Radio Recap: Famous Jury Trials

Famous Jury Trials was an early crime program, heard from January 5, 1936 to June 25, 1949; it started on Mutual, then went to NBC Blue and remained there when the network became ABC. The series drew from real-life criminal cases and dramatized the trials. For example, one episode concerns the trial of Aaron Burr.

The cast included actors like Maurice Franklin, Roger DeKoven, DeWitt McBride, Raymond Edward Johnson, Frank Readick and Mandel Kramer. I'm sure I heard Bill Johnstone as well. It was produced and written by Don Becker.

The series would relate events from within the courtroom; rather than re-enacting the crimes, the crimes would instead be described for the jury, which did, of course, make events appear more subjective.

In the 1950s there was another version of this series produced for Australian radio. Most of what still exists is from the Australian run and collectors haven't done a great job of setting them apart; they tend to be filed together in collections.

There are 6 episodes of Famous Jury Trials in the Old-Time Radio Researchers' Library; there are more episodes out there, although most of the surviving programs appear to be from the Australian run.