On This Day, August 24: The Mysterious Traveler and Johnny Dollar
Also featured: Inspector Thorne.
August 24 Exhaustive Update
This report documents the comprehensive provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, serial multi-part narrative arcs, and story synopses for historical broadcasts transmitting on August 24 across American network, psychological horror, and insurance detective radio history (1947–1958):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Trans Pacific Matter: Studio Rehearsal Recording (Edmond O'Brien — CBS)" | CBS Studio 1950-08-24 2:00 PM PDT |
Sustaining Pre-Broadcast Rehearsal |
Edmond O'Brien (Johnny), Virginia Gregg, Lawrence Dobkin | Gil Doud & Paul Dudley, Jaime del Valle (Director) | ["Detective", "Hardboiled", "Behind-the-Scenes", "Rehearsal", "Noir"] |
A rare behind-the-scenes recording capturing Edmond O'Brien and director Jaime del Valle fine-tuning line readings, musical cues, and sound effects during pre-broadcast rehearsals of The Trans Pacific Import-Export Matter. |
| "The Kranesburg Matter (Part 5 — Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar — CBS)" | CBS (WCBS) 1956-08-24 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Radio Mystery Serial |
Bob Bailey (Johnny Dollar), Virginia Gregg, Parley Baer | John Dawson (Writer), Jack Johnstone, Roy Rowan | ["Detective", "Hardboiled", "Mystery", "Noir", "Insurance"] |
Insurance investigator Johnny Dollar brings the Kranesburg estate investigation to a dramatic conclusion, staking out a lakeside boathouse to restore stolen European masterworks and expose the smuggling ring. |
| "The Noxious Needle Matter (Starring Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar — CBS)" | CBS (WCBS) 1958-08-24 6:05 PM EDT |
Sustaining Radio Mystery Drama |
Bob Bailey (Johnny Dollar), Carleton Young, Virginia Gregg | Jack Johnstone (Writer/Dir.), Dan Cubberly (Announcer) | ["Detective", "Hardboiled", "Mystery", "Noir", "Insurance"] |
"Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny Dollar..." Johnny travels to a Florida horse racing stable to investigate the death of a million-dollar thoroughbred stallion, discovering microscopic puncture marks and lethal toxins. |
| "The Master Mind Murder Case (Karl Weber as Inspector Thorne — NBC)" | NBC (WNBC) 1951-08-24 9:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Police Procedural |
Karl Weber (Inspector Thorne), Danny Ocko (Muggin) | George Anderson (Writer), Kenneth MacGregor, Jack Costello | ["Police", "Detective", "Mystery", "Procedural", "Whodunit"] |
Inspector Thorne of Scotland Yard and Detective Muggin reconstruct a seemingly airtight locked-room jewel robbery, exposing a criminal mastermind who faked his own kidnapping to frame an innocent business associate. |
| "Murder Goes Free (Narrated by Maurice Tarplin — The Mysterious Traveler)" | Mutual (WOR) 1947-08-24 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Radio Mystery Anthology |
Maurice Tarplin (Narrator), Jackson Beck, Elspeth Eric | Robert A. Arthur & David Kogan, Carl Caruso | ["Suspense", "Horror", "Psychological", "Mystery", "Noir"] |
"This is the Mysterious Traveler, inviting you to join me on another strange and startling journey..." A scheming husband executes an undetectable plan to poison his wealthy spouse, only to find himself trapped in a horrifying web of poetic justice on a runaway midnight express train. |
| "Murder by Proxy (Narrated by Maurice Tarplin — The Mysterious Traveler)" | Mutual (WOR) 1948-08-24 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Radio Mystery Anthology |
Maurice Tarplin (Narrator), Santos Ortega, Lyle Sudrow | Robert A. Arthur & David Kogan, Carl Caruso | ["Suspense", "Horror", "Psychological", "Mystery", "Noir"] |
An arrogant corporate executive hires an impoverished hitman through an intermediary to eliminate a business rival, only to discover that the contract killer was hired to murder him instead in an inescapable double-cross. |