On This Day, August 27: Roy Rogers and The Big Story
Also featured: Magic Flute.
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, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans in The Outlaws of Ghost Mountain for Dodge, two Pulitzer-caliber investigative journalism dramatizations on The Big Story for Pall Mall (Allen Dowling in 1947, James S. Pooler in 1952), Olan Soule and Beryl Vaughn in Grand Marquee for Toni, Alexander Scourby hosting Mozart's The Magic Flute on NBC Radio Theater, and Joe DeSantis in Under Arrest (1946–1959):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Outlaws of Ghost Mountain" | NBC (WNBC) 1953-08-27 8:00 PM EDT |
Dodge Division Dodge Trucks & V-8 |
Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Pat Brady | Foy Willing, Purple Sage | ["Western", "Adventure", "Country", "Americana", "Juvenile"] |
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans track a pair of gold prospectors held hostage by outlaws inside an abandoned silver mine high in Ghost Mountain. |
| "The Man Who Licked the Kangaroo (Allen Dowling)" | NBC (WEAF) 1947-08-27 10:00 PM EDT |
American Cigarette Pall Mall Cigarettes |
Robert Sloane (Narrator), Allen Dowling | Ernest Chappell, NBC Staff | ["Docudrama", "Journalism", "Crime", "Investigative", "Americana"] |
Reporter Allen Dowling uncovers how a carnival prizefighter was framed for an armed robbery, tracking the real perpetrators through Chicago's South Side. |
| "Boy, Ten, Fights for Family (James S. Pooler)" | NBC (WNBC) 1952-08-27 9:00 PM EDT |
American Cigarette Pall Mall Cigarettes |
Robert Sloane (Narrator), James S. Pooler | Robert Sloane, NBC Staff | ["Docudrama", "Journalism", "Drama", "Americana", "Human Interest"] |
Detroit Free Press journalist James S. Pooler investigates the plight of an impoverished ten-year-old boy working to keep his orphaned siblings together. |
| "Home Is the Sailor" | NBC (WEAF) 1946-08-27 9:30 PM EDST |
Toni Company Toni Home Permanent |
Olan Soule, Beryl Vaughn, Ray Suber | NBC Dramatic Staff | ["Drama", "Romance", "Anthology", "Americana", "Post-War"] |
A returning Navy veteran struggles to adapt to civilian life in a small coastal village when he discovers his former sweetheart has pledged to marry another man. |
| "Mozart's 'The Magic Flute'" | NBC (WRCA) 1959-08-27 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Cultural Drama |
Alexander Scourby, NBC Symphony & Chorus | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | ["Opera", "Classical", "Fantasy", "Drama", "Music"] |
A dramatic radio adaptation of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera, depicting Prince Tamino's heroic trials to rescue Pamina with the enchanted flute. |
| "The Case of the Waterfront Extortionist" | Mutual (WOR) 1950-08-27 4:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Police Procedural |
Joe DeSantis (Drake), Ted de Corsia | Wynn Wright (Creator) | ["Police", "Procedural", "Crime", "Detective", "Action"] |
Police Captain John Drake leads a sting operation along the city docks to dismantle a protection racket shaking down merchant seamen and cargo handlers. |