The Marlowe Files

Originally Aired: September 14, 1948 Philo Vance #10, "The Blue Lady Murder Case," a mysterious and dangerous woman known only as "the lady in blue" arrives in town, and her reputation for bringing trouble—killings, bank holdups, and kidnappings—precedes her. District Attorney Markham summons detective Philo Vance to his locked office, where informer Ricker warns them about this tall, dark, striki...

Originally Aired: September 7, 1948 Philo Vance #9, "The Midget Murder Case," Theatrical manager Billy Edwards is shot during rehearsal with his vaudeville troupe, which includes Colonel Tim the midget, trapeze artist Louise, human giant Andy Anderson, and magician Duke Miller. When District Attorney Markham discovers the tiny two-inch French pistol used in the shooting, he calls in Philo Vance to...

Originally Aired: August 31, 1948 Philo Vance #8, "The Coachman Murder Case," wealthy industrialist J. Morton Zachary is found murdered in his swimming pool, a fishing rod lying at the edge with its hook attached to his body. The victim, a renowned authority on trout fishing, has a knife in his chest and a coachman fly serving as grim bait. His young wife Grace and magazine editor David Douglas di...

Originally Aired: August 24, 1948 Philo Vance #7, "The Poetic Murder Case," finds Commissioner and Sergeant Heath under intense pressure as two dramatic critics are murdered within twelve hours of each other. Each victim is found with a mocking poem pinned to his chest with a knife. The first victim, Robert Carnes, has a verse declaring him first on a killer's list, while Roger Dakon's body bears...

Originally Aired: July 20, 1948 Philo Vance #2, "The Merry Murder Case," Renowned psychologist Joseph Merry finishes a lecture on the power of the subconscious mind when he receives a mysterious visitor in his office. Shortly afterward, Merry is found shot dead, and Detective Philo Vance finds himself in the middle of an impossible case. Alice Barkley arrives at his office claiming she killed Merr...

Originally Aired: July 13, 1948 Philo Vance #1, "The Eagle Murder Case," begins with an impossible crime that baffles the police. James Dalton, injured in a car accident alongside his wife and two business partners from the Eagle Manufacturing Company, is placed alive in an ambulance with only minor fractures. When the vehicle arrives at the hospital, however, he's dead with a knife in his side. T...

Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired to locate Norma Delaney, a troubled woman who vanished after an argument with her dangerously jealous husband. The search leads through foggy Los Angeles streets to a fortune teller, a secret lover, and a trail of deception that grows darker with every clue. As Marlowe pieces together the mystery, he uncovers a chilling plan involving blackmail, murder, an...

On a night when the hot Santa Ana winds blow trouble into Los Angeles, private detective Philip Marlowe stumbles into a barroom killing that quickly turns personal. A small-time hood named Waldo is gunned down, leaving behind stolen money, a trail of blackmail, and a terrified woman desperate to recover a priceless necklace tied to a lost wartime love. As Marlowe navigates jealous husbands, hired...

When a small-time hood named Waldo turns up riddled with bullets, private detective Philip Marlowe is hired to untangle a case no one else wants. The trail leads through cheap nightclubs, frightened witnesses, and a tangle of double-crosses involving stolen money and misplaced loyalties. As suspects pile up and alibis crumble, Marlowe pieces together the truth behind a killing that was never as si...

Hired to keep a reckless young millionaire out of trouble, private detective Philip Marlowe heads to a county fair where a daredevil parachute act hides more than cheap thrills. When one of the performers plunges to her death before a stunned crowd, Marlowe uncovers sabotage, jealousy, and murder behind the colorful spectacle. As rivalries and greed collide midair, Marlowe races to stop a killer b...

In this episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, a blinding blizzard forces Marlowe off a mountain road and straight into a lodge filled with people who despise him—because six months earlier he killed Virgil Boraki in self-defense. What should have been a routine night of shelter becomes a suffocating trap of grief, resentment, and looming violence. Inside the isolated lodge, Marlowe meets Vi...

In this episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, a quiet Christmas Eve turns into a whirlwind of double-cross, murder, and international intrigue—all centered around a mysterious relic known as the Sword of Cebu. When Marlowe is visited first by a desperate stranger waving money and then by his old client Henry Polne, he’s pulled into a tangle involving a murdered pearl dealer in Manila, a smu...

In this episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, a half-dead Marlowe is jolted from a few minutes’ sleep by a terrified young woman named Carolyn Shepherd—beautiful, shaken, and certain that a man has been following her for weeks. But before Marlowe can even pour the coffee, she vanishes out of his apartment without a sound, leaving only her wallet behind. When he hunts down her address, Marlo...

In this episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, a simple missing-person search turns into a deadly game of impersonation, cover-ups, and a murder that was never supposed to see daylight. Marlowe is hired by a polite, too-slick Philadelphia lawyer named Martin Almond to find a man named Buff Ryan—an easy job on the surface, since Buff has allegedly inherited $5,000 from a deceased aunt. But wh...

In this episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, a harmless complaint from a lonely old neighbor explodes into a dark mystery of secrets, broken families, and a killer hiding in plain sight. Lucille Bellows swears she’s been hearing strange tapping sounds from the vacant bungalow next door—tapping that shouldn’t exist, because its tenant, studio grip Clint Rogers, is out on location. When Marl...

In this episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, a planned fishing getaway gets derailed when Marlowe is dragged into a slick, high-class con built on fear, fortune-telling, and a very convenient crystal ball. Lillian Collins hires him to recover her “stolen” jewelry—pieces she quietly removed from a bank vault to cover gambling debts. The story smells wrong from the start, and Marlowe quickly...

In this episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, a sweltering Los Angeles afternoon pulls Marlowe into a heartbreaking story of love, pride, and the kind of trouble only a family can hide. It starts when Marlowe visits his friend Alex Lesnarvitch, a gentle old fruit seller worried sick about his son, Dom—angry, reckless, and clearly drowning in something deeper than just teenage rebellion. As...

In this episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, a missing-person case turns into a slow, crushing walk toward the truth. Enos Harper hires Marlowe to find his young, beautiful wife Amy, who supposedly vanished after a trip to the laundromat. But nothing about the story fits—not the neighbors’ accounts, not the staged phone calls, and definitely not the trail of photographs showing Amy a littl...

In this episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, a simple phone mix-up drags the detective into a deadly scheme involving crossed wires, a frantic woman, and a killer who lives just down the hall. When Marlowe discovers that his neighbor’s calls are bleeding into his own phone line, he overhears a desperate message from a woman named Rina—one that leads straight to a murder tied to an embezzle...

In this episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, a quiet night at Bell’s English tavern turns into a twisting murder case wrapped in charm, guilt, and desperation. Marlowe meets Marnie Carr—a red-haired beauty with a nervous smile and a secret tugging at her. Their evening ends abruptly when a mysterious man shows up at her door, and by morning, another woman is found shot inside the same hous...

In this episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, the detective’s seaside breather turns into a nightmare of fog, deception, and attempted murder. After receiving a cryptic wire from someone named Dale Higgins, Marlowe heads to Long Beach—only to find the sender suddenly claiming everything is fine. Moments later, a terrified young woman calls his name from the fog and begs for help, convinced...

In this episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, the detective’s seaside breather turns into a nightmare of fog, deception, and attempted murder. After receiving a cryptic wire from someone named Dale Higgins, Marlowe heads to Long Beach—only to find the sender suddenly claiming everything is fine. Moments later, a terrified young woman calls his name from the fog and begs for help, convinced...

In this episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, the detective stumbles into a case that begins as a simple suicide on Skid Row but unravels into a ruthless story of blackmail, betrayal, and the long shadow of a forgotten past. When a once-famous actress named Jane Temple is found dead, Marlowe senses something off—especially after a frightened shoemaker reveals her treasured scrapbook, a “big...

In this episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, the detective is pulled into a frantic hunt for a missing groom whose perfect life is suddenly shattered by a ghost from the past. Hours before his wedding, young doctor Ben Reynolds vanishes after recognizing a name he believed long dead—Gregory Toledo. Marlowe digs into the mystery and uncovers a trail of murder, blackmail, and a $40,000 payof...

In this episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, the detective fights against the clock to grant a condemned man one final act of redemption. Hours before his execution, young Billy Sinero begs Marlowe to recover a cache of stolen jewels—proof of the crime that ruined him—and return them to the widow of the man he accidentally killed. Marlowe’s search drags him through San Pedro’s docks, a dea...