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 domestic scene following a battle. Lou Merrill stars as Hyland, with Elliott Lewis, Joseph Kearns, Betty Harford, and Alistair Duncan featured in the cast.

Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:54 Original Broadcast
30:48 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

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 the Gilded Age atmosphere of Manhattan’s Grand Central Hotel, the episode is hosted by Thomas Hyland, played by Lou Merrill, with Mary Jane Croft as Mansfield.

Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:47 Original Broadcast
29:31 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

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, with Betty Harford as Mary Jane Kelly. Bernard Herrmann composed and conducted the music.

Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:48 Original Broadcast
30:06 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

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 original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:40 Original Broadcast
29:54 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

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 by Elliott Lewis, the episode explores the letters, medical evidence, and legal pressures surrounding a Victorian-era case that gripped the public.

Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:53 Original Broadcast
30:42 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

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, and a closely watched historical trial. Bernard Herrmann composed and conducted the music.

Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:46 Original Broadcast
29:45 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

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 Post as Jesse James, Sam Edwards as Bob Ford, and Paul Frees as Charley Ford.

Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:48 Original Broadcast
30:29 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

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 signs around Webster’s laboratory draw the attention of janitor Ephraim Littlefield. Jay Novello stars as Dr. Webster, with Lou Merrill as narrator Thomas Hyland.

Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:49 Original Broadcast
30:59 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

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, and exclusive collections — only on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio #OldTimeRadio, #OTR, #ClassicRadio, #OldTimeRetroRadio, #GoldenAgeRadio

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https://www.OldTimeRetroRadio.com Crime 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 collections — only on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio #OldTimeRadio, #OTR, #ClassicRadio, #OldTimeRetroRadio, #GoldenAgeRadio

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio