The Classic Tales Podcast

Designed to make classic literature less intimidating, The Classic Tales Podcast has been showcasing the greatest literary authors for years. Narrating with gusto, BJ Harrison performs each word of the classic texts, elevating them with character voices, sharp accents and bridled emotion. Adventure, Mystery, Horror, Humor and more - The Classic Tales Podcast has something for everybody. It really is The Cure for the Common Commute. Winner - Outstanding Podcast Host: Arts and Entertainment , Society of Voice Arts and Sciences- 2022 Winner of w3 Silver Award by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts-2022 Winner of w3 Gold Award by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts-2021 Winner of Independent Audiobook Award for "Scaramouche", by Raphael Sabatini - 2021

Ep. 964, Feathertop, by Nathaniel Hawthorne VINTAGE 09/10/2024

Ep. 963, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Part 5 of 9, by Jules Verne 09/06/2024

Ep. 962, The Three Apples, from The Arabian Nights VINTAGE 09/03/2024

Ep. 961, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Part 4 of 9, by Jules Verne 08/30/2024

Ep. 960, The Man Who Disliked Cats, by P.G. Wodehouse VINTAGE 08/27/2024

Ep. 959, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Part 3 of 9, by Jules Verne 08/23/2024

Ep. 958, A Case of Identity, by Arthur Conan Doyle VINTAGE 08/20/2024

Ep. 957, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Part 2 of 9, by Jules Verne 08/16/2024

Ep. 956, The Unexpected, by Jack London VINTAGE 08/13/2024

Ep. 955, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Part 1 of 9, by Jules Verne 08/09/2024

Ep. 954, The Bottle Imp, by Robert Louis Stevenson VINTAGE 08/06/2024

Ep. 953, "A Reputation" vs. Meet John Doe 08/02/2024

Ep. 953, "A Reputation" vs. Meet John Doe Can a movie be better than the story it’s based on? Let’s take a journey from short story to Academy Award Nominated film, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. The Vintage Episode for the week is “The Bottle Imp”, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Be sure to check it out on Tuesday. If you have found value in the show, please consider becoming a monthly supporter. Help us to help other folks like you. Please go to and become a monthly supporter today. Classic Tales for Children: Volume 1 is now available. It includes the new recording of Pollyanna, bundled together with Winnie-the-Pooh, The Wind in the Willows, and Alice in Wonderland. I thought of titles that would really go well together, so I pulled out all the stops. This anthology is perfect to listen to again and again. You can pick it up at classictalesaudiobooks.com by following the link in the show notes. Ok, off the top of your head, what movies are better than the books they are based on? Whenever I consider this, I tend to come back to The Wizard of Oz and Ben-Hur. I think in these two instances especially, they expanded on the original material beautifully, to fit the medium of film. It’s a transformative process, to move from story told only in print, to a story told by actors, artists, costumers, directors, set designers, stunt people, special effects artists, and all the other hundreds of people it takes to make a motion picture. I recently discovered I’m going to have to add the film Meet John Doe to my list. Meet John Doe is a film released in 1941, directed by Frank Capra. It stars Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyk and Edward Arnold. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Story, and it was ranked No. 49 in the American Film Institutes 100 years, 100 cheers list. It entered the public domain in 1969, and you can watch it for free many places on the internet, also on Amazon Prime. The film is based on the story “A Reputation”, by Richard Connell. Connell also wrote “A Friend of Napoleon” that we’ve heard recently, and is most famous for his short story, “The Most Dangerous Game”. So first, let’s hear the story “A Reputation”, and then look at what elements were modified and expanded on to create the acclaimed motion picture, Meet John Doe. Just a heads up – this story deals with suicide. And now, “A Reputation”, by Richard Connell. /episode/index/show/classictales/id/32395122

Ep. 952, The Battle of the Witchdoctors, by H. Rider HaggardVINTAGE 07/30/2024

Ep. 951, For They Know Not What They Do, by Wilbur Daniel Steele 07/26/2024

Ep. 950, The Country of the Blind, by H.G. Wells VINTAGE 07/23/2024

Ep. 949, Nice Neighbors, by Mary Stanbery Watts 07/19/2024

Ep. 948, The Blue Hotel, by Stephen Crane VINTAGE 07/16/2024

Ep. 947, England to America, by Margaret Prescott Montague 07/12/2024

Ep. 947, England to America, by Margaret Prescott Montague Do the English just not like Americans? Seriously, why won’t Chev’s family warm up to Skip? Margaret Prescott Montague, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. The Vintage Episode for the week is “The Blue Hotel”, by Stephen Crane. Be sure to check it out on Tuesday. If you have found value in the show, please consider becoming a monthly supporter. Help us to help other folks like you. Please go to and become a monthly supporter today. Also, please follow the link in the show notes to support a Kickstarter campaign to fund the audiobook Immortal, by Joanna White: It’s a prequel to her epic fantasy series, Valiant. In Immortal, the protagonist travels through different times without the ability to die. It’s very well-written, and I’m sure you’ll love it. Once we raise the funds, Joanna has hired me to produce the audiobook! I’ll send out a newsletter with a link to the project once we’re ready to launch. Thanks for pitching in! Today’s story won the O. Henry Memorial Award in 1919. World War I had just ended, and there were many military stories written at the time, as most everyone in the world had some connection to the war. Margaret Prescott Montague was a short story writer and novelist. Four of her stories were made into films in the 1920s. Winning the O. Henry Memorial Award is the most prestigious of her accomplishments. She lived from 1878 – 1955. From the introduction to the O. Henry Memorial Award volume: “…the young Virginian of "England to America" will bring back, to all who read, their own heroes. It is fitting that Miss Montague's story should have received the first prize: poignant, short in words, great in significance, it will stand a minor climactic peak in that chain of literature produced during the actual progress of the World War.” It is interesting to look back on this story over a hundred years later, and see how it fared. I think it’s safe to say that most people have never heard of the story, or its author, which is a shame. Let’s give it a go. And now, “England to America”, by Margaret Prescott Montague. /episode/index/show/classictales/id/32108637