Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade burst out of the pages of The Maltese Falcon and into his own radio series on July 12, 1946. This hard-boiled private investigator attracted unusual clients who had a tendency to wind up murdered. Spade was a down-to-earth flatfoot whose San Francisco exploits brought him just enough money and excitement to keep him in business. Each week a completed "caper" found Sam back in his office dictating his escapades to Effie, his faithful secretary.