Richard Diamond Presented by the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio cover art

Richard Diamond Presented by the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio

Richard Diamond Presented by the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio

By: Adam Graham
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During Dick Powell's lengthy career, he had many stages. From the 1930s to 1944, he was known as a skilled singer and comic actor. He landed the film role Philip Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet, he starred in the first true hard-boiled Private Eye show Rogue's Gallery, and then he spent many years playing a variety of hard-boiled characters in Noir films.

In many ways, Richard Diamond was a perfect marriage of the two halves of Powell's performing career before the next stage of Powell's career which saw him as a creative force behind programs such as the Zane Grey Theater.

The series was unusual in that many episodes featured hard-boiled fisticuffs and gunfights. Then the series shifts to Richard Diamond showing up at his girlfriend Helen Asher's The series also stars Virginia Gregg as Dick's wealthy girlfriend Helen Asher, Wilms Herbert plays Sergeant Otis, and a series of actors including Ed Begley and Arthur Q. Bryant played Diamond's best friend, Lieutenant Walt Levinson. to serenade her as he softly sings and plays the piano and the two banter back and forth. It's an unusual series that only Powell could make work.

Diamond was a former NYPD detective who served in the O.S.S. during the war before returning home to start his own private agency. His rates are quite exorbitant at $100 a day plus expenses. Compare this to contemporary Philip Marlowe's $25 a day. He enjoys a good relationship with Lt. Levinson of the Homicide Squad while being a bane to the existence of the slow-witted Sergeant Otis.The series aired for eighty episodes on NBC, fifty-one of which were sustaining (without a sponsor) and twenty-nine sponsored by Rexall. \

It then moved to ABC and was sponsored by Camel Cigarettes for sixty-five weeks. The series returned to radio in an unusual way: CBS aired reruns of the show as a summer replacement in 1953, which was unprecedented for the time.

The character of Richard Diamond returned in 1957 on television with less of the comedy as a half hour detective program starring David Janssen (The Fugitive). The new series lasted four seasons and also featured appearances by a young Mary Tyler Moore.


Adam Graham is your host providing commentary on each episode, adding historical context and responding to listeners during the period the series was a featured show on the Great Detectives of Old TIme Radio podcast.Commentary Copyright 2016-2019 Art Entertainment & Performing Arts
Episodes
  • Richard Diamond: The Betty Moran Case

    Richard Diamond: The Betty Moran Case
    Jun 27 2026
    Original Release Date: June 29, 2016

    A wealthy woman kills a man who blackmails her and then is shot herself. The police believe it was a murder-suicide, but her husband thinks otherwise and hires Diamond to find her Blackmailer’s partner.

    Original Air Date: May 29, 1949

    Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net

    Support the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.net

    Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715

    Give us a call at 208-991-4783

    Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.net

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    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
  • Richard Diamond: The Stolen Purse

    Richard Diamond: The Stolen Purse
    Jun 20 2026
    Original Release Date: June 22, 2016

    An elderly lady grifter hires Diamond to find the owner of a purse. Before he knows it, Diamond has to explain a body in his office.

    Original Air Date: May 22, 1949


    Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net

    Support the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.net

    Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715

    Give us a call at 208-991-4783

    Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.net

    Check out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net
    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
  • Richard Diamond: The Ralph Chase Case

    Richard Diamond: The Ralph Chase Case
    Jun 13 2026
    Original Release Date: June 15, 2016

    The executor of a wealthy young heiress’ estate calls Diamond in when he fears his niece is about to marry an unsavory character.

    Original Air Date: May 15, 1949

    Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net

    Support the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.net

    Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715

    Give us a call at 208-991-4783

    Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.net

    Check out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net
    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
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