The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, Volume 4

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The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, Volume 4

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The Adventures of Philip Marlowe
Volume 4

"Get this and get it straight: crime is a sucker's road, and those who travel it end up in the gutter, the prison, or the grave..."

Gerald Mohr

Those words opened each episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe starring Gerald Mohr in the title role. Although Marlowe had pounded the airwaves prior to this show’s debut in 1948, no one had yet to bring the right power, the right strength, and the right mood to the character. Not until Gerald Mohr lent his voice to author Raymond Chandler’s best known creation, a voice that Chandler, not too happy with other interpretations of his now classic Private Eye, admitted “packed personality.”

Marlowe, clearly cast in the hard-boiled mold of gumshoes and flatfoots originally created in the Pulps by Dashiell Hammett, brought a whole new dimension to the archetype. Tough as nails and hard to kill, Philip Marlowe was also college educated, a man of the world, and in many ways a modern day knight. This comparison is one Chandler established himself in the early pages of “The Big Sleep,” the first novel to feature Marlowe. As Marlowe enters the mansion of General Sternwood, his future client, he looks up and notices a strained glass relief of a Knight saving a distressed damsel. Marlowe comments that if he remained around long enough, “I would sooner or later have to climb up there and help him.” This identification of Marlowe as an updated errant hero wandering a dark world saving the lost and fighting off dragons not only continued throughout Chandler’s works, but remains today to be the primary way the character is described by reviewers, fans, and critics.

Marlowe proved to be a game changer in terms of the Private Eye genre, largely because he did function by a chivalric, knight like code to some degree. He influenced writers and their characters, most notably Robert B. Parker’s Spenser, and still does so today. Even in the face of goons with guns, molls with malice and murder, and a city convoluted with corruption, Marlowe had rules, standards he would follow. Even if the end result meant those standards were challenged and keeping to them resulted in failure on his part, Philip Marlowe clung to what little he felt he had in the way of nobility like a knight would to his sword. This added a great amount of depth to the character and would require an actor with the skills to convey that depth, to show the complexities of a man like Marlowe fighting the evils he’d find on Los Angeles’ mean streets with just his voice. In 1948, Gerald Mohr became that man.

Truly one of the most distinctive voices of old time radio, Gerald Mohr played roles up and down the spectrum. Known for the villain and heavy roles especially early in his career, Mohr’s resonant baritone lent itself well to parts that evoked mood and energy. Similarly, his screen roles, his first being a villain in the ‘Jungle Girl’ serial, and his work on Broadway in classics like ‘The Petrified Forest’ simmered and boiled with something more than just a handsome man with a silky voice.

This nuance is clearly evident in “The Adventures of Philip Marlowe.” Mohr plays this titular character in detective fiction with all the edge and grit detective fans expect to hear from their heroes. But Mohr also brings the hint of Marlowe’s background as an educated man to play, not simply in the lines he reads, but in the way he turns phrases. There’s also a palpable sense of danger just under the surface. Every time Marlowe opens his mouth to question a stoolie, threaten a thug, or flummox a frail, Mohr’s delivery is such that listeners have no idea if Marlowe is going to talk or shoot his way out of whatever corner he’s willingly walking into.

Enjoy the energy and danger that Gerald Mohr brings to The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, Volume 4! Ten episodes of Mohr at his finest, fighting his way through the clues in search of whatever justice there might be. Thrill to five hours of the best classic detective old time radio available restored to the best audio quality possible! Travel the road of crime with Gerald Mohr in The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, Volume 4 from Radio Archives!

The Fifth Mask

Friday, September 8, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sustained

The Final Payment

Friday, September 15, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sustained

The White Carnation

Friday, September 22, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sustained

The Big Book

Friday, September 29, 1950 - 30:00 - CBS, sustained

The Seaside Sabbatical

Sunday, July 8, 1951 - 30:00 - CBS, sustained

The Dear Dead Days

Sunday, July 15, 1951 - 30:00 - CBS, sustained

Heir For G String

Saturday, August 25, 1951 - 30:00 - CBS, sustained

Nether Netherland

Saturday, September 1, 1951 - 30:00 - CBS, sustained

The Medium Was Rare

Saturday, September 8, 1951 - 30:00 - CBS, sustained

The Sound And The Unsound

Saturday, September 15, 1951 - 30:00 - CBS, sustained

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