 Most Saturdays at this time we spent an exciting half-hour of adventure and action with America's public hero number one hop along Cassidy Well, even two fisted cowboys take summer vacations when they can and hoppy is no exception Hop along in topper will be back with us riding the CBS air trails again ten weeks from tonight September 22 Get this and get it straight Crime is a suckers road and those who travel it wind up in the gut of the prison of the grave There's no other end, but they never learn 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 the dear dead days I Stood at the window and looked down at the Saturday morning traffic a Thousand inch worms playing follow the leader to the beach to the mountains to add millies to any place I Had time a book. There was food in the refrigerator and a coffee cup in my hand Across the room. There was an easy chair and cigarettes on the table beside it The clock said it was 9 15. I hadn't shaved and I wasn't going to it was Saturday all day And it was mine Yeah, I'll see you see where was I? I hear this she was the most breathtaking thing he'd ever seen she laid back on the devine stretched Smiled languidly up Okay, okay Hello, Mr. Marlowe, Mr. Philip Marlowe speaking. You don't know me, Mr. Marlowe. My name is Phoebe Cardwell Mrs. Phoebe Cardwell Yeah, the name would mean something to you Cardwell, no, I'm afraid not well. No matter you do help people. Don't you I mean if someone is missing you find them Well, sometimes this is Cardwell. It all depends if you check the police. Oh, no, my dears my chauffeur Well, now I must mislead you strictly speaking. Here's not my chauffeur, but strictly speaking. He is missing Yes, at least trust phones entirely. Mr. Marlowe. I couldn't even have called you except Matilda went to her friends and I do need your help. Yeah, I see. Well, come out right away. It's most important to me I live in Venice, Mr. Marlowe. If you drive down Sepulveda to Washington Well, what do you do? Maybe I thought about my grandmother. Maybe I thought at 25 bucks a day. I don't know Whatever it was I joined the inchworm anonymity that was the traffic line of the beach cities Now Venice is not a spot to which I normally gravitate But there was something in Mrs. Phoebe Cardwell's distinguished old voice that told me this was not a Saturday for normalcy The house was what used to be called a bungalow And the ramrod little figure waiting for me in the doorway was what used to be called beautiful Phoebe Cardwell for all her 75 years had worn well and knew it It's just possible that I didn't make myself entirely clear on the phone, Mr. Marlowe about Stevens Well, he's your chauffeur and he's missing. He was my chauffeur It seemed like a very long time ago since I've seen him. You see after Horace died in 1948 Horace was my husband. You see after Horace died Steven stayed on to drive for the family who took our pass it in a house Oh, he did this with my blessing, of course Horace Rest him left me very little really. I Say this with no malice. Mr. Marlowe merely to point out that for me to retain Stevens was quite out of the question Yeah, yeah, I suppose so so I moved in with my younger sister Matilda She's visiting a friend at the moment. I I wouldn't want Matilda to share my Concern over Stevens and I'm sure you'll respect that. Oh, of course. Mrs. Cardwell Now look so far as you know is Stevens still driving for the family who took your house Oh, I'm sure he is. He must be it's just that well on Thursdays his day off He always brought the limousine over to take me for rides and run my little errands Oh, oh understand now the brands are fully aware of this. That's the family works for who have my home in Pasadena And Stevens hasn't been to see you in some time in weeks and not a word you understand. I Find it difficult to tell you precisely how I feel about this. Mr. Marlowe Stevens is like a son Perhaps he's ill or troubled. Oh, I'd want to know that I might be able to help you phone. That's boy Oh, I'm embarrassed to say how many times but no answer none at all. Oh, oh, I have a writing desk in my room Mr. Marlowe, I'll write the Pasadena address and phone number for you my number, too Oh, I shan't be a moment now I'd seen the ring when I first sat down opposite her First because it was big almost massive on a tiny right hand Then because it didn't fit the rest of the lavender and Olay's picture that she presented massive jade and gold carved with oriental figures a foreboding thing that re-quality of its kind and value After she left the vases jumped out at me from the mantle Small gold and jade again and is incongruously out of place as Phoebe Cardwell and Sister Matilda's bungalow Now that didn't take long did it? Oh, not long at all I like you, Mr. Marlowe. You'll find Stevens for me. I know well, I hope so Mrs. Cardwell And if I do well, I tell him that I want to see him or hear from him Stevens will understand. Yeah, well, I My dear Mr. Marlowe may I present my sister miss Reed with an eye like Wallace Reed. I'm sure mr. Maybe you don't remember Wally. Well, I tell you At one time Mr. Marlowe I was in pictures in the golden era mr. Marlowe when silence was golden. Oh that Wallace Reed Yeah, mr. Marlowe's in insurance my dear and and some younger than we did you see the covered wagon onus Torrance I had a big scene with him on the prairie right by one of the wagon wheels. No not first run I'm waiting for it to come to my neighborhood theater Until there was a doll Real-life Cupid doll, but her role in this thing was strictly comedy relief The drama if there was any was Phoebe Cardwell A missing chauffeur that wasn't hers anymore and the glaring memory of jade and gold that didn't seem to fit anywhere Well, I missed a house on Orange Grove Avenue by two numbers parked the car and walked back The old Cardwell place was set well back from the street and its solid red brick looked big important And empty At first I thought there were three honey-colored afghans on the lawn next door But the one in the middle was talking to me As I walked closer I could see she was by far the prettiest And undoubtedly something more than man's best friend the brand sir at emerald bay for the summer I thought I'd told everyone. Yeah. Well, I'm the one who forgot to ask you if my name is Marlowe I'm kip harcourt margaret really kips for the reserve section. Hello kip. I've never seen you before Yeah, well believe me. I'm sorry. I believe you marlowe. Yeah, I got a first name. I like marlowe Forget about the brands come on and play on this side of the hedge I don't know the pesadino rules same as texas. Yeah Looks like we're gonna have to move over I'll give stevens a raise for this But you said nobody was home stevens doesn't count. He does with me. Don't move I want to remember you like this always This you know Hey, hey, stevens stevens. Wait a minute. I'd like to see you. Yes, sir I'd like to talk to you about mrs. Cardwell It is is something wrong, sir. Oh, no. No, she's fine I'm philip marlowe stevens. Is there someplace we can have a visit upstairs over the garage in my quarter, sir I've come along Mrs. Cardwell isn't do ailing. She's oh, no look fine when I left it less than an hour ago I'm glad to hear that Yeah, here we are Come inside, sir Hey, nice place you've got here stevens. There's a bit stuffy in here. I'm afraid I've been closed up a few days. No Yeah Sit down, sir. Thanks Say, uh, stevens mrs. Cardwell misses you and you can drop the sir with me marlowe will do I'll try sir, uh, mr. Marlowe But I have it of 20 years or so, you know, sure Now, uh, mrs. Cardwell misses me. Is that what you've come to tell me? Oh, that's about all she told me stevens I understand you skipped a few of your regular thursday visits with her and well She's concerned about you. Well, I must say that's generous of her Of course, it's not been a few visits at all. Mr. Marlowe. I've missed the last two thursdays And uh, for a quite legitimate reason my employers the branch have opened their emerald bay place. Yeah, so kip told me Uh, uh, mrs. Harcourt, I mean mrs. Harcourt, sir Oh, really? That's too bad. Is it sir? Yeah Well, look, uh, mrs. Cardwell seems like a nice old lady You know what you mean to her. It's not just you she misses you understand It's a way of life something she was part of and enjoyed A status I think they call it You know, it can be pretty important stevens. I understand that sir. Sure you do You'll give her a break. I know Call her now that you're back in town. You know keep in touch. Huh? Yes, I oh, excuse me. Sure Don't leave sir. Please. There's something I'd like to ask you Steven seemed like a right guy Anyway, I was wondering about kip meh mrs. Harcourt I had a figured all right, but not for married I dismissed her to the back of my mind and started kissing stevens little palace It was nice enough and the brown to gray motif neat tidy like stevens except Except for a bunch of packing boxes grouped in the corner behind the divan And on top of them three items that stopped me cold A large bowl a smaller one in a long up long box All a massive jade and gold carved with oriental figures You admire oriental art mr. Marlon? Not especially. Are you stevens? Not especially, sir You uh, you said you'd like to ask me something. Yes, and uh, if I may sir, I'd appreciate a straight answer All my answers are straight stevens. It's my questions that get tricky I'll remember that sir Are you certain you've told me everything mrs. Cardwell said about me very certain It doesn't strike you as odd, sir that she'd hire a man of your particular capabilities To deliver the simple message that she misses me matter of fact it does stevens Strikes me as very odd I couldn't tell stevens anymore because I didn't know anymore It was my turn to ask questions, but I didn't have any yet I was closing in on a pretty good one as I started down the drive again, but It got lost in the shuffle. I knew you'd be back Marlon You always arrive unannounced. Don't you miss his hardcore? Henry's in valboa. You're here Henry's out of his mind. Don't you want a drink or something? Yes, kip. There is something I want. Well, come on At the moment a telephone come on anyway You know marlo. You're an odd one. Yeah, everybody says so You're really coming into the house to use the phone aren't you? Well, like I said, I'm an odd one Where is it to the right in the library? Thanks. Are you a friend of stevens? Why? Because you're not a friend of the brands. Yeah, well, I'm really a friend of mrs. Cardwell's Phoebe's why didn't you say so would it have mattered little I live next door to Phoebe and Horace for years Here it's my house. Henry married my money Poor Phoebe Horace didn't leave her a thing No one understood it leans against the estate as big as a house big as the cardwell house That's how the brands got it. Is she still interested in art or do you know? Oh, I think so only uh, and maybe not such big scale beautiful wings. She donated to the museum I guess she never gets over here anymore. No, not much So, you know, I forgot the name of that museum. She mentioned it live oak museum on california street. Oh, yeah I liked Phoebe teller kip says hi when you see her. Yeah, I will you Still want to use the phone marlo I uh used the phone I called Phoebe cardwell explaining stevens absence and gave a kip's best And the case was closed All I had to do was wait for a check But all of a sudden I didn't feel very good about any of it. It was like a hangover You know, I felt something should make sense, but nothing did The jade and golded Phoebe's the stuff in Steven's quarters that looked just like it Was it hers? Did she give it to him? Did he take it? Questions I had but no answers I stood there at the window in kip's library and watched the cob pull to a stop in front of the old cardwell place Watch the thick little man get out and start to walk up the gravel driveway I wasn't sure until he walked right past the library window Then I knew I had the beginnings of all the answers The thick little man was fritziat one of the better fences around town And he was on his way to see stevens A minute later kip told me of empty servants quarters over her garage Another minute later and I was there The two garages weren't six feet apart And there was lots to hear if you listened I listened but look stevie boy. You don't have it all It's not quite the point now. Can you dispose of it? I don't know two things stevie boy One collection is a tough defense real tough two. This isn't the whole deal And I uh, I don't understand this isn't the whole deal some pieces missing I've seen pictures of the sinkoo collection some pieces are missing here two bars isn't a ring to be exact Yeah, you're right. You got them. Well, not exactly. I I might be able to get them look. I'm trying to tell you stevie boy one I'm not even sure I can fence the whole collection but two I ain't got a prayer of doing it if it's incomplete Are you with me there? Do you understand that? Yes. Yes. I I understand it It might take time to obtain the other pieces and you better spend some time stevie boy Or we got no arrangement whatsoever. I tell you I'll nose around see what's the best deal I can get providing you deliver the full treatment You see what you can do about getting it and we'll meet here tomorrow at noon But I really don't think it Well, never mind. I I've got to have the money All right tomorrow at noon You didn't have to hang any signs on it. It was all there or most of it was The sinkoo collection meant very little to me But it meant money to stevens and fritziat I had an idea it meant something else again to phoebe cardwell And I had another idea the live oak museum on california street and the wing that phoebe had donated to it I couldn't risk the delay of a texas rules bout with kip so I skirted the house and ran through the dust in my car Five minutes later. I stood in front of the words live oak museum press of a wallis director Opened a visit as nine to five weekdays nine to twelve saturdays 12 to five sunday afternoon down nuts Not interested in our damn mr. Mono. We've done that bit stevens. My answer was not specially I just like dissuading you in this manner, sir But I'm a quite accurate shot. You know, I believe that stevens If I can't persuade you with this warning I'll not hesitate to use this gun I'll not hesitate at all, sir In just a moment. We will return to the second act to philip marlowe But first now that vacation time is here our streets and highways are more crowded than ever Don't take chances. Obey the traffic rules and drive carefully the life you save may be your own And now with our star gerald more the second act to philip marlowe and tonight's story the dear dead days Stevens had a dominant personality for a chauffeur He could give orders as well as take them And I'm not a man who's at his best staring down the nose of an automatic Now we told each other a very proper good evening and he left me with my thoughts which was several and urgent I bundled them together and headed for the times office in downtown la Note There's just one thing mustier than an old newspaper file. That's the man who files it 1948 was a big year news wise philip the files are heavy. How was it obituary wise belton? That should lighten it Uh-huh local national or international local pasadena name address Horace cardwell orange grove avenue Cardwell Horace. That's it. That's it January 30 1948 Page one part two That's a good spot page one part two best local obit spot in the paper. Well bet Horace was proud like anything Let's see here Candy oh here it is here it is Mr. Cardwell is survived by his wife Phoebe reed cardwell at home Period nothing Hey belton you got one for her her Phoebe cardwell When she go she hasn't she's somebody she's somebody cardwell mrs. Horace parenthesis phoebe reed close parenthesis triad belton She could be more She'll never make part two page one at this rate. Yeah, that's too bad, but read it anyway, huh? Born waterloo, Iowa june 7 1876. She's gemini fella. That's wonderful. You just read Okay, okay married Horace cardwell so so so so old california So so so so so Oh chairman of art and culture committee live oak museum pasadena. That's it go ahead Travel extensively all over the world brought back many valuable paintings and Objects the art. Yeah, it's reasonable to the museum Most famous of which is sing-woo collection of jade and uh, Well, that's about it. Philip. I love you Belden. Thanks So Phoebe had brought the sing-woo jade collection to live oak museum in the first place Now she had some of it. Stevens had more and fritziat was even now nosing around for a taker Where did that leave the museum? Nowhere so far as I knew Except closed till noon tomorrow sunday And noon tomorrow sunday would be too late Fritzi and Stevens would be together by that time note Percival Wallace is a quiet little man who doesn't like to talk to private eyes about museum business at home Or anywhere the museum has operated for 30 years, mr. Marlowe and not one shred of notoriety Not one shred and I think we can keep the record clean, mr. Wallace All I want to know is when the sing-woo collection was stolen from the museum. I didn't say it was stolen I said we no longer had it. Okay. You no longer have it. How long have you no longer had it? And it was uh since christmas week 1947. Would you notify the police? Certainly not. Why? Mr. Marlowe, I tried to tell you not one shred of notoriety in 30 years Yeah, but it's a valuable collection and it's missing board of directors did subscribe to a reward mr. Marlowe Only a fraction of the sing-woo's real worth of course a mere 20 000 dollars But of course this was done very quietly very quietly so quietly nobody knows about it All right. Tell me did mrs. Cardwell contribute to the reward? I Don't recall and you wouldn't say if she did. Thanks mr. Wallace. You're just downright bully I got the Phoebe Cardwell small bungalow in Venice in time to see a livraig limousine pull away from the curb A few minutes after it got lost with the rest of the inchworms the light up at night variety Mrs. Cardwell ushered me into the living room When she turned on the lights everything in the room jumped out at me again The pink dogs the blue cats the souvenir pillows But the most notable things in the room were the jade and gold vases that were gone from the mantle And the jade and gold ring that was missing from Phoebe Cardwell's old hand. This is delightful. Mr. Marlowe Genuinely delightful. Yeah, well, I was afraid it might be a little too late to call Ordinarily yes, but not tonight. Well, you just missed him Stevens. He came back and took me for a drive I just this minute got home. Oh, that's fine. Oh, thanks to you mr. Marlowe I'm so grateful. He hadn't forgotten about me. You know, no, he'd been busy. Oh, sure. Yeah, but he has I'm embarrassed not to have mentioned it sooner, but I have your money for you your fees. Oh, there's no hurry honey. In fact, I've done so little that I No, no, no, no, I won't hear that. I'll pay you in full of course. All right Say, uh this morning I was admiring your ring and the vases on the mantle Were you indeed? Yeah, well, I'm glad They're quite nice, you know, yes they were Did you give them the Stevens mrs. Cardwell? I beg your pardon. Did you give them the Stevens? Well, I Really, mr. Marlowe, you surprised me. That is none of your affair, you know, I'm a curious fellow I secured your services to perform a specific task. You've done that I certainly do not intend to discuss Stevens or anything pertaining to him with you, mr. Marlowe All right, we'll leave it that way I'm not a word of any of this to Matilda now BB dear, oh, Mr. Marlowe again. Yeah, I was just leaving I told the girls at the club all about you and I am right, aren't I? You are Julia Marlowe's son Julia Marlowe, the actress she played Barbara Fritchie for years. She did well I'm sorry, but there are no fritchies in our families for years either side Really, Matilda? Mr. Marlowe's busy. He was just leaving. Yes, wasn't I? Philip Fritchie Marlowe would have been a beautiful name The lights in Kip Harcourt's house were off when I got back to Pasadena Those in Stevens' quarters above the garage were still on It was better that way I wasn't worried about Stevens automatic anymore. There was a very good chance he wouldn't use it Hey Stevens, it's Marlowe open up Apparently, I didn't make myself clear, Mr. Marlowe, sir If you still want to try your aim when I finish talking, I'll be a willing target Come in, sir It's almost midnight. You're meeting Fritchie at noon tomorrow. We're gonna have to work fast I want you to stay out of it, Mr. Marlowe Now listen Stevens, hear this I know about a lot of it and I got some good guesses on the rest. Let's make a deal I'll tell you what I know and what I guess If I am right, you can get in touch with Fritchie tonight And if you're wrong Well, if I'm wrong one of us deserves to be killed Go ahead, sir Okay, Horace Cardwell was a wealthy man, a very wealthy man He was a good businessman and he loved his wife very much That's right, sir When he died, there was almost no money A small amount may be for Phoebe, but the house, everything in it, the cars, everything went to pay off debts, liens against the estate What else do you know? That Phoebe Cardwell contributed a wing to the Live Oak Museum That she brought our treasures from all over the world to put in it Including the Sing Wu Jade collection That the collection's been missing from the Cardwell Wing since Christmas 1947 Horace died of a cerebral hemorrhage in January 1948 And nobody wants to talk about who took the collection Least of all, the people at the Live Oak Museum And uh, what do you guess from all this, sir? That a man, even a very wealthy man, can run out of money Especially if he has a wife who's a wonderful woman, will with an eye and a hand for expensive art treasures Phoebe's sick, Stephen's caught the man he has in homeless I know, sir It's been such a well guarded secret It took all Mr. Horace had to pay for the things she took People to watch her keep track of her You know, sir, he couldn't bear to get help for him Psychiatric help Now, she needs money Just to live on She has so little and You love her very much, don't you? Yes, yes, I do Well, she can't have too many more years, Stevens, and $20,000, a lot of money $20,000, Mr. Horace? Now look, Stevens, you've called it a well guarded secret, believe me, it was and it is Even those of you who've been protecting Phoebe all these years haven't leveled with each other How she moved the collection out of there, I'll never know But the museums had a 20,000 buck reward for its return for several years All right I didn't know that, sir I know you didn't And it suddenly dawns on me that Phoebe's been handing you the single collection bit by bit Ever since she, uh, well, came by it Maybe an appreciation for your years of faithful service, huh? Well, she, she said it might come in handy, sir If I have a needed money If I needed money, Mr. Morrow Yeah, I know, Stevens Hey, you've got a conflict tomorrow You can't be here meeting Fritzy and be at the Live Oak Museum when it opens at noon, too Well, I'll call Fritzy Tell him our arrangement is off And Stevens Can't you just see principal Wallace's face tomorrow when he eyes the Sing-Woo collection again? Footnote to a happy ending By 1230 Sunday afternoon, the museum had the collection Stevens had a certified check for 20,000 dollars And we had an understanding That Phoebe Cardwell would suddenly discover that Horace had left us some money after all 20,000 in a checking account that it's somehow been overlooked till now Oh well, the rest of Sunday was all mine And I stood at my window and looked down on a thousand inch worms playing follow the leader Back from the beach, the mountains, from Aunt Millie's From anywhere All kinds of people Nice people Not so nice people Dames like Kip, whose husbands took trips Sweet, harmless old ladies Who took collections Oh well, where's that book? Oh yeah How well was I? Oh yeah, here it is She was the most breathtaking thing he'd ever seen She laid back on the divan and stretched And smiled lacklessly up The adventures of Philip Marlowe Bringing you Raymond Chandler's most famous character, star Gerald Moore Are produced and directed by Norman McDonnell And was written for radio tonight by Kathleen Hite And Adrian Jondo Featured in the cast were Verna Felton, Bill Johnstone, and Lynn Allen With Anne Morrison, Ralph Moody, Jerry Hausner, and Sidney Miller Gerald Moore may soon be seen in the Santana production, Sirocco The special music is composed by Pierre Garagank And conducted by Wilbur Hatch Be sure to listen again next week at the same time when Philip Marlowe says This time a pair of green eyes held a promise A house on bed for drive held a murder A Malibu motel held a secret And I almost held the sack Songbird Evelyn Knight, a favorite CBS singing star Helps out vocally on the Mario Lanza show Tomorrow evening on most of these same CBS stations Stay tuned now for Gangbusters Which follows immediately over most of these same CBS stations Roy Rowan speaking This is CBS here, Horace Hyde every Sunday night The Columbia Broadcasting System