On This Day, August 27: Earplay and Sherlock Holmes
Also featured: Mystery of the Week.
August 27 Update
This report documents the historical provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, and pure narrative synopses for broadcasts transmitting on August 27 across American network radio and modern audio theatre, James McLure's Texas back-porch comedy Laundry and Bourbon on NPR Earplay, John Patrick Lowrie and Lawrence Albert in Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger on Imagination Theatre, John McIntire in two serial investigations on Mystery of the Week for Ivory Soap, Glenn Langan in Mystery Is My Hobby, and Sammy Kaye on Sunday Serenade for Serutan (1944–2006):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "James McLure's 'Laundry and Bourbon' (Part 1)" | NPR 1981-08-27 |
CPB / NEA Public Radio Drama |
Elizabeth Franz, JoBeth Williams | James McLure, Karl Schmidt | ["Drama", "Comedy", "Theatre", "Americana", "Southern"] |
Three small-town Texas women gather on a back porch on a sweltering summer afternoon, folding laundry, drinking bourbon, and trading marital secrets. |
| "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger" | Imagination Theatre 2006-08-27 |
Sustaining Audio Mystery |
John Patrick Lowrie, Lawrence Albert | M.J. Elliott, Jim French | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Victorian", "British", "Crime"] |
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson visit a reclusive scarred former circus performer who confesses the truth behind the tragic beast attack that killed her husband years earlier. |
| "The Case of the Two-Cent Panama (Part 2)" | CBS (WABC) 1946-08-27 7:00 PM EDST |
Procter & Gamble Ivory Bar Soap |
John McIntire, Jeanette Nolan | CBS Mystery Staff | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Serial", "Police", "Crime"] |
Inspector Ross discovers a rare counterfeit two-cent postage stamp concealed under the lining of an inexpensive Panama hat, unlocking an international smuggling network. |
| "The Case of the Formal Duck (Part 3)" | CBS (WCBS) 1947-08-27 7:00 PM EDT |
Procter & Gamble Ivory Soap |
John McIntire, Lurene Tuttle | CBS Mystery Staff | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Serial", "Police", "Crime"] |
A stuffed decorative mallard duck wearing a miniature bow tie leads police detectives to a hidden safe deposit box containing stolen diamonds. |
| "Bullets Make Holes" | Mutual / Synd 1947-08-27 8:30 PM |
Commercial Mystery Sponsors |
Glenn Langan (Barton Drake), Norman Field | Broadcasters Guild | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Hardboiled", "Crime", "Author"] |
Mystery author and amateur criminologist Barton Drake investigates when an extortionist is shot dead inside a soundproof shooting gallery with five different pistols. |
| "I'm Making Believe & Sunday Serenade" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1944-08-27 1:30 PM EWT |
Serutan Co. Serutan ("Read Backwards") |
Sammy Kaye, Billy Williams, Three Kaydets | NBC Blue Production | ["Music", "Sweet Band", "Pop Standards", "Vocal", "Poetry"] |
Sammy Kaye and his orchestra perform wartime pop standards including 'I'm Making Believe', sweet swing ballads, and romantic poetry readings. |