Raymond Chandler was born on this day in 1888. The names of his famous novels may not be as recognizable as that of his most famous protagonist, the detective Philip Marlowe. Marlowe, a sort of template for jaded detectives, was introduced in Chandler's novel The Big Sleep.
The memorable character got his own radio show, The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, in 1947. Gerald Mohr is the best-known of the voices of Marlowe.
Rayond Chandler himself was a self-taught writer, entering the craft after losing his job with the Dabney Oil Syndicate. He was a loyal and avid Los Angelino, making that city essentially a character in his prose. The hard-boiled detective story was a staple of old-time radio, and one of its best practitioners was Raymond Chandler.
