The Plaid Overcoat Case: Richard Diamond, Private Detective (December 28, 1951)

“The Plaid Overcoat Case” is an episode of Richard Diamond, Private Detective, the old-time radio show, first broadcast December 28, 1951. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

When a man claiming to be Duke Crandall, a fugitive wanted for blackmail, walks into Richard Diamond's office and beats him up, Diamond sets out to find him. As Diamond searches the city, he discovers that the man in the distinctive plaid overcoat may not be who he claims to be, and he becomes entangled in a dangerous scheme involving a criminal gambler.

A city featuring Diamond's detective office, the Blue Chip Club, Patty Carroll's apartment, Joey Thompson's watch repair shop on Fountain Street, and a warehouse in the warehouse section of town.

Characters: Richard Diamond, Helen Asher, Duke Crandall, Benny Rathman, Walt Levinson, Patty Carroll, Joey Thompson

Listen for: Richard Diamond's first encounter with the mysterious man in the plaid overcoat, the revelation of who is actually behind the assaults, and the confrontation in the warehouse between Diamond, Duke, and the real culprit.

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.