The Blue Serge Suit: Richard Diamond, Private Detective (February 9, 1951)

“The Blue Serge Suit” is an episode of Richard Diamond, Private Detective, the old-time radio show, first broadcast February 9, 1951. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

Listen to Richard Diamond, Private Detective free, live around the clock: every episode, in the order it first aired. No sign-up.

What happens

Richard Diamond is hired by fastidious haberdashery owner David Barr to guard his shop after a series of thefts targeting blue serge suits and material. When Diamond himself is attacked and stripped of a blue serge suit he was protecting, the case deepens into an espionage ring using tailored blue serge suits to smuggle secret defense information out of the country via coded invisible ink.

New York City, primarily Madison Avenue and surrounding areas including Barr's haberdashery shop, Diamond's apartment, and a clothing supply warehouse.

Characters: Richard Diamond, David Barr, Walt (police sergeant), Huntz, Gabe, Leonard Kingsley, Hans

Listen for: The clever spy scheme involving invisible coded messages hidden in blue serge material; Diamond's wisecracks and banter with the perpetually offended Barr; the physical comedy when Diamond is stripped of his suit and has to walk in his underwear.

Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.