Loading...

PODCAST

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio

Old Time Retro Radio

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio brings infamous crimes, notorious criminals, and remarkable true-crime cases from history to life through the distinctive storytelling of classic radio. Each episode combines dark humor, suspense, historical detail, and dramatic recreations of crimes that once captured public attention. Each episode is an Old Time Retro Radio production, presenting the original broadcast with gently cleaned and mastered audio, a newly produced introduction and closing, and custom

fiction drama

All Episodes

30:02

Crime Classics - "Your Loving Son Nero" (Old Time...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/10/04

Crime Classics presents “Your Loving Son Nero,” originally broadcast on CBS on August 31, 1953. This is episode 12 of the series.In ancient Rome, Emperor Nero struggles against the continuing influence of his formidable mother, Agrippina, as political power and family resentment collide in the imperial court. William Conrad stars as Nero and Betty Lou Gerson as Agrippina in this darkly ironic historical drama, produced and directed by Elliott Lewis.Old Time Retro Radio presents the original

en

30:44

Crime Classics - "Incredible History of John Shepard"...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/09/27

Crime Classics presents “Incredible History of John Shepard,” originally broadcast on CBS Radio on February 3, 1954. Episode 31 is narrated by Lou Merrill as Thomas Hyland and was written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin, with Elliott Lewis directing and producing.Set in early-Georgian London, this historical true-crime drama follows the young burglar John Sheppard as a nighttime break-in, a turbulent romance with Beth Lyon—known as “Edgeworth Bess”—and mounting attention from the law shape his

en

30:56

Crime Classics - "Twenty Three Knives Against Caesar"...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/09/20

Crime Classics presents “Twenty Three Knives Against Caesar,” originally broadcast on February 10, 1954. In episode 32, host Thomas Hyland examines a stylized historical crime from ancient Rome.Set in 44 B.C., the drama follows Julius Caesar’s return to Rome and the unease stirred by his growing stature among citizens and senators alike. Edgar Barrier stars as Caesar, with Harry Bartell as Brutus and Marvin Miller as Cassius; Morton Fine and David Friedkin wrote the episode, produced and directed by

en

30:46

Crime Classics - "John Hayes His Head and How They...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/09/13

Crime Classics presents “John Hayes His Head and How They Were Parted,” originally broadcast on CBS on October 28, 1953. This historical crime drama is episode 18 overall, also listed as R05 of the 1953–54 regular-season run. Written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and directed by Elliott Lewis, it features Lou Merrill as crime historian Thomas Hyland, with Betty Harford as Catherine Hayes and Alastair Duncan as John Hayes.Based on the 1726 English case of John and Catherine Hayes, the story

en

30:55

Crime Classics - "Death of a Baltimore Birdie and...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/09/06

Crime Classics presents “Death of a Baltimore Birdie and Friend,” originally broadcast on CBS on June 16, 1954. Episode 49 is narrated by Lou Merrill as Thomas Hyland, with a script by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and music composed and conducted by Bernard Herrmann.In contemporary Baltimore, a noisy late-summer gathering on Utah Place—complete with Chesapeake crabs, beer, bourbon, and uneasy conversation—takes on a darker tone. Drawing on court reports and newspaper accounts, Hyland recounts a

en

30:58

Crime Classics - "Axe and Droot Family How They...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/09/06

Crime Classics presents “Axe and Droot Family How They Fared,” originally broadcast on CBS on August 10, 1953. Commonly cataloged as episode 9, this historical true-crime drama is narrated by Lou Merrill as Thomas Hyland and was written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin.In Pennsylvania Dutch country in 1795, Peter Droot’s will divides family property and sets powerful inheritance motives in motion. Directed and produced by Elliott Lewis, the story brings Crime Classics’ wry historical style to a

en

30:58

Crime Classics - "Blackbeards 14th Wife Why She Was...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/08/30

Crime Classics presents “Blackbeards 14th Wife Why She Was No Good for Him,” originally broadcast on CBS Radio on November 11, 1953. This is episode 20 of the series, written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and produced and directed by Elliott Lewis.Host Thomas Hyland leads a dramatized tale of Edward Teach—better known as Blackbeard—and Hannah, the woman called his fourteenth wife. Beginning in the Caribbean in 1714, the story contrasts the notorious pirate’s fearsome reputation with an uneasy

en

29:38

Crime Classics - "The Checkered Life and Sudden Death...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/08/30

Crime Classics presents “The Checkered Life and Sudden Death of James Fisk Junior,” originally broadcast on CBS Radio on June 29, 1953. Episode 3 of the series, this historical drama was written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and produced and directed by Elliott Lewis.In 1872 New York City, railroad financier Colonel James Fisk Jr. becomes entangled in a volatile mix of business conflict, private correspondence, and a very public rivalry involving Edward S. Stokes and Josie Mansfield. Set against

en

30:14

Crime Classics - "Good Evening My Name Is Jack the...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/08/23

Crime Classics presents “Good Evening My Name Is Jack the Ripper,” originally broadcast on CBS on June 30, 1954. Episode 051, this is the series finale, written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and produced and directed by Elliott Lewis.Narrator Thomas Hyland, voiced by Lou Merrill, leads a docudrama drawn from contemporary reports of the 1888 Whitechapel murders. Set amid the unease of Victorian London, the story follows the fear and uncertainty surrounding the still-unidentified Jack the Ripper,

en

30:02

Crime Classics - "Cesare Borgia His Most Difficult...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/08/23

Crime Classics presents “Cesare Borgia: His Most Difficult Murder,” originally broadcast on CBS on April 21, 1954. Cataloged as episode 42, this historical true-crime drama was written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and produced by Elliott Lewis.Set in Rome in 1500, Thomas Hyland recounts a case of murder and political intrigue surrounding Cesare Borgia and the turbulent Renaissance court. Lou Merrill stars as Hyland, with Betty Lou Gerson as Lucrezia Borgia.Old Time Retro Radio presents the

en

30:51

Crime Classics - "Madeline Smith Maid or Murderess...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/08/19

Crime Classics presents “Madeline Smith Maid or Murderess Which,” originally broadcast on CBS on January 20, 1954. Episode 29 of the historical true-crime anthology is hosted by Lou Merrill as Thomas Hyland and written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin.Drawn from the sensational 1857 Scottish case of Madeleine Smith, the drama follows a prosperous Glasgow woman whose secret correspondence and relationship with clerk Pierre Émile L’Angelier draw intense scrutiny after his death. Directed and produced

en

29:52

Crime Classics - "The Crime of Bathsheba Spooner...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/08/17

Crime Classics presents “The Crime of Bathsheba Spooner Audition,” originally broadcast December 3, 1952. This CBS sustaining audition was written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and produced and directed by Elliott Lewis.Host Thomas Hyland, played by Lou Merrill, recounts a colonial New England case from Brookfield, Massachusetts, in 1778. Drawing on court reports and newspaper accounts, the drama follows Bathsheba Spooner, portrayed by Mary Jane Croft, amid domestic conflict, alleged conspiracy,

en

30:38

Crime Classics - "Death of a Picture Hanger" (Old...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/08/17

Crime Classics presents “Death of a Picture Hanger,” originally broadcast on CBS on July 20, 1953. Episode 6 of the historical true-crime anthology was written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and produced and directed by Elliott Lewis.In 1882 St. Joseph, Missouri, narrator Thomas Hyland follows outlaw Jesse James during a tense final chapter of his life, as the uneasy presence of Robert and Charley Ford brings mounting pressure into the James household. Lou Merrill stars as Hyland, with Clayton

en

31:07

Crime Classics - "Terrible Deed of Dr Webster" (Old...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/08/17

Crime Classics presents “Terrible Deed of Dr Webster,” originally broadcast on CBS on July 13, 1953. This fifth episode of the summer series dramatizes the infamous 1849 Parkman-Webster case, written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and directed by Elliott Lewis.During Thanksgiving week in 1849 Boston, financially strained Harvard Medical College lecturer Dr. John White Webster faces mounting pressure from creditor Dr. George Parkman. When Parkman disappears after visiting the college, troubling

en

29:58

Roger Nems, How He, Though Dead, Won the Game (AFRTS)...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/08/10

https://www.OldTimeRetroRadio.com Crime Classics (OTRR) Roger Nems, How He, Though Dead, Won the Game (AFRTS) [episode 35], Broadcast 3/3/1954 Roger Nems, How He, Though Dead, Won the Game (AFRTS) [episode 35], Broadcast 3/3/1954 🎧 This episode is sourced from verified public domain archives. Sources may include OTRR.org and Archive.org. Restoration and curation by Crime Classics | Old Time Radio. 🔒 Unlock The Old Time Retro Radio Archive. Get fully restored classic broadcasts, rare episodes,

en

29:44

The Good Ship Jane, Why She Became Flotsam [episode...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/08/03

https://www.OldTimeRetroRadio.comCrime Classics (OTRR) The Good Ship Jane, Why She Became Flotsam [episode 34], Broadcast 2/24/1954 The Good Ship Jane, Why She Became Flotsam [episode 34], Broadcast 2/24/1954 🎧 This episode is sourced from verified public domain archives. Sources may include OTRR.org and Archive.org. Restoration and curation by Crime Classics | Old Time Radio. 🔒 Unlock The Old Time Retro Radio Archive. Get fully restored classic broadcasts, rare episodes, and exclusive

en

29:49

John Baptiste Troppmann, Killer of Many [episode 33],...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/07/27

https://www.OldTimeRetroRadio.comCrime Classics (OTRR) John Baptiste Troppmann, Killer of Many [episode 33], Broadcast 2/17/1954 John Baptiste Troppmann, Killer of Many [episode 33], Broadcast 2/17/1954 🎧 This episode is sourced from verified public domain archives. Sources may include OTRR.org and Archive.org. Restoration and curation by Crime Classics | Old Time Radio. 🔒 Unlock The Old Time Retro Radio Archive. Get fully restored classic broadcasts, rare episodes, and exclusive collections

en

27:56

John Baptiste Troppmann, Killer of Many (AFRTS)...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/07/20

https://www.OldTimeRetroRadio.com Crime Classics (OTRR) John Baptiste Troppmann, Killer of Many (AFRTS) [episode 33], Broadcast 2/17/1954 John Baptiste Troppmann, Killer of Many (AFRTS) [episode 33], Broadcast 2/17/1954 🎧 This episode is sourced from verified public domain archives. Sources may include OTRR.org and Archive.org. Restoration and curation by Crime Classics | Old Time Radio. 🔒 Unlock The Old Time Retro Radio Archive. Get fully restored classic broadcasts, rare episodes, and

en

28:48

Coyle and Richardson, Why They Hung in a Spanking...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/07/13

https://www.OldTimeRetroRadio.com Crime Classics (OTRR) Coyle and Richardson, Why They Hung in a Spanking Breeze (AFRTS) [episode 26], Broadcast 12/30/1953 Coyle and Richardson, Why They Hung in a Spanking Breeze (AFRTS) [episode 26], Broadcast 12/30/1953 🎧 This episode is sourced from verified public domain archives. Sources may include OTRR.org and Archive.org. Restoration and curation by Crime Classics | Old Time Radio. 🔒 Unlock The Old Time Retro Radio Archive. Get fully restored classic

en

29:50

The Incredible History of John Shephard [episode 31],...

Crime Classics | Old Time Radio ·

2026/07/06

https://www.OldTimeRetroRadio.com Crime Classics (OTRR) The Incredible History of John Shephard [episode 31], Broadcast 2/3/1954 The Incredible History of John Shephard [episode 31], Broadcast 2/3/1954 🎧 This episode is sourced from verified public domain archives. Sources may include OTRR.org and Archive.org. Restoration and curation by Crime Classics | Old Time Radio. 🔒 Unlock The Old Time Retro Radio Archive. Get fully restored classic broadcasts, rare episodes, and exclusive collections —

en

60 results

Similar Podcasts

People’s Guide to the Cthulhu Mythos: Horror Stories, Weird Fiction, and Film Reviews

DB Spitzer/David Heath/Aunt Gore

Drabbletober

Elizabeth Guilt

Station 151

Pale Matter | Realm

Contacto Siniestro Podcast

Siniestro Producciones

Connor Pugs

Connor Pugs