experts with politicians with Yes with voters like yourselves This cbs documentary unit drama the people's choice starring Ralph Bellamy will come to you over most of these same cbs stations Now with our star gerald more we return to the second act of Philip Marlowe and tonight's story night tide Lying with his face Smuzzled into the sand and the rest of them half submerged in the shallow lapping water Mike basso was violent death at its ugliest Ginger turned and walked slowly away from us Trembling like a whino caught in the morning sun I told shock you to go get the police I hid it for the albatross where I figured I might get a lead on Mike basso's murderers When I got there I skipped the formality of the front door and quietly moved her out of the back Where I ended without knocking and made my way along a narrow dusky corridor as far as a half open door labeled Private where I met christine dyke talking on the telephone She looked up and gasped the side of me and then slammed the phone down abruptly I was willing to bet that the party on the other end had been husband johnny Nobody else what do you want marlowe most of all one johnny dyke and handcuffs Don't bother with the my man pitch honey because at the moment the lyrics will make me sick I just left the coughs that used to be mike basso basso Dad marlowe. Yeah All because of johnny's knife. It's sticking in his back chris Oh No marlowe johnny wouldn't do a thing like that. He couldn't you're wrong chris. He didn't now. Where is he? I don't know you're lying baby. You were just talking to him on the phone. You gotta know No, I don't he he didn't say where he was Oh, what or anything about basso being dead so Don't move marlowe well Husband with knife wife with gun charming couple ever might not I'm not going to see johnny in trouble again for something he didn't do So get in that closet marlowe where you'll be out of the way now. All right in it is But first baby a word of advice He isn't worth it. Believe me. I don't So get in and keep your mouth shut Closer than chris's office, which doubled as a storeroom to the restaurant had no window and a three inch thick oak for a door So I was 20 minutes as a one-man mob scene bouncing the inventory around before I was hurt The little man with a big meat cleaver of long the kitchen opened up and demanded to know what I was doing in there I heaved a number 10 tomato juice can adam for an answer started running and didn't stop until I was outside In my car and pointed for it guile's cottage The only other place I knew where johnny dyke might go for help Came to a stop at the house and found guiles himself standing on the outside steps looking puzzled at a pair of Tear lights that were blinking out of sight I knew I was too late. Yeah marlowe. It was christain And all upset about getting her hands on five hundred dollars said I had to lend it to her for johnny's sake She say why no only did he need it help murderers usually do Your boy dyke just killed basso guiles a knife in his back Johnny killed mike about an hour ago over on the beach Tell me did you give her the money? She ran out of the house before he even got to my safe about saying anything about saying a word marlowe I wouldn't even know she was gone yet if I hadn't heard Heard what guile Come on marlowe quickly Heard the draw open when I was inside near my safe I wonder what she was looking for when I called for it. You got no answer. You ran outside after is that it? Hey marlowe, they're gone the boat keys. She must have taken them for johnny Asking for the money was only a trick to get me out of the room. Wait a minute. Wait a minute What boat keys are you talking about guile? The master said marlowe two keys on a large brass ring They flipped the ignition lock on any boat at the basso docks. She knew I had them Yeah, but she also knew that even as a friend of johnny's you'd bark at handing him over if he knew he'd killed basso, right? Or are you still shielding old friends guiles? Which is it? Don't be stupid marlowe. I'd draw the line something all right Now one more question. Do you have a gun a gun? Oh, yeah I do good and get it because we're going to the basso docks guiles. Come on Piled into my car and in something less than 10 minutes ripped through the wide empty streets to the basso docks Which were two parallel piers set about a hundred feet apart And jutting out deep into the bay with more than a score of boats moored to the input side of each But when we were out of the car and saw nothing of johnny dyke or the girl And heard no sound other than the dull thump of wood on wooden me rhythmic slap of water against the hulls I decided that we should split and I told guiles to search one pier carefully while I took off for the other But a minute later just as I started out alone over the oil soaked planking I remembered the panoramic view of the docks I'd gotten earlier that evening from basso's office So I stopped then turned and ran for the flight of wooden steps that led to it I was halfway up them when I stopped again There was somebody ahead of me and with a key opening the office door I crouched low And moved closer one slow step at a time Thought what I knew might be johnny dyke But in the next second the light clicked on in the office and I forgot all about being subtle And leveled the 38 in my hand at the belt buckle of the sharply silhouetted figure it was shocky I wouldn't move if I were you buster Marlowe shocky, who are you expecting? Nobody funny man, but I wouldn't want it to be johnny dyke at the moment He might want to settle old scores You know marlowe the price for two murders is the same as a price for one. So I've heard But now unless we strafe in the subject shocky do you mind telling me what you're doing here? And don't say I'm getting personal or I will Come on talk up like a big boy. All right. I'm here because I don't like cops Right now they're done in a beach swimming around basso's body like kids are on a maypole Also, I figured that before he blew dyke might come up here after the money he knew basso always kept on hand Satisfied in a word. No, why not because I buy the switch first You're here shocky to steal that bill and let people think the dyke took it on his way out You can't prove that only because I haven't got time You see shocky It's an odds on bet that dykes out on one of those boats right now Just waiting for the What is it marlowe shocky? What time is it? Huh the time quick. What is it? It's 11 35 boy. What's that got to do with dyke shoving off from where I stand everything Now look shocky get back down to those cops get him up here and marlowe look over there at the end of the starboard here It's dyke. Yeah, I'm trying to get away. Go on shocky get to the cops fast I took the wooden steps back down to the docks three at a time and then raced across the starboard pier And out on the length of it until I was close enough to the end Or I could see johnny dyke climbing over one of the boats I was about to call him to stop when I saw something else Standing almost opposite me in the shadow of some nearby rigging gun in hand and taking careful aim at dyke Was ed guiles this finger slowly closing on the trigger was too late for words. So I followed suit and fired before he did Got him high in the shoulder It's me I know the man who murdered basso isn't he's right here guiles What do you mean marlowe? But I just found out you're a liar about seeing dyke last night from the deck of basso's launch you couldn't have So what so you weren't shielding him guiles? You are framing him framing him so that you could get rid of basso and pin his murder on dyke Well, you'd also get rid of while playing public citizen who's helping the private detective apprehender killer But what do you say guiles? Is that it? You're a smart guy figured out be yourself come clean guiles or I'll blow your head off All right All right chris and I framed dyke chris. Yeah, what are you giving me honest? We figured that we'd be in the clear with the money we took from basso And with johnny welk talked away in a big strong prison. You're dirty louse keep talking So we took advantage of johnny's loud mouth and incidentally you as well With basso gone. I was gonna step into his spot. You're the one with a loud mouth guiles well Little red riding hood And I went for your line Funny what a sucker as smart guy can be he wasn't the only sucker, baby Johnny stay back johnny shoot it. They move it in. She's got a gun shoot. Come on Get away johnny get away from me. You wouldn't shoot me chris You wouldn't shoot your own husband The man you talked into running away until ting's quieted down The man you'd move heaven and earth to help so he could be shot in the back But you can't shoot me while i'm facing you. Can you you cheap Ah Okay Okay It was a long hour of questions and answers before the police were finished And they'd left with chris and guiles and tow Johnny and I were standing alone out on the end of the pier where I was looking down at the shallow black water below and Listening to him try to convince himself that the whole night had been something more than a bad dream Chris against me guiles against me from the very beginning marlo. That's right Guiles because he wanted to be in basso's place My wife chris because She wanted him that's right When basso hired me to see what you had in mind after that beating he'd taken from What he thought was you but it was really guiles laying the groundwork I fell into the role of star witness. Hmm somebody reliable enough for them both to play against Oh Yeah, I get it So you could testify that it at first guiles had tried to shield me like a good friend Yeah, and in any end had to kill me when I tried to escape Sure And just to make sure there were no slips Chris kept feeding you instructions under the heading of wifely advice Yeah, it practically ran on a timetable johnny. Yeah, but there was one slip I found out guiles was a liar and trying to frame not shield you. Huh? How was that marlo? Well, look, he said he saw you beat up basso in his office at 11 30 last night when he was down on the deck of basso's private launch Investigating a strange noise. Yeah. Well, johnny. He couldn't have Because at 11 30 last night as well as 11 30 tonight The tide was low Of course the launch with it and from basso's office. You couldn't even see the launch Yeah Or the other way around From the launch, you couldn't see the office, right? That's it So in the end johnny, you did have a friend who stuck by you The sea Yeah I guess that's as good a place as any for me Maybe the sooner the better any place in particular No, just the sea I'll drop you a card whenever I make port marlo After all, I really had two friends. I won't forget that I watched him walk away Until he'd gone the length of the empty pier and was swallowed up in the empty at night Then I turned back to the shallow black water beneath me Which where the sea and the land were close to meeting Was coated thick with oil And dirty But almost stagnant And I thought a lot about johnny people like chris and guiles he'd mixed with and trusted I felt sorry for But then Then I looked up a little Away from the water at the pier and I'll tour the open sea where it was deeper cleaner The further I looked Cleaner it seemed to be Then I remembered that was where johnny dyke was heading And I felt better Adventures of philip marlo created by raymond chandler star jerald moore and are produced and directed by Norman mcdonnell script is by melden ellie robert mitchell and gene levitt Features in the cast were michael ann barrett lou krugman howard cover frank gerstle georgia ellis and frank richards The special music is by richard orant be sure to be with us again next week when philip marlo says I was hired to find a thief and I did 8 000 miles away from home But first I found a hammy athelo a lush with a luger and a fresh corpse in the closet All because the only woman in sight Wouldn't play fair A tortoise told a household pest Goodbye. Goodbye An md said you'll pass the test Up in the sky This is the newest phantom lyric on cbs's saturday night sing it again program And later tonight over most of these same cbs network stations. You'll hear the phantom himself singing them $51 000 ride on solving the phantom's identity and answering one more question about him 26 000 in wonderful prizes for telling who he is 25 000 in cash for answering the extra question How's for listening in tonight phone calls go out to cbs listeners throughout the nation This is roi roan speaking Now stay tuned for gangbusters which follows immediately over most of the same cbs stations This is cbs the columbia broadcasting system