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Abridged
Craven Street - Abridged by Yuri Rasovsky
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Craven Street - Abridged

Ben Franklin in London

$10.76

Retail price: $11.95

Discount: 9%

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Length 4 hours 13 minutes
Language English
Narrators Elizabeth Montgomery, George Grizzard, Sir Nigel Hawthorne & a distinguished cast

This audiobook uses AI narration.

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Originally broadcast nationwide in 1993, this meticulously researched five-part historical drama is being published by Blackstone to commemorate Benjamin Franklin’s 300th birthday

This production reveals the multifaceted, complex Franklin’s little-known adventures in London before the Revolution. For fifteen years, he lived on Craven Street off the Thames, where he established a surrogate family, began his autobiography, and became America’s most famous citizen.

As tensions heated up between the Mother Country and her colonies, Franklin became embroiled in intrigue, espionage, and even a duel. The British government believed him “the head of all the rebels” and set out to have him hanged. He escaped only hours before arresting magistrates came banging on his Craven Street door. He was at sea sailing for home when “the shot heard ’round the world” rang out at Lexington.

Yuri Rasovsky (1944–2012) was the leading writer, producer, and director of audio drama in the United States. Also a distinguished actor, narrator, and critic, his numerous honors include two Peabody Awards, eight Audie Awards, and a Grammy.

Elizabeth Montgomery (1933–1995) was an Emmy-nominated film and television actress who was best known for her role as Samantha Stephens on Bewitched. In addition to her extensive work on television, she was also an accomplished audiobook narrator.

George Grizzard (1928–2007) was an American actor who appeared in more than forty films, dozens of television programs, and a number of Broadway plays. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2002.

Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne (1929–2001) was an English actor best known for his role as Sir Humphrey Appleby in the 1980s sitcom Yes Minister. He won a total of six BAFTA Awards throughout his career. His role in the film The Madness of King George earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

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Limited-time offer

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Reviews

“What brings this to life is a soundtrack that mixes noise, music, narrative, snatches of dialogue, and other effects to conjure up a panorama of London life in your mind that no amount of visual detailing on TV could have achieved.”

“[In] Yuri Rasovsky’s clever radio play…George Grizzard is believable as Franklin, revealing sides of the man we rarely find in history books. The late Elizabeth Montgomery has a distinctive—and bewitching—role as narrator and Franklin’s conscience. Craven Street is a moving, informative, and beautifully produced radio play festooned with music and sounds of the time, and starring a full cast that includes Martin Sheen, David Warner, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., and Nigel Hawthorne. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”

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