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. So, Hello and welcome to down these mean streets on another trip back to the

Golden Age of radio. This week our gumshoe is Master Detective Philo Vance.

Created by S. Van Dyne and played on screen by the likes of Basil Rathbone and William

Powell, Vance was one of fiction's most erudite

investigators, a master of science, the arts and languages. His adventures were

popular, although some contemporary writers were less than impressed.

Raymond Chandler called Vance the most asinine character in detective fiction,

and poet Ogden Nash observed,

Phileau Vance needs a kick in the pants.

When the character came to radio,

his more obnoxious traits were toned down.

Vance remained a sharp detective, but he was more down to earth and relatable, always ready to

crack a joke or banter with his secretary.

And he wasn't above lending his expertise to the police department

when they asked for his help.

Vance was played on the air by John Emory and Jose Ferrer, but the best known series was a syndicated show starring Jackson Beck as the detective.

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