When Dashiell Hammett's THE ADVENTURES OF SAM SPADE made its debut over CBS in August of 1946, the series became an instant success. Howard Duff, a virtual unknown among Hollywood circles, found himself bombarded with movie offers. The early broadcasts of the series revealed a dark side of Spade: stealing money out of a dead man's wallet to sleeping with a married woman. Over time, the script writers cut down on the dark side and added an emphasis of humor. Spade's romantic relationship with his secretary Effie was more obvious. While many recordings exist from the radio broadcasts of the forties and fifties, a large percentage of the SAM SPADE programs are considered "lost" -- due to the lack of preservation. Today, fans of the program seek out those "lost" adventures, especially the earliest broadcasts that shed light on just what kind of character Sam Spade is and the explanation for the popularity during the late forties. Thanks to Bear Manor Media and editor Martin Grams Jr., this book offers reprints of thirteen scripts from THE ADVENTURES OF SAM SPADE. Almost every script originates from a "lost" episode that fans cannot otherwise listen via recording. Some of the earliest episodes are included, revealing the darker side of Sam. A holiday offering from the Steve Dunne season is included, as well as an episode revealing Sam's affections for another woman so strong he was willing to lose his secretary for her. A lengthy essay revealing background concerning each of these scripts is included.

* A complete production history of this fascinating program, including memories and quotes from Richard Carlson, Frederic Ziv, and others. * A complete episode guide listing in extreme detail, all 117 episodes in production order, including dates they were filmed, complete cast lists, where each scene was filmed on location throughout California, and other pieces of trivia so detailed it'll make your head swim. * Reprints of story ideas and suggestions that just never fleshed out into a feasible television episode. * Internal correspondence between Philbrick and the television producer so you can see first hand exactly what kind of involvement the real Philbrick had with the production of this series. * Background information about Philbrick's book, including reprints of book reviews, and Philbrick's opinions about how his involvement with the F.B.I. founded the book, and how the book changed his life. * Brief critical essays about other Anti-Communist films including RED PLANET MARS (1952), I WAS A COMMUNIST FOR THE F.B.I. (1951), and INVASION U.S.A. (1951) to name a few, and their influence and comparison with the I LED THREE LIVES series. * Plus much, much more!

The first book on a classic radio show, including: * A history of this fascinating musical program, revealing why the show was referred to as "Hour" when the series was broadcast on a 30-minute time slot, why the series never features operas, and much more! * A complete episode guide listing in extreme detail, all 299 episodes with titles of all songs, who sung them, the order in which they were sung, the origina of all musicals, plots, cast lists (who played who) and much more! * Trivia listed under various episode entries. * The Railroad Hour commercials. * Biography and partnership of Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. * Broadcast times schedule. * Complete list of ABC Networks that carried the program. * Complete list of the NBC Networks also. * Complete list of Railroad sponsors for the program. * Awards and Honors. * Fully indexed. * Plus much, much more!