Get this and get it straight. Crime is a suckers road and those who travel it wind up in the gut of the prison of the grave.

The story you are about to hear is true, only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective.

The Adventures of the Saints starring Vincent Prize.

Bob Bailey in the exciting adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account.

America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator.

Yours truly, Johnny Deller. And the Hello and welcome to Down These Mean Streets a weekly trip back to the Golden Age

of Radio and its legendary gum shoes.

This week our sleuth is among the best of the best.

Dachell Hammett Sam Spade,

Hero of the Maltese Falcon and so memorably played on screen by Humphrey Bogart.

From 1946 until 1951, Sam Spade ruled the roost on radio in a show that was smart and clever, a program that poked

gentle fun at the conventions of the hard-boil private eye, while also producing one of the

era's great detective shows.

And today, in honor of the birthday of Dachel Hammit,

we'll hear three of Sam Spades Radio Adventures.

The first two episodes will hear star Howard Duff as Spade

in what was one of the perfect marriages of actor and role in the radio era.

Duff's Rye delivery and knack for comedy were perfectly suited for a show that frequently broke the fourth wall.

You're almost late.

Sit down, Spay, a cigar?

Uh, no thanks. Well, don't expect me to offer a drink. You wanted a drinker, I hope.

...