DL101: Richard Diamond – Otis Gets Diamond’s Help

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Richard Diamond, Private Detective — The Louis Spence Case (Part 1 of 7)

Summary of Part 1

Bumbling cop, Sergeant Otis, pulls Richard Diamond away from chit-chatting with his girlfriend to rescue Lieutenant Levinson from a crazy man.

A little background

As the series title says, Richard Diamond is a private detective. Richard used to be a police detective, working for the police force. So he knows the guys on the police force. He used to work for Lieutenant Levinson and they are still good friends. Sometimes Levinson asks for his help on a case. As a private detective, Diamond can chose whether to take the case or not, and he isn’t quite as restricted to following the rules. That means, if need be, he can punch or threaten to shoot someone to make him talk, but a police detective wouldn’t be allowed to do that. Six years ago, he worked with the men who are still on the police force. Diamond respects some of his former colleagues, but not all of them. He is always putting Sergeant Otis down. It is always done as a joke, but his teasing is cruel. In Diamond’s opinion, Otis isn’t intelligent enough.

Intelligent Private Eye vs Bumbling Cops

A little tension between the police and the private detective is quite typical of the detective story genre. It makes the private detective necessary because the police are bumbling idiots that will mess up the investigation.

An Extremist Making a Point

The story we’ll be listening to is called “The Louis Spence Case”. It was first aired on March 5th of 1950. That’s a long time ago, but it’s still relevant today. Louis Spence has a bomb and he has a cause that he’s willing to die for. In today’s world, we often hear news about a guy blowing himself up along with a lot of other people at the same time. We might call him a terrorist or a suicide bomber. He’s extreme and he’s trying to make a point. It’s often for a political cause. In this story, the bomber has his reasons too. As you listen to the story, think about the psychology behind the actions — what is it that makes Louis Spence ‘tick’? What is it that makes him do what he does?

Listen to find out…

~ what Otis has to tell Diamond.

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Let’s Talk

Otis sure is in a panic! Do you think Diamond should go down to the police station with him? What is the risk? Share your thoughts in a comment below.