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do a special summer podcast series decided by our Patreon supporters. Well, now
it's time for today's episode. Of Philip marlow The original airdate August the fourth,
nineteen fifty one, and the title is the long Way Home. Get
this and get it straight. I am as a suckers road. Those who
traveled way definite, the gutter, the prison of the grave. There's no
other end. But they never learned. 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, A long Way Home. The valley flow gave off the
kind of heat that ate into you stayed. I wondered why some eight hundred
thousand people voluntarily made the San Fernando Valley their home. That was their problem.
My problem at the moment was to make a right turn off Riverside Drive,
and I did four or five blocks north. I saw the name on
the redwood post by the driveway, mister and missus Enus Hopper. Yeah,
this was it. I drove in the drive into the cool oasis, an
orderly wilderness of pepper trees, palms, evergreens, everything else I'd ever seen
grown in southern California. The house sat well black on a lot very neat,
also redwood to match the post by the driveway. I got out of
the car and walked across the grass toward the slightly stooped figure clipping their headge
on the far side of the lot. I didn't hear you coming yet.
I'm sorry. I hope I didn't frighten you. I'm Philip Morlow he mister
Hopper. Oh, yes, she's in deep, mister Tomorrow. I'm glad
you're here here. I'll get it all right, I've got it now.
Yeah, yeah, sit down, mister Morrow. Oh how about you?
If you don't mind, I'll keep on cripping the hedge here while we talk.
I feel better at doing something, you know. Oh sure, we
could go into the house. I guess if you'd rather. I whether it
bothers me to be in there now, yeah, I expect it does.
How long you've been gone as the harbor since? Said Monday morning, about
nine o'clock. I guess it was. She got the laundry together, said
she was going to the laundry man, And the last time I saw her
Monday, that's two days ago. Just take the car, No, Amy
doesn't driver. I offered to drive early. Laundry Man's about five blocks from
here, in that little community center on Riverside. You've probably passed it.
Oh yeah, she said no, thought the walk would do her good.
And she hasn't called her anything since. No, no, nothing. Well,
how about friends? Relative? But I've been quiet around the neighborhood.
You see, we haven't lived here long tomorrow. We're not really what to
call well acquainted with anyone here. You mean the valley, Well, in
California. We're from New Jersey. Came out here right after the first of
a year. Amy always wanted to live in California. Yeah, we moved
out. Yeah. But about those relatives you didn't say why, Yeah,
I had none living. Amy does have a cousin out here, cousin Beatrice,
and that's all I've ever heard of called. She lives in Burbank.
I've never met her. Seems like I've always been busy. When Amy's gone
over there, Cousin Ray usually picks Amy up. That's a cousin, Beatrice's
husband, they call us and Samy's a spirit. Oh yes, yes,
a number of times, but there's been no answer. That's odd too,
How odd? Cousin Beatrice is an invalid. Amy says, that's why she's
never come to call on us. Well, perhaps they were out when I
called. Maybe, So tell me, mister Harper, you and Amy have
you and happy together? I mean you haven't quarreled? Right? Oh no,
mister Morrow, Amy and I have never raised our voices to one another.
We've been very happy. Yeah, well, there isn't much to go
on. Or by the way, if you checked the hospital now, there
could have been an accident. I thought of that first. Yes, I
called him. No, no one needs fitting Amy's description. Or that's a
point about that description. You have a recent picture of your wife? Oh
yes, yes, of course. Would you come in the house, mister
Morrow, I'll get one for you, Okay, sure, Amy dupted him,
mister Morrow. Flowers, big trees, all those plants you see,
Amy cared for them. Won't it cultivated? There? This is her garden,
mister Morrow. I'm just trying to keep it nice for her. He
turned finally, a slight, little gray man led the way into the house.
I felt sorry for him. Didn't take much the figure that his Aimy
was his whole life, and in his mild, gentle way, his heart
was broken inside the house, as neat and well kept as Zenas Hopper himself.
I got the first real shock of the day because the Amy I had
pictured in my mind Zenas spoke of her was nothing at all like the potter
he handed me from the metal. She's beautiful, listen she mister Mona,
Yeah, yes, she yes, she's young, too much, much younger
than I. Yeah much. I'm a very lucky man, mister Mura.
And well about this picture? Do you have a smaller one one I can
take with me? Why? Yes, one of these and the death should
be a much right size. I should think I hadn't spotted the girl ray
on the desk across the room, and Helena started for a quick comp and
I came up with seven pictures of Amy carefully arranged along the top ledge of
the desk, all different, all beautiful, sensational, it's a better word,
I think. The tidied one showed the hair to the ash, blonde,
the eyes large and brown in the mouth. O Nus broke the spell
this one, mister Murray. I believe it's in his favorite Oh thank this
a little fine? I do want it? Thank lead, Oh sure,
sure, you bet now then, is there anything more and anything else that
might be helpful. Let's see, Oh, yeah, that cousin Beatrice,
cousin Ray, their address and phone and burbank and if they have a last
name, that would help. I don't have the redress, but I imagine
it's in the book named Quinlan Ray, Quinlan Burman. Okay. And by
the way, you said, the laundromatt your wife patronizes is in the community
center on Riverside, on the north side of the street, just a few
doors easters where you turned to become a right, I'll be waiting, mister
Morrow if you found out anything any Oh, sure, right away. A
little community had no name, but it had everything else, a series of
one of each shops and services all the way from health foods to a branch
bank. Well. I parked on the street in front of the laundry matt
and studied the picture of Amy Hopper again. Tried to figure her with a
laundry bundle and couldn't. Tried to figure her with enis and decided to go
back to the laundry bundle made more sense. I went inside and had a
smell anything so clean, good morning. Yeah, I'm trying to get a
line on some of the This is Harper. Do you know missus Harper,
missus Zenas Harper. Oh here, look at this. She looks like this?
Oh Amy, sure, yeah, Well when's the last time you saw
it? Well, let's see, day are so ago? I guess let
me check the bundles here I did tell us? All right? Oh yeah,
here, here we are Monday. It was Monday morning, I think.
Yeah, Well, what i'd like to put my daughter's double parked out
in front? Can I pick up my laundry? You can if you got
the right tickets? Oh yeah, yeah, here, dear Banning, I
just washed. Wasn't missus Banning? No ironing? Wash? Here we go.
That's sixty two cents. Well, for once I had the right change.
Thank you? Can I take it out for you, Missus Banning?
Well, thank you? No, no, no, I can manage.
Oh and just thank you for letting me budge him. Think nothing of it.
Oh what do you mean you're trying to get a line on, Amy?
Oh? Well, just that anyone ever come in with her? No,
I can't remember anyone. Well can you remember if you notice anything special
about it? When she came in Monday? Yeah? What you got her
picture? Yeah, I mean beside that, No, she was just Amy.
You want to pick up her laundry. I don't have her ticket.
I was doing great, huh. Innis had told me Amy went to the
laundry mat on Monday morning. And now I knew as much as he did.
And I took a picture with me into all the transportation offices around bus,
train, plane car rental. Everyone liked the picture, but no one
had sold her a ticket on anything. The supermarket, in the drug store
where every good it's health. And then I remember her green thumb. Well,
I must say I've seen her many times, many times with mister Harper.
Of course. Well do you think you might have seen her Monday?
No, no, not missus Harper. I do believe mister Harper was in
Monday though. Seems to me it was about his ginea. Yeah, well
what a disasters. I really couldn't say it. I believe it, he's
asked. Of course, it really doesn't matter too much. They're the same
family, you know, Oh, Gineer's Nast, the same family, the
compositor, you know, that's a family name. I'm impressed. But look,
I want to tell you, can you imagine they used to be called
star Wars star Warts. What a nasty little name for a naster. Have
you got a burbank phone directly the party? A Burbank phone directory? Oh,
I thought we were talking about the Harpers. I thought we were too
star Wars. Yeah, Ray Quinlan, I'm Philip Marlow, investigating the possible
disappearance of Amy Hopper. Come in, thanks, come in. I understand
that she's your wife's cousin. Oh Beatrice, yeah, oh thanks? Enis
hired you? Huh, yeah, it's right. He says he's tried to
call here several times and no answer. How long has Amy even missing?
Since Monday morning? Put some laundry to the laundry, Matt and that's all
anybody knows. Have you seen her since then? Heard from her? No,
sure it happened. We halfway expected to hear from Amy Monday too,
usually do, but he didn't. Well, how about your wife? Can
I talk to her? Beatrice isn't here? She I took her to the
hospital morning. They're gonna operate later today. Oh, I hope it.
That's a train that's right in it says she's she's nimbling, that's right.
How about Amy? That's all you know, Just that she left for the
Londoner and got there. That's about it. Crazy Amy wouldn't just disappear,
wouldn't she. No, No, by I don't think she wouldn't. Yeah,
well, I'm in the book, mister Quinland Central Directory. If you
get any ideas, call me. Huh yeah, yeah I will. Oh.
By the way, what are are you happy together to happen? Yes,
far as I know. The late afternoon sun was just at eye level
as I headed west again on Riverside Drive. Cousin Ray was a brown,
solid man, not fat, but husky, not too tall five ten maybe
it must be about thirty five or so. Inis wasn't home when I got
back to Amy's natural habitat, so on a hunch, nothing more, I
checked with the next door neighbor, Missus Brownley her name was. Was spawning
her yogurt straight and propelling how patio glider like. She was closing in on
the finish line of the Honolulu Yacht Races. Well, I saw her coming
out of the laundromat and offered her a ride home. Monday was just real
warm, you may remember, Lulu. Yeah, well, yes, she
might put it that way. Anyway, I told her I was driving right
after her, I picked up some wheat German, some black strap molasses.
I'd been going home, and that she was welcome to ride with me.
And she gave me that nice smile of hers and says, no thanks,
Miss Brownley. The walk of doing me good? Now, just why a
walk in the hot sun? And do anyone any good beyond me? But
I'm not fun to push myself on to other people. And the ride was
there, she could take it or leave it. Yeah, tell me,
did you see her after that? Yes? Yes, I did, this
time from across the street. But there's no mistaken her for anyone else,
you know, I don't suppose there is. Well there, she was going
into Blinny just a minute, just a minute plenty the camera shop, Pliny
granddadis place focus, focus, out of focus. That's what mister Blown calling
Fliny. But then they're in the lodge together, you know, Yeah,
that makes all the difference. I really wouldn't know if she was or not.
Just see Pliny's not here. He had to go into Hollywood for supplies.
I don't work here. I'm's white. Yeah, but if missus Hopper
left some pictures here or picks them up. They'd be a record of it,
wouldn't they. Yes, I suppose there would. I just left the
door opened the key cool, we're really supposed to be closed. Yeah,
I realized that. Well, I just thought for a member of the lodge,
you know, plenty might be willing to work. Why didn't you say
so? Well, left emblem on your other's foot out there, pole bind
He does it all the time, you man, It's right, I'm in
the aug Well, now let me have a look here, Um pictures for
missus Harper to be here if they're back Amy, there you are, mister
Harper. That'll be seventy three cents including texts. Um seventy three cents mister
Harper. Oh yeah, well I want to take it. Two things.
I think Missus Harper would want to pick these upp herself, and I'm not
mister hopper. I slowed to a walk around the corner. I got in
my car and thought about what I'd seen. A cozy selection of pictures taken
at the beach of Amy, mostly but one or two of cousin Ray lifting
weights yet and one of Amy and Ray together. Who took it? Enis
cousin Beatrice I don't think so. I was almost dark now as I used
the car and the Enis's driveway, and when I got there it was dark.
The sky above still held the afterglow of early evening, but the web
of compact trees and shrubs that surrounded the Happer house made patches of blackness all
around me. I got out of the car and I saw a light somewhere
in the back of the house, and back there too a faint sound I
couldn't distinguish. There was a sudden movement from the hedge behind me. Out
with marlow In just a moment, we will return to the second act to
Philip Marlowe, But first, a crossword puzzle trapped the criminal. Tonight on
most of these same stations when CBS Radio brings you Gangbusters. This latest Gangbusters
thriller, titled The Case of the Missouri Puzzle, is law enforcement at its
cleverest. Tonight on CBS Radio Your COURTSI invit her to sit in as an
armchair sleuth and enjoy the case confronting Gangbusters and now with our star Gerald Moore,
the second act of Philip Marlowe and Tonight's story, the Long Way Home,
There was a shot, not a pain of the top of my spine.
But the bulldozerho jumped me from behind wouldn't settle for that. My face
mashed into the new silk grass, and I inhale the lung full of wet
vigoro, while someone with the strength of ten flailed away at my fact.
Why I wanted to turn over and take it head on, I'll never know.
I kept trying to turn. I slid it instead, slid along the
wet grass withou vice on my back, A vice with a voice that kept
houndically came out of a Morrow hopper. You get a morl popper properly,
Now go on get over here, hey hopper, mister Morrow, it's left
me. Oh, I don't understand, mister Morrow. What happened? Who?
He guesses? What do you mean? What do you better? Come
into the house, mister Morla. There's a lot enough to you to hear
out back here lording. Oh, yes, I came running, didn't I?
Hey should come along now, I'll take care of you, mister Morla.
Someone beat you too, it inness, You should feel bitter, should
I? Hey? Heness? I like the beach all right to morrow.
I'm not much of a swimmer anymore when Amy never came for the beach,
so we never went. What do you worsk? I don't know. Why
do you ask anything, mister Morrow. I know you've been through al right.
I wouldn't blame you if you'd want to give up looking for Amy,
if you get it in us, I don't give up anything. Well,
so far the case added up. It was stiffed black and I head wrapped
in a tight band of steel with built in hammer feel quick blasts at the
point, and the glove to pop and help. Not at all but something
roth. The car stop at the hospital in Burbank could have been for personal
reasons. They attended at the main flaw desk looked real surprised when I asked
what flawed? Cousin Beatrice was on nearly nine? Are your visiting hours or
over at eight? To me? Well, I lost track of time?
I guess Can you tell me where she is? Anyway? Welcome back tomorrow?
What did you say? The name was Quinlan, Missus Ray or missus
Beatrice could be on the one, Quindy, I no, Quinlan? Are
you sure? I just look? Are you usual? No? No matter
of fact than that. Thanks for asking me oh, row come in,
Yeah, I will you look only I'm fine? What hospital is your wife?
And Quinlan wo the one about three blocks from here, just up on
Riverside. Yeah, you made her up, Quinlan? You were Amy made
her up. Amy never had a cousin Beatrice like you never had a wife
of the same name. You know that much? Do you know where Amy
is? No? And may get another psychic flash any minute now, like
the one I got when you were on lacing my spy in a while back.
You shouldn't have found out about those pictures more, and that you shouldn't
have gone to tell Lenis about him. There's a lot you don't know.
Amy doesn't want to hurt the old guy. We've been trying to figure out
how to tell him. You got any leads on her, had any real
ones? Hey, wait a minute, you really don't know where she is.
I knew i'd be with it. Tell me how'd you meet her at
a bar over on Riverside near where she lives. She'd already invented cousin Beatrice
or by herself to give her someplace to go. We liked it being together.
That's kind of brave about it. After a while, sometimes I got
right up to a door. For the rest of the time. We have
a regular corner where it pick her up. This corner is a near our
house, not far. I was supposed to pick her up Monday, but
she didn't show up. Yeah, you know it's funny. I was.
I set the beat your head and flat when I came in. All of
a sudden, I don't feel like when I got back to the car,
I thought my head would cave in. Every inch of may screamed with pain.
And sometimes you got to give into these things. I tried for home,
but I only made it to a motel on Riverside. I was out
before the light. Wise, I found a barber, shopping black coffee the
next morning and the community center near Hoppers. There was a thick, fuzzy
ten o'clock when I reeled out onto the street and headed toward my car.
That's the one. Hey you there, Hey, wait a minute me,
Yeah you sure, honey, I'm sure, all right. What's the trouble?
I do something wrong with his plenty? Fanny think so well, posing
as a large brother when you're not as pretty serious mister, I don't like
that. Well, I don't think much of it. Myself now that I
think of him, but we'll skip that. What I want to know is,
what's the deal with those pictures of missus Harper's no dear, Why everybody's
looking at him? Nobody's picking them up? A paying? Wait a minute,
Wait a minute, wait a minute, do that slow all right?
First, missus Harper comes in the Monday. It was Monday, and they're
not ready yet. She says, you'll pick him up later that day.
She don't come back. A guy does, though, he just looks at
them, smiles and says she'll get them. Oh is hed you h,
I don't know. Only a young guy, brown hair, got a tan
well well. In about an hour, another guy comes in and he looks,
but he don't buy. Then last evening, you wait a minute.
In that second guy, Plenty, he's older, small man, gray,
about sixty. Now here's my problem. Who wants those pictures? That's your
problem, Plenty, Oh boy, it's mine. The house was open,
so I walked in. Innis was out in the back pouring something out of
a sack onto a flower bed along the back fence and working it into the
soil around the flowers. I looked around and found a bedroom that had to
be Amy's. Everything was neat in order. I turned and started out of
the room, and then and I saw it sticking out from under a cologne
bottle on our dressing table. I picked it up, and as I turned
to go out, three matched pieces of luggage pointed an accusing finger. Then
I found my way back into the garden. Hey, good morning, miss
Mona. Have you groun't done anything? Yeah? I think I have this
laundry ticket, Nis, I found it in Amy's room. Oh, why
didn't you tell me the truth in the first place. I don't know what
Amy was here after she left for the laundromt to ticket proves it? Well,
you found out about cousin Rayd and genius. You look at the pictures
in the camera shop. Maybe you'd suspected for a long time in this sensed
it. So you picked her up on the corner instead of Ray and you
came home. Mister had a big fat fight about Ray, didn't you.
Yes, yes, we did. I said some horrible things, mist more
horrible. Are you sorry? You want a backcount? Right? I give
anything to have her backness? I love him? Yeah, I know Innes,
I looked through Amy's closet. It's pretty full of clothes. I luggage.
It's still lad. Yes. Amy has a lot of clues. She
wears them well too. Amy didn't go very Fariness. No. The man
in the garden shop says, you're the gardener. Yeah, not Amy,
did he? The sack of BlimE is almost empty, and fifty pounds is
a lot for Goden, isn't It depends on what you should put it to.
Mister Morrow, did you have to kill her? Nas keep her empty?
She wanted to leave me go away with him. I couldn't stand that.
Did you think I wouldn't figure it out? I didn't know, But
I had to find out, didn't I? Mister morow He came with me
quietly. Everything about him was quiet and neat and gray. It was the
mildest, gentlest man I ever met, And yet it killed the thing he
loved most. Is Amy? The oldest reason in the world. She wasn't
his anymore? What was it? The old man said? I had to
find out, didn't I? Mister Marlowe, Yeah, curiosity killed the Kent.
It also killed Amy. The Adventures of Philip Marlowe Bringing You Raymond,
Chandler's most famous character star Gerald Moore are produced and directed by Norman McDonnell and
written for radio by Kathleen Hype. Featured in the cast where Bill Johnstone as
Enis Harper and Jack Moyles as Ray Quinlan, Mary Lansing, Sam Edwards,
Junius Matthews, Vivy Janis and Peter Lead. Gerald Moore may currently be seen
in the Santana production Sirocco. The special music for Philip Marlowe is composed by
Pierre Garrigank and conducted by Wilbur Hatch. Be sure to list again next week
at the same time when Philip Marlowe says, this time the parlay was divorced
to kidnapping the blackmail everybody with a wise guy that named the wreck at Boss
in the Private Eye. But the wisest guy of them all turned out to
be an eight year old kid. What a combination for Tin Pan Alley fan
Steve allen Is mc IS. Vocalists this week are Maggie Lee and Johnny Desmond.
Song publisher JJ Robbins, band representative Mark Hannah and composer Mitchell Parrish are
the judges. There will be four brand new songs for sale tonight on CBS
Radio on most of these same CBS stations. Roy Roland speaking, This is
the CBS Radio Network. Today's commentary is brought to you by The Only Living
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I've read the first volume and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's an exciting and
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eighth, by your copy today at wellbecomic dot com. Welcome back. At
scene where the lady comes into the store and buys a miscellaneous item that has
nothing to do or tie in with the plot really feels like a way in
which, even on Philip Marlowe, the existence of dragnet was influencing how detective
shows were done. Overall, it's a very solid, hard boiled story with
one of our more downbeat endings. All right, well, that will actually
do it for today. Join us back here tomorrow for Mystery Theater in the
Mean Times and your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow
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Facebook dot com Slash Radio Detectives from Boise Idahole, this is your host,
Adam Graham's Son and Off