On This Day, August 23: Gregory Hood and Cuban Radio Classics
Also featured: Sgt. Preston.
August 23 Exhaustive Update
This report documents the comprehensive provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, serial multi-part narrative arcs, alternate circulating titles, and story synopses for historical broadcasts transmitting on August 23 across American and Cuban broadcasting history (1939–1951):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Scent of Death (Quaker Puffed Sparkies)" | Mutual (WXYZ) 1951-08-23 5:00 PM EDT |
Quaker Oats Co. Puffed Wheat & Puffed Rice Sparkies |
Paul Sutton (Sgt. Preston), Yukon King, John Todd, Paul Hughes | Dan Beattie & Fran Striker (Writers), Fred Flowerday (Director) | ["Western", "Adventure", "Action", "Children", "Serial"] |
Sergeant Preston and his wonder dog Yukon King track an elusive fur trapper who uses poisoned bait traps to eliminate competing prospectors along the Klondike River trail. |
| "Orquesta Casino de la Playa with Miguelito Valdés Live from Havana" | CMQ Havana 1939-08-23 8:00 PM |
Cerveza Cristal Cigarros Partagas |
Orquesta Casino de la Playa, Miguelito Valdés, Walfredo de los Reyes | CMQ Cadena Habana, Havana | ["Music", "Latin", "Afro-Cuban", "Big Band", "International"] |
The legendary Orquesta Casino de la Playa performs live from Havana, featuring dynamic vocalist Miguelito Valdés singing 'Babalú' and Afro-Cuban rumba and son montuno standards for Cuban radio listeners. |
| "Conjunto Matamoros with Benny Moré Live on Cadena Azul" | RHC Cadena Azul 1944-08-23 8:30 PM |
Bacardi Rum Jabón Candado |
Conjunto Matamoros, Miguel Matamoros, Benny Moré | RHC Cadena Azul Studios, Havana | ["Music", "Latin", "Bolero", "Afro-Cuban", "International"] |
Miguel Matamoros leads his celebrated conjunto alongside rising star vocalist Benny Moré in Havana, performing classic Cuban boleros, sones, and guaracha rhythms over Cadena Azul. |
| "The Case of the Perjured Wife (Starring Elliott Lewis)" | Mutual (WOR) 1948-08-23 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Mutual Mystery Series |
Elliott Lewis (Gregory Hood), Howard McNear (Sanderson Sloan), Betty Lou Gerson | Denis Green & Anthony Boucher (Creators), William Spier (Director) | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Hardboiled", "Crime"] |
San Francisco antique connoisseur and amateur sleuth Gregory Hood and companion Sanderson Sloan investigate a perjury frame-up after a vindictive wife's false courtroom testimony sends her innocent husband to prison for an art gallery jewel robbery. |
| "The Case of the Fatal Flower Package (Starring Jackson Beck)" | ABC (WJZ) 1949-08-23 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining ABC Mystery Series |
Jackson Beck (Gregory Hood), Howard McNear (Sanderson Sloan), Lurene Tuttle | Ray Buffum (Writer), Frank Telford (Director), George Ansbro | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Hardboiled", "Crime"] |
Gregory Hood agrees to deliver an innocent-looking sealed package for an elegant young woman in Nob Hill, only to become the prime suspect in her murder the following morning when police discover the package contained smuggled blood diamonds. |
| "The Case of the Golden Fleece Murders (Part 5) — Mollé Shaving Cream" | CBS (WABC) 1946-08-23 7:00 PM EDT |
Centaur / Sterling Mollé Shaving Cream & Ironized Yeast |
Bernard Lenrow (Geoffrey Barnes), Donald Buka (Johnny), Joan Alexander | Frank Gruber (Author), Joseph Ruscoll (Adapter), Ira Ashley (Director) | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Hardboiled", "Serial"] |
In Part 5 and the dramatic climax of The Case of the Golden Fleece Murders, Geoffrey Barnes narrates as book-peddler detectives Johnny Fletcher and Sam Cragg trap the real killer aboard an express train to Chicago, exposing the forged Greek manuscript scam. |