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Richard Diamond, Private Detective - "The Al Brenners Case" (1952) · Old Time Mystery Radio | Old Time Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: A professional stool pigeon offers private detective Richard Diamond $ 5, 000
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: to catch a wanted criminal. That proposition sets the course
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: for Richard Diamond, private detective, in The Al Brenner's Case,
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: episode 119, first heard on ABC on January 25, 1952.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Dick Powell stars as Diamond in this 30-minute Camel Cigarettes broadcast.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: With a wanted man and a substantial reward on the table,
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: Diamond follows the lead offered by an underworld informant. Ladies
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: and gentlemen, Richard Diamond, private detective. And now we return
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: to the original broadcast.
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: The makers of Camel Cigarettes present Dick Powell as Richard Diamond,
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: private detective.
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: The proof of a cigarette is in the smoking. Steady smoking.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: Smoke only Camel's for 30 days and enjoy Camel's rich,
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: full flavor, a flavor that no other cigarette has. You'll
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: see how mild Camel's are pack after pack, how well
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: they agree with your throat week in and week out.
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: You'll soon see why Camel is by far America's most
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: popular cigarette. Why, Camel is the steady smoke for you.
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: Here transcribed is Richard Diamond, Private Detective, starring Dick Powell.
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: Diamond Detective Agency for Mayhem of Distinction.
• 2:10
  Speaker 4: Ooh.
• 2:10
  Speaker 3: Ooh.
• 2:11
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: Oh.
• 2:13
  Speaker 5: No.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: Ooh.
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: Why?
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: Mayhem of Distinction.
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: I said that.
• 2:17
  Speaker 5: And I said ooh.
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: Was it that bad?
• 2:19
  Speaker 4: Mm-hmm. Say it.
• 2:20
  Speaker 5: Diamond Detective Agency for Mayhem of Distinction.
• 2:24
  Speaker 6: Ooh.
• 2:24
  Speaker 4: See?
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, what am I going to do? About what?
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: About slogans. It's tough after a while.
• 2:31
  Speaker 5: How about when I call you up, I give the
• 2:32
  Speaker 5: slogan instead?
• 2:34
  Speaker 3: Well, I don't know.
• 2:35
  Speaker 5: What do you mean you don't know?
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: Well, I'll have to give you an audition.
• 2:38
  Speaker 4: All right.
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: I need a new one every morning.
• 2:40
  Speaker 7: Fine.
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: Starting tomorrow morning.
• 2:41
  Speaker 5: I'll call you back the minute I have one.
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: Bless your heart.
• 2:44
  Speaker 5: I'm going to see you tonight.
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: Sure, about seven.
• 2:46
  Speaker 5: Now, I'll call you back the minute I have one.
• 2:48
  Speaker 4: Hey, Diamond.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: Well.
• 2:49
  Speaker 8: What?
• 2:49
  Speaker 4: Can I talk to you?
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: Sure, come on in.
• 2:51
  Speaker 4: Rick.
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: Somebody just came in.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: Oh.
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: Bye.
• 2:54
  Speaker 4: Bye.
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: Well, it's been a long time, Tiny.
• 2:58
  Speaker 9: Yes.
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: What can I do for you? I got a proposition.
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: You do, huh?
• 3:02
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 3:03
  Speaker 9: How'd you like to make yourself $ 2, 500?
• 3:04
  Speaker 8: Tiny, I like money, but when a guy like you
• 3:07
  Speaker 8: has a proposition.
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: It's on the up and up, Diamond. Well, if it is,
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: it's the first time.
• 3:11
  Speaker 9: Well, all you gotta do is listen.
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: If you don't like it, you don't take it. For $ 2, 500,
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: I'll listen. You read the papers this morning? Yeah. Al
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: Brenner skipped. I read that.
• 3:20
  Speaker 9: Al Brenner was supposed to appear before the grand jury.
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: They had enough on him to put him away for
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: 20 years. There's a reward. $ 5, 000.
• 3:27
  Speaker 9: Yep.
• 3:27
  Speaker 10: Uh-huh.
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: $ 2, 500 would be half of that, wouldn't it? Just Harry.
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: Where is he? Nuh-uh. That's what you wanted me to
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: listen to, isn't it? But I'm not sure I know
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: where he is. I just think. You want me to
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: make sure? Then I want you to help. I got
• 3:43
  Speaker 3: the lead, but I don't want.
• 3:44
  Speaker 4: To turn him in.
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: You know what happens if the boys find out you
• 3:47
  Speaker 3: tipped me?
• 3:48
  Speaker 9: Well, I give it a lot of thought.
• 3:49
  Speaker 3: Look, uh, Tiny, Tiny, I, uh, I gotta be honest.
• 3:53
  Speaker 3: I don't like you. Well, that's okay. I never did.
• 3:57
  Speaker 8: Well, I done you a few favors when you was
• 3:58
  Speaker 8: a cop. You came out all right, and I still
• 4:00
  Speaker 8: didn't like you. I don't like professional stoolies.
• 4:04
  Speaker 3: Well, okay, I'm not.
• 4:05
  Speaker 9: And especially I don't like one for a partner. Well,
• 4:08
  Speaker 9: then take the whole 5,000 and pay me for my services.
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: No, no.
• 4:12
  Speaker 8: If I can do Walt Levinson a favor and bring
• 4:14
  Speaker 8: in Brenner's and still make 2,500, we'll split it right
• 4:17
  Speaker 8: down the middle.
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: It's a deal? As long as I don't have to
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: see you too much.
• 4:22
  Speaker 9: Now, this is what I've got.
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: There's a guy named Stringer. You heard of him? I
• 4:27
  Speaker 3: don't think so. But he's not a local boy. He's
• 4:29
  Speaker 3: an import.
• 4:29
  Speaker 9: Used to work for Brenner's back in St. Louis, 1929, 30.
• 4:33
  Speaker 9: When Brenner's moved east, he stayed and did himself some good.
• 4:37
  Speaker 3: That's before my time. Well, Stringer's in town. So what?
• 4:40
  Speaker 9: I hear Brenner's ain't even skipped town. I hear he's
• 4:43
  Speaker 9: hiding out right in town somewhere until the heat cools.
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: That'd be smart. He knows they'd cover everything in and out.
• 4:50
  Speaker 9: Well, Brenner's skipped yesterday morning. The law didn't spot it
• 4:53
  Speaker 9: until the afternoon. I heard about Stringer, and I started thinking.
• 4:57
  Speaker 9: Brenner's needs a contact. He's smart, and he wouldn't trust
• 5:01
  Speaker 9: any of his local boys.
• 5:02
  Speaker 3: So Stringer's there. Yeah. That's all you've got?
• 5:05
  Speaker 11: No.
• 5:06
  Speaker 9: I followed Stringer last night, and I laid ten to
• 5:09
  Speaker 9: one and saw Brenner's.
• 5:10
  Speaker 3: Where?
• 5:11
  Speaker 9: You meet me tonight at the corner of Maple and Palm.
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: Maple and Palm? Long Island. Well, what's out there? You'll
• 5:16
  Speaker 3: be there.
• 5:16
  Speaker 4: I'll show you.
• 5:18
  Speaker 3: Oh, look, Tiny, you... I'm just playing at save time,
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: and I tell you everything.
• 5:22
  Speaker 9: You could make the score wrong, and I couldn't open
• 5:24
  Speaker 9: my mouth.
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: Okay, Tiny. What time?
• 5:27
  Speaker 4: Eight o'clock.
• 5:32
  Speaker 8: Well, I'd made a deal with Tiny Gillespie.
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: Half of a $ 5, 000 reward.
• 5:36
  Speaker 8: For Al Brenner, one of the biggest hoodlums in the business.
• 5:39
  Speaker 8: I'd known Tiny for a lot of years. He was
• 5:42
  Speaker 8: a professional stoolie who knew the underwear like the inside
• 5:45
  Speaker 8: of his shirt and didn't have a friend to his name.
• 5:48
  Speaker 8: It was dangerous doing business with Tiny, but 2,500 can
• 5:51
  Speaker 8: take the edge off a lot of danger. I went home,
• 5:54
  Speaker 8: changed my clothes, and was about to pick up the
• 5:56
  Speaker 8: phone to call Helen.
• 5:59
  Speaker 3: Yeah?
• 6:00
  Speaker 5: I called your office.
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: Oh, hi, dear.
• 6:01
  Speaker 5: How's this? Diamond Detective Agency. If you can't get Sherlock
• 6:05
  Speaker 5: or Perry Mason for 100 a day, I start chasing them.
• 6:09
  Speaker 3: Helen.
• 6:09
  Speaker 5: Pretty good, huh?
• 6:10
  Speaker 3: Oh, it's great.
• 6:12
  Speaker 5: I thought so.
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: Just great.
• 6:14
  Speaker 5: Why'd you leave your office so early?
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: I was just going to call you.
• 6:17
  Speaker 6: Rick.
• 6:18
  Speaker 3: I can't make it until later, sweetheart. I'm sorry.
• 6:20
  Speaker 5: But I started such a wonderful dinner.
• 6:23
  Speaker 3: And I started making $ 2, 500. $ 2, 500? Yes, dear.
• 6:26
  Speaker 5: Well, you just take your time. The dinner's not that important.
• 6:31
  Speaker 3: I knew you'd understand.
• 6:32
  Speaker 5: Now work hard and don't worry about me. I'll see
• 6:35
  Speaker 5: you when you solve the case.
• 6:36
  Speaker 8: And get the $ 2, 500.
• 6:38
  Speaker 5: Rick, you don't think that I'm only interested in the money?
• 6:41
  Speaker 3: Not in a million dollars. Uh, years.
• 6:48
  Speaker 8: Because Helen was so interested in my welfare, I managed
• 6:51
  Speaker 8: to borrow her convertible, and by 8 o'clock, I was
• 6:53
  Speaker 8: parked at the corner of Maple and Palm on Long Island.
• 6:57
  Speaker 8: It was easy to understand why Tiny had picked the
• 6:59
  Speaker 8: spot to meet. It was as dark as a mine shaft,
• 7:02
  Speaker 8: and there wasn't a house within a half mile.
• 7:04
  Speaker 3: I lit a camel, sat back to wait. It got to.
• 7:07
  Speaker 8: Be 8.15, and Tiny still hadn't arrived. By 8.30, I
• 7:11
  Speaker 8: was beginning to wonder if he ever would. And by 9,
• 7:15
  Speaker 8: I was sure he wouldn't. I turned the car back
• 7:18
  Speaker 8: for town, kicked myself all the way there. A guy
• 7:21
  Speaker 8: like Tiny you couldn't trust, and I was feeling a
• 7:24
  Speaker 8: little more than guilty for getting involved. By the time
• 7:28
  Speaker 8: I hit Broadway, I was matted in a wild bull
• 7:30
  Speaker 8: with a hot foot. I turned right, drove down to
• 7:32
  Speaker 8: the river in a dive called the Purple Garter, a
• 7:35
  Speaker 8: hangout for a wino's bum and a stoolie named Tiny Gillespie.
• 7:41
  Speaker 8: There were only a few customers in the room and
• 7:43
  Speaker 8: a bartender named Samson that I'd done business with before. Hello, Mr.
• 7:46
  Speaker 3: Diamond. Hello, Samson. I'm looking for Tiny Gillespie. He ain't here.
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: How about a drink?
• 7:52
  Speaker 8: No, I'm not interested in a long illness.
• 7:55
  Speaker 3: Have you seen Tiny?
• 7:56
  Speaker 11: Hell, yeah.
• 7:57
  Speaker 3: What's earlier? Around seven. Left around seven. Know where he
• 8:01
  Speaker 3: was going? He didn't leave no forwarding address. What's he doing?
• 8:06
  Speaker 3: I was just looking for him. If you see him,
• 8:07
  Speaker 3: tell him that, will you? I'll tell him.
• 8:11
  Speaker 4: Hey. Hmm?
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: Friend of yours. Well, well, well. Hi, Rick. Hit the skids?
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: What are you doing? Looking for a chocolate malt? Hello, Samson. Hiya, Lieutenant. Yeah,
• 8:22
  Speaker 3: not tasty.
• 8:23
  Speaker 10: You guys are turning into snobs. You don't give us
• 8:26
  Speaker 10: much choice, Samson. It's that or a stomach bump.
• 8:29
  Speaker 3: All right.
• 8:30
  Speaker 10: I shoulder your insults with complete disinterest.
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: Who are you looking for, Fatty? Who says I am?
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: The one you're wearing that official frown. Prune Brow Levinson. Samson.
• 8:43
  Speaker 3: You seen Tiny Gillespie? Oh, Tiny's getting popular. What do
• 8:48
  Speaker 3: you mean, ho-ho?
• 8:49
  Speaker 4: Just ho-ho.
• 8:50
  Speaker 3: What do you mean he's getting popular?
• 8:52
  Speaker 4: Mr.
• 8:53
  Speaker 3: Diamond was just asking for it.
• 8:55
  Speaker 4: Ho-ho.
• 8:56
  Speaker 3: That's what I meant. What did you want him for, Rick?
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: He was supposed to meet me.
• 9:01
  Speaker 4: Why?
• 9:02
  Speaker 3: Just a dog.
• 9:03
  Speaker 4: About what?
• 9:04
  Speaker 3: Oh, stop acting like a cop. What's it all about?
• 9:07
  Speaker 10: I'm just in checking on Tiny's activities prior to 8
• 9:10
  Speaker 10: o'clock tonight.
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: And just what did Tiny do prior to 8 o'clock tonight? Well,
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: one thing. He got himself killed.
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: Before we continue with Richard Diamond, here are a few
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: words about smoking enjoyment.
• 9:35
  Speaker 3: For proof of the.
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: Mildness of camels, the makers of camels went to noted
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: throat specialists. These doctors made weekly examinations of the throats
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: of hundreds of people, people with normal throats from coast
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: to coast, who smoked only camels for 30 days. After
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: making 2,470 examinations, the throat specialist reported not one single
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: case of throat irritation due to smoking camels. Make your
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: own 30-day camel test, the thorough, sensible test of cigarette mildness.
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: Smoke only camels for 30 days and enjoy the rich,
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: full flavor of America's most popular cigarettes. See how mild
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: camels are, how well they agree with your throat, pack
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: after pack, week after week. You'll soon see that camel
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: is the steady smoke for you.
• 10:27
  Speaker 3: How mild, how mild, how mild can a cigarette be?
• 10:32
  Speaker 5: Make the camel a.
• 10:34
  Speaker 9: 30-day test and you'll see.
• 10:37
  Speaker 3: Smoke camels and see.
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: And now, back to Richard Diamond, Private Detective, starring Dick Powell.
• 10:53
  Speaker 8: It all started when a professional stool pigeon named Tiny
• 10:56
  Speaker 8: Gillespie thought he knew the whereabouts of Al Brenner, the
• 10:58
  Speaker 8: missing defendant in a grand jury investigation. Tiny had agreed
• 11:02
  Speaker 8: to meet me at 8 o'clock that night, but he
• 11:04
  Speaker 8: never showed up. And when I went looking for him,
• 11:07
  Speaker 8: I ran into Lieutenant Walt Levinson, 5th Precinct Police. Walt
• 11:11
  Speaker 8: told me Tiny had been killed. We went out of
• 11:13
  Speaker 8: the station where we talked more about it.
• 11:17
  Speaker 10: He was killed sometime between 7.30 and 8.
• 11:19
  Speaker 9: Where?
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: About a half mile from where you say you were supposed.
• 11:22
  Speaker 4: To meet him.
• 11:22
  Speaker 3: Oh, beaten to death.
• 11:25
  Speaker 4: What?
• 11:25
  Speaker 3: That's right. Somebody really worked him over. Wait a minute,
• 11:30
  Speaker 3: I got a medical report here, son. Here it is.
• 11:33
  Speaker 10: Broken back, fracture of the femur, fracture of the.
• 11:36
  Speaker 3: Okay, okay. He was a mess. My cookie, bright eyes? No, thanks, Freddy.
• 11:40
  Speaker 3: Help yourself. Is that part of your diet?
• 11:42
  Speaker 6: Yeah.
• 11:44
  Speaker 3: Whoops, a weight off you. That's obvious. Tell me, Skinny,
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: you ever hear of a hood named Stringer?
• 11:50
  Speaker 4: Stringer? St.
• 11:52
  Speaker 8: Louis.
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: Worked for Al Brenner's in 1929 and 30.
• 11:53
  Speaker 8: What's he got to do with it? Tiny's been following him.
• 11:58
  Speaker 8: Tiny thought Stringer was working as a contact for Brenner's.
• 12:00
  Speaker 3: Tiny say Brenner's were still in town? He thought so.
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: He said he followed the stringer someplace. He believed he
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: met with Brenner's. Rick, you ought to know better than
• 12:08
  Speaker 3: to get mixed up with a guy like Tiny. You
• 12:11
  Speaker 3: ought to double-date with my conscience. I take better care
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: of it than you do. Want some coffee? Yeah, black.
• 12:19
  Speaker 4: Sugar?
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: The usual, 12 lumps.
• 12:22
  Speaker 10: Listen, sweetie pie, if Brenners is close and Tiny was
• 12:25
  Speaker 10: supposed to meet you a half mile from where.
• 12:27
  Speaker 3: He was killed... It's a good bet Brenners could still
• 12:29
  Speaker 3: be in that area.
• 12:30
  Speaker 10: Unless he skipped again and found out Tiny had him spotted.
• 12:34
  Speaker 8: He knows he'd never get out of town now, and
• 12:36
  Speaker 8: I don't think he's too worried about killing Tiny. I
• 12:39
  Speaker 8: don't think he'd ever figured Tiny would tell anybody what
• 12:41
  Speaker 8: he knew.
• 12:42
  Speaker 3: He knows Tiny's done business with the law. And he
• 12:45
  Speaker 3: knows that the law would have come instead of Tiny.
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: That's right. I think Brenner's his word, but if he's
• 12:51
  Speaker 3: got a good hideout, I think he'll stay put. Here's
• 12:53
  Speaker 3: the lab report on Tiny.
• 12:55
  Speaker 10: Scrapings from the bottom of his shoes indicate fertilizer and
• 12:58
  Speaker 10: new grass. Tiny's body was lying at the bottom of
• 13:01
  Speaker 10: a gully. Nothing but dirt and clay. Any houses near?
• 13:04
  Speaker 10: Not for miles.
• 13:05
  Speaker 3: Show me on the map where the body was found.
• 13:07
  Speaker 4: Sure.
• 13:11
  Speaker 2: Right there.
• 13:13
  Speaker 3: I was supposed to meet him there. Maple and Palm.
• 13:17
  Speaker 3: Sure isn't much in that section. Tiny couldn't have been
• 13:19
  Speaker 3: too far from me before he was killed.
• 13:21
  Speaker 8: He wouldn't have picked Maple and Palm if it was
• 13:23
  Speaker 8: very far from what he wanted to show me.
• 13:24
  Speaker 10: That makes sense, but they sure wouldn't dump his body
• 13:27
  Speaker 10: too close to Brenner's hideout.
• 13:28
  Speaker 3: Okay, okay.
• 13:29
  Speaker 8: Maybe they drove him five or ten miles. Five or
• 13:32
  Speaker 8: ten miles in every direction from Maple and Palm.
• 13:34
  Speaker 3: That's a lot of territory. Yeah, I know. Well, you
• 13:37
  Speaker 3: better start checking it. I've got a hunch you'll dig
• 13:40
  Speaker 3: up Brenner's.
• 13:40
  Speaker 10: I'll put out an APB on this string of guys
• 13:42
  Speaker 10: as soon as I check the records and talk with St.
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: Louis for a description. Fine. I'll see you later. Where
• 13:47
  Speaker 3: are you going? To see if I can beat you
• 13:49
  Speaker 3: to Brenner's. Now look, bright-eyed.
• 13:51
  Speaker 8: Oh, honey, with tiny dead, there's a big old 5,000
• 13:54
  Speaker 8: all in one chunk.
• 13:56
  Speaker 3: I'll let you know if I find Brenner's. I don't
• 13:58
  Speaker 3: want the glory, just the loot.
• 14:03
  Speaker 8: I left the station, climbed in the car, and had
• 14:05
  Speaker 8: arrived to a gas station where I filled up with
• 14:07
  Speaker 8: gas and picked up a.
• 14:08
  Speaker 3: Map of the Long Island section.
• 14:10
  Speaker 8: Then I went back to my office and started checking
• 14:12
  Speaker 8: the Long Island phone directory. I knew it would take
• 14:15
  Speaker 8: me a week to find a new lawn, and Walt
• 14:17
  Speaker 8: was already doing that, so I concentrated on something else.
• 14:21
  Speaker 8: I looked for some place that might sell.
• 14:22
  Speaker 3: Fertilizer and grass seed. There was one.
• 14:25
  Speaker 8: Such place in that area. Hudson Garden Supplies. And there
• 14:29
  Speaker 8: was a phone. I took a chance at maybe the
• 14:32
  Speaker 8: owner or someone lived there and called it.
• 14:34
  Speaker 4: Oh, yeah.
• 14:41
  Speaker 3: Is this the Hudson Garden Supply? Huh? Is this the
• 14:44
  Speaker 3: Hudson Garden.
• 14:45
  Speaker 4: Yeah, who is this?
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: Well, who is this?
• 14:48
  Speaker 4: This is Hudson. Who is this?
• 14:49
  Speaker 3: My name's Diamond.
• 14:50
  Speaker 4: Well, what do you want? It's after 12.
• 14:52
  Speaker 3: Did you sell any fertilizer or grass seed in the
• 14:54
  Speaker 3: last two or three weeks?
• 14:55
  Speaker 4: Are you kidding?
• 14:56
  Speaker 3: You do sell fertilizer?
• 14:57
  Speaker 4: Oh, look, wise guy.
• 14:59
  Speaker 3: Oh, come on. This is police business.
• 15:01
  Speaker 4: Police.
• 15:02
  Speaker 3: Lieutenant Walt Levinson, 5th Precinct.
• 15:04
  Speaker 4: I thought you said your name was.
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: Diamond. Now, you want us to come out and pull
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: you out of bed? Oh, look, I'm sorry.
• 15:09
  Speaker 4: It sounded like a gag.
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: Well, have you sold any fertilizer or grass seed in
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: the last few weeks?
• 15:13
  Speaker 4: Oh, yeah, I sell a lot of fertilizer. It's good fertilizer.
• 15:17
  Speaker 3: Any grass seed?
• 15:17
  Speaker 9: Yeah.
• 15:18
  Speaker 3: To an address in that area?
• 15:20
  Speaker 4: Yeah, a couple of weeks ago, I sold a big load.
• 15:22
  Speaker 3: Who'd you sell it to?
• 15:22
  Speaker 4: I don't remember the bill. I'll have to look it up.
• 15:25
  Speaker 3: Look it up?
• 15:25
  Speaker 4: Well, now?
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: Unless you want us to come out there and help you.
• 15:28
  Speaker 4: Well, okay. Hold the phone.
• 15:32
  Speaker 3: Good job.
• 15:40
  Speaker 4: Hello. Yeah?
• 15:41
  Speaker 9: That grass seed went to 7788 Shoreham Drive.
• 15:44
  Speaker 3: What's the name of the bill?
• 15:45
  Speaker 4: The Hillview Rest Home.
• 15:47
  Speaker 3: You sell any other grass seed the last week?
• 15:48
  Speaker 4: No, but it's a lot of flowers and plants and
• 15:52
  Speaker 4: plenty of fertilizer.
• 15:53
  Speaker 3: You must love your work. Oh.
• 16:00
  Speaker 8: I climbed back into the car and headed back for
• 16:02
  Speaker 8: Long Island on 7788 Shoreham Drive. Forty minutes later, I
• 16:08
  Speaker 8: pulled up on a lonely, dark road and turned the
• 16:11
  Speaker 8: car lights out. The Hillview Rest Home stood out against
• 16:14
  Speaker 8: the moon like a lonely castle. It was dark, except
• 16:18
  Speaker 8: for a light in one of the wings, and the
• 16:20
  Speaker 8: grounds were surrounded.
• 16:21
  Speaker 3: By a high fence. I got out of the car
• 16:23
  Speaker 3: and started walking.
• 16:28
  Speaker 8: I kept going until I found a section of fence
• 16:30
  Speaker 8: that a man might climb and not be seen.
• 16:32
  Speaker 3: From the house.
• 16:34
  Speaker 8: I went up and over, dropping down and stopping my
• 16:36
  Speaker 8: fall with my hands. When I felt my hands, they
• 16:40
  Speaker 8: were wet and covered with new grass. There were about
• 16:44
  Speaker 8: a hundred yards between the fence and the main building,
• 16:47
  Speaker 8: and the.
• 16:47
  Speaker 3: Moon reflected off the wet grass like a mirror. If
• 16:50
  Speaker 3: anybody was watching from the house, I'd never make it
• 16:53
  Speaker 3: without being seen.
• 16:55
  Speaker 8: I bent as low as I could and ran about
• 16:57
  Speaker 8: halfway and stopped listening.
• 16:58
  Speaker 3: It was like a bad.
• 17:02
  Speaker 8: Dream, crouching under the moon, trying to make my breath
• 17:06
  Speaker 8: come out slowly so it wouldn't show against the cold
• 17:08
  Speaker 8: and feeling like I wanted.
• 17:09
  Speaker 3: To dig a hole and hide right there or better still,
• 17:12
  Speaker 3: wake up.
• 17:14
  Speaker 8: I started again, running low, looking from side to side
• 17:18
  Speaker 8: but never behind. I got to the main building and
• 17:21
  Speaker 8: slammed myself against it. I stayed there until I.
• 17:25
  Speaker 3: Caught my breath.
• 17:26
  Speaker 8: Then I moved around to the front door and tried it.
• 17:31
  Speaker 3: I got the surprise of my life. It was open.
• 17:36
  Speaker 8: I found myself standing in a large room, dark, except
• 17:40
  Speaker 8: for a small red light burning over a door at
• 17:42
  Speaker 8: the back. A staircase to my left led to the
• 17:45
  Speaker 8: floors above, and there was another smaller room to my
• 17:47
  Speaker 8: right that was black, except for the shafts of moonlight.
• 17:50
  Speaker 3: Slanting down through the barred windows. Barred windows and an
• 17:54
  Speaker 3: open door. Something was wrong. Don't move. Don't move.
• 18:06
  Speaker 8: He was behind me, probably waiting behind the door.
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: When I came in, and with the door unlocked like that,
• 18:12
  Speaker 3: I figured he had been expecting me. If you turn around,
• 18:14
  Speaker 3: I'll shoot you. In that case, you'll pardon my back.
• 18:17
  Speaker 11: I'll take your gun.
• 18:21
  Speaker 3: I don't have one. What would you call this? Oh,
• 18:26
  Speaker 3: that's really just a big cigarette lighter? Yeah. Now your wallet. Oh, look,
• 18:30
  Speaker 3: what is this? Richard Diamond, private detective. Hmm. A private detective.
• 18:37
  Speaker 3: Who may retire. Yeah, I think I can guarantee it.
• 18:40
  Speaker 3: Did you spot me crossing the lawn? When you climbed
• 18:42
  Speaker 3: the fence, it set off an alarm. Well, my car
• 18:45
  Speaker 3: broke down.
• 18:45
  Speaker 2: I thought maybe.
• 18:46
  Speaker 4: You could use the phone.
• 18:47
  Speaker 9: Yeah. Oh.
• 18:49
  Speaker 3: I'm afraid I don't believe you. Who is it, Barnes?
• 18:51
  Speaker 3: You better come down and see. He's a private detective.
• 18:55
  Speaker 3: Turn on the light. He had a gun. Well. You
• 19:02
  Speaker 3: know him? Hello, Brenners. He's a private cop, all right.
• 19:06
  Speaker 3: Used to be a legit cop. How are you, Diamond? Surprised.
• 19:10
  Speaker 3: I thought you skipped. You know I didn't. Tiny got
• 19:12
  Speaker 3: to you, huh?
• 19:14
  Speaker 8: Tiny?
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: I told you. I told you. Oh, shut up. Look,
• 19:17
  Speaker 3: you got to get out of here. I'll lose my
• 19:19
  Speaker 3: whole business. You're making enough offence.
• 19:20
  Speaker 9: But now with this private detective and that man last night,
• 19:23
  Speaker 9: no telling how many more.
• 19:24
  Speaker 3: How can he find me? I don't know who you're
• 19:26
  Speaker 3: talking about, Brenners. I'm just as surprised at seeing you as... Ah,
• 19:29
  Speaker 3: you're lying. Brenners, please. He might have told the police
• 19:32
  Speaker 3: what he knows. They'd be here by now if he had.
• 19:34
  Speaker 3: You're going to be in a little trouble hiding out
• 19:36
  Speaker 3: a man who's wanted by the federal government. He's right, Brenners.
• 19:39
  Speaker 3: Whether he's trying to talk himself out of a jam
• 19:41
  Speaker 3: or not, he's right. Relax. When Stringer gets here, I'll leave.
• 19:44
  Speaker 3: Thank goodness. In the meantime, you better take care of Diamond.
• 19:48
  Speaker 3: You mean like... Yeah. The way you did with Tiny Gillespie. Yeah,
• 19:52
  Speaker 3: but he's in there... You don't want to lose this place,
• 19:54
  Speaker 3: do you?
• 19:56
  Speaker 11: No.
• 19:57
  Speaker 3: And I don't want anybody around to talk about me.
• 19:59
  Speaker 3: How come you worked Tiny over like that? Why didn't
• 20:02
  Speaker 3: you just use your gun?
• 20:03
  Speaker 8: You're in for a treat, Diamond. You're going to have
• 20:07
  Speaker 8: a hard time working me over like that.
• 20:09
  Speaker 3: Well, we're not going to do a thing. Hey, better
• 20:12
  Speaker 3: take him downstairs. Stringer should be here any minute. Yeah,
• 20:14
  Speaker 3: all right. Walk over to that door. Nice seeing you again, Tom. Yeah.
• 20:21
  Speaker 3: Open the door.
• 20:23
  Speaker 4: Go on.
• 20:24
  Speaker 3: I'll have to shoot you. Keep going. Down those stairs.
• 20:30
  Speaker 3: You're making a big mistake. I have no choice. State's
• 20:32
  Speaker 3: evidence might get you off easy. A murder charge? Might
• 20:36
  Speaker 3: get just life. And I might not. Stop right there.
• 20:40
  Speaker 3: Open the door and go on in.
• 20:41
  Speaker 4: On a log.
• 20:42
  Speaker 3: I'll shoot you right here. Okay.
• 20:47
  Speaker 10: Alf.
• 20:49
  Speaker 8: Alf.
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: I'm here.
• 20:52
  Speaker 3: What is that? I got somebody for you, Alf.
• 20:55
  Speaker 8: Get in there.
• 20:56
  Speaker 3: On a log.
• 20:57
  Speaker 4: Go on.
• 21:02
  Speaker 3: I was locked in the basement and there was someone
• 21:04
  Speaker 3: else there with me. It was a man.
• 21:06
  Speaker 8: His head was shaved clean and his eyes were wild
• 21:08
  Speaker 8: and staring. He was sitting in a corner and as
• 21:11
  Speaker 8: he pulled himself up, he looked at me, tipped his
• 21:13
  Speaker 8: head to one side like he was listening to something.
• 21:15
  Speaker 3: I've got to take care of you too, man.
• 21:19
  Speaker 8: Then he was on his feet, shoulders hunched and his
• 21:22
  Speaker 8: arms hanging at his sides. And even bent over like that,
• 21:25
  Speaker 8: he must have been six and a half feet tall.
• 21:30
  Speaker 8: He shuffled towards me like an ape, and I realized
• 21:32
  Speaker 8: what it was that had given Tiny such a beating.
• 21:35
  Speaker 3: You're bigger than the last one. You gonna give me
• 21:39
  Speaker 3: a little fight? Easy, boy, easy.
• 21:45
  Speaker 8: I put my back to the wall and kept circling him,
• 21:48
  Speaker 8: but he seemed to enjoy watching me try.
• 21:50
  Speaker 3: To get away.
• 21:52
  Speaker 8: He'd reach out, and when I'd duck, he'd smile a
• 21:54
  Speaker 8: horrible mouthful of teeth and rub his hands together like
• 21:57
  Speaker 8: a little kid with a new game. I kept moving,
• 22:02
  Speaker 8: talking to him, trying to calm him down, but I
• 22:04
  Speaker 8: knew there wasn't a chance. The basement was a solid
• 22:08
  Speaker 8: four walls and the heavy locked door, and one of
• 22:10
  Speaker 8: us would have to die before the night was over.
• 22:14
  Speaker 3: The way things stood, it was pretty obvious who it
• 22:16
  Speaker 3: was going to be.
• 22:17
  Speaker 8: And if I kept running, I was going to get
• 22:19
  Speaker 8: tired and die a lot quicker.
• 22:22
  Speaker 3: I stopped. Don't you want to play no more?
• 22:26
  Speaker 8: He looked almost unhappy, like he wanted to keep on
• 22:29
  Speaker 8: playing and wasn't going to be able to.
• 22:31
  Speaker 3: He started moving in again, and I kicked him as
• 22:34
  Speaker 3: hard as I could in the stomach. He doubled over,
• 22:37
  Speaker 3: and for a second I felt bad. Then he straightened
• 22:39
  Speaker 3: and rushed me. He got his arms.
• 22:43
  Speaker 12: Around me, and it was like being caught by a
• 22:45
  Speaker 12: boa constrictor. The harder I fought, the tighter he squeezed.
• 22:51
  Speaker 12: I started to pass out. I thought I heard shots.
• 22:54
  Speaker 9: Then he picked me up over his head and threw
• 22:56
  Speaker 9: me the length of the room.
• 22:58
  Speaker 6: Oh.
• 23:01
  Speaker 3: I tried to sit up, but I was too dazed.
• 23:05
  Speaker 8: In the half light, I watched him shuffle in, his
• 23:08
  Speaker 8: arms swinging.
• 23:10
  Speaker 3: He was so strong, he didn't even know he was
• 23:12
  Speaker 3: fighting a man.
• 23:14
  Speaker 8: Just a doll that wouldn't play anymore, and he was
• 23:16
  Speaker 8: going to break it in a thousand pieces. He reached
• 23:19
  Speaker 8: for me just when somebody on the other side of
• 23:21
  Speaker 8: the door started shooting.
• 23:25
  Speaker 3: The giant stopped as the bolt of the door was
• 23:27
  Speaker 3: pulled back, and then he turned. You'll come to fight me, too?
• 23:31
  Speaker 9: Look out, boss.
• 23:43
  Speaker 3: Rick. How'd you find me, Walt?
• 23:47
  Speaker 10: Located Stringer and Taylor. Saw Helen's car parked outside the fence.
• 23:51
  Speaker 10: What is that thing over there?
• 23:53
  Speaker 8: Oh, just an animal. It used to be a man,
• 23:55
  Speaker 8: I guess. That's the way Tiny got killed.
• 23:57
  Speaker 6: Oh.
• 23:59
  Speaker 3: How bad are you? Oh, just shaken up. But another
• 24:02
  Speaker 3: couple of minutes and I'll give you a hand. Thanks.
• 24:09
  Speaker 3: You get Brennan's? Yeah, they're putting him in the car.
• 24:12
  Speaker 3: Lean on me. I'm okay. What was all the shooting
• 24:17
  Speaker 3: outside the door? Oh, Barnes. He didn't want to let
• 24:22
  Speaker 3: me in. Who told you I was down here?
• 24:24
  Speaker 10: The minute we came through the front door, Barnes headed
• 24:26
  Speaker 10: down the stairs. I spotted him and went after him.
• 24:29
  Speaker 3: Oh, bless your little heart. What are you going to
• 24:31
  Speaker 3: do with that $ 5, 000?
• 24:32
  Speaker 9: Oh, Walt, I'm going to buy you the best present
• 24:37
  Speaker 9: you ever had in your life.
• 24:52
  Speaker 3: Oh, Rick. Do you like it, dear? Oh, it's a
• 24:55
  Speaker 3: beautiful storm.
• 24:56
  Speaker 4: Well, it's really nothing.
• 24:59
  Speaker 8: Nothing? Got the beast doing a summer safari in Africa.
• 25:02
  Speaker 3: Oh, but by Jove, this is mink. What did you expect,
• 25:05
  Speaker 3: old girl? Unborn meadow mouse? No, but look here.
• 25:08
  Speaker 10: There isn't a mink within 10,000 miles of Africa.
• 25:11
  Speaker 3: Come to think of it, he was rather winded. Now,
• 25:14
  Speaker 3: don't laugh, old girl.
• 25:16
  Speaker 8: That mink was the biggest animal I've ever seen.
• 25:18
  Speaker 3: Stood six feet high and weighed 180. Couldn't kill him. Well,
• 25:20
  Speaker 3: then how did you ever get this stove? Gave him
• 25:23
  Speaker 3: a haircut. Oh, no.
• 25:23
  Speaker 5: Why don't you sit right there and play the piano
• 25:27
  Speaker 5: while I run upstairs and put on.
• 25:28
  Speaker 3: Something that'll show off my stove? All right, dear.
• 25:31
  Speaker 11: What a memory. Oh, baby, what I couldn't do With
• 25:45
  Speaker 11: plenty of money and you In spite of the worry
• 25:53
  Speaker 11: that money brings Just a little filthy looker buys a lot.
• 25:59
  Speaker 3: Of things And I can take.
• 26:02
  Speaker 6: You to places You'd like to go, but outside of that,
• 26:08
  Speaker 6: I've no use for gold. It's the root of all evil,
• 26:13
  Speaker 6: of strife and of evil.
• 26:16
  Speaker 7: But I'm certain, honey, that life could be sunny with
• 26:23
  Speaker 7: plenty of money and you.
• 26:29
  Speaker 5: That was pretty.
• 26:30
  Speaker 3: Thank you.
• 26:32
  Speaker 11: How do I look?
• 26:32
  Speaker 3: Oh, that mink never had it so good. Are we
• 26:35
  Speaker 3: going to dinner? Right, dear. I'm going to buy you
• 26:37
  Speaker 3: the fastest... Oh, I'll get.
• 26:40
  Speaker 2: It.
• 26:40
  Speaker 3: Asher's Mink Farm.
• 26:41
  Speaker 4: Rick, your present just arrived.
• 26:44
  Speaker 3: Oh, I hope you like it, Walt.
• 26:45
  Speaker 4: I don't know how to thank you.
• 26:48
  Speaker 3: Well, it's nothing.
• 26:49
  Speaker 4: I know.
• 26:50
  Speaker 3: Wear it in good health and I'll see you soon.
• 26:52
  Speaker 4: I'll never forget you for this, old man.
• 26:54
  Speaker 3: Bye. Walt? He loved his present. Well, you got him
• 26:59
  Speaker 3: a present, too. Well, he saved my life. I bought
• 27:01
  Speaker 3: him a beautiful cashmere uniform. Cashmere uniform? He couldn't get
• 27:05
  Speaker 3: over it. Now, let's go, dear. Rick. Hmm? You must
• 27:09
  Speaker 3: have spent an awful lot of money. For the people
• 27:11
  Speaker 3: I love. I've still got about $ 1, 500 left. That's pretty
• 27:14
  Speaker 3: good after taxes. Taxes? Rick. Oh, give me a pencil.
• 27:19
  Speaker 3: Give me a pencil. Right there on the stand. Didn't
• 27:23
  Speaker 3: you take out any withholding?
• 27:24
  Speaker 4: Shh.
• 27:24
  Speaker 6: $ 5, 000.
• 27:25
  Speaker 8: $ 750 cashmere uniform.
• 27:28
  Speaker 9: $ 4, 750 new stole.
• 27:30
  Speaker 3: Take away. Take away.
• 27:33
  Speaker 8: Take away.
• 27:34
  Speaker 3: Oh!
• 27:36
  Speaker 4: Mickey!
• 27:37
  Speaker 12: I owe the government $ 1, 600.
• 27:48
  Speaker 3: Dick Powell will return in just a minute.
• 27:50
  Speaker 2: Tens of thousands of doctors, doctors in all branches of medicine,
• 27:54
  Speaker 2: in all parts of the country, were asked what cigarette
• 27:58
  Speaker 2: they smoked.
• 27:59
  Speaker 3: The brand named most was Camel.
• 28:01
  Speaker 2: Yes, according to this nationwide survey, more doctors smoke Camels
• 28:05
  Speaker 2: than any other cigarette. Enjoy Camels, the cigarette so many
• 28:10
  Speaker 2: doctors enjoy. And say, friends, buy your Camels by the carton,
• 28:14
  Speaker 2: the handy, thrifty way. Yes, that way you always have
• 28:18
  Speaker 2: Camels when you want them. Oh, my.
• 28:20
  Speaker 11: Oh.
• 28:27
  Speaker 3: Here's Dick Powell with a special message. Thank you.
• 28:30
  Speaker 8: Ladies and gentlemen, the hospitalized men of our armed forces
• 28:32
  Speaker 8: like to know that they're not forgotten. Each week, the
• 28:35
  Speaker 8: makers of camels send out thousands of packs of gift
• 28:38
  Speaker 8: camels to these men. This week's camels go to Veterans Hospitals,
• 28:42
  Speaker 8: Aspen Wall, Pennsylvania, and Louisville, Kentucky. Tinker Air Force Hospital,
• 28:47
  Speaker 8: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. To all hospitals operated by the Army
• 28:51
  Speaker 8: for U.S. forces in Austria. Now until next week, Enjoy Camel.
• 28:56
  Speaker 3: I always do.
• 28:56
  Speaker 2: Tonight's transcribed adventure of Richard Diamond was written and directed
• 29:09
  Speaker 2: by Blake Edwards with music by Frank Worth. Virginia Gregg
• 29:12
  Speaker 2: played the part of Helen Asher and Alan Reed was
• 29:14
  Speaker 2: Lieutenant Levinson.
• 29:15
  Speaker 3: Others in the cast were.
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: Howard McNair, Ed Max, Jane Avello and Joel Samuels. Be
• 29:20
  Speaker 2: sure to listen to another great camel show, Vaughn Monroe
• 29:23
  Speaker 2: and the Camel Caravan, every Saturday night. The bite is
• 29:28
  Speaker 2: out and the pleasure's in when you smoke Prince Albert.
• 29:33
  Speaker 2: The bite's out and the pleasure's in when you pack
• 29:35
  Speaker 2: your pipe with America's largest selling smoking tobacco, Prince Albert.
• 29:39
  Speaker 2: PA's choice tobacco is specially treated to ensure against tongue bite. Yes,
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: with Prince Albert, the bite's out and the pleasure's in.
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: And there's more tobacco in the pocket tin. Listen next
• 29:54
  Speaker 2: week for another exciting adventure of Richard Diamond starring Dick Powell.
• 30:01
  Speaker 3: This is your FBI.
• 30:03
  Speaker 2: The official broadcast from the files of the FBI follows immediately.
• 30:06
  Speaker 2: Stay tuned. This program came to you from Hollywood. This
• 30:09
  Speaker 2: is the American Broadcasting Company.
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: That concludes Richard Diamond, Private Detective and the Al Brenner's case.
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: Good night and thank you for sharing this radio hour.
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: Follow Old Time Mystery Radio for more classic mystery and
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: detective broadcasts.