Richard Diamond, Private Detective

Richard Diamond, Private Detective starred Dick Powell, who began his show business career as a singer, then moved on to pictures, radio, and television. Diamond is a smart-alecky ex-cop with friends on the force, particularly Lt. Walt Levinson, who sometimes assists him in investigations and often steers clients his way. His well-off girlfriend, the "lovely Helen Asher," was voiced in a playfully flirtatious manner, most commonly by Virginia Gregg.

The show usually opens with a short introduction by Diamond, which almost invariably includes mention of his fee of "a hundred dollars a day plus expenses." After Diamond solves the case, the program commonly closes with his serenading the "lovely Miss Asher" with a popular song of the day. As an aside, one of my favorite episodes is the exceptionally light-hearted "The Singing Critic" (number 28).

The show aired on NBC radio from 1949 to 1953. It was revived for television in 1957 for CBS, where it ran for three seasons before moving to NBC for the final season. David Janssen, who later became famous as The Fugitive portrayed Diamond in the television show.

For more information, see Wikipedia.

Series description provided by Frank Bell.