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tilly_stratfordI'm trying to get back into the habit of taking daily strolls, you know; my constitutionals. I haven't done those regularly since I moved from Bergen. The most important thing though, apart from good shoes, is good audio dramas. I can't listen to audio dramas without going hiking, and I can't go hiking without listening to audio dramas.
Fortunately, exploring my external hard drive I found almost a hundred episodes of The Adventures of Sam Spade (all legal too - they're in public domain). I remember listening to maybe a dozen of them back when I lived in Bergen and even though I'll admit the actual whodunnits never particularly interested me, I love this show simply for how every episode is constructed:
Sam Spade always dictates his newest case to his long-suffering secretary Effie, usually after entering the office and scaring Effie with his newest wound or torn suit. And as I said, the mysteries don't interest me. I spend the main part of each episode admiring Steve Dunne (or earlier on, Howard Duff)'s great performance as Sam Spade. Quick-fire delivery, slightly nasal gumshoe voice, and Dunne in particular stood out among all the posh radio actors of the era simply for always saying "yah" rather than "yeah".
My favourite part is always the end of the episode, after Sam has wrapped up the case, because from then on it's always about his chummy relationship with Effie (or "Eff" as he calls her). Even if she's a bit of an airhead Sam always encourages her ("THAT'S my girl!" in a such a heartfelt way that not even my feminist core finds anything patronizing about it), and they joke and laugh and are such pals. Then they close up the office together and every episode ends with the exact same words:
"Goodnight, Sam."
"Goodnight, sweetheart."
Fortunately, exploring my external hard drive I found almost a hundred episodes of The Adventures of Sam Spade (all legal too - they're in public domain). I remember listening to maybe a dozen of them back when I lived in Bergen and even though I'll admit the actual whodunnits never particularly interested me, I love this show simply for how every episode is constructed:
Sam Spade always dictates his newest case to his long-suffering secretary Effie, usually after entering the office and scaring Effie with his newest wound or torn suit. And as I said, the mysteries don't interest me. I spend the main part of each episode admiring Steve Dunne (or earlier on, Howard Duff)'s great performance as Sam Spade. Quick-fire delivery, slightly nasal gumshoe voice, and Dunne in particular stood out among all the posh radio actors of the era simply for always saying "yah" rather than "yeah".
My favourite part is always the end of the episode, after Sam has wrapped up the case, because from then on it's always about his chummy relationship with Effie (or "Eff" as he calls her). Even if she's a bit of an airhead Sam always encourages her ("THAT'S my girl!" in a such a heartfelt way that not even my feminist core finds anything patronizing about it), and they joke and laugh and are such pals. Then they close up the office together and every episode ends with the exact same words:
"Goodnight, Sam."
"Goodnight, sweetheart."
