- Detective

Pat Novak, for Hire
24 episodes Aired 1946-1949
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1. Jack Of Clubs
   30mins Aired 1949-02-20
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2. Don't Tell Hilda
   29mins Aired 1949-02-27
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3. Fleet Lady
   32mins Aired 1949-03-06
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4. Rubin Callaway's Pictures
   30mins Aired 1949-03-13
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5. Rory Malone
   29mins Aired 1949-03-20
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6. Joe Candono - Blackmail Pictures
   32mins Aired 1949-03-27
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7. Father Leahy - Joe Feldman
   30mins Aired 1949-04-02
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8. John St. John
   29mins Aired 1946-10-13
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9. Sam Tolliver
   30mins Aired 1949-04-09
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10. Go Away Dixie Gillian
    30mins Aired 1949-04-16
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11. Rita Malloy
    31mins Aired 1949-04-23
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12. Wendy Morris
    29mins Aired 1949-04-30
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13. Shirt Mix-Up at the Laundry
    27mins Aired 1949-05-07
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14. Dixie Gillian
    30mins Aired 1946-11-24
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15. Geranium Plant
    30mins Aired 1949-05-14
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16. Give Envelope to John St John
    31mins Aired 1949-05-21
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17. Agnes Bolton
    29mins Aired 1949-06-04
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18. Georgie Lampson
    30mins Aired 1949-06-11
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19. The Only Way to Make Friends Is to Die
    30mins Aired 1949-06-18
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20. Little Jake Siegel
    28mins Aired 1949-06-25
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21. Johnny Brown Gambling Ring
    29mins Aired 1947-08-03
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22. Mysterious Set of Books
    29mins Aired 1947-08-10
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23. Lydia Reynolds Case
    30mins Aired 1947-11-23
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24. Death in Herald Square
    31mins Aired 1947-11-30
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Pat Novak, for Hire is a detective drama radio series set on the San Francisco waterfront. The show portrays the city as a dark, rough place where survival is key. The title character, Pat Novak, is not a detective by trade, but he owns a boat shop on Pier 19 where he rents out boats and does odd jobs to make money. The series is known for its fast-paced, hard-boiled dialogue and action, as well as its witty one-liners. Each episode follows a similar formula, featuring Novak taking on unusual or risky jobs, often finding himself mixed up in murder mysteries with sultry female characters and a cat-and-mouse game with Police Inspector Hellman, played by Raymond Burr.

The show originally aired from 1946 to 1948 on KGO in San Francisco as a West Coast regional program, with Jack Webb starring as Pat Novak and Richard L. Breen writing scripts. After moving from San Francisco to Los Angeles, Webb and Breen created a similar nationwide series called Johnny Madero, Pier 23 on the Mutual network. In 1949, Webb and Breen resumed their roles for Pat Novak, for Hire on the national ABC network. The show aired until June 26, 1949, and at least 25 episodes are known to exist. The show’s success helped launch Jack Webb’s career, as he went on to create and star in another iconic crime drama, Dragnet. Other notable actors featured on Pat Novak, for Hire included Ben Morris, George Fenneman, Hal Gibney, and William Conrad.

Performers: Jack Webb, Ben Morris, Raymond Burr, Tudor Owen, John Galbraith, Phyllis Skelton

Sources: archive.org, wikipedia.org, otrcat.com