On This Day, August 24: I Love a Mystery and Eno Crime Clues
Also featured: John Barrymore.
August 24 Exhaustive Update
This report documents the comprehensive provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, and story synopses for historical broadcasts transmitting on August 24 across American network broadcasting history (1931–1950):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Moonlight Serenade: Johnny Mercer, Jo Stafford & The Pied Pipers (Chesterfield)" | CBS (WABC) 1944-08-24 7:00 PM EWT |
Liggett & Myers Chesterfield Cigarettes |
Johnny Mercer, Jo Stafford, The Pied Pipers, Paul Weston | Paul Dudley (Producer), Martin Block (Announcer) | ["Music", "Easy Listening", "Vocal", "Big Band", "Swing"] |
Johnny Mercer and Jo Stafford headline the breezy summer edition of Chesterfield's Moonlight Serenade, performing dreamy harmonies with The Pied Pipers and Paul Weston's Orchestra on 'Long, Long Ago' and Tin Pan Alley favorites. |
| "Twelfth Night (Starring John Barrymore — Streamlined Shakespeare)" | NBC (WNBC) 1950-08-24 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining NBC Cultural Drama |
John Barrymore (Malvolio & Sir Toby), Conway Tearle | William Shakespeare, Brewster Morgan, Fred Collins | ["Drama", "Comedy", "Elizabethan", "Literature", "Theater"] |
Legendary Shakespearean actor John Barrymore presents a fast-paced 30-minute adaptation of William Shakespeare's romantic comedy Twelfth Night, portraying both the pompous Malvolio and Sir Toby Belch in a tour-de-force vocal performance. |
| "The Crime Conductor (Part 1) — Spencer Dean Mystery (Eno Fruit Salt)" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1931-08-24 9:30 PM EDST |
J.C. Eno Ltd. Eno Effervescent Fruit Salt |
Edward Reese (Spencer Dean), John Kane (Dan Cassidy) | Stewart Sterling (Writer), Carlo De Angelo, Charles Webster | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Hardboiled", "Crime", "Police"] |
In part one of Stewart Sterling's mystery, Inspector Spencer Dean and sidekick Dan Cassidy investigate the bizarre electrocution murder of a world-famous symphony orchestra conductor struck down at his podium during a live concert. |
| "From This Dark Stairway (Part 2) — Spencer Dean Mystery (Eno Fruit Salt)" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1932-08-24 9:30 PM EDST |
J.C. Eno Ltd. Eno Effervescent Fruit Salt |
Edward Reese (Spencer Dean), John Kane (Dan Cassidy) | Mignon G. Eberhart, Stewart Sterling, Charles Webster | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Hardboiled", "Crime", "Police"] |
In the gripping conclusion of the Mignon G. Eberhart adaptation, Inspector Spencer Dean corners the hospital killer on the shadowy service stairway, uncovering the blackmail secret that cost the chief surgeon his life. |
| "Mistress Nell (Starring Margaret Anglin as Nell Gwyn — America's Lost Plays)" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1939-08-24 9:00 PM EDST |
Sustaining NBC Historical Drama |
Margaret Anglin (Nell Gwyn), Malcolm Keen, John McIntire | Langdon Mitchell (Author), Homer Fickett, Alois Havrilla | ["Drama", "Historical", "Comedy", "Romance", "Restoration"] |
In Langdon Mitchell's sparkling historical comedy Mistress Nell, quick-witted actress Nell Gwyn disguises herself as a dashing young cavalier to outmaneuver rival court conspirators and save King Charles II from a treasonous plot. |
| "The Case of the Incident Concerning Death (Chapter 12 — Fleischmann's Yeast)" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1939-08-24 7:15 PM EDST |
Standard Brands Fleischmann's Yeast |
Michael Raffetto (Jack Packard), Barton Yarborough, Walter Paterson | Carlton E. Morse (Author/Director), Dresser Dahlstead | ["Adventure", "Mystery", "Detective", "Hardboiled", "Action"] |
In chapter twelve of The Case of the Incident Concerning Death, Jack Packard, Doc Long, and Reggie York are ambushed by armed cultists in the fog-drenched cemetery crypt, using Jack's tactical wits to avoid being buried alive. |