Richard Diamond, PI.
Episode “Rodeo”. Guest stars Lee Van Cleef, bad as ever, from The Big Valley, and Dan Blocker from* Bonanza*, confused as ever.
I am running out of 50s and 60s detective shows to watch.
Johnny Staccato is the best so far.
Then start listening to them.
There’s a ton of Noir-ish detective radio shows available online. From sites like “Radio Echoes” and “OTR Researchers Group”. And dozens of podcasts, too, like “Case Closed” and “The OTR Podcast”.
Richard Diamond, Boston Blackie, The Saint (with Vincent Price – a lot tougher than Roger Moore), Casey: Crime Photographer, and my favorite:
“From Times Square to Columbus Circle, the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world… Broadway Is My Beat.”
Vincent Price certainly had the voice for the Saint.
I’m currently reading David Bianculli’s The Platinum Age of Television and in addition to the 1950’s crime show usual suspects (Richard Diamond, Peter Gunn, etc.) he also singles out Naked City, the TV version of Gang Busters and a long-forgotten CBS show called Brenner as noteworthy.
He also liked Highway Patrol, but I think that was more because of Broderick Crawford and the scenery than anything else.
I heard his interview on NPR.
I’ll check in to those, thanks!