Dick Powell was born on November 14th, 1904 in Mountain View, Arkansas. He’d been an A-list crooner in the 1930s, starring in both musicals and comedies at Warner Brothers and Paramount. He was also the emcee of radio’s Campana Serenade.

After several attempts, Powell changed his career in 1944 when he was cast as Raymond Chandler’s private eye Philip Marlowe, in Murder My Sweet.

The Lux Radio Theater broadcast an adaptation on June 6th, 1945. Two weeks later Powell was starring as Richard Rogue in Rogue’s Gallery on NBC. The series was a summer replacement for the Fitch Bandwagon.

When Fitch returned in the Fall, Mutual Broadcasting picked up the show. It lasted for one season on Mutual before returning for a final thirteen weeks on NBC in the summer of 1946. Simultaneously on film Powell made Cornered, Johnny O’Clock, To The Ends of the Earth, and Pitfall.

In December of 1948, wanting to get back into radio, Powell recorded an audition for a new CBS series called Yours Truly Johnny Dollar. He was set to take the role when writer and director Blake Edwards called him to star in a new NBC series, Richard Diamond, Private Detective.

It premiered on April 24th, 1949.

Diamond answered his telephone with atrocious commercial jingles and was a master of the verbal put-down. His relationship with Lieutenant Walt Levinson was abrasive, but affectionate. And he loved to rib Sergeant Otis.

Virginia Gregg was Richard’s girlfriend Helen. Ed Begley was Lieutenant Levinson. In this episode from May 22nd, Betty Lou Gerson played the female heavy and Jack Kruschen played one of the hoods.

Richard Diamond, Private Detective would find sponsorship with Rexall in April of 1950.

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