The Classic Tales Podcasts and Audiobooks

Arsène Lupin is a Master of Disguise, Art  Aficionado, Antique Expert, Gentleman and Burglar. He also mops the floor with Sherlock Holmes from time to time. Created by Maurice Leblanc, Lupin was inspired by several other similar fictional characters of his day who were often a force for good, but usually on the wrong side of the law. He has been the inspiration for many books, films and television programs, including The Pink Panther films and the popular television show White Collar .  They are mystery stories, where impossible crimes occur, and Lupin is famous for leaving no clues behind. With his swagger and gallic panache, Lupin sticks it to the man, usually a bovine millionaire or clueless aristocrat.  Lupin was featured in 20 novels and 28 short stories by Leblanc, with the short stories collected into book form for a total of 24 books. The first story, "L'Arrestation d'Arsène Lupin", was published in the magazine  Je sais tout   on 15 Ju...

During the month of November, we have all been enjoying stories from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle .  These are the first three stories in the series, Silver Blaze , The Yellow Face , and The Stockbroker's Clerk .  B.J. knew we hadn't had mysteries in a while, and we needed a break from all the horror stories.  I am delighted, as I truly enjoy following Holmes and Watson on their adventures.  All of these stories are masterfully written.  They are complex, witty and often break the pattern of a basic mystery. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in 1859 in Scotland.  He was a multi-faceted man.  After a rough childhood dealing with an alcoholic and insane father, he was educated at a Jesuit school in England, where he had trouble adjusting to the rigid lifestyle. About these experiences, he wrote, "Perhaps it was good for me that the times were hard, for I was wild, full blooded and a trifle reckless. But the situation c...

What better way to cap a Halloween Scare Fest than with a strange murder confession from Edgar Allan Poe , as B.J. Harrison brings us " The Cask of Amontillado ," a tale of murder by wine. Or rather, the promise of wine. As you may remember, this was the first story B.J. recorded for The Classic Tales Podcast . If you still have your old audio copy , it should be fun to compare it to today's production so you can see how far B.J. has come. " The Cask of Amontillado " is one of Poe's most popular stories, published in 1846 in the magazine Godey's Lady's Book , which was at the time, the most widely read magazine.  Many critics consider this a 'perfect' story.  It may well be the perfect crime, unless the whomever Monrtesor is telling this story to goes to the authorities! In looking around the web for interesting takes on this story, I ran into two different productions.  One of them is a rap song , evidently produced to get school...

B.J. Harrison and The Classic Tales continue the Halloween Fright Extravaganza this week with a Bram Stoker 's short story called "The Squaw."  B.J. found this story when he picked up a book of short stories on a recent trip to the Shakespearean Festival with his wife.  I wonder if they slept that night. It is a story of a couple in the midst of their honeymoon who join forces with a colorful American cowboy in their tour of Germany. Jokes turn into accidents, and accidents engender thoughts of hate and revenge in the mind of a black cat. By the time the party tours the medieval torture chamber, tensions run very high, indeed. You know Bram Stoker best as the author of Dracula , the vampire who wanted to move from Transylvania to England.  But if you are a fellow avid listener of The Classic Tales, you also know him as from his short tale,  Dracula's Gues t . Dracula's Guest was originally slated to appear in the novel, but was cut and later released a...

Friday's latest installment of Fear in The Classic Tales was William Hope Hodgson's "The House Among the Laurels."  This story is part a chapter from a larger book called Carnacki .  Carnacki is also the name of the lead character, a ghost hunter.  In this story, our hero and his aids must investigate the horrific tales surrounding an Irish mansion. Once the blood begins to drip, people begin to die... A big shout out to listener Vincenzo Bonitatibus for suggesting the week's author to B.J. Harrison  Hodgson was quite a character.  For a while, he owned a gym, where he trained cops.  He was also on stage with Houdini at least once, and put the cuffs on the magician.  Later Houdini claimed that Hodgson has purposely sabotaged the cuffs so they were particularly hard to open.  Hodgson spent much of his youth at sea, first as an apprentice and later as a mate.  His time at sea not only inspired many of his stories, but was also the cause ...

This week, B.J. and The Classic Tales Podcast continue its run of scary to terrifying stories in honor of Halloween with O. Henry's "The Furnished Room."  It is a dark story of search and suicide. His stories are known mostly for the plot twists, which work great in horror fiction. O. Henry was an American writer of the early 20th century.  He was also a pharmacist, a banker and an  embezzler *.  B.J. chose this story because it is generally held to be Henry's best horror tale.  About the writing and style he said: "his command of language is extensively demonstrated, generating a wonderful atmosphere."  This story, published in O. Henry's second collection of stories Four Million , was hailed by fellow writer and humorist Stephen Leacock as possibly the darkest story he ever wrote and his best work. If you enjoyed this story, make sure you catch up with the past couple of weeks at The Classic Tales Podcast which feature H.P. Lovecraft and Am...

Cover from the first edition This week, we lampoon detectives the world over with " The Stolen White Elephant ," by Mark Twain!  This story was written in 1882, a time when detective stories were all the rage (think Edgar Allan Poe's " The Murders in the Rue Morgue ").  Mark Twain never missed an opportunity to poke fun at anything or anyone. B.J. Harrison has been thinking about producing this story for about three years. I take full credit (not really) for nudging him on a recent facebook post. The story is about a white elephant meant as a gift to the Queen of England from the Emperor of India.  Somehow, this animal, we'll call him Jumbo for the sake of brevity, disappears somewhere in New Jersey, and hilarity ensues.   Does this sound silly?  That's because this story is a farce, a light dramatic work in which highly improbable plot situations, exaggerated characters, and often slapstick elements are used for humorous effect .*  In thes...

Last Friday, marked the 6th anniversary of B.J. Harrison's The Classic Tales Podcast .  This gives me the perfect opportunity to write about some of my favorite stories he has produced during the many years I've listened to the Podcast. I am trying to remember what the first story I listened to was, I think it was Arthur Conan Doyle's " The Speckled Band ."  Although I had read that story a bunch of times, B.J. really made it come alive to me.  Ever since then, each time I read a Sherlock Holmes story, it is his version of the sleuth I hear in my head. Also, if you haven't heard B.J.'s  Jeeves and Wooster you are so missing out.  But don't worry, he has bundled all of the books and stories he's recorded by P.G. Wodehouse for you.  You will love every minute of it and be in constant stitches! But getting to listen to some of my favorite stories is only part of what makes me love this podcast.  There are so many wonderful books and short stori...

This week marks the release of the The Classic Tales Premium Podcast .   This means we get THREE episodes a week, when you count the regular Classic Tales Podcast . BJ Harrison will be releasing two episodes each week of the Premium Podcast as well as the Friday edition of the Classic Tales Podcast we all love and look forward to each week. BJ was really intimidated about the prospect of committing to produce three podcasts a week, but it looks like it will work out just fine.   Just make sure to subscribe and tell all your friends to do so too! How is he managing to produce three podcasts a week, you ask?   He’s figured out a way to " punch record " which basically erases the editing process, so he can get a great recording by using a little more care.  Lucky us! The first work BJ is producing for the Classic Tales Premium Podcast is The Gods of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs .   This is the second installment of Burroughs’ famo...

This week, we start on the sequel to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.   Published in 1781, many critics thought Through the Looking Glass was more mathematical and cerebral than Wonderland.   Thankfully, the story had passed down to us through the generations, so we can make our own judgments on the playfulness and darkness in the story. The story opens six months after Alice’s first adventure, on a cold and snowy November day.   Alice is playing with Dinah’s kittens and pondering, like only she can, on what the other side of her mirror might be like.   She gets up on the mantelpiece and finds that she can easily step through the mirror and find out.   On the other parlor, she reads, with the aid of the mirror, a poem called "The Jabberwocky."   As you listen to BJ read this poem, enjoy the level of darkness he puts into his narration of the poem.   Did you know that his favorite version of this is from a Muppets episode ?   He’s got...