Richard Diamond 49-05-01 (002) Diamond In the Rough (AFRS).autogenerated

Here's Dick Powell as Richard Diamond, private detective. Good afternoon, Mr. Diamond. Oh, afternoon, Ed. Have a good lunch, Mr. Diamond? Too early to tell. Hey, you must shave with a dull razor. You've got a scratch on your face. I use a rake. Here you are, Mr. Diamond. Thanks, Ed. Well, customers, good afternoon, gentlemen. What can I do for you? Oh, that was nifty, Ziggy. Is that Diamond? Yeah, Chino. That's him. Pick him up and drag him over to the chair, Ziggy. Sure thing, Chino. He's really out. Yeah. See if you can bring him around. Be a shame if he missed anything. Chino, would you mind holding my ass can handle? It might break his jaw. A pleasure, Ziggy. Diamond. Diamond. Hey, looks like he ain't going to make it. Maybe you slapped him too hard. You hurt me, Ziggy. You know how careful I am. Hey, try to spit your water. I felt like I was lying in the middle of a crowded sink, and someone had piled all the dishes on my head. They turned on the faucet, and I floated up with a dirty coffee cup and took a look around. I dredged water and squinted through my dewy eyelids at two of the ugliest dishwaters I'd ever seen. He's twitching. Oh. See, Ziggy, he's just lazy. Diamond, let us know when things start making sense. Oh, that's a dirty trick. Oh, he's talking screwy. What's a dirty trick, Diamond? I'm stuck in the drain. I think you hit him too hard. He's liable to be talking like that from now on. Give it time. Diamond, you pull yourself out. Yeah. How did your monkeys get in here anyway? He's back. Now go to work, Ziggy, but keep him with us. Hey, wait a minute. Let's go. Oh. That's enough, Ziggy. Can you hear me, Diamond? He don't like it. He's going to be hard to get along with. Belt him across the ears. He'll listen. Hear me now? He's nodding his head. I guess he wants to keep his mouth shut so the teeth don't fall out. Fine. Now listen, Diamond. When you get a call from Mr. Barton, turn down the job. Understand? Ziggy, see if he's doing it. Yeah, Gino. He says now he's got his silver. Remember, Mr. Barton, you don't want to work for him. Think he gets it? Sure, Gino, but he looks tired from the strain. Oh, then put him to sleep, Ziggy. Nighty night time. He didn't have to say nighty night. It was only 2 o'clock in the afternoon. He tapped me once more with a galvanized sleeping pill and tucked me away for a rest. The next thing I knew, a pair of gray suede gloves were patting my sore face. Maybe he didn't want to leave any fingerprints on my bruises. Mr. Diamond, Mr. Diamond, can you hear me? Oh, you know, this can get monotonous. Go away. Should I call the police, Mr. Diamond? What? Oh, oh, I was expecting uglier company. Could you sit up? I'm getting some of your blood on my shoes. That's tough. I'll turn it off. I'll bet you're named Barton. Why, that's right. How did you know? I'm lucky. Now get out of here. But I want to talk to you. I just had one long conversation, but it was too one-sided. Go on. My health is doubtful, but it's fun to have it around for company. Maybe $500 would pick you up. That might, for a while. But I don't like to waste that kind of money on funerals. $750? So they line the coffin with velvet. $1,000. You're begging to make a short life sound practical. If you do the job successfully, there'll be another $1,000. You just bought yourself a corpse. Let me wash up. Talk some more. I can hear you. It's my son, Roger. He thinks he killed a man. He thinks? What do you want me to do? Find out for sure so I can brag about it? Ever heard of a John Alter? Sure. Walt Levinson sent him about five years ago on a man-flutter wrap. Well, he doesn't like it up there, and he'd like to get out. I don't blame him. What's this got to do with your son? I'm chairman of the parole board. Oh, you look much better now, Mr. Diamond. I can't stand the sight of blood. It doesn't bother me. It happens every week. So you're the chairman of the parole board. Yes, some of Alter's friends promised to keep quiet about my son if I let Alter go free when he comes up before the board next week. And you think maybe your son was framed? Yes, about a month ago, he met a girl in Florida. Her name is Lenore Brown, and she's a friend of Alter's. How did this spring to frame? I beg your pardon? You must associate with a higher type, Thug. Spring the frame. Made it look like your son killed somebody. Oh. Well, when Roger, that's my son, went to pick up the Lenore girl at her apartment, he found her struggling with some man. That happens. It looked like he was trying to kill her. There was a gun on the floor, and she called Roger for help. He picked up the gun and shot the man. She told Roger he had killed him and that he must get out. When we went back, they were both gone. About a month later, some of Alter's friends got in touch with me. Oh, and they forget about the killing if you let Alter out of Sing Sing. That's right. I don't remember reading anything about it in the papers. Well, you're the first one outside of Alter and his friends who know anything about it. You see, they say they're hiding the corpus delecti so there was no report of the murder. Keeping a stiff hand isn't that easy. Why didn't you call the law? If my son did kill this man, that's the first thing I intend doing. But I have a feeling this man is not dead. Oh, you think maybe they staged the killing, put blanks on the gun, and after your son beat it, the stiff walked out under his own steam? That's what I want you to find out. If my son is innocent, I want you to bring the parties responsible to justice. Amen. Here's a check for the thousand dollars. If you find the girl and prove my son innocent, there'll be another thousand in your pocket. I'll throw up the holes. Well, thank you, Mr. Barton. I'll start right away. Goodbye, Mr. Diamond. You can reach me at the Wentworth Hotel. I'm staying there until this matter gets cleared up. I won't get in touch with you unless I find something. The guys who worked me over are pretty set in their ways, and there's no sense in you tripping over a lot of dead bodies. I looked at the thousand-dollar check and thought about defeating the two polite gunsels that gave me. It was a toss-up. If I'd spent the thousand like I knew I would, I'd be dead anyway. The two goons were probably still hanging around my building, and if they spotted me, they'd guess I'd taken the job. When I get more than ten bucks in my pocket, I smile all over. I went out the back way and through the alley. Had to start somewhere, so I headed for the 5th Precinct of the West. When you're looking for a killer, homicides got all the roadmaps on murder. An old friend, an ex-partner, was in charge. The men who worked at the tail called him Lieutenant Levinson, but he had a couple of friends who still called him Walt. I was one of them. You earn that right when you work for a guy for six years. After I left the force, Walt started doing solo, but he now had a sergeant who stumbled around after him. His name was Otis, and he had the biggest feet in the state. Every time he took off his shoes, I wanted to grab a champagne bottle and launch them. I don't think he liked me. When I walked in, his face always looked like an advertisement for a sour stomach. Well, Richard Diamond, private detective. Well, Sergeant Otis, homicides answer to the missing link. What was that last word? You're half safe, I said, Link. Walled in? Yeah. You turn the knob, and you can't get out. Walled in? Yeah, you turn the knob, and you push. Why don't you get that uniform cleaned? Someday it's going to get up and walk to the station without you. Well, hello, Rick. If you've got... You must get tired changing your face every day. Somebody shove you around again? Been catching up on my patty cake, Walt. Tell me, did you ever know a bit of fluff named Lenore Brown? Sure, John Alder's expensive count. Used to hold hands before I sent him out. Know where I can find it? Alder's still got her stake down. When they leave Sturdy, he's going to come back and dig up the claim. You'd better forget about it. She's got the antidote for lonely nights, but some of Alder's boys are protecting it. I know, yeah. They gave me a pep talk this afternoon. Then listen to them. It's better watching your game from the bench. You never can tell. I might make a score. Well, you're outweighed, outclassed, and liable to be outlived. She used to work at the Black Swan in Florida. I heard Alder was trying to get a parole, and she came to New York to be close to him. Any line on her here in town? No, but if she's seeing Alder, you might spot her on a business day. And now, look, Rick, why don't you stop chasing two-bit thugs and come back on the force? I never had hope since when we were working together. You know how I feel about that, Walt. I'm a restless guy. Sometimes I like to sleep late in the morning. Okay, Rick. Want me to call the warden and tell him you're coming? Yeah, thanks, Walt. Take it easy. Bye, Rick. Be a good boy. Yes, Walt? Mr. Richard Diamond to see you, warden. Oh, send him in. You can go on in, Mr. Diamond. Thanks, Walt. Well, Rick, how are you? It's been a long time. I know a lot of guys who wouldn't like to hear that, warden. How are you, Jim? Just great. What's on your mind? I hear Johnny Alder's been having company. I'd like to take a look at her. Oh, Miss Brown. Well, I can't blame you. I just want to spot her and see where she goes. You can't miss. If she walked through the yard, there'd be a jailbreak tomorrow. What time are visiting hours? Well, if she's seeing Alder today, she should be downstairs right now. Pardon me a second. Yes, warden. Paul, has Lenore Brown come in today? Yes, she has, warden. She's in seeing Alder right now. Thanks, Paul. She's downstairs, Rick. Like to take a look? Yeah. I'll have Paul take you down. On the second thought, I'll go myself. There she is, sitting at the end table, talking to Alder. Oh, now I know why Alder needs a lot of money. She's wearing enough mink to carpet Radio City. You should get a load of her on a warm day. Coat doesn't stop me. She'd show up even if she's wearing a tent. How long has she got with Alder? About another five minutes. Warden, maybe I'll let you put me away for a couple of years. Something like that to look forward to on visitor's day, I might go for the change. Well, you'd get tired of just talking. Think what you could do on the outside. Yeah, I am, but it would probably send me right back up here. Now, you want to stick around until she's through talking? Thanks, Jim. I'll wait in front until she comes out. I hung her on by the big gray buildings until she came out. She walked over to a long white convertible and got in. Now I know what the guy meant when he wrote, ask the man who owns one. I decided to let her buy me a new fuse and I walked over to the car. Going to town? Oh? I'll walk you back up three feet and I'll let you know. Okay? Mm-hmm. Your tailor couldn't do all of that. Thanks. Get in. Visiting? Yeah, the warden's an old friend. How many years did you know him? Ah, ah, baby. I've been going home every night all my life. Every night? Well, almost. What do you do with the almost? Depends. Everybody likes something different. You must get tired thinking of new ideas. Oh, I don't think much. It's more fun being surprised. What are you stopping for? We just got started. Surprise? Oh, yeah. And the nickel-plated one. Look, baby, you don't have to pull a gun. If I'm getting fresh, I'll get out and walk. You'll sit right there, Diamond. Oh, name dropper. Mm-hmm. Expecting company? Mm-hmm. You've never seen anything like that before, honey. That's nice. I wouldn't want you to get stuck with the introductions. That's your friends coming along in that car? It should be. Now, hold real still. They'll only shoot you this time. Sometimes you're lucky. When a dame's got a gun on you, you don't stand much of a chance unless she's got her mind on something else. This one did. And when she looked up in the rear-view mirror to make sure it was her boys, I tagged her. My two playmates were just pulling up in a green sedan when I went out of the car like a dry transmission. There he is. He's sliding off. Nail him. He let go just as I dived off the side of the road and hit the center on bank month. I rolled at the bottom and came up looking like an exhibit for smallpox. He's down the hill. Go get him, Ziggy. There was a line of trees just off to the right, and I got to them just as Ziggy tried again. He needed a rifle. I was running through the trees then, and I could hear Ziggy somewhere behind me falling all over himself. I pulled my gun and thought about waiting for him. I could give him so many holes he'd whistle in a high wind, but I had another idea. I stopped and listened. He's around here somewhere. Well, come on. We'll spread out. That toyed right down the middle. They were somewhere behind me, and both of them were looking. I got him. Oh, I got him. Get him off of me a million, Higgins. Come on. I got on a new suit. Oh, my deepest apologies, Gina. I thought you was dying. Can't you tell the difference, Ziggy? He's a good boy. He's got on a blue suit. Oh, I'm a little color blind. Now let's find Diamond. They started hunting again, and I cut off to my left and headed back to the highway. I reached the hill that sloped down from the highway, and I went up fast. The cars were about 100 yards down the road, and I used my last lung getting there. Lenora was still out, just like I'd left her when I put her to sleep. I went over to the gunsel's car and lifted the hood. Chino and Ziggy could apologize all night while they looked for a new distributor. I went back to the white convertible with the unconscious nylons and got in. I noticed something lying on a seat. It was her purse, and she didn't wake up when I grabbed it. Doing a rummage job at 80 miles an hour isn't easy, but there wasn't much of interest anyway, just a little black book. I needed a gimmick, so I stuck it in my pocket. I put the purse back on the seat just as she started coming around. Oh. Well, now that's it, baby. Sit up and look at the pretty scenery. How did you get here? Where's Ziggy and Chino? Playing Peter Pan. Hmm. Jaw hurt? Yes, your heel. Play rough and you get hurt. Where do I take you? My apartment, I guess. You're going to ask a lot of questions, and I don't talk much. We might as well figure out something to fill in the loan. I drove to her place on East 51st and walked into the door. She looked at me like a fat woman eyeing a French pastry, and her mouth slipped down to her shoelaces when I gave her a peck on the cheek and left her standing with an old front doorknob in her hand. I knew she wasn't going to spill anything, even if I got her drunk. Besides, she could probably drink Tony Galento under the table and still be sober enough to play hopscotch. I went back to the office and took out her little black book. There were a lot of names, and some of them, I knew. Chino, and after it, likes his work. And Ziggy, and after his name, has own gun. Yeah, huh? Richard Diamond, too. I never did figure out what the three stars were for. I forgot all about my date with Follum when the phone rang. Yeah? Hello, Richard. Oh, uh, no, uh, Dixie Follum will Sunday chop chop, you're fired. Well, Follum will call Mr. Richard Diamond to the phone chop chop. He's got a date, and she doesn't like being stood up. Hello, Helen. Hi. What is all that about? Did you forget you had a date with me? Yeah, yeah, I did. And I'm sorry, baby, but right now, I'm being chased like a hopped up fox. I haven't had time to curl up and relax. You're impossible. I know it, I know it. Want your sorority pen back? Well, I'll make up my mind when you get here. I'll give you my Lone Ranger magic decoder. You fool. Are we still going steady? Oh, yes. Rick, what am I going to see? Oh, honey, right now, I've got some reading to do. Why don't you go to a movie? Little women pass the census. I'll be over later. I'll probably end up marrying an usher. Don't be too late, Rick. I won't. Besides, we get along better early in the morning. Bye. Bye, baby. I sat there for a minute thinking about Helen Asher and wondering why I hadn't learned how to butter my bread. She was everything a guy should want. Ten million dollars playing multiplication in a fat trust fund. A figure that would snarl of any quiet intersection. And a mind that would give a master's degree in inferiority complex. Diamond, you fool, you. Well, the Nora Brown's Little Black Book was a poor substitute for an evening with Helen, but three items put me in second gear. They weren't hard to find. Take out all the men's names, and there they were, three addresses. One was in the village, another in Harlem, and the last was somewhere in Chinatown. All of them were a setup for a dead man who wanted to make himself scarce. I wanted to talk with Barton before I started hunting, so I called the Wetworth. Wetworth Hotel. Mr. Barton, please. Yes, sir, I'll ring him. Hello? Mr. Barton, this is Diamond. Oh, yes, Diamond. Did you find out anything yet? Not yet, but tell me, did your son tell you what his victim looked like? Why, yes. He said he was a dark man with a scar from his nose to his chin. He said he'd never forget it. Oh, well, thanks. Maybe I'll call you tomorrow. I hope you clear this thing up in a hurry. So do I. I want to get my nerves untangled. I took the easy address first, grabbed a cab, and 20 minutes later I was walking down the steps of a little dive on the east side of Greenwich Village. It was a shabby little place, and the customers had enough long hair to give a two-pay deal to the DTs. A fat waiter walked over and I had my clean shirt. He was wearing an apron that looked like he'd made the salad on it. He was swell. Hey, you wanted something, Mac? Yeah, a pound of egg noodles, just weep them up off the floor. Do you know anyone named Lenore? Lenore? Oh, sure, Lenore Brown. Hey, she comes in there for once a week, listens to the kid at the piano. Now why would a classic day like that go out with him? He don't play the piano so good. Ever see a guy with a dark man with a scar from his nose to his shin? No, no, no. He always does his singles. Now, thanks. Hey, you still want those noodles? I walked out, got back in the cab, and marked off Greenwich Village in the little black book. The second address was on the fringe of Harlem, the hill, they call it. The night was black and the fog had rolled in off the East River and staked out a claim all the way to Lennox Avenue. As I walked up to the old brownstone, my nerves started screaming S.O.S. I stopped cold and looked down at two gleaming eyes, like two pieces of polished glass shining in the glare of the dim street lamp. As I got used to the darkness, I could make him out. He was a big, white, battle scarred bulldog, and he had some ideas of his own. He started shuffling in slowly, jerking back his lips and showing a row of white teeth. Hold it, Lucifer. I hadn't heard him come out on the porch. He was a big man wearing an off-white undershirt. And from what I could see, he looked meaner than his dog. The animal stopped, but he kept facing me, showing off his tooth-faced smile. You won't hurt your mister unless I tell him to. I'll think about it for a while. I'm a poor substitute for horse meat. What do you want? Do you know a Lenore Brown? You a cop? Shamus. Beat it, Lucifer. Thanks, pal. I couldn't hold my breath much longer. You can come up on the porch. You're looking for Lenore Brown, huh? Yeah. Nowhere. I met her. Her wife works for her. Is her wife in? Yeah. Yes, sir? Yeah. Come here. Some private dick wants to talk to you. She's Miss Brown's private maid. Yeah. Your husband tells me you work for Miss Brown. Yeah. What's she done? She got many friends. Men friends. Oh. You know a dark man with a scar? Oh, sure. I know lots of them. What are you talking about, woman? Oh, I, uh, I met someone who Miss Brown knows. What did you mean by that, mister? Look, I really don't know anybody with a scar. Now you better be. Yeah. Get moving. No one to talk to you, woman. Get in there. Yes, honey. I knew she was going to get bruised, but he looked rough enough to cut my windpipe, and I went to some place to pour my coffee down in the morning. So I got out of there fast and headed for the last address in the little black book. The place was on one of those narrow, dark streets. It was so quiet you could hear yourself change your mind. A sign above the door read, Tangee. So I pushed it open and went in. If I didn't find a man with a scar here, I was out on strikes. It was a little restaurant on the bottom floor of a two-story building. A quiet waiter slipped up and showed me to a booth. He shoved a menu in my hand and disappeared before I could ask him anything. The place was empty except for an old couple sitting near the door. The waiter said something to them, and they looked quickly over at me. And then they left in a hurry. The room was completely empty now. Even the waiter had disappeared. I looked up at a flight of stairs at the far end of the room. A pair of very healthy ankles came into view, and they were holding up a pair of legs that ran my blood pressure up to 190 again. I eased my gun off and held it under the table. Lenore turned the corner and started down toward my booth like a loose snake in a rabbit pen. Mind if I sit down? It's your party. Shame on you. Don't you know it's not nice to pilfer a lady's handbag? Now Mama will have to thank you. Looks like the last address paid off. If you're buying shrouds, it did. Where's the guy that young Barton was supposed to have killed? Upstairs, but he's very unsociable. Hates long conversations. I only need a couple of lines. He can't even do that. He likes to keep on breathing. Old man Barton figures Altair framed his son. He's not going to let your boyfriend out of thingsing until he finds a man with a scar. Think he can do better than you, Dan? Well, I found him. Was it worth dying for? I don't know. I can tell you better after I talk to him. Mama's going to have to stay sooner than she expected. Come in, boys. Well, look who's here. Mama's too big an idiot to start collecting blood again. Where are your buckets? Oh, he's there. Present! You've met Chino and Ziggy before, haven't you? Yeah, on the end of a fist. They want to show you the town. I know the beat. I'll bet you've never seen it from the bottom of the East River. No, but if you'll put on a bathing suit, I might buy the idea. Too bad we'll never make the beach together. I'd like to show you the sights. Boys, you'd better help Mr. Diamond out of the booth. I think he's stuck. You know how it is. The boys like to keep moving. So do I. I shot once and caught Ziggy in the stomach, and I dumped the table over on Chino. He grabbed like he was going to waltz with it. I didn't even have to get up. I just shot him through the cover, child. Lenora was out of the booth fast and running for the stairs. Look out, Tommy, look out! I caught up with her at the foot of the stairs, and as she started up, I saw him. Standing on the upper landing, scar and all. All meaning gun in his hand. He missed me, but nailed her halfway up. She spun around and fell all over me. But I point a gun pretty good from a prone position. You should have kept your nose up, mister. A bad landing washes you out. I called Lieutenant Levinson, squared myself. Then homicide came down and cleaned things up. They were all dead, and I figured I never would reach the beach anyway. I phoned Barton, who took his son down to the morgue to look over the night's take. Young Barton identified the man with the scars, the one he thought he'd killed. He gave me the notch, and I made another call. This time to a pair of silk pajamas with an understanding heart. It was late, but I was hungry. Oh, good morning, Mr. Diamond. Isn't it rather late to be calling? You know something, you're right, Francis. It's two a.m. Time for all good butlers to be beddy-by. Miss Helen isn't in the library, but I'm not sure whether she wants to see you. You just run along and get some sleep. I'll find out and let you know. Very good, sir. Confidentially, she's a little beaved. Look. Kinn up, Mr. Diamond. Francis, if she gets tough with me, I'll knock her teeth out. Oh, my goodness, oh, my goodness. Francis, is that who I think it was? Oh. Hi. The food was cold a long time ago. So was my date. I'm sorry, honey. Oh, that's all right. The fire's almost burned out. It's two o'clock in the morning, Mr. Diamond. I've sat through two features, a Tom and Jerry, and the fourth chapter of Batman Hops of Freight. Come on, don't scold her. I haven't in weeks, but I've been rehearsing this for the past two hours, and you're going to listen. And that's another thing. You never play when I want you to. Only when I've got you on the carpet. That sounds like fun. Now stop being glib. If you think for one minute you can charm me and... Out of your face, the weather's sunshine. Put on a great big smile. Now stop that and listen to me. Okay, okay. I'll shut up. Well, go on. No. Now you've made me forget what I was going to say. If you can't remember, honey, hold a good thought. It's a big, wide, wonderful world you live in. When you're in love, you're a master. Of all you survey, you're a gay Santa Claus. I just remembered. Too late now, honey, I'm rolling. There's a brave new star-spangled sky above you. When you're in love, you're a hero. A hero Apollo, the wizard of love. Oh, my God, get through. You're the kingdom, power, and glory. Richard Diamond, starring Dick Paul, was previously released over the National Broadcasting Company for listeners in the United States, and has been re-released to you men and women overseas by the United States Armed Forces Radio Service, the voice of information and education.