Fall 2019 www.otrr.org No. 104 Contents Crime Classics: A Brief Crime Classics History and a Cold Case 1 Closure Wistful Vistas By Karl Schadow ©2019 6 Our Miss When the nature of a connoisseur Brooks 7 is pondered, one envisions being Blog Profile 7 enlightened by those who treasure Purchasing vintage wines or automobiles, Groups 7 certainly not of true crimes, OTRR News especially atrocious murders. There 11 was an individual however, who relished such stories. He was a Elliott Lewis Young Widder student of profound violence. His Brown 12 assortment of programs -- from name: Thomas Hyland; his forum: Acquisitions 21 Sing It Again and Stars in the Air, radio's Crime Classics. Through its Contributors: heyday and into the twilight of radio to Escape, Somebody Knows and drama, no other mystery program The Line Up were charged with the Ryan Ellett daunting task of subbing for harbored such a host nor offered the Martin Grams unique perspective of the thriller “Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills." Dan Hughes genre. Listeners tuned in each week In 1952, Elliott Lewis had as his vocation was facilitated by the Karl Schadow efforts of producer/director Elliott successfully convinced CBS programming executives Guy della Edited by Ryan Ellett Lewis and the authorship of Morton *** Fine and David Friedkin. Cioppa and Lester Gottlieb to add Send submissions, to the network, the first of two inquiries, and As the highly-rated CBS series comments to Suspense was completing its banner original creations, Cathy & Elliott OldRadioTimes Lewis On Stage. This series made @yahoo.com 1952-53 season, the program's producer, Elliott Lewis, sought to its CBS debut in January of 1953. fill the Monday evening summer slot Although still in its embryonic with a suitable replacement. During stages at that time, Classic Crimes the previous several years, a diverse as it was originally coined (with words reversed), advanced to the audition phase in December of 1952. It was unleashed on an unsuspecting audience on June 15, 1953. Crime Classics was one of several new ventures unveiled on the CBS schedule during that year, along with Rogers of The Gazette and 21st Precinct. The latter program was originally intended to assume the coveted Monday 8 pm slot but was relegated to Tuesdays premiering on July 7, 1953. In the fall when many of the vacationers returned to the schedule, programming was reshuffled. Wishing to build on the newly (L-R) Morton Fine, Elliott Lewis and acquired summer audience and to garner David Friedkin. Courtesy of Radio Spirits. additional listeners, CBS reprised the four programs noted above on successive September Coast haunts. They had commenced their Sundays. These were transcribed repeats that partnership in the mid 1940s with the comprised Showcase, hosted by none other than short-lived Front Page and Johnny Elliott Lewis. Fletcher dramatic series. On September 27, 1953, Crime Classics Possessed with humoresque presented "The Checkered Life and Sudden Death tendencies, Fine and Friedkin shared their of Colonel James Fisk, Jr., Esq." which was experiences with Los Angeles Times radio originally aired the previous June. As of columnist Walter Ames. In an interview September 30, 1953, the program was heard on published January 17, 1954, they chortled: Wednesdays at 9:30 pm Eastern though listeners "You can afford to laugh at murder as a in Chicago tuned in WBBM at 10:30 pm Central long as you're safely a century or so away and those in Los Angeles had to wait until from it...Fortunately for us, the killers we Saturdays at 9:30 to settle their fancy for the make fun of are good and dead. If they macabre. As a non-commercial transcribed entity, weren't, we know a pair of writers who the program was broadcast by stations at various would be." The authors then go on to times and often different days than the network describe the hideous acts of notorious release. killers from Nero and Bathsheba Spooner The major force behind Crime Classics was to Robert Ford and Lizzie Borden. Elliott Lewis, a most versatile actor who later The numerous journeys of the Crime became one of the medium's legendary artistic Classics took listeners back to 44 AD and entrepreneurs. A native of New York, he had then brought them up through time, the moved to Los Angeles in the 1930s briefly reign of King Arthur to the later centuries undertaking the study of various professions. of the last millennium and covering vast After experiences on KHJ's Simon Bolivar and continents. The episodes sport such various popular transcribed features, radio would provocative titles as: "If a Body Need a become his passion. To bring Crime Classics to Body, Just Call Burke & Hare" and "The the ether, he enlisted the writing duo of Morton Boorn Brothers and The Hangman: A Fine and David Friedkin. The trio had previously Study in Nip and Tuck." Moreover, cast commenced their collaborative efforts in 1949 members enjoyed the manner in which with Broadway Is My Beat, another prominent authorship credit by the two pranksters CBS program. Each author had migrated was designated in the scripts in playful individually to Hollywood from various East 2 The Old Radio Times * Fall 2019 * Number 104 ways. For example, in "Twenty-three Knives his orchestrations contributed to Against Caesar" they used the phrase “as dirked successful productions by Orson Welles by,” ... and in "New Hampshire, The Tiger and and Norman Corwin. Though Bernard Brad Ferguson: What Happened Next" it was “as Herrmann composed the music for the snarled by.” ... With all of this frivolity, one vast majority of Crime Classics, he wonders if the rehearsals were as colorful as the adapted the works of 18th Century infamous "dirty" Saturdays of Gunsmoke? English composer Charles Avison for the The superb research and resulting adaptations story of Roger Nems (March 16, 1954). of the notorious deeds afforded each script were Not only has Bernard Herrmann complemented by equally unique musical artistry. biographer Steven C. Smith written a The maestro responsible for this component was fascinating book on Herrmann's career (A Bernard Herrmann, one of entertainment Heart at Fire's Center), be sure to view industry's most well-known composers. the 2016 lecture that Smith conducted on Interestingly, there was no identifiable program Herrmann's music in Crime Classics. It is theme music. Moreover, in place of the proverbial available on YouTube here. Furthermore, organ or recorded orchestrations so frequently Hollywood CBS staff conductors Wilbur heard on many of the budget-strapped programs Hatch and Lud Gluskin wielded the baton of the 1950s, the audience was treated to some of in his behalf on many occasions the most effective interludes heard on radio, as a throughout the series. select limited number of instruments reproduced Cast members of Crime Classics were authentic pieces of the time in which each story selected from Hollywood's Radio Row was set. Thus, a trio of horns heralded the including such stalwarts as Lamont triumphs of Blackbeard, while tympani Johnson and Mary Jane Croft, but also forewarned the ominous fate of Caesar. appearing were relative newcomers to the Combinations of instruments such as oboe, horn medium, Gary Montgomery and Betty and drums, celebrated the adventures of Supan Harford. Elliott Lewis was adamant that and Kannak on the Indian Continent. performers receive proper on-air acknowledgement. Bernard Herrmann The efforts of the accomplished Bernard Herrmann were also utilized in a film career Betty Harford which spanned four decades including such highlights as Citizen Kane and Taxi Driver. The While still primarily an actor in 1946, he composer's radio activities commenced in the mid expressed these beliefs to Hollywood 1930s at CBS in New York where he provided Citizen-News radio columnist Zuma scores for The Columbia Workshop. Additionally, Palmer stating: "The networks are 3 The Old Radio Times * Fall 2019 * Number 104 constantly losing very valuable talent to New of crime he must have some wonder for York Theater and the movies... simply because the events and some sympathy for the radio has not given that talent credit on the air nor characters in the stories he tells..." Had paid them in proportion to what a similar role this reviewer somehow misinterpreted the commands in pictures or on the stage." Note that overall tongue-in-cheek characterization full casts were identified in Lewis- so readily identified by others? produced/directed programs. Crime Classics also benefited from excellent CBS support staff including associate directors Dale Harper, Bob Hendricks and Ken McManus. Those individuals perfecting the action of the murderers (and those of their subsequent executions) were artists from the network’s sound effects department: Bill James, Gus Bayz, Tom Hanley and Ray Kemper. In the KNX studio booth was engineer Stan Carr. Announcing duties were handled by Bob LeMond, Roy Rowan, George Walsh or Gil Warren. The activities were coordinated by CBS secretary (and Lewis’ long- Lou Merrill time production assistant) Grace Curcio. TV-Radio Life magazine summarized In understated fashion, our distinguished the series adroitly: "Point with pride to the connoisseur Thomas Hyland was portrayed by fine adaptation for CBS' Crime Classics Lou Merrill, a radio veteran of some two decades. series. The collaborators have caught the An expert in numerous character roles on Lux mood and era of yesterday in their radio Radio Theatre, Lights Out and Suspense, he had treatment of these authentic crimes." A garnered the lead as Captain Mackenzie of the follow up article in the November 13, submarine Omega in the 1941 series Latitude 1953 issue of the same periodical by Zero. While most of his work occurred in Mildred Ross profiled the authors as: Hollywood, a sojourn to New York resulted in a "...great humorists and after talking to coveted guest appearance on Fletcher Markle’s them for a few minutes you begin to highly acclaimed Studio One (“Laburnam Grove” wonder how they get a serious word down August 19, 1947).