Crime Classics was an historical true-crime drama, based on real cases of murder and other villainy from the past. Writers researched original newspaper accounts, court reports, etc. to lend as much authenticity as possible to the scripts.

The show, which debuted on September 30, 1953, was created and directed by Elliott Lewis (pictured). The only recurring role, that of narrator 'Thomas Hyland', was filled by veteran Lou Merrill. His (intentionally) deadpan approach, especially while delivering tongue-in-cheek comments, kept the episodes from getting too heavy-handed or ghoulish.

An additional highlight was music by legendary composer Bernard Herrmann, an Academy Award winner who created scores for classic movies Citizen Kane, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Psycho and Vertigo (our all-time favorite).

Please note: many of these episodes have longer, more colorful titles which had to be abbreviated to fit into our format. Hover over any title with your mouse (without clicking) to see its original moniker, if different from what's listed.

To listen without leaving this page, click the play button in front of a title; click again to pause.
To listen via your browser's media player (with volume control, etc), click on the title itself. 

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