Richard Diamond, Private Detective

English · Radio

Richard Diamond starred singer and actor Dick Powell in a marvelously scripted program that played to Powell's talent and wit, taking the audience along for a happy ride. Most of the series was written and directed by Blake Edwards, who would later find great success with The Pink Panther franchise. Powell, known for his singing, made a career change by playing Philip Marlowe in the highly successful movie Murder, My Sweet. This new direction continued with the radio detective drama Rogue's Gallery, which was one of the better entries in the detective genre.

The series featured entertaining scenes, especially when Rogue would be knocked unconscious and have conversations with "Eugor" ("Rogue" backwards). These kinds of moments led to the creation of Richard Diamond, where the full range of Powell's abilities could be realized. After listening to a few programs, it becomes clear that the writing and casting are superb, and everyone, especially Powell, is enjoying it greatly. Powell even gets to sing a little in his weekly attempts to woo his girlfriend, Helen Asher.

Just prior to the Diamond series, Powell auditioned for Yours, Truly, Lloyd London, which would soon become Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar without him. The Diamond opportunity came knocking, and it was a perfect match. Powell would later become very successful in television as a producer, with one of his projects bringing Richard Diamond to the small screen, starring David Janssen.

Source notes: These recordings are part of the Joe Hehn Memorial Collection. Mr. Hehn (1931-2020) was a pioneering collector of radio recordings when the hobby emerged in the 1960s. Digitizing his collection of reel tapes and discs is the effort of a wide range of North American volunteers, with assistance from some international collectors.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.