- Crime

Crime Classics
50 episodes Aired 1953-1954
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1. The Crime of Bathsheba Spooner
   30mins Aired 1953-06-15
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2. The Shockingly Peaceful Passing of Thomas Edwin Bartlett, Greengrocer
   30mins Aired 1953-06-22
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3. The Checkered Life and Sudden Death of Colonel James Fisk, Jr
   30mins Aired 1953-06-29
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4. The Shrapnelled Body of Charles Drew, Sr
   30mins Aired 1953-07-06
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5. The Terrible Deed of John White Webster
   30mins Aired 1953-07-13
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6. The Death of a Picture Hanger
   30mins Aired 1953-07-20
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7. The Final Day of General Ketchum, And How He Died
   30mins Aired 1953-07-27
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8. Mr Thrower's Hammer
   30mins Aired 1953-08-03
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9. The Axe and the Droot Family, How They Fared
   30mins Aired 1953-08-10
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10. The Incredible Trial of Laura D Fair
    30mins Aired 1953-08-17
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11. The Alsop Family, How It Diminished And Grew Again
    30mins Aired 1953-08-24
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12. Your Loving Son, Nero
    30mins Aired 1953-08-31
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13. The Torment of Henrietta Robinson, And Why She Killed
    30mins Aired 1953-09-07
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14. The Bloody, Bloody Banks of Fall River
    30mins Aired 1953-09-30
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15. The Hangman and William Palmer, Who Won
    30mins Aired 1953-10-07
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16. The Seven-layered Arsenic Cake of Madame Lafarge
    30mins Aired 1953-10-14
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17. Billy Bonny Bloodletter, Also Known As 'The Kid'
    30mins Aired 1953-10-21
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18. John Hayes, His Head And How They Were Parted
    30mins Aired 1953-10-28
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19. Raschi Among the Crocodiles, And The Prank He Played
    30mins Aired 1953-11-04
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20. Blackbeard's Fourteenth Wife, Why She Was Not Good For Him
    29mins Aired 1953-11-11
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21. The Triangle on the Round Table
    29mins Aired 1953-11-18
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22. The Killing Story of William Corder and the Farmer's Daughter
    28mins Aired 1953-11-25
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23. If a Body Need a Body, Just Call Burke and Hare
    29mins Aired 1953-12-02
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24. The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
    29mins Aired 1953-12-09
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25. John and Judith, Their Crime And Why They Didn't Get To Enjoy It
    32mins Aired 1953-12-16
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26. Coyle and Richardson, Why They Hung In A Spanking Breeze
    30mins Aired 1953-12-30
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27. The Younger Brothers, Why Some Of Them Grew No Older
    30mins Aired 1954-01-06
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28. How Supan Got the Hook Outside Bombay
    30mins Aired 1954-01-13
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29. Madeline Smith, Maid Or Murderess - Which
    29mins Aired 1954-01-20
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30. The Boorn Brothers and the Hangman, A Study In Nip And Tuck
    30mins Aired 1954-01-27
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31. The Incredible History of John Shepard
    30mins Aired 1954-02-03
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32. Twenty-Three Knives Against Caesar
    30mins Aired 1954-02-10
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33. Jean Baptiste Troppmann, Killer Of Many
    28mins Aired 1954-02-17
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34. The Good Ship Jane, Why She Became Flotsam
    29mins Aired 1954-02-24
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35. Roger Nems, How He, Though Dead, Won The Game
    27mins Aired 1954-03-03
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36. New Hampshire, The Tiger and Brad Ferguson; What Happened Then
    31mins Aired 1954-03-10
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37. Old Sixtoes, How He Stopped Construction On The B. B. C. and I
    30mins Aired 1954-03-17
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38. Robby-Boy Balfour, How He Wrecked A Big Prison's Reputation
    28mins Aired 1954-03-31
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39. The General's Daughter, the Czar's Lieutenant and the Linen Closet
    30mins Aired 1954-04-07
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40. James Evans, Fireman, How He Extinguished A Human Torch
    30mins Aired 1954-04-14
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41. Cesare Borgia - His Most Difficult Murder
    29mins Aired 1954-04-21
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42. Widow Magee and the Three Gypsies, A Vermont Fandango
    30mins Aired 1954-04-28
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43. Bunny Baumler, His Close Brush With Fame
    29mins Aired 1954-05-05
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44. Mr Clarke's Skeleton in Mr Aram's Closet, The Noise It Made
    30mins Aired 1954-05-12
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45. The Lethal Habit of The Marquise De Brinvilliers
    30mins Aired 1954-05-26
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46. Mr Jonathon Jewett, How Most Peculiarly He Cheated The Hangman
    30mins Aired 1954-06-02
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47. The Assassination of Leon Trotsky
    29mins Aired 1954-06-09
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48. The Death of a Baltimore Birdie and Friend
    30mins Aired 1954-06-16
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49. Ali Pasha - A Turkish Delight
    30mins Aired 1954-06-23
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50. Good Evening, My Name Is Jack the Ripper
    29mins Aired 1954-06-30
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Crime Classics was a radio series that delved into true crime stories from the records and newspapers of various lands and times. The show's host, Mr. Thomas Hyland, was played by Lou Merrill, who portrayed the character as a measured and mild-mannered lecturer. Each episode was based on a true story that was meticulously researched and presented with sophistication and mood, supported by sensitive orchestral scores composed by Bernard Herrmann and tasteful sound effects. The show stood out for its wry, cool-blooded tone and its ability to bring out interesting background details in historical crimes.

The show aired from September 30, 1953, to June 30, 1954, on CBS Radio, with a total of 52 episodes. Crime Classics was produced and directed by Elliott Lewis, a prolific actor, producer, and director known for his work on Suspense, Broadway is My Beat, and On Stage. Writers Morton Fine and David Friedkin were responsible for the show's well-researched scripts. The show is considered a good companion to other historically-oriented radio shows such as Cavalcade of America, You Are There, and The American Trail.

Performers: Lou Merrill

Sources: archive.org, wikipedia.org, otrcat.com