Richard Diamond, Private Detective - Single Episodes


(4.7 stars; 113 reviews)

RICHARD DIAMOND, PRIVATE DETECTIVE

In 1945, Dick Powell portrayed Phillip Marlowe in the movie "Murder My Sweet" based on Raymond Chandler's novel "Farewell My Lovely". This was a radical departure in character for Mr. Powell from a Hollywood song and dance man to a hard-boiled detective. On June 11,1945, the Lux Radio Theater brought "Murder My Sweet" to radio, again with Dick Powell in the lead. These two performances prompted his selection for the part of Richard Rogue, in Rogue’s Gallery after his role for Lux Radio Theater and Richard Diamond came four years later. Richard Diamond, Private Detective came to NBC in 1949. Diamond was a slick, sophisticated detective, with a sharp tongue for folks who needed it. Diamond enjoyed the detective life, but not as much as entertaining his girl, Helen Asher. After each show, he would croon a number to his Park Avenue sweetheart. Mr. Powell, a former song and dance man, was perfect for the role. He added an extra dimension to the 40's hokey private eye drama. Diamond was a rough gumshoe that would often get knocked on the head with a revolver butt or other items. His counterpart on the police force was Lt. Levinson who often accepted Diamond's help reluctantly. Levinson would claim to get stomach trouble whenever Diamond would call him and would take bicarbonate to settle his aching stomach. Although they always seem at odds with each other, Diamond and Levinson were best friends. The plot theme remained fairly constant throughout the entire run of the show, Diamond getting beat up and solving a tough murder case with the support of the police department. Remarkably, for all the gun fights, Diamond never got shot. And for all his bravado, he had a serious case of vertigo. Helen Asher was portrayed by Virginia Gregg, who also played the part of Brooksie on Let George Do It and Betty Lewis on Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. Blake Edwards wrote the early shows and also directed a few. Music was composed by David Baskerville and later by Frank Wirth. In January of 1951, the series moved to ABC under the full sponsorship of Camel cigarettes. Then in May of 1953, the series moved to CBS but all shows were repeats from the 1950-51 Rexall sponsored season on NBC. Richard Diamond was one of the radio shows which successfully moved to television with David Janssen, later of The Fugitive fame, in the title role of Richard Diamond. The opening scene of the television show often featured the long lovely legs of Mary Tyler Moore, who went on to fame in The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Mary was replaced on the Richard Diamond show when it became known that she owned the mystery legs.

NEW: Updated with Version 2 Files on 30-May-2007

From the Old Time Radio Researcher's Group. See "Note" Section below for more information on the OTRR.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.

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Chapters

Diamond in the Rough - Barton Case (AFRS) 29:35
Ralph Chase Case 29:32
The Stolen Purse 29:30
The Betty Moran Case 29:32
Fred Sears Murder Case 29:30
The Tom Waxman Bombing Case 29:32
The Bloody Hat Case 29:30
Charles Walsh and Bob Wells 29:32
The Man Who Hated Women 29:13
The Martin Hyer Case 29:15
The Lynn Knight Case 29:30
The Jean Cooper Murder Case 29:10
The Eddie Garrett Case 29:13
The Harry Baker Case 29:32
The Van Dyke Seance Case 29:30
The Jerome J Jerome Case 29:32
The Two Hundred Thousand Dollar Bundle 29:30
Gibson Murder Case 29:32
The Bogus Bills Case 29:30
Rene Bennet Protection Case 29:32
Bill Kirby Murder Case 29:30
The Singing Critic 28:33
The Singing Critic 29:32
Fifty Thousand Dollar Diamond Heist 29:30
The Jacoby Case 29:32
William Carter Loses Memory 29:30
The Ruby Idol Case 29:32
The House of Mystery Case 29:30
The John Blackwell Case 29:32
A Christmas Carol 29:30
Thomas Jason Case 29:32
Butchers and Protection Racket 29:30
Mr Victor's Daughter 29:32
Martin White Sees Dead Men 29:30
To Guard A Seal 29:32
Elaine Tanner Case 29:30
The Jewel Thief 29:32
The Blind Man and The Cop Killer 29:30
Louis Spence Case 29:32
Joyce Wallace 29:30
Private Eye Test 29:32
Photographer's Card 29:30
William Logan And The Ivory Statue 29:32
The Man Who Hated Women 29:30
Messenger Service, Paddy Clark 29:33
The Ralph Baxter Case 29:30
Eight Hundred Thousand Dollars In Jewels 29:44
Mrs X Can't Find Her Husband 29:32
Mary Bellman Killed 29:32
Mike Burton Murder Case 29:30
Ice Pick Murder 30:15
The Martha Campbell Kidnap Case 29:32
The Fixed Fight Case 29:30
Edna Wolfe Case 29:32
The Carnival Case 29:30
The Evans Farmer Case 29:32
The Big Foot Grafton Case 29:30
The Misplaced Laundry Case 29:32
The George Lexington Murder Case 29:30
The Bald Head Case 29:32
The Oklahoma Cowboy Murder Case 29:30
The Pete Rocco Case 28:17
The Homing Pigeon Case 29:30
Lt. Levinson Kidnapped 29:32
Dead Man's Letter 24:24
Dead Man's Letter 27:02
Mona Lisa Murder 24:13
The Cover-Up Murders 23:57
The Chapel Hill Case 25:13
Marilyn Connors Case 29:30
The Man With The Scar 29:32
The Rawlins Case 29:30
The Caspary Case 29:32
The Blue Serge Suit 29:30
The Grey Man 29:32
The Lady In Distress 29:30
The Red Rose 29:32
The Butcher Shop 29:30
Monsieur Bouchon 29:32
Little Chiva 29:30
The Carnival 29:32
The Brown Envelope Case 30:12
Christmas Show 29:30
The Plaid Overcoat Case 29:32
The Merry-Go-Round Case 29:39
The White Cow Case 29:25
The Simpson Case 28:38
The Al Brenners Case 29:29
The Garrabaldi Case 29:30
The Eddie Burke Case 29:32
The Dixon Case 29:30
The Hank Burton Case 29:32
Mr. Walker's Problem 29:30
The Enigma Of Big Ed 29:30
The William Holland Case 29:30
The Eight O'Clock Killer(Repeat of 50-11-22) 29:25
Missing Night Watchman (repeat 50-12-06) 29:32
Rifle Case (repeat 50-10-25) 29:21
Lt. Levinson Kidnapped (repeat 50-10-18) 24:45
Lt. Levinson Kidnapped (repeat 50-10-18) 29:58
The Ice Pick Murder Case (repeat 50-07-12) 29:32
The Oklahoma Cowboy Murder Case (repeat 50-09-27) 23:57
The Hollywood Story 25:35
The Hollywood Story 29:30
Big Foot Grafton Case (50-08-30) 24:17
The Wolfe Murder Case (repeat 50-08-09) 25:00

Reviews


(5 stars)

This is a GREAT series! As I discover more of these wonderful radio shows, I become more grateful to Librivox and app developers for this ever-expanding library of entertainment! The writing in this series is fun, with some real laugh out loud moments, good story and dialog, and I have become such a fan of Dick Powell, too.

Richard Diamond Radio Program Production


(5 stars)

Can anyone tell me was there a live orchestra on the show or just library cues? I surely loved this show. Dick Powell was absolutely perfect for the part. Where were the shows done? Were they edited on tape. I think tape came in 1948. So these showed had the capability to be edited on tape. Thanks it for now. Maxy.

Ahead of its time...


(5 stars)

Where to begin? Voiceover work by the amazing actors breathes life into the imaginative, innovative, quick-witted and entertaining writing that was second to none in the era the show was broadcast. Personal favorites for newbies - 'The Gray Man' and 'Blue Serge Suit' among too many others to mention. Enjoy!

I love these shows!


(5 stars)

These shows have everything you could want in a show. They are great detective stories with music and comdey mixed in. My favorites are the Van Dyke Seance Case, Oklahoma Cowboy Murder Case, and Jerome J. Jerome. They are funny with a great detective story!

Files Updated!


(0 stars)

FYI: Replaced files on this page from the Version 3 Release (01-Jan-2020). For the full OTRR Release, see the OTRR Certified page: <a href="https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Certified_Richard_Diamond_Private_Detective" rel="nofollow">OTRR Richard Diamond, Private Detective</a> - Old Time Radio Researchers Group

Richard Diamond


(5 stars)

The crazy 1 liners do it for me. He spouts off to the wrong people and usually gets his clock cleaned. It all works out in the end.. LOVE IT !!!!!!

Richard Diamond


(4 stars)

This program is one of the better Private Detective radio series. It is well worth downloading and listening too.

Hello, one of the best hard boiled P.I series with a softner.


(5 stars)