The Black Museum
The Gladstone Bag
by
The Black Museum is a crime anthology presented by Orson Welles as a tour through Scotland Yard’s collection of objects connected with real criminal cases. Each item serves as a starting point for a dramatized story of violence, deception, or investigation, bringing the human consequences of crime into focus.
Welles introduces the exhibits in his distinctive, measured voice, then the program shifts into acted scenes that reconstruct the events surrounding an object. The episode title, “The Gladstone Bag,” points to the artifact at the center of this installment. The format combines a host’s framing narration with dramatic performances rather than a single continuous reading.
The series has a restrained, atmospheric style: Welles’s introductions lend the proceedings the feel of a guided visit, while the dramatizations build suspense through dialogue and sound. Its appeal lies in the contrast between ordinary objects and the unsettling stories they preserve, making each case feel like a glimpse into a shadowed corner of criminal history.
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.