The tale of Dr. Crippen bears all the trademarks of the classic English whodunit. It is a thrilling tale of death, love, sin and virtue. While stereotypical in nature, it is set apart from the ordinary by the motive of its crime, Freudian in nature and, in fact, reminiscent of the Jekyll and Hyde syndrome that fascinated period writers.
"There are two sides of the story - the physical, which is sordid, dreadful and revolting, and the spiritual, which is good and heroic," writes Filson Young, editor for the "Notable British Trial Series," which published the Trial of Hawley Harvey Crippen a decade after the sensational murder and subsequent trial occurred. "Such a story can only be understood by the aid
of the imagination; and it should remind us, in the judgments we pass on our fellow men, never to forget the dual nature of the human character and the mystery in virtue of which acts of great moral obliquity may march with conduct above the ordinary standards."
This recording is, in essence, a melodrama tracing the events leading up to and after one of Edwardian London's most publicized crimes - and, definitely, one of the most colorful of the Twentieth Century.
Its cast of characters includes a lovelorn murderer, his wicked wife, a demure heroine, a sharp-as-a-tack Scotland Yard detective and a sleuth-playing sea captain.
Certain histrionics have been very slightly altered, for effect, but the nature of the crime - its mechanics, its motive, its chronology and its results remain intact. Certain patches of dialogue have been constructed to explain a character's inner thoughts and devices. But, the personalities involved, in all their societal and anti-societal form, are as they were.
Written By : Various
Narrator : Full Cast Production
Published By : Wollcott & Sheridan Aural Performance Library
Length : 32 minutes
Type : Classics
Fairy Tales
Dramatizations
Price : $9.95
Two childrens classics involving children being taken from their parents as a punishment. More... |
Written By : Sophocles
Narrator : Full Cast Production
Published By : Select Music & Distribution
Length : 1 hour 40 minutes
Type : Classic Literature
Dramatizations
Price : $11.99
In the hands of Sophocles, the master dramatist, the anguished tale of a man fated to kill his father and marry his mother retains its power to shock and move beyond any Freudian... More... |
Written By : Robert Louis Stevenson
Narrator : Colonial Radio Theatre
Published By : Colonial Radio Theatre On The Air
Length : 2 hours 23 minutes
Type : Audio Theater
Drama
Dramatizations
Classics
Action & Adventure
Price : $12.99
The Robert Louis Steven Adventure Classic is now a thrilling Audio Play! More... |
Written By : William Shakespeare
Narrator : Full Cast Production
Published By : BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Length : 2 hours 15 minutes
Type : Dramatizations
Classic Literature
Shakespeare
Audio Theater
Price : $18.49
David Tennant stars as Benedick with Samantha Spiro as Beatrice in Shakespeare's merry comedy of wit, words and romance. More... |
Written By : Hal Glatzer
Narrator : Full Cast Production
Published By : One Act Audio Theatre
Length : 10 minutes
Type : Dramatizations
Thrillers
Audio Theater
Price : $0.99
Hear LA sleuth Mark Markheim solve crime all whilst adroitly enunciating elaborate alliterations More... |
