On This Day, August 25: Saturday Night Theatre (5 Decades) and Crime Doctor (Everett Sloane)
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…
August 25 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 25 across American and British networks, Everett Sloane as Crime Doctor untangling a lakeside cottage murder for Philip Morris, and a breathtaking retrospective of five decades of BBC's Saturday Night Theatre (Eden Phillpotts' Devon comedy in 1951, Michael Gilbert's Inspector Hazlerigg mystery in 1956, George Bellak's headland thriller in 1962, Alan Gosling's psychological drama with Martin Jarvis in 1973, and John Dighton's West End farce with Patricia Routledge in 1979):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Case of the Clueless Corpse (Everett Sloane as Dr. Ordway — Philip Morris)" | CBS (WABC) 1946-08-25 8:30 PM EDT |
Philip Morris & Co. Philip Morris ("Call for Philip Morris!") |
Everett Sloane (Dr. Ordway), Walter Greaza | Max Marcin, Jack Johnstone, Ken Roberts | ["Detective", "Psychological", "Medical", "Crime", "Mystery"] |
"Philip Morris presents Crime Doctor, created by Max Marcin!" When an unidentified victim is discovered in a lakeside cottage with all identification, labels, and personal effects meticulously stripped away, criminal psychiatrist Dr. Benjamin Ordway reconstructs the victim's psychological profile to trap the calculating murderer for Philip Morris. |
| "Yellow Sands by Eden Phillpotts (Ronald Simpson — BBC Saturday Night Theatre)" | BBC Home 1951-08-25 9:15 PM BST |
Sustaining Devon Comedy Drama |
Ronald Simpson, Dorothy Summers, Cyril Shaps | Eden & Adelaide Phillpotts, Hugh Stewart | ["Drama", "Comedy", "British", "Devon", "Classics"] |
"Saturday Night Theatre presents Eden Phillpotts' celebrated Devonshire comedy Yellow Sands!" In a picturesque Devon coastal village, eccentric elderly spinster Jenifer Varwell gathers her squabbling relatives for her 80th birthday, secretly intending to leave her entire estate to an unruly young radical fisherman who despises inherited wealth. |
| "Sky High by Michael Gilbert (Howard Marion-Crawford — BBC Drama)" | BBC Home 1956-08-25 9:15 PM BST |
Sustaining Detective Drama |
Howard Marion-Crawford (Inspector Hazlerigg) | Michael Gilbert, Audrey Cameron | ["Detective", "Mystery", "British", "Suspense", "Crime"] |
"Saturday Night Theatre presents Michael Gilbert's gripping detective drama Sky High!" Scotland Yard's Inspector Hazlerigg is summoned to an isolated country estate after an amateur safecracker's house is violently destroyed by an explosive booby-trap, unraveling an international counterfeiting syndicate hidden behind country gentleman respectability. |
| "The Sea House by George Bellak (Lee Montague & Mary Wimbush — BBC)" | BBC Home 1962-08-25 8:30 PM BST |
Sustaining Coastal Suspense Drama |
Lee Montague, Mary Wimbush, David Spenser | George Bellak, Charles Lefeaux | ["Drama", "Suspense", "Psychological", "British", "Maritime"] |
"Saturday Night Theatre presents The Sea House, by George Bellak!" On a lonely windswept headland, an estranged family reunites at an isolated coastal house only to find themselves held hostage by an escaped political fugitive with deeply unsettling secrets from their shared past. |
| "Expensive Toys Left Out in the Rain (Martin Jarvis & Angela Pleasence — BBC Radio 4)" | BBC Radio 4 1973-08-25 8:30 PM BST |
Sustaining Contemporary Drama |
Martin Jarvis (Philip), Angela Pleasence (Celia) | Alan Gosling, Richard Wortley | ["Drama", "Psychological", "British", "Contemporary", "Marriage"] |
"Saturday Night Theatre on BBC Radio 4!" Alan Gosling's sharp psychological drama explores a wealthy young suburban couple whose glittering, affluent lifestyle unravels after an abandoned antique sports car found ruined in the woods sparks a bitter confrontation over neglected promises and hidden emotional debts. |
| "The Happiest Days of Your Life (Patricia Routledge & Dinsdale Landen — BBC)" | BBC Radio 4 1979-08-25 8:30 PM BST |
Sustaining School Comedy Farce |
Patricia Routledge (Miss Whitchurch), Dinsdale Landen | John Dighton, John Tydeman | ["Comedy", "British", "Farce", "School", "Satire"] |
"Saturday Night Theatre presents John Dighton's celebrated farce The Happiest Days of Your Life!" Chaos erupts at Hilary Hall Boys' School when the Ministry of Education mistakenly billeted an entire girls' school on their premises, forcing headmaster Wetherby Pond and formidable headmistress Miss Whitchurch (Patricia Routledge) into frantic deceit to hide the mix-up from visiting parents. |