On This Day, August 27: NBC News War Eve and Somerset Maugham
Also featured: Challenge of the Yukon.
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, live foreign reports from Berlin and London on NBC News on the brink of WWII, Don Douglas in John Steele, Adventurer, husband-and-wife sleuths in Two On a Clue for Post Toasties, Joan Fontaine in Somerset Maugham's The Letter on Your Radio Theater, Sgt. Preston and King in Challenge of the Yukon, and Louise Erickson in A Date with Judy for Old Gold (1939–1959):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Preparations for War (Berlin & London Reports)" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1939-08-27 11:00 PM EDST |
Sustaining NBC News Special |
Max Jordan (Berlin), Fred Bate (London) | Hilmar Baukhage, NBC News | ["News", "Journalism", "Wartime", "Historical", "Live Broadcast"] |
Foreign correspondents report live from European capitals on rationing orders, military call-ups, and emergency cabinet sessions as European tensions mount. |
| "Devil of the Pampas" | Mutual (WOR) 1953-08-27 9:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining International Mystery |
Don Douglas (Steele), Ted de Corsia | Robert A. Arthur (Creator) | ["Adventure", "Exotic", "Action", "Mystery", "Hardboiled"] |
Globe-trotting adventurer John Steele travels to the Argentine grasslands to assist an estranged rancher battling a syndicate of cattle rustlers. |
| "The Case of the Noisy Corpse (Part 10)" | CBS (WABC) 1945-08-27 2:00 PM EWT |
General Foods Post Toasties / Bran |
Ned Wever (Jeff), Louise Fitch (Penny) | Harry Ingram (Writer) | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Serial", "Comedy", "Domestic"] |
Husband-and-wife sleuths Jeff and Penny Spencer discover a concealed recording device planted near a victim's piano, proving the murder was staged. |
| "Somerset Maugham's 'The Letter'" | CBS (WCBS) 1959-08-27 9:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Dramatic Anthology |
Joan Fontaine, Herbert Marshall | W. Somerset Maugham (Author) | ["Drama", "Noir", "Classics", "Literature", "Anthology"] |
On a rubber plantation in Malaya, a plantation owner's wife claims she shot a burglar in self-defense until an incriminating blackmail letter is discovered. |
| "Birthday Party at Moose Jaw" | WXYZ Detroit 1942-08-27 5:30 PM EWT |
Sustaining Juvenile Frontier |
Paul Sutton (Preston), King (Wonder Dog) | George W. Trendle, Tom Dougall | ["Adventure", "Western", "Mounties", "Juvenile", "Action"] |
Sergeant Preston and King track horse thieves who ambushed a trading post delivery wagon en route to an orphan boy's birthday celebration. |
| "The End-of-Summer Country Club Dance" | NBC (WEAF) 1946-08-27 8:30 PM EDST |
P. Lorillard Co. Old Gold Cigarettes |
Louise Erickson, John Brown, Dix Davis | Marvin Miller, NBC Staff | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Teen", "Family", "Americana"] |
Judy Foster concocts an elaborate scheme to make boyfriend Oogie Pringle jealous by claiming a sophisticated college student invited her to the country club dance. |