Crime Classics

Crime Classics was a U. S. radio docudrama which aired over CBS from June 15, 1953 to June 30, 1954. Created, produced, and directed by radio actor/director Elliott Lewis, the program was basically an historical true crime series, examining crimes, and especially murders, from the past. It grew out of Lewis's personal interest in famous murder cases, and took a documentary-like approach to the subject, carefully recreating the facts, personages, and feel of the time period. Comparatively little dramatic license was taken with the facts and events, but the tragedy was leavened with humor, expressed largely through the narration.

Related Topics:
U. S. - Radio - Docudrama - CBS - June 15 - 1953 - June 30 - 1954 - Elliott Lewis - True crime - Documentary - Dramatic license

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The crimes dramatized generally covered a broad time and place frame from ancient Greece to late 19th century America. Each episode in the series was co-written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin, in consultation with Lewis, although the scripting process was more a matter of research, as the stories were "adapated from the original court reports and newspaper accounts" for the most part (or from the works of historians in the case of the ancient crimes).

Related Topics:
Greece - 19th century - America - Morton Fine - David Friedkin

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The cases ranged from famous assassinations (of Abraham Lincoln and Julius Caesar) and the lives (and often deaths) of the likes of Cesare Borgia and Blackbeard to more obscure yet fascinating cases, such as that of Bathsheba Spooner. Spooner killed her husband Joshua Spooner in 1778 and became the first woman to be tried and executed in the United States of America.

Related Topics:
Abraham Lincoln - Julius Caesar - Cesare Borgia - Blackbeard - 1778 - United States of America

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The only continuing character was the host/narrator, Thomas Hyland, played by Lou Merrill. Hyland was introduced by the announcer as a "connoisseur of crime, student of violence, and teller of murders." Merrill's deadpan portrayal of Hyland provided the welcome note of tongue-in-cheek humor to the proceedings. Unlike the ghoulish weird storytellers of radio such as The Whistler and The Mysterious Traveler, Hyland was a perfectly ordinary fellow who in a dry, droll manner would present a tale from his files, his wry comments interspersed between dramatized scenes. The episodes would typically begin with Hyland inviting the audience to listen to a sound, from drops of rain to horses hooves, and then introducing the main players and events of his report. The titles for these "reports" also contributed to the series' light tone, as they were intentionally pompous and usually laced with irony. Typical titles included "Your Loving Son, Nero," "If a Body Needs a Body, Just Call Burke and Hare," and "The Axe and the Droot Family... How They Fared."

Related Topics:
Lou Merrill - The Whistler - The Mysterious Traveler - Nero - Burke and Hare

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A roster of Hollywood radio actors filled the various historical roles. William Conrad was one of the more frequently heard performers, in such diverse parts as Nero, Blackbeard, Pat Garrett, and even the legendary King Arthur. Other performers, and the famous villains/victims they portrayed, included Jack Kruschen (as William Burke), Jay Novello (as William Hare and Dr. William Palmer), Mary Jane Croft (as Bathsheba Spooner and Marie, Marquise de Brinvilliers), Betty Lou Gerson (as Agrippina and Lucrezia Borgia), Edgar Barrier (as Julius Caesar), Harry Bartell (as Brutus), Hans Conried (as Ali Pasha), Herb Butterfield (as Lincoln and Leon Trotsky), Jack Edwards (as John Wilkes Booth and Cole Younger), Irene Tedrow (as Lizzie Borden), Clayton Post (as Jesse James), and Sam Edwards (as Billy the Kid and Bob Younger).

Related Topics:
William Conrad - Nero - Pat Garrett - King Arthur - Jack Kruschen - William Burke - Jay Novello - William Hare - Dr. William Palmer - Mary Jane Croft - Marie, Marquise de Brinvilliers - Betty Lou Gerson - Agrippina - Lucrezia Borgia - Edgar Barrier - Harry Bartell - Brutus - Hans Conried - Ali Pasha - Herb Butterfield - Leon Trotsky - Jack Edwards - John Wilkes Booth - Cole Younger - Irene Tedrow - Lizzie Borden - Clayton Post - Jesse James - Sam Edwards - Billy the Kid - Bob Younger

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Composer Bernard Herrmann returned to radio to score all but one of the series episodes (with Wilbur Hatch substituting for that entry), capturing the sound and feel of the various time periods. During the fall of 1953, the show was scheduled back to back with On Stage, another dramatic anthology created by Lewis. He decided to connect the two by presenting "The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln" on Crime Classics while On Stage featured Our American Cousin, the play Lincoln had attended the night of his death. (The experiment was unsuccessful, and according to radio historian John Dunning, earned Lewis a rebuke from network head William S. Paley).

Related Topics:
Bernard Herrmann - Wilbur Hatch - 1953 - On Stage - Our American Cousin - William S. Paley

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