The Radio Adventures of Sam Spade

by Martin Grams Jr.

When Dashiell Hammett's "The Adventures of Sam Spade" made its debut over CBS in August of 1946, personable Howard Duff, a comparative unknown in Hollywood circles, was assigned the title role. The selection of young Duff for the hard-hitting detective was perfect casting, his success was immediate, and Hollywood began predicting important things to come for this new personality. Almost immediately the radio program became popular earning a steady weekly following of radio listeners who tuned in each week to enjoy the mysteries (occassionally adapted from Hammett short stories). The enormous success of the Sam Spade radio program spawned a series of comic strips, magazine articles and radio cross-overs, not to mention numerous radio programs attempting to cash in on the Sam Spade craze by offering Sam Spade imitators. By 1948, the threat of communism and Hammett's leanings were starting take its toll on the radio program. Bob Tallman and Gil Doud, the major script writers for the series, walked away from mental fatigue. The network wanted Hammett's name removed from the program. Duff's name appeared in the notorious "Red Channels" publication. Ultimately, the series was doomed. This book documents the entire history of the radio program, including all spin-offs, spoofs, Spade cross-overs, a complete episode guide for each and every radio broadcast with lengthy plot descriptions and trivia, an unusued radio script is reprinted, and much more.

270 pages, Paperback

First published June 14, 2007

About the author

Martin Grams is an author and old-time radio enthusiast whose more than twenty books on the subject have qualified him as an expert. He is generous and helpful to his fans and colleagues and his name can often be found in the credits of books dedicated to radio and early television.

While he is one of the younger fans of old-time radio, Martin does not like to talk about his youth, as it proved a hindrance to him when he tried to get his first book published. Determined, Grams decided to self-publish his book about Suspense and has done so several times subsequently.

In addition to writing and researching, Martin and his wife Michelle run the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

Reviews

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love listening to programs of yesteryear. Can’t help picturing my parents beside the radio waiting for President Roosevelt to give heartening messages to the WWII generation.

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Really Fun listening to the old productions themselves.

[Samantha Glasser]

John Tefteller recently recommended this book on his podcast The Good Old Days of Radio.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was fun to listen to old radio broadcasts from the 1940s and 1950s.