The Hunt for Red October by Richard Crenna

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 22:32:28 +0000

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The Hunt for Red October audiobook by Tom Clancy Read by Richard Crenna. Abridged

...Abridged
The Hunt for Red October takes place during the Cold War between the USA and the Soviet Union. Russia has developed a submarine called the Red October that has an ultra-quiet engine. This technology is far ahead of any other submarine engine and would allow Soviet submarines to invade allied waters undetected. What the Soviets plan to use this for is unclear, but the Red October’s Captain, the mysterious Marko Ramius, has his own plans. Enjoy!

Tom Clancy (1947-2013), born in Baltimore, was an insurance salesman who wrote in his spare time. The Hunt for Red October was his first book, published in 1984. It had decent success until President Ronald Reagan mentioned that it was “the best yarn” which led the book to become a bestseller. That allowed Mr. Clancy to quit his insurance job and devote his time to writing. His subsequent books including, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, Red Storm Rising were all best sellers and have sold 100 million copies worldwide. A number of his books were turned into productions for the small and big screen including The Hunt for Red October which is excellent. Later material from his books would be adapted into video games including Tom Clancy’s: Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, Elite Squad, and more. Tom Clancy married twice and fathered five children. He was introduced to Alexandra, who would become his 2nd wife until his death, by Colin Powell the first African American Secretary of State.
Quote: The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.

Richard Crenna (1926-2003) A Los Angeles native, Richard began his acting career in radio at age 11. His continued with radio only to stop by joining the US Army after high school during the last year of World War 2. After his discharge in 1946 he returned to radio and in 1948 joined the cast of the comedy series Our Miss Brooks. What makes this unique was that in 1952, the radio show became a television show with Mr. Crenna becoming a TV actor practically overnight. Since then, he has performed on numerous tv shows and multiple films. He is probably best known for his roll in the Rambo trilogy starring Sylvester Stallone. Rambo 2 touched a nerve in viewers of that time. Mr. Crenna acted alongside Steven McQueen in The Sand Pebbles, Audrey Hepburn in Wait Until Dark, and costarred with Judy Andrews in Star!*
Richard Crenna received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and an Emmy for his leading performance in a 1985 TV movie about a police officer who believes rape victims are just “…asking for it” (this was the 80s after all) until he was assaulted and raped by two men. The Rape of Richard Beck was an unexpected and disturbing TV movie subject at that time but was well received by critics for its thoughtful depiction of the trauma of rape. You can watch it on YouTube.
Quote: It's not difficult to learn the lines if you listen to what the other characters are saying.

*During high school, I and my classmates got to watch the play of Wait Until Dark, in lieu of class, presented by the drama club. They gave a fine performance. Now that was a good class!