Crime Classics
Item Preview
Share or Embed This Item
- Publication date
- 2019-12-04
- Topics
- OTRR, Old Time Radio Researchers Group, Old Time Radio, OTRR Set, OTRR Maintained Set, Crime Classics, Crime, Drama, History, Lou Merrill, Merrill, Lou, Elliott Lewis, Lewis, Elliott, Bernard Herrmann, Herrmann, Bernard, Morton Fine, Fine, Morton, David Friedkin, Friedkin, David, Thomas Hyland, Hyland, Thomas, 1950s, 1952, 1953, 1954, OTRR Updated Release, OTRR - 2019-12
CRIME CLASSICS
Crime Classics came to CBS September 30, 1953 and was a neat little series of "true crime stories". The show introduced itself succinctly: "Crime Classics, a series of true crime stories from the records and newspapers of every land, from every time. Your host each week, Mr. Thomas Hyland -- connoisseur of crime, student of violence, and teller of murders." Thomas Hyland was played by Lou Merrill, although you'd never know it was an "actor" doing the part. The great Elliott Lewis, actor, producer and director of Suspense, Broadway is My Beat, and On Stage is in charge of this very intelligent and enjoyable show. Bernard Herrmann composed the music that duplicated authentic music of the era being dramatized. Morton Fine and David Friedkin wrote the scripts. Lewis and his writers collected and developed true crime stories expressly for Crime Classics.
Thomas Hyland's delivery is measured and mild-mannered, as if giving a college lecture. Would that all professors were this interesting! The actors in the stories themselves are uniformly sensitive. Orchestral scores by the great Bernard Hermann, who did Orson Welles' Mercury Theater radio show and then Alfred Hitchcock's films, give the stories sophistication and mood. So do the tasteful sound effects. There is a wry, cool-blooded tone to the proceedings.
Cases profiled on the series ranged from seventeenth-century murder to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Each and every story, however bizarre, is actually based on fact. For example, the show about the Younger Brothers of the American West has some very interesting background details concerning Quantrell's Raiders and the Kansas Jayhawks. In the story of "John Hayes, his Head, and How They Were Parted," we hear the tale of a glassblower who blows glass perfectly and completely surrounding the severed head of a unknown dead man and placed in glass. Then it is placed in a museum where it remained pending identification. Thus his killers were found out by the dead man, using his head.
This show is a good companion to other old time radio shows that are historically-oriented, such as Cavalcade of America, You Are There, and The American Trail.
Information for this description came from John Dunning's "Tune In Yesterday The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio".
OTRR Release Information:
Series Name: Crime Classics
Release Status: OTRR Maintained
Release Date: December 1, 2019
Release Version: Version 1911
Number of DVDs: 1NOTE: Updated Release! (22-Dec-2019)
NOTE: Updated Release! Corrected episode titles and MP3 tags, and removed Windows sounds from "53-07-20 (06) The Death Of A Picture Hanger" (25-Sep-2011).
NOTE: Updated Release! Upgraded sound, photos added, and more (10-May-2013).
From the Old Time Radio Researchers Group (OTRR). See "Notes" Section below for more information on the OTRR.
Notes
OLD TIME RADIO RESEARCHERS GROUP
This is a production of the Old Time Radio Researchers (OTRR) Group located at Old Time Radio Researchers Website (www.otrr.org), Old Time Radio Researchers Facebook Group, and Old Time Radio Researchers Group.
It contains the most complete and accurate version of this series in the best sound possible at the time of creation. An updated version will be issued if more episodes or better sounding ones become available.
If you are interested in preserving Old Time Radio (OTR), you may wish to join the Old Time Radio Researchers Group at Facebook and Groups.io.
Relax, listen, and enjoy!
OTRR Definitions:
OTRR Maintained Set -- This set contains all known episodes in the best available audio condition with the most accurate dates and titles known to be in general circulation and based on current research at the time of release. Replaces OTRR Certified Accurate and OTRR Certified Complete.
OTRR Non-Maintained Set -- A collection of shows that has not gone through the OTRR Maintenance process.
Pre-2019 OTRR Definitions:
OTRR Certified Accurate -- A series that was "Certified Accurate" indicated that all the episodes were properly identified and labeled based on current information but that the series did not contain all known extant episodes.
OTRR Certified Complete -- A series that was "Certified Complete" achieved the highest level of certification available under the OTRR Certified Standards. This certification level implied that all the files in the series were "Certified Accurate" and also indicated that the series was as complete as possible and included all circulating episodes.
OTRR Non-Certified -- A collection of shows that has not gone through the OTRR Certification process.
Also, beginning in 2019, the version numbers of our OTRR releases changed format -- instead of v1.0 or v2.1, we are now using a version number that reflects the year and month the set was released. The format used is a two-digit year followed by a two-digit month. For example, "v1906" indicates a set that was released in June 2019, or "v1910" indicates a set released in October 2019.
NOTE: There are no passwords for any of our ZIP files. If you are prompted for a password, before downloading the file again, try unzipping the file into a shorter full folder path name -- for example, unzip to "C:\" instead of "C:\Documents and Settings\your_Windows_ID\some_other_folder\". Sorry, some of our releases contain long folder and file names, which sometimes manifests itself on the Windows platform as prompting for a password for the ZIP file. Or try renaming the ZIP file itself to a shorter name before unzipping.
- Addeddate
- 2006-07-31 13:39:52
- Boxid
- OL100020404
- Identifier
- OTRR_Certified_Crime_Classics
comment
Reviews
Reviewer:
OTRRArchive
-
-
January 5, 2020
Subject: Files Updated!
FYI:
Replaced files on this page from the Version 1911 Release (22-Dec-2019).
To sample the individual episodes from this OTRR Release, see the OTRR Single Episodes page:
OTRR Crime Classics - Single Episodes
- Old Time Radio Researchers Group
Subject: Files Updated!
FYI:
Replaced files on this page from the Version 1911 Release (22-Dec-2019).
To sample the individual episodes from this OTRR Release, see the OTRR Single Episodes page:
OTRR Crime Classics - Single Episodes
- Old Time Radio Researchers Group
Reviewer:
SatyrMage
-
favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite -
May 5, 2016
Subject: @old-time-radio
Subject: @old-time-radio
OTRR attributes their information. OTR-CAT does not. OTR-CAT pulled information from the same source, without attribution.
Reviewer:
fooziex
-
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite -
February 6, 2011
Subject: Wonderful series
Subject: Wonderful series
Thanks to the OTRRG for introducing me to another great series. Each episode dramatizes a "classic" crime, generally murder, in a witty and urbane manner. While I would listen to the episodes just for the Bernard Herrmann scores, they are indeed very enjoyable radio plays, thanks in no small part to the talents of director Elliot Lewis, a veteran of Suspense.
Reviewer:
old-time-radio
-
-
October 8, 2009
Subject: Text is from OTRCAT.com
Subject: Text is from OTRCAT.com
Reviewer:
KroyK
-
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite -
March 16, 2007
Subject: Crime Classics-The best
Subject: Crime Classics-The best
One of the best series ever, most enjoyable, wish there were more...
Reviewer:
beshires
-
favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite -
August 3, 2006
Subject: Crime Classics - Excellent
Subject: Crime Classics - Excellent
If you are a fan of true crime stories, this is for you. Each episode is a jewel by itself, and the acting is spot-on!
You couldn't ask for a better entertainment piece.
You couldn't ask for a better entertainment piece.