Crime Classics [Audio Cassette]

Radio Spirits (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1997

Crime Classics

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Radio Spirits (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570190410
• ISBN-13: 978-1570190414
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 4.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,606,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars True Crime Stories with a Make Believe Host, February 18, 2001

By 

George R Dekle "Bob Dekle" (Lake City, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Crime Classics (Audio Cassette)

Thomas Hyland, connoisseur of crime, hosts 18 real life murder stories, ranging from the assassination of Caesar to the Lizzie Borden case. The stories are well-told and entertaining, and usually done with period music. There is no mystery to the stories, and nothing to "figure out", but that didn't keep me from thoroughly enjoying them.

There were, however, two sour notes: The first was "Thomas Hyland", the narrator/host. Hyland was a fictional character played by an actor. Why does a true crime series have a fictional host? I also found Hyland's breezy narration of the stories a little off-putting. In this regard "Crime Classics" stands in stark contrast to "The Black Museum", a true crime series featuring cases worked by Scotland Yard. "The Black Museum" had as its narrator/host a real-life person, Orson Welles, and Welles treated his cases with the dignity and decorum that the serious business of detecting murder deserves.

The second sour note is the titles of the shows. They can be downright corny. A sampling of the worst: "Old Six Toes, How He Stopped Construction on the BBC & I", "James Evans, Fireman, How He Extinguished a Human Torch", "The Hangman and William Palmer, Who Won?"

5.0 out of 5 stars "Crime Classics" is a great set of episodes from 50's radio., September 16, 1998

By 

Ron Wise (Cleveland, MS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crime Classics (Audio Cassette)

"Crime Classics" marks a high point in radio drama. The series centers around true crime from many time periods and countries. Lou Merrill is the host of this series from radio's "golden age." Each episode features some of radio's finest actors and sound effects, and each contain period music arranged and composed by the legendary Bernard Herrmann. These shows are hard-hitting, fast-paced, and are written with a biting sense of humor. I highly recommend one of radio's best shows, "Crime Classics," and invite you to take a dark journey into the "theater of the mind."