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.
