Hello, and welcome to another episode of Nostalgic Mystery Radio. I'm your host Stevie K. And it's my honor to bring you the radio shows of yester. For this episode, I bring you Richard Diamond Private Detective, episode titled The Bloody Hat Case, originally aired July 2nd, 1949, where Bert Kalmus is framed for murder and an early

version of a classic scam. So sit back and relax, and I hope you enjoy this nostalgic mystery

radio. Thank you for listening. Here's Dick Powell as Richard Diamond, private detective.

The Private Detective.

Hello there.

My name's Diamond.

If you spotted me on the street,

you'd probably figure me for an average working man,

but you'd be wrong.

I fit the description all right because I break my back six days a week to keep my piggy bank nice and stuff.

But my occupation puts me in a class by myself.

I'm a private, honey, nothing in this world but detective.

You probably say, so what?

The average working man comes under the heading of a lot of different jobs,

and you'd be right on that count.

But there's one little thing that puts me in the class all by myself.

Trouble.

Mr. and Mrs. Average John Doe work six days a week, keep clear of it. I put in the same time playing footses with it. It's a kind of silent partner with references dating all the way back to the year one. People get in trouble every second and I count on a small percentage to come to me to get them out of it. The rest? Odds and good advertising.

As an example, take the other night

in a little bistro over on 48th Street.

A couple of guys sitting at a back table

were getting set for a special brand of trouble.

...