Fourble

To subscribe to a personalised The Black Museum podcast, starting today with A 32 Caliber Center Fire Bu...A French-English DictionaryA Jar of AcidA Lady's ShoeA LetterA Piece of Iron ChainA PrescriptionA Service CardA ShillingA SilencerA TrunkA Woman's Pigskin GloveAn Old Wooden Mallet22 Caliber PistolThe Canvas BagThe Champagne GlassGas ReceiptAn Old Wooden MalletOpen-Ended WrenchThe RaincoatSmall White BoxesSpotted BedsheetThe Tan ShoeThe Brass ButtonThe Canvas Shopping BagThe Notes (aka Kilroy Was H...The PikeThe SashcordThe Wool JacketFour Small BottlesGladstone BagGlass ShardsMandolin StringsMeat JuiceSmall White BoxesSpotted BedsheetThe BathtubThe Blood-Stained BrickbatThe Blue .22The Brass ButtonThe Canvas BagThe Canvas Shopping BagThe Car TireThe Champagne GlassThe Claw HammerThe Door KeyThe Faded Tartan ScarfThe Gas ReceiptThe HammerheadThe Jack HandleThe Khaki HandkerchiefThe Leather BagThe Notes (aka Kilroy Was H...The Open-End WrenchThe Pair of SpectaclesThe PikeThe Pink Powder PuffThe Post CardThe RaincoatThe SashcordThe Sheath KnifeThe Shopping BagThe Straight RazorThe Tan ShoeThe TelegramThe Walking StickThe Wool JacketTwo BulletsWeedkiller and with a new episode every four weeks every three weeks every two weeks every ten days every seven days every six days every five days every four days every three days every two days every day all episodes at once , use the following URL:

https://fourble.co.uk/blackmuseumo-260419-7.rss

Here's a collection of the classic Orson Welles radio show in high quality mp3s and where possible, lossless FLAC!


The Black Museum was a "Towers of London" production. It was broadcast over Radio Luxembourg in 1951 and was syndicated in America in 1952. Orson Welles added prestige to the role of tour guide. Listeners would hear his somber voice and slow footsteps echoing throughout the stone halls of the Black Museum as he pointed out various items that were used in actual murders. It could be something as serious as a razor, or something as seemingly innocent as an umbrella. Whatever it was, the audience knew it had successfully killed someone, and there hangs the tale! Welles would use the item to introduce a flashback sequence that would eventually tell the entire story. He would return afterwards to explain who was caught and how they were punished. This was back in the good old days before liberal Europe abolished capital punishment, so the items in the Black Museum usually caused the deaths of at least two people... the victim and whoever murdered that person. So we got an added bonus of two for the price of one!


The ambiance of this series was the most remarkable aspect of it. It was a brilliant setting and listeners couldn't help but visualize Orson Welles walking though a dark, dank museum after hours. It was like seeing a preview of Rod Serling touring The Night Gallery, only we saw it in our imagination instead of on TV. Welles would casually pick up or point out various murder weapons and examine them, all the while droning on about the related crime as if it were a medical procedure. He never got excited, but what he described in academic tones was usually sensational and often gruesome. To make sure the listener didn't miss the irony, a dramatic music cue would underscore such instances. This wasn't done in a subtle way either, but more like the musical equivalent of fireworks and pyrotechnics being detonated each time. One wonders if Welles cringed when he realized how often they were inserting these jarring musical stings in his otherwise sophisticated narrations. It's so overdone, it becomes humorous. But at this particular point in his life, Welles was in trouble personally, professionally, and with the IRS, so he wasn't in much of a position to throw his weight around. (That's why he was self-exiled overseas during the production of this series in the first place.)


England has always been a great magnet for tourists. Exploiting famous evidence from Scotland Yard for commercial entertainment purposes seemed to be an obvious formula just waiting to be executed (no pun intended). Whitehall 1212 and Secrets of Scotland Yard had hit upon similar formats earlier, but it was the grim atmosphere of horror that Welles provided that made this series the best of the bunch. Welles was so effective at setting up each episode, that the actual stories sometimes seemed tame in comparison. The actors, music, and sound effects were good, but Welles was so much better that he often stole the show. Fortunately, he would return and conclude the story as well, filling us in on all the grizzly details. So it was like eating an average dinner with a spectacular appetizer and an incredible dessert! Although the show wasn't uniform from start to finish, it's difficult to resist listening to, if only for the thrill of hearing the creepy introductions and lurid endings.

1. A 32 Caliber Center Fire Bullet (23.2Mb)
2. A French-English Dictionary (48.3Mb)
3. A Jar of Acid (50.5Mb)
4. A Lady's Shoe (28Mb)
5. A Letter (43.4Mb)
6. A Piece of Iron Chain (28.6Mb)
7. A Prescription (13.5Mb)
8. A Service Card (24.7Mb)
9. A Shilling (25.2Mb)
10. A Silencer (52.2Mb)
11. A Trunk (48.5Mb)
12. A Woman's Pigskin Glove (48.5Mb)
13. An Old Wooden Mallet (35.8Mb)
14. 22 Caliber Pistol (21.3Mb)
15. The Canvas Bag (21.6Mb)
16. The Champagne Glass (23Mb)
17. Gas Receipt (21.3Mb)
18. An Old Wooden Mallet (22Mb)
19. Open-Ended Wrench (21.8Mb)
20. The Raincoat (21.5Mb)
21. Small White Boxes (21.1Mb)
22. Spotted Bedsheet (23.9Mb)
23. The Tan Shoe (22.3Mb)
24. The Brass Button (23.5Mb)
25. The Canvas Shopping Bag (23.4Mb)
26. The Notes (aka Kilroy Was Here) (22.1Mb)
27. The Pike (42.6Mb)
28. The Sashcord (22.2Mb)
29. The Wool Jacket (23.9Mb)
30. Four Small Bottles (25.5Mb)
31. Gladstone Bag (28.4Mb)
32. Glass Shards (27.3Mb)
33. Mandolin Strings (43.8Mb)
34. Meat Juice (27.9Mb)
35. Small White Boxes (36.2Mb)
36. Spotted Bedsheet (36.2Mb)
37. The Bathtub (28.9Mb)
38. The Blood-Stained Brickbat (22.4Mb)
39. The Blue .22 (43.8Mb)
40. The Brass Button (54.9Mb)
41. The Canvas Bag (35.7Mb)
42. The Canvas Shopping Bag (54.9Mb)
43. The Car Tire (24Mb)
44. The Champagne Glass (35.4Mb)
45. The Claw Hammer (28.6Mb)
46. The Door Key (23.8Mb)
47. The Faded Tartan Scarf (43.8Mb)
48. The Gas Receipt (35.5Mb)
49. The Hammerhead (24.3Mb)
50. The Jack Handle (50.6Mb)
51. The Khaki Handkerchief (23.5Mb)
52. The Leather Bag (53.8Mb)
53. The Notes (aka Kilroy Was Here) (36.2Mb)
54. The Open-End Wrench (42.1Mb)
55. The Pair of Spectacles (28.7Mb)
56. The Pike (51.1Mb)
57. The Pink Powder Puff (43.6Mb)
58. The Post Card (12.9Mb)
59. The Raincoat (35.9Mb)
60. The Sashcord (43.8Mb)
61. The Sheath Knife (28.6Mb)
62. The Shopping Bag (25Mb)
63. The Straight Razor (28.2Mb)
64. The Tan Shoe (35Mb)
65. The Telegram (29.8Mb)
66. The Walking Stick (28.8Mb)
67. The Wool Jacket (35.8Mb)
68. Two Bullets (47.1Mb)
69. Weedkiller (26.3Mb)

MP3 files hosted by archive.org.