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Crime Classics presents “Killing Story of William Corder and the Farmers Daughter,” episode 22, originally broadcast on CBS on November 25, 1953. Thomas Hyland recounts a true-crime story from England in 1827, drawn from contemporary court reports and newspaper accounts. Centered on William Corder and Maria Marten, the drama revisits the historical Red Barn case associated with Polstead, Suffolk. The episode was written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and produced and directed by Elliott Lewis, with Lou Merrill as Hyland and a cast including Betty Harford, Richard Peel, Joseph Kearns, and Jeanette Nolan. 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 00:44 Original Broadcast 28:37 Closing Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Crime Classics presents “Bloody Banks of Fall River,” originally broadcast September 30, 1953. Episode 14 of the CBS series, this archival drama was written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and produced and directed by Elliott Lewis. Host Thomas Hyland revisits the notorious 1892 Fall River, Massachusetts, killings of Andrew and Abby Borden and the suspicion surrounding Andrew’s younger daughter, Lizzie. Set against the investigation and subsequent courtroom proceedings, the program treats the Lizzie Borden case as one of America’s enduring unresolved crimes. The cast includes Jeanette Nolan, Paul Frees, Irene Tedrow, and William Johnstone. Old Time Retro Radio presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction 00:45 Original Broadcast 29:55 Closing Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Crime Classics presents “Jean Baptiste Troppmann Killer of Many,” originally broadcast on CBS Radio on February 17, 1954. Episode 33 of the series, this archival drama was written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and produced and directed by Elliott Lewis. Narrator Thomas Hyland, played by Lou Merrill, recounts a notorious 1869 French criminal case involving young Alsatian mechanic Jean-Baptiste Troppmann and the disappearance of the Kinck family. As investigators focus on disturbed ground near Pantin, outside Paris, a troubling Second Empire mystery begins to unfold. 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 00:44 Original Broadcast 28:40 Closing Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Crime Classics presents “The Boorn Brothers and the Hangman: A Study in Nip and Tuck,” originally broadcast on CBS on January 27, 1954. Episode 30 is a historical crime drama written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin, produced and directed by Elliott Lewis, with Lou Merrill as host and narrator. Based on Vermont’s real Boorn-Colvin case, the story follows brothers Jesse and Stephen Boorn after the disappearance of their brother-in-law, Russell Colvin, draws suspicion, accusations, and growing public pressure. Set against the perilous justice system of early-19th-century New England, it is a tense account of suspicion and a capital case closing in. The cast includes Virginia Gregg, Lamont Johnson, Bill Conrad, and Jack Kruschen. 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 30:52 Closing Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

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 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 29:53 Closing Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

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 remarkable reputation. Inspired by the real-life London criminal John “Jack” Sheppard, the story offers a darkly comic portrait of a famously audacious eighteenth-century outlaw. 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 00:41 Original Broadcast 30:37 Closing Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

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 Elliott Lewis. 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 00:50 Original Broadcast 30:46 Closing Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

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 follows John’s return from military service to an uneasy household shared with two boarders. As suspicions grow and a grim discovery near the Thames draws public attention, the case develops through troubled domestic circumstances and unusual physical evidence. 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 30:36 Closing Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

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 remarkably recent case in which names were changed to spare those still living. 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 00:52 Original Broadcast 30:35 Closing Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

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 tense tale of family loyalties, greed, and danger. 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 00:41 Original Broadcast 30:50 Closing Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

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