Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story

Murder Most Foul

Can two brilliant minds outsmart the law? In 1924 Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, two wealthy University of Chicago students, sought to commit the perfect crime simply for the thrill of it. They meticulously planned the kidnapping and murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks, a distant relative of Loeb. Despite their careful plotting, a pair of eyeglasses left at the crime scene linked them to the murder. Their trial captivated the nation, especially with the famous defense attorney Clarence Darrow arguing against the death penalty. The chilling lack of remorse and intellectual arrogance displayed by Leopold and Loeb turned this case into one of the most notorious in American history!

Two of my passions are True Crime and the stage. In this segment of Murder Most Foul, I have been able to combine them into one podcast. Lizzie Borden can boast numerous plays, an Opera and a Ballet choreographed by the legendary Agnes DeMille inspired by her crimes. My guest today, Stephen Dolginoff, turned the story of thrill-killers Leopold and Loeb into theatrical musical, entitled appropriately “Thrill Me,” which is still thrilling audiences today. He also recently wrote a fascinating book on the 30-year odyssey of taking his vision from first draft to the stage and beyond.

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The musical interludes throughout the podcast are from the Original Cast Recording starring Stephen Dolginoff as Leopold and Doug Kreeger as Loeb.