In this month's bonus episode, I'm sharing my five favorite adventures of radio's singing sleuth - Richard Diamond, Private Detective. Dick Powell stars as the gumshoe who's quick with his fists and usually winds up the week's caper by crooning a tune. First, Diamond investigates a case of blackmail and murder in "The Betty Moran Case" (originally aired on NBC on May 29, 1949). Then, a chance visit to a department store tips Diamond off to a murder plot in "Mrs. Baker - Klepto" (originally aired on NBC on September 3, 1949). Diamond winds up knocked out when he tries to deliver ransom money in "The Martha Campbell Kidnap Case" (originally aired on NBC on July 26, 1950). Jim Backus' tailor shop keeps getting robbed in "The Blue Serge Suit" (originally aired on ABC on February 9, 1951). And finally, Diamond tries to save a man who arranged for his own murder in "The Red Rose" (originally aired on ABC on March 1, 1951).

BONUS - Five Favorites: Richard Diamond

Presenting the best detectives from the Golden Age of Radio.  Each week, we'll bring you an episode starring one of Old Time Radio's greatest detectives and the story behind the show.  Join us for adventures of Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, Johnny Dollar, and many more.

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Tee off with four (not fore!) old time radio detective stories set on the golf course. Actor Paul Barnes plays every role in the syndicated mini-mystery Calling All Detectives, and a golf teacher gets too close to a gangster's wife in Boston Blackie (a syndicated episode known as "Carl Grady, Golf Instructor"). As Philo Vance, Jackson Beck spots a clue on the course in "The Red Duck Murder Case," and Frank Race meets an old friend - a golf pro with a jealous husband who's got a violent temper - in "The Adventure of the Fairway Beauties."

Episode 582 - Holes-in-One and Homicides (Calling All Detectives, Boston Blackie, Philo Vance, & Frank Race)

Black magic is in the air with four radio mysteries where our heroes are menaced by voodoo. Dan Holiday heads to the bayou to save a man's life in "Death is a Doll" from Box 13, and Ken Thurston investigates when government officials fall victim to zombies in Haiti in The Man Called X (known as "Enough Intrigue to Fill a Book," originally aired on NBC on May 18, 1951). Orson Welles runs a dangerous con in "Voodoo" from The Lives of Harry Lime, and as Johnny Dollar, John Lund tries to protect a family from a curse in "The Voodoo Matter" (originally aired on CBS on August 4, 1953).

Episode 581 - That Voodoo That You Do (Box 13, Man Called X, Harry Lime, & Johnny Dollar)

Mysteries are hard enough to solve without throwing amnesia into the mix, but that's what our radio detectives have to handle this week. A woman doesn't know who she is, and then drops dead in Jack Webb's office in "The Lady with No Name" from Jeff Regan, Investigator (originally aired on CBS on September 25, 1948). The Saint comes to the aid of a woman without her memory in "The Case of the Blonde Who Lost Her Head" (originally aired on Mutual on November 13, 1949). Dick Powell sings and solves the case of a young man who may have committed a murder and forgotten about it in Richard Diamond, Private Detective (originally aired on NBC on November 26, 1949). And Chicago reporter Randy Stone tries to help a soldier find his memory and his missing wife in Night Beat (originally aired on NBC on July 6, 1951).

Episode 580 - Memories Lost and Found (Jeff Regan, The Saint, Richard Diamond, & Night Beat)

We're back in court with four radio mysteries involving lawyers, juries, and trials. A lone holdout tries to convince his fellow jurors of a defendant's innocence in "The Eleventh Juror" from The Mollé Mystery Theatre (AFRS rebroadcast from April 3, 1945), and Mr. District Attorney chases down a robbery ring in "The Case of Murder A La Carte" (originally aired on NBC on March 9, 1949). A defense attorney is the only man who can prove his client's guilt in "The Trigger Man" from The Whistler (originally aired on CBS on August 7, 1949), and Philip Marlowe is hired to clear a man on trial for murder in "The Quiet Magpie" (originally aired on CBS on August 11, 1950).

Episode 579 - Trials and Errors (Mollé Mystery Theatre, Mr. District Attorney, The Whistler, & Philip Marlowe)

The doctors are in with these four old time radio mysteries. A doctor hires Dick Powell and then jumps out of the window in Richard Diamond, Private Detective (originally aired on NBC on August 23, 1950). Joe Friday is on the trail of a phony physician in "The Big Quack" from Dragnet (originally aired on NBC on October 12, 1950). A crooked doctor sets up fake accidents in "No Insurance" from The FBI in Peace and War (AFRS rebroadcast from November 22, 1951). And Frank Sinatra comes to the aid of a doctor with a dilemma close to home in "Honor Among Thieves" from Rocky Fortune (originally aired on NBC on March 2, 1954).

BONUS - Five Favorites: Richard Diamond

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