Hello, and welcome to another episode of Nostalgent Mystery Radio. I'm your host Stevie K.

And it's my honor to bring you the radio shows of yester. For this episode, I bring you

The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, episode titled The Bums Rush, originally aired September 3rd,

1949, where Marlowe was hired to find an old geezer but finds murder instead.

So sit back and relax, and I hope you enjoy this nostalgic mystery radio.

Thank you for listening.

Get this and get it straight.

Crime is a sucker's road and those who travel had wind up in the gutter, the prison of the grave.

The trail started in Montana with a bum with two names rushing away from his lady love,

and led fast into L.A.

Passed a southerner from Canada, a worried wool dealer and a chorus girl with a 45.

When it finally stopped at murder in the park, the tramp was still in a hurry.

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, The Bums Rush. The Bums rushed.

You know, there comes a time in everyone's life when a relative wants a favor.

But this was a particularly nice relative. In fact, a great old gal. She'd written my name and address in the center, and her name Jesse Gavin's Eagles Rock, Montana, in the upper left corner of the envelope. The stamps totaled the way a mail special, and the letter inside started off like one of those, I was wrong, you've got to find them for me, you've got to type. But it didn't wind up that way. Clipped to the letter was a $100 check, and under that a not too good snapshot of a bald man holding a rake, who wouldn't have been helped any by better photography. Ten minutes later, at exactly 8 p.m., my long-distance call was put through, and the voice that belonged to Aunt Jesse was snapping at me, Meagles Rock, Montana like the end of a whip. Certainly, I wrote it. How many Jesse Gavin's as do you think there are in Eagles Rock? Billis! I want you to find Jonathan Meider and see if he's all right. Yeah, you said that in your letter. Jonathan Meider is my fiancé. Aunt Jesse. Oh, I know what you're thinking, young man, but I'm 51 and he's 55, and there's nothing wrong with the September song if the harmonies close enough. Yeah, I hope my harmony's that good when I'm 55. Why are you worried, honey? Because he left here last week on some kind of a big deal. It's a secret. That's all he'd tell me, and I haven't heard a word from him since. I see. Well, tell me what sort of a deal would it be? I mean, what business? He's not in any business. Oh, what was his work before he retired? Well, he's not exactly retired either. He's not exactly... Look, Aunt Jessie, I'm getting at this. What does he do? What did he used to do for a living? Frankly, not... Well, I might as well tell you. Most folks around here, Philip, think Jonathan Meiter's just a bum. Maybe he is. He came to town, Philip, on a freight train a month ago, and he's been raking leaves for handouts ever since.

That's how I met him. But he's a fine, honest, proud man, and I'm going to marry him. Congratulations. Yes. Look, you didn't happen to give that fine, honest, proud man, a wad of money to finances big deal of his, did you? No, certainly. Well, then don't. Because I'll be frank. Sounds to me like a broken down con man

warming up a new routine.

Then I'll gladly pay to find that out, Philip. But I think you're wrong. Jonathan told me that he had to prove himself by making some money of his own before he'd marry me. As if I didn't have enough to take care of two people already.

Okay, Jesse, it's a little off-center, but I'll buy it. Uh, Philip, when you find him, don't tell him that I hired you.

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