Hello from Boise, Idaho. This is Adam Graham for this week's Sunday replay.
We're bringing you another episode of Richard Diamond, Private Detective. I did
actually receive contact from a listener suggesting I play more of these episodes. I
would encourage you if you do want to hear more Richard Diamond. We did
the entire series a few years back, and you can find our feed over
at big Less dot Great Detectives dot net or in your podcast fee. As
this episode was recorded several years ago, details may have changed. Any promotions
and offers mentioned in the episodes may not be valid if they're not currently on
our website. But now here's your Sunday replay. Welcome to the Great Detectives
of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam
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our seventieth anniversary T shirt at Yours Truly Great Detectives dot net. Today's program
was one of those episodes that was rebroadcast in nineteen fifty three as a summer
replacement series. And this is also an episode where we don't know when the
original episode aired. It would have been sometime during the autumn of nineteen fifty
one, but we can't say for sure the actual title of this episode.
There's not a program that exists during the original air date, so this could
either be a case of an episode that aired on say December twenty seventh of
nineteen fifty or it could be another episode that's missing and they changed the script
at any right. The rebroadcast date is September birth, the thirteenth of nineteen
fifty three, and the title is the Charles Johnson Matter, Rick Your Diamond
Private Detective Starrying Dick Paul Diamond Detective Agency, A Beauty on the Boulevard,
A bear Cat in the bright Oh, I'm sorry, I called, I'm
not Lieutenant Levinson. Your voice always reminds me of strained bowlers. Look,
Rick, you want a job, I refuse to clean up after Otis.
You just got to quit feeding him in the office. I've got a guy
down Aaron Lntom. I'll give him some embalming fluid, wrap him in twelve
yards of first aid bandage, put a dog at his feet and call him
museum. What they'll never know the difference, Just an old mummy you ran
into when you're not trying to dig up a date. Oh for feat,
shake what's on your mind? This is not exactly official, But I've got
a kuy down here that I'm holding for the team. He's screaming that he
wants a private detective a con Oh, come on, Wald, he's got
money. Money, Well, why do you drag out these conversations? I
gotta been down there by now. Money according to Webster, any particular form
of denomination of coin or paper which is awfully current. According to Diamond,
that which makes his little hard gold Pitipat and his landlord send voodoo death warnings.
Actually, I have certain rules about the people I take money from.
First, they've got to have it. Second, they got to be people.
I closed my office and headed to the fifth Precinct, where Fatty Levinson,
the guiding stomach of the Homicide Department, showed me down to the tombs,
where he introduced me to my potential client and mister Charles Johnson, who
was sitting in his cell looking very unhappy. Mister Johnson, the detective asked
the semester, Damond, go on in right, yell when you're done,
all right, thanks Walt, Sure, sit down, mister Diamond. What's
your trouble Johnson? I've been framed. Sure, I was convicted of passing
counterfeit money. But you didn't pass it. Oh, certainly, I passed
it, all right, But I didn't know I was passing it. Oh,
you're better tell me the whole thing. And it's very simple. For
some time I had evidently been passing bad money. The merchant with whom my
wife and I trade told the police that someone had given them counterfeit bills.
According to the police, I was finally spotted as a passer. They followed
me for several days and they say I passed bad bills on six different occasions.
And you think you've been framed, mister Diamond, I have no access
to confit money. I'm retired and I live more than comfortably. I have
a great deal of money. Mister Diamond, Why would I want to pass
counterfeit bills? Maybe you hate spending the good stuff. Someone who who could
have replaced my spending money with the bad bills did so. They even found
the counterfeit bills in my safe at home. What about your wife? She
was arrested with me. She passed some of the bills, and if we
hadn't had a good lawyer, she would have been convicted. Also, No,
how do you get her off? According to the officers, I was
the one who gave her the counterfeit bills. There's some law about that.
Didn't do it of her own free will do sir? That's lawyer handled your
case too, He's my personal lawyer, been with me for years. Well,
mister Johnson, I'd say you were in tough spot, but I'm innocent.
Where do you keep your personal cash? Mostly in the safe? How
much two or three thousand at all times? Don't pay your bills by check?
Never have like to pay everything in caresure. I'm known for it.
Will you try to help me for a hundred a day? In expenses.
I have turned over all my money to my wife to be handled by my
lawyer. Which one do I say, John Forbes, my lawyer. I've
already conferred with him, be expecting you just tell him you're the detective I
hired. The lawyer's address was Crosstown five fifty four East fifty second Street,
a tall building in the middle of the block, Office five eleven. Blonde
secretary of five to two, aged twenty four. I was shown into a
richly furnished room, complete with heavy wood paneling and something else in high heels
that made me forget the blonde. You're the detective, mister Johnson is hiring.
That's right, Richard P. Diamond. When you get around to writing
it on the check, this is mister Johnson's wife, John Diamond. How
do you do, mister Diamond? How do you do? What is your
fee, mister Diamond? One hundreds a day in expenses? Do you think
your husband is guilty missus Johnson? Of course not. He didn't know he
was passing that money. How do you think he got the bad bills and
his safe I can't imagine. How about you, mister Forbes, do you
think that mister Johnson knew he was passing the counterfeit money, certainly not.
Do you have any theories about it? You're the detective, mister diamond,
and quite an expensive one. Yeah, I'm a pig, the kind of
case you really love. No clues, and no one knew anything. I
spent the next hour throwing questions at Forbes and Missus Johnson resolved zero. Forbes
had been a member of the state bar for ten years, handled some big
accounts. Missus Johnson had met her husband in Florida three years before, about
fifteen years younger, but completely happy. But there was one little thing that
kept nagging at me. According to Forbes, Johnson had a cool million,
and that took me right back to the reason I'd gotten interested. Why would
a man like that passed phony bills? I got a substantial retainer and checked
back with Walt Rick. I got an idea. Maybe Johnson wanted his wife
out of the way, so he tried to frame her by giving her the
bet money, hoping you'd get caught. Instead, he got caught. The
gag back fire, so he slipped a tour in plain side of everyone.
Wow, it's possible at this point, and thing's possible, by the way,
you find out anything about those counterfeit bills? Yeah, I checked with
the treasury man. They told me that during the trial they identified the work.
The engraving was done by Leon Fisher. Oooh, one of the best
counterfeiters in the business. A long time ago. Is he in or out
of prison? He's out? You remember when we sent him up the last
time? Oh? Do I? I was playing stickball and knickers the last
time Fisher went up the river. It was only fifteen years ago, Peter
Pan, Okay, so I date myself. He's been out for ten years.
I remember now, happy Methusla. So it wasn't Fisher picked up once
after he got out for trying to pass some more of the stuff. Yeah,
ten years ago, but got off not no evidence. Then the Treasury
Department's looking for him now, thanks Wall You still think you can do something
for your client. I don't know, but I did just have a thought.
Johnson kept passing his stuff for a week or so. He must have
been pretty stupid not to recognize him. You don't remember Fisher very well.
He was a real artist. His stuff could fool the US Treasury unless they
examined the paper. Well, now I had one lead, an old time
counterfeiter, namely on fishing slowly. Even the Treasury Department didn't know where to
find him. But in my business I could use a couple of gimmicks the
team men couldn't. I left the phone booth and headed to the Lower East
Side, and a gentleman known for his dubious ability with a paintbrush and his
gifts of underworld knowledge, providing the prices right. Yes, who is knocking,
please, Vladimir? There might be some mistake. The name is Mabel.
Oh, stop making like a floor door a girl. It's Diamond.
The detective, Well, certainly open up who you're working for. It's not
your landlord dreamplied the butcher. You don't even know him, know him?
Schmoe him? Do I owe him? No? Comrade, No, I
need some information, Vladimir. I could paint your portrait while we talk for
you, A magnificent oil painting of your wonderful face only fifty dollars. I
haven't got time. A quick charcoal twenty five dollars, no hand painted times.
A small statue of a snow bound Kazakh stolen personally from the Czar's private
collection, No cheep, where can I Finally, I'm Fisher. You can't
afford the snow bound Kazakh and you are interested in Leon Fisher. Fisher,
fetch my collection. Wasn't he somewhat of an artist himself? Twenty bucks?
A fellow artist thirty, probably starving like myself forty Such a talent not to
be really appreciate. Fifty last price, last price. You know me pretty
well by now sixty? Goodbye, badam. Wait, he's living in an
old check on fourteen River Street goes under but the name Peters, Peter's the
artist, Peter's the peasant. Fifty dollars please, and I promise you no
part of it will ever reach Northern Korea. Headed for fourteen Revers Street,
and I'm still on Fisher, alias one, mister Peters, the first,
leading the whole mess, but very likely to have nothing at all to do
with my client, mister Johnson. Fourteen River Street was just as Vladimir had
described it, and a little more so. An old shack, all right,
very possibly the oldest, also the dirtiest on the river. Yeah your
name Peters? Yeah? Mind if I come in? Yeah, you smell
like a cop. If I was i'd have called you, Fisher, come
on, sit down. Thanks, what's on your mind? Some money?
Oh? You sure came to the right place, but we don't open until
ten o'clock in the morning. Got a time block on the whole. The
Treasury Department is looking for you. Wow, some of your portraits of our
presidents have found their way back into circulation. I don't know what you're talking
about. They got the plates in the sensu up the last time fifteen years
ago, but they never got the money. Remember, I still don't know
what you're talking about. Fifteen years might make a guy think the heats off.
Get out of here. You know a man named Johnson. I don't
know anybody you know or anything about money or plates. Now, beat it.
I could make a quick call to the team man. You got the
wrong boy. Beat it, boy. Let me tell you something. I
was playing stickball with Oh forget it. He was Fisher, all right,
no doubt about it. But I didn't have enough information or the authority to
sweat it out of him. It was getting dark when I left and headed
for a fall, keeping an eye on the shack in case Fisher decided to
skip. I was halfway down the block when I heard it. Oh no,
the shot had come from the direction of Fisher's shack. So I took
off like an overstimulated caddy suicide. Didn't think here Fisher was lying in the
middle of the floor. The slug had caught him high in the chest and
dying fast suicide. Not a bit. No time to wait around and get
mixed up with a lot of questions about Fisher's death. I couldn't answer anyway,
so I called Walt and gave him the story A fast cab at a
buck. Eighty later, I was going through the Morgue files in my favorite
newspaper. Here's some more stuff on Laean Fisher, mister Damond, Thanks Charlie,
but I think I found what I want. Yeah, right here.
The last time they picked him up, got off clean as a whistle,
Yeah, says they got him passing the counterfeit bill. Witnesses say they saw
another man given it to him. According to this, the other man was
a two bit hood wanted for everything in the books. He went to prison,
denying he ever gave Fish of the bills. But there were witnesses,
very smart lawyer to get Fisher off, and he was a known counterfeiter,
even if witnesses did say they saw another hood slipping the money. Very smart
lawyer. Fisher was shot with a thirty two. Right the slugs and ballistics.
Now, the killer didn't leave any footprints because of that rocky shoreline behind
the shack. Well. Now we know from Fisher before he died that the
killer was the one who took the counterfeit money you sent. Fisher told you
he was forced to give up the money. The killer must have handed something
on Fisher. I found something in newspaper. Morgan might entered you wall the
last John Fisher was sent a trial for passing counterfeit money. He got off,
that's right. You know how he got off. No, I can't
remember exactly. Had a good lawyer. The lawyer used a loophole in the
law, had witnesses who saw someone else gave Fisher the bad bill. Hey,
that's the same gimmick Johnson's lawyer he used to get the wine for off.
Same gimmick, same lawyer. What now? The lawyer who represented Fisher
ten years ago was a struggling criminal attorney named Forbes. John Forbes now representing
Johnson, the man you've got locked up downstairs, well, if he fixed
that witness ten years ago for Fisher, that could be the club he used
to make Fisher give me the old conifeent money. I could have followed me,
seen me go into see Fisher, listened outside and killed him after I
left. I'll have him picked up. No, I'll wait a minute.
Where's your motiveleas now? Handling Johnson's money a million bucks? That's motive enough
to frame anyone. Yeah, but two things throw that out. Forbes is
supposed to be a very successful lawyer, and he only controls Johnson's money through
his wife. Maybe she's in on it with him. That's possibility. Either
that or there's a way for Forbes to get the money without her knowing.
It could be. Now, first we got to find out how he handles
missus Johnson's money, and then we've got to find out if he really is
as successful as he appeared. I still think we better have a talk with
mister Johnson. You know, I think you're right. Have you found out
anything? Mister Diamond got some pretty good hunches. Johnson. Tell me,
how does the arrangement work with your money? Concerning your lawyer and your wife.
Mister Forbes gives my wife, whatever money he considers necessary according to his
judgment. Do you trust his judgment, mister Johnson? Of course financially successful.
Of course, just my yearly retainer alone would help him to live quite
comfortably. No bad investments, not that I know of. When he gives
your wife the money, can he just write a check or make a withdrawal
or not without my wife's countersignature. Where did you meet your wife in Florida
three years ago? Your wife and Forbes are very good friends, with the
very best. Oh no, wait a minute, you don't think I don't
know. I don't know. Now, I'll let you know if I come
up with something. I was getting close. Forbes knew Fisher the counterfeiter where
it possibly knew he had the counterfeit money statched under the old shack. He'd
gotten Fisher off ten years before, and he could have framed the case and
forced Fisher to give him the counterfeit on the strength of it. The countersign
checks almost definitely showed the wife to be in on it, but I still
needed the motive, the one thing I had to prove that Forbes was not
as successful as he was supposed to have been, and that he needed cash,
and also that Missus Johnson wanted to frame her husband and help Forbes.
It was eight o'clock when Wald and I piled into the squad car and headed
for the home of John Forbes. At eight thirty. We parked across the
street a half a block away. At nine point fifteen, we spotted Forbes
leaving by his front door. We followed him east across town, where he
pulled up in front of seven oh five East forty sixth Street and went in
ten minutes to ten. He came out again, but this time he wasn't
alone on his arms, still looking very interesting in high heels and topped off
of the Norman wrapped Missus Johnson. Yeah, a million bucks, and that
makes a guy wonder about that old ad age crime doesn't pay. Ten o'clock
and on the outskirts of town, heading across the river for Jersey, Walt
uncomfortable about leaving his territory, but interested enough to keep on tailing. Ten
thirty and we pulled up in front of a big building in Jersey. They're
going in, Yeah, Carlos Droker's Country Cloud dinner with a side order of
broulette. Good place for any guy to lose his money. They're taking a
table on the supper. He's in gambling room in the back. Maybe that
just needs some energy. Look, Forbes is getting up face the by.
He's headed this way. He's heading for Droker's office. I know Droker pretty
well did him a favorite once, and Forbes comes out. I think I'll
go in. Well, it's good to see you again, Ricky. Would
you come around and pay me a visit? How you being all right,
Droker? I haven't got much time. Oh business, huh. I was
hoping you stick around play the wheel. Who knows you might win something on
your wheel? That's why you might win something, because it's my wheel.
You want to do me a favorite, You've done me a couple. I
don't forget the guy who was just in here, John Forb. I can't
knock him over for you, Ricky. He's too good at customer. Good
customer loses a lot. Yeah, Pope's one of the best customers I get.
Pays up most of the time. Never got to a point where he
couldn't. Only once I had to put the pressure on him. Only once,
I say, but he pay that. Yeah, I gave him sixty
days. How much was it and when did he pay it? Fifteen thousand
and he paid it ten minutes ago. He's going to lose some more.
One more question? Did he give you a check or cash? Cash?
You know something, Ricky, what would guys like me do if they weren't
guys like that? Or but the guys like you around, they'll always be
guys like that around, Ricky having a little snort, fat you're doing it
again, You always do it. I tell me if Forbes and missus Johnson
is still in the gaming room. Yeah, no, we were right.
Forbes has been losing his money to the drunker. Oh there's the motive.
Let's pick them out. No, no, wait wait, I want to
nail him for sure on the Fisher killing. If you pick them both up
now, they'll have time to think about it, get the stories straight.
Well, what do you want to do. We'll work on missus Johnson,
but let her alone until the bank's open. Wind till the bank's open.
Forbes paid Drunker fifteen thousand cash. I want to see if missus Johnson cashed
a check for that amount. If she did, we'll pick her up,
But not Forbes. I want him to think he's safe until we break down
Missus Johnson. See you know are fatty? All right? All right?
I got missus Johnson in the other room and she's screaming for her lawyer.
What about the bank? You are right? Notice called in about five minutes
ago. The bank cashed a check guessday morning, signed by Forbes and missus
Johnson for fifteen thousand dollars. How about Forbes had commins watching him arow night.
You'll pick him up when we need it. Okay, let's go to
work on missus Johnson. Okay, Artie bringing missus Johnson, right, Lieutenant,
you just gonna come right out and accuse her of no, no,
just a little friendly check. Missus Johnson. How are you this morning,
Missus Johnson? None of your business. I demand to know what rape not
until I have an explanation. Have a nice time last night, Missus Johnson.
Yes, I had a wonderful time. My attorney, mister Forbes,
took me to dinner. Anything wrong with that? Went to Jersey, didn't
you? I understand you followed me. Nice place, Trucker's Restaurant. I
see, yes, a very nice place. Mister Diamond win anything gambling I
lost? Are you going to arrest me for gambling. Mister Forbes, bake
out. You want to little, but I don't see what business? Why
little? Huh? For him? That's a change. What do you mean?
Well? According to Dronka, mister Forbes has been losing heavily for some
time. I wouldn't know what mister Forbes does with his money is not my
concern. He paid drunk of fifteen thousand dollars gamming dead last night. I
understand you cares to check for that amount yesterday morning? All right? What
about it? You have the combination to your husband's safe. Of course,
that's where I keep my jewelry, does mister Forbes? I don't think so.
That is. I don't know. Nice looking guy Forbes. Mister Damond,
I don't know what you're getting at, but this is absurd. Until
last night Forbes was too brooke to pay off his debt to drunk. All
right, Supposing I gave mister Forbes the money, is there anything wrong with
that? I don't know what your husband would say it was alone. Excuse
me? You know, sometime, missus Johnson, we think your husband was
framed. We think someone put phony bills in this safe, so called passing
them right. Excuse me, missus Johnson, I've currently he has been tailing.
Forbes says, Forbes just purchased a ticket to Rio. One ticket.
Yeah, if he's on such a gravy train, wde pull out alone.
Maybe he got more than the fifteen thousand, Missus Johnson, we think John
Forbes framed your husband so he could get money out of you. That's utterly
ridiculous. And for a while we thought you were in on it because the
checks had to be cossigned. Well, I hope you've changed your mind.
Oh, I guess we have to. Why would Forbes leave for South America
if he was planning on getting money from you? Leave one ticket for Rio?
I don't believe you. We'll check if you want to. Well,
it doesn't make any difference to me. He already has no No, he
couldn't. Why not just a trip? Probably he'll be back. He couldn't
be all right, mister, I signed over a power of attorney this morning
so he could lick with eight a half million in negotiable securities. I was
supposed to be on that plane with him. Let's go pick him up,
pick him up. I thought you said he'd already left Oh, shame on
me for fibb and I guess I just isn't going to go to heaven.
Come on, Wald, yes, mind? Have we come in Forbes?
Oh? The private detective and lieutenant lets wave mat Well, I'm sorry,
gentlemen, but I'm very busy. I'm backing. Eh ah, it was
nice this time year. Yes, well, come in if you like.
Just go right ahead. We won't bother him. All right, boys,
what's on your mind? Oh? We just had a talk with missus Johnson.
She told us everything. What do you mean everything. She's a little
unhappy about you skipping with those securities. Oh you were if I finish my
packing or go out ahead, but we really couldn't see our way clear to
letting you take a trip if you had those securities. Makes it look like
you might have framed Johnson for his money? What did you do make his
wife fall in love with you and then talk her into it? I'm afraid
I don't know what you're talking about. How about Leon Fisher, the counterfeiter
you cleared back in thirty nine. I haven't seen him since then. We
better take a look in that bag. No, look it, hold it
right there, put it down. Forbes, you can't get both of us.
I don't think you're willing to chack a chance on it. We're ten
feet apart. You try for the lieutenant, I go for my gun.
And if I try for you? What okay? Hawful? Close? Yeah?
What's in the bag. I'll take a look. See how forbesays well?
Well, securities and a bundle of dog all kind of I guess he
figured he get unloaded if things got tough. How is he dead? But
don't worry about it wild. A guy like Forbes spent his time figuring out
so many crooked angles for other people. Sooner or later he had to trip
over one and break his own necks. Richard Diamond Private Detective stars Dick Powell
in the title role and was written by Blake Edwards, with music composed and
conducted by Frank Wirt. This is bill forman speaking Richard Diamond Private Detective is
transcribed in Hollywood by Jim del Vaie. Richard Diamond, Private Detective has come
to you through the worldwide facilities of the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television
service to me conta welcome back. Well, that was an interesting part where
the informant with the Russian accent promised Diamond that his money for information wouldn't go
to North Korea. Other than that, I this was a pretty straightforward Richard
Dimond case, though with a limited appearance by Sergeant Otis and no appearance by
Helens. So that was a little disappointing, but it's always great to hear
an episode of Richard Diamond we haven't heard before, so I hope you enjoyed
that. Now we turn to listener comments and feedback. Steven writes in that
as a Canadian academic who specializes in World War two literature and a fan of
the Great Detectives, I will be interested in your series The War. I'm
about to embark on it. Well. Thank you so much, Steven,
and I wish you were all the best listening to it, and I hope
you get as much out of the series as I did. It was incredible
listen to and if you're interested in World War II, I encourage you to
check it out. Go to Thewar dot Great Detectives dot net. I do
want to thank our Patreon of the day, Thank you to Russell, who
has been one of our Patreon supporters since October twenty sixteen and is currently supporting
us at the Shawmus level four dollars or more per month. Thank you so
much for your support. All right, well, that will do it for
today. Join us back here tomorrow for Rocky Jordan, and then we will
be back next Tuesday with Let George Do It. In the meantime, send
your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter
at Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot
com Slash Radio Detectives From Noiseadaho, This is your host, Adam Grahamson and Off