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A Case for Dr Morelle: Thirteen Full-Cast Vintage Crime Dramas
Thirteen classic crime dramas featuring Dr Morelle - 'the man you love to hate'!
Psychiatrist-Detective Dr Morelle is arrogant, sarcastic and rude - but when it comes to catching criminals, he is unparalleled. Using deduction, psychological profiling and his keen, analytical mind, he solves cases ranging from blackmail to murder, aided by his devoted and long-suffering secretary Miss Frayle.
Over the course of this series, he investigates the unexplained death of a wealthy French baroness, receives a visit from a man tormented by nightmares, probes the authenticity of a fabled gem and helps a young man in distress - and an old man in danger. Whether it's a terror campaign against a bride-to-be, death threats made to a temperamental film star, or a case of deadly experiments and thwarted love, no mystery is too baffling and no villain too cunning for the Harley Street sleuth.
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1957, these 13 detective dramas are collected together here for the first time. British film veteran Cecil Parker stars as Dr Morelle, with Sheila Sim as Miss Frayle.
Also included is a bonus documentary programme, The Radio A Case for Dr Morelle, in which professor Jeffrey Richards delves into the casebook of the cantankerous criminal psychologist.
Please these episodes have been restored from the original 1957 recordings. Due to the vintage nature of these recordings, the sound quality varies.
Alarm Call
Hotel waiter - Sydney Tafler, Mam'selle Rolin - Tonia Bern, Anthony Winter - Hugh Manning, Hotel receptionist - Molly Rankin, Miss Shawcroft - Kathleen Helm. Audio recovered by BBC Radio 4 Extra listener Steve Arnold. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 23rd April 1957.
Confession of Guilt
Inspector Hood - Philip Ray, Paula Webb - Mary Law. Other parts played by Maurice Sweden, Norman Wynne, Hugh Manning, Betty Linton and Alan McClelland. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 30th April 1957.
Threat to Kill
Rosalind Knight - Helen Desmond, Miss Curtis - Cecile Chevreau, Ronnie Cavanagh - John Horsley, Maid - Annette Kelly, Mr Ashton - Norman Wynne, Hal Digby - John Sharplin. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 7th May 1957.
The Sleepwalker
Helen Keen - Moira Lister, Richard Wilson - Hugh Burden, Inspector Hood - Philip Ray. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 14th May 1957.
The Blackmailer
Inspector Hood - Philip Ray, Sir Clifford Forbes - Douglas Young, Lady Forbes - Madeleine Christie, Cynthia Forbes - Ruth Trouncer, Hotel waiter - Haydn Jones, Hotel manager - Humphrey Morton, Lily the maid - Beryl Calder, Matron - Molly Rankin, Harry Fox - Ian Sadler. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 21th May 1957.
Voice in the Night
Miss Nicholson - Hester Paton Brown,, Billy Boy the dog - Percy Edwards, Mr Nicholson - Alan McClelland, Superintendent Denham - Fred Yule, Station Officer - Alan Keith, Julian Smith/Taxi driver - John Baker. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 28th May 1957.
The Will
David Beaumont - David Spenser, Henrietta Vickers - Nan Kenway, Herbert Vickers - Douglas Young, Darryl - Will Leighton. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 4th June 1957.
Act of Violence
Major Penfold - Ralph Truman, Robert Benson - Trevor Martin, Professor Stenberg - Martin Miller, Girl - Louise Gainsborough, Clerk of the Court - Will Leighton. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 11th June 1957.
The Black Ruby
Guy Hampton - Norman Woodland, Sonia Hampton - Virginia Winter, Helen Reynolds - Louise Gainsborough, Bill Reynolds - Richard Bebb, Aubrey Green - Desmond Carrington, Airline captain/various - John Baker. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 18th June 1957.
The Wedding Dress
Audrey Templeton - Sulwen Morgan, Evelyn Lambert - Mary Law, Edna Lambert - Olwen Brookes, Mrs Vezey - Peggy Thorpe-Bates, Commercial Traveller/Ames - Trevor Martin. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 25th June 1957.
The Gambler
Mrs Ludlow - Harriet Johns, Mr Ellis - Desmond Carrington, Felix Grey - Jimmy Lavall, Simmons - Arthur Young, Man - Simon Lack, Girl - Beryl Calder. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 2nd July 1957.
The Poisoned Air
Kurt Emmanuel - David Hurst, Bella Goodwyn - Maureen Riscoe, Mrs Atkins - Elsa Palmer, Hugo Russell - John Horsley, Sgt Hammond - Haydn Jones. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 9th July 1957.
Mr X
Paula Maitland - Lana Morris, Nurse - Maureen Riscoe, Mr X - David Spenser, Mr Maitland - Simon Lack, Matron - Joan Sanderson, Inspector Hood - Fred Yule. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 16th July 1957. Starring Cecil Parker as Dr Morelle and Sheila Sim as Miss Frayle.
Psychiatrist-Detective Dr Morelle is arrogant, sarcastic and rude - but when it comes to catching criminals, he is unparalleled. Using deduction, psychological profiling and his keen, analytical mind, he solves cases ranging from blackmail to murder, aided by his devoted and long-suffering secretary Miss Frayle.
Over the course of this series, he investigates the unexplained death of a wealthy French baroness, receives a visit from a man tormented by nightmares, probes the authenticity of a fabled gem and helps a young man in distress - and an old man in danger. Whether it's a terror campaign against a bride-to-be, death threats made to a temperamental film star, or a case of deadly experiments and thwarted love, no mystery is too baffling and no villain too cunning for the Harley Street sleuth.
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1957, these 13 detective dramas are collected together here for the first time. British film veteran Cecil Parker stars as Dr Morelle, with Sheila Sim as Miss Frayle.
Also included is a bonus documentary programme, The Radio A Case for Dr Morelle, in which professor Jeffrey Richards delves into the casebook of the cantankerous criminal psychologist.
Please these episodes have been restored from the original 1957 recordings. Due to the vintage nature of these recordings, the sound quality varies.
Alarm Call
Hotel waiter - Sydney Tafler, Mam'selle Rolin - Tonia Bern, Anthony Winter - Hugh Manning, Hotel receptionist - Molly Rankin, Miss Shawcroft - Kathleen Helm. Audio recovered by BBC Radio 4 Extra listener Steve Arnold. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 23rd April 1957.
Confession of Guilt
Inspector Hood - Philip Ray, Paula Webb - Mary Law. Other parts played by Maurice Sweden, Norman Wynne, Hugh Manning, Betty Linton and Alan McClelland. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 30th April 1957.
Threat to Kill
Rosalind Knight - Helen Desmond, Miss Curtis - Cecile Chevreau, Ronnie Cavanagh - John Horsley, Maid - Annette Kelly, Mr Ashton - Norman Wynne, Hal Digby - John Sharplin. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 7th May 1957.
The Sleepwalker
Helen Keen - Moira Lister, Richard Wilson - Hugh Burden, Inspector Hood - Philip Ray. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 14th May 1957.
The Blackmailer
Inspector Hood - Philip Ray, Sir Clifford Forbes - Douglas Young, Lady Forbes - Madeleine Christie, Cynthia Forbes - Ruth Trouncer, Hotel waiter - Haydn Jones, Hotel manager - Humphrey Morton, Lily the maid - Beryl Calder, Matron - Molly Rankin, Harry Fox - Ian Sadler. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 21th May 1957.
Voice in the Night
Miss Nicholson - Hester Paton Brown,, Billy Boy the dog - Percy Edwards, Mr Nicholson - Alan McClelland, Superintendent Denham - Fred Yule, Station Officer - Alan Keith, Julian Smith/Taxi driver - John Baker. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 28th May 1957.
The Will
David Beaumont - David Spenser, Henrietta Vickers - Nan Kenway, Herbert Vickers - Douglas Young, Darryl - Will Leighton. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 4th June 1957.
Act of Violence
Major Penfold - Ralph Truman, Robert Benson - Trevor Martin, Professor Stenberg - Martin Miller, Girl - Louise Gainsborough, Clerk of the Court - Will Leighton. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 11th June 1957.
The Black Ruby
Guy Hampton - Norman Woodland, Sonia Hampton - Virginia Winter, Helen Reynolds - Louise Gainsborough, Bill Reynolds - Richard Bebb, Aubrey Green - Desmond Carrington, Airline captain/various - John Baker. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 18th June 1957.
The Wedding Dress
Audrey Templeton - Sulwen Morgan, Evelyn Lambert - Mary Law, Edna Lambert - Olwen Brookes, Mrs Vezey - Peggy Thorpe-Bates, Commercial Traveller/Ames - Trevor Martin. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 25th June 1957.
The Gambler
Mrs Ludlow - Harriet Johns, Mr Ellis - Desmond Carrington, Felix Grey - Jimmy Lavall, Simmons - Arthur Young, Man - Simon Lack, Girl - Beryl Calder. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 2nd July 1957.
The Poisoned Air
Kurt Emmanuel - David Hurst, Bella Goodwyn - Maureen Riscoe, Mrs Atkins - Elsa Palmer, Hugo Russell - John Horsley, Sgt Hammond - Haydn Jones. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 9th July 1957.
Mr X
Paula Maitland - Lana Morris, Nurse - Maureen Riscoe, Mr X - David Spenser, Mr Maitland - Simon Lack, Matron - Joan Sanderson, Inspector Hood - Fred Yule. First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 16th July 1957. Starring Cecil Parker as Dr Morelle and Sheila Sim as Miss Frayle.
Audible Audio
Published May 27, 2021
About the author
Ernest Dudley
86 books2 followersBorn Vivian Ernest Coltman-Allen was born in Dudley near Wolverhampton, England but he grew up in Cookham, Berkshire where his father owned a public house and he was educated at Taplow School, which was run by nuns. The artist Stanley Spencer lived next door to Ernest and his friends included writers and actors such as Ivor Novello and Jack Buchanan and it was the latter who steered young Ernest toward acting (in later life Ernest was to write a stage show for him.)
At 17 Ernest ran away to become an actor, joining a company performing Shakespeare in various Irish towns. Ernest was later to say he only went into the theatre to meet girls and in 1930 he married Jane Grahame, who for several years played one of the Lost Boys in 'Peter Pan'. Jane's connections propelled Ernest to the West End, where his good looks secured him juvenile roles: he shared stages with Charles Laughton, Madeleine Carroll and Fay Compton. And Jane and Ernest took the leads in the first British touring production of Noel Coward's 'Private Lives' by which time their only child, a daughter named Susan, had been born.
Considering himself only a mediocre actor he moved into journalism and as "Charles Ton", a 'Daily Mail' showbusiness gossip columnist, he frequented the Embassy and the Café de Paris, where he got to know many Soho people and even met Fred Astaire when he was starring in 'The Gay Divorcee' at the Palace Theatre.
He later covered boxing for 'The People' and then his first novel 'Mr Walker Wants to Know' (1939) came along; it was a spin-off from a radio series he scripted. He also wrote scripts for Twentieth Century Fox and British International Pictures, but by the outbreak of war he and Jane were working fulltime on live weekly shows for BBC Light Entertainment..
He was not considered fit enough for active service so he continued to work for the BBC before, in 1942 his famous creation, the sinister and sarcastic Dr Morelle, debuted on the magazine-cum-anthology show Monday Night at Eight. His first Dr Morelle novel, 'Meet Dr Morelle' followed in 1943', the first of 15 novels starring the doctor, who it was said was based on film actor and director Erich von Stroheim, whom Ernest had met briefly in Paris in the 1930s. With his secretary Miss Frayle - a part written specially for Jane - Dr Morelle featured in novels, short stories, a film - 'The Case of the Missing Heiress' (1949), a play and three radio serials.
In 1942 Ernest also got his own hugely popular 'Armchair Detective' series, and in 1952 came a film of the Armchair Detective, featuring Ernest. Ernest crossed easily to television and in the late 1950s came Judge for Yourself - trials where the audience was the jury.
Historical and detective novels were followed by works such as 'Confessions of a Special Agent' (1957), featuring the exploits of Jack Evans; 'The Gilded Lillie' (1958), a biography of Lillie Langtry; and 'Monsters of the Purple Twilight', (1960) a history of the Zeppelin. Then he started on true stories of various animals.
Amazingly, in his late 60s Ernest took up marathon running, which, he claimed, helped with his depression. He ran four in London, two in New York and his book 'Run for Your Life' (1985) described these experiences and his training methods. It is said that he was still jogging in Regents Park as late as 2005!
He was a lifetime member of Equity, and he was a founder member of the Crime Writers Association in the 1950s.
In his mid-90s his career was revitalised by a new agent, and American and Canadian publishers were reprinting his work of the 1950s and 60s. He was also working on a new book - 'Dr Morelle and the LapDancer' - which subsequently did not materialise.
Apparently he was a shy man and he was happy alone (his wife Jane died in 1981) in his tiny, book-littered Marylebone flat. He had not a single comfortable armchair but had two desks, 70 years' worth of diaries and lots of pictures (several his own work), many
At 17 Ernest ran away to become an actor, joining a company performing Shakespeare in various Irish towns. Ernest was later to say he only went into the theatre to meet girls and in 1930 he married Jane Grahame, who for several years played one of the Lost Boys in 'Peter Pan'. Jane's connections propelled Ernest to the West End, where his good looks secured him juvenile roles: he shared stages with Charles Laughton, Madeleine Carroll and Fay Compton. And Jane and Ernest took the leads in the first British touring production of Noel Coward's 'Private Lives' by which time their only child, a daughter named Susan, had been born.
Considering himself only a mediocre actor he moved into journalism and as "Charles Ton", a 'Daily Mail' showbusiness gossip columnist, he frequented the Embassy and the Café de Paris, where he got to know many Soho people and even met Fred Astaire when he was starring in 'The Gay Divorcee' at the Palace Theatre.
He later covered boxing for 'The People' and then his first novel 'Mr Walker Wants to Know' (1939) came along; it was a spin-off from a radio series he scripted. He also wrote scripts for Twentieth Century Fox and British International Pictures, but by the outbreak of war he and Jane were working fulltime on live weekly shows for BBC Light Entertainment..
He was not considered fit enough for active service so he continued to work for the BBC before, in 1942 his famous creation, the sinister and sarcastic Dr Morelle, debuted on the magazine-cum-anthology show Monday Night at Eight. His first Dr Morelle novel, 'Meet Dr Morelle' followed in 1943', the first of 15 novels starring the doctor, who it was said was based on film actor and director Erich von Stroheim, whom Ernest had met briefly in Paris in the 1930s. With his secretary Miss Frayle - a part written specially for Jane - Dr Morelle featured in novels, short stories, a film - 'The Case of the Missing Heiress' (1949), a play and three radio serials.
In 1942 Ernest also got his own hugely popular 'Armchair Detective' series, and in 1952 came a film of the Armchair Detective, featuring Ernest. Ernest crossed easily to television and in the late 1950s came Judge for Yourself - trials where the audience was the jury.
Historical and detective novels were followed by works such as 'Confessions of a Special Agent' (1957), featuring the exploits of Jack Evans; 'The Gilded Lillie' (1958), a biography of Lillie Langtry; and 'Monsters of the Purple Twilight', (1960) a history of the Zeppelin. Then he started on true stories of various animals.
Amazingly, in his late 60s Ernest took up marathon running, which, he claimed, helped with his depression. He ran four in London, two in New York and his book 'Run for Your Life' (1985) described these experiences and his training methods. It is said that he was still jogging in Regents Park as late as 2005!
He was a lifetime member of Equity, and he was a founder member of the Crime Writers Association in the 1950s.
In his mid-90s his career was revitalised by a new agent, and American and Canadian publishers were reprinting his work of the 1950s and 60s. He was also working on a new book - 'Dr Morelle and the LapDancer' - which subsequently did not materialise.
Apparently he was a shy man and he was happy alone (his wife Jane died in 1981) in his tiny, book-littered Marylebone flat. He had not a single comfortable armchair but had two desks, 70 years' worth of diaries and lots of pictures (several his own work), many
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