On This Day, August 28: The Man Called X and Lassie
Also featured: NBC Symphony.
August 28 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 28 across American network radio and syndication, Herbert Marshall as secret agent Ken Thurston dodging Axis agents in Lisbon, the Black Forest, and post-war Europe on The Man Called X (1944–1947), Lassie rescuing boys from a collapsing flooded mill for Red Heart Dog Food, Massimo Freccia conducting the NBC Symphony at Studio 8H, and courtroom ballistics on Public Prosecutor (1944–1955):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Great Bell" | NBC (WNBC) 1948-08-28 6:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Classical Concert |
Massimo Freccia (Cond) | NBC Symphony Orchestra | ["Music", "Classical", "Symphonic", "Orchestral", "Fine Arts"] |
Guest conductor Massimo Freccia leads the NBC Symphony Orchestra in Respighi's symphonic poem and Russian masterworks at Studio 8H. |
| "Murder, Music, and a Blonde Madonna (AFRS)" | AFRS Military 1944-08-28 |
AFRS / Sustaining Military Rebroadcast |
Herbert Marshall, Leon Belasco | Jack Johnstone (Director) | ["Espionage", "Mystery", "Thriller", "Wartime", "Action"] |
Ken Thurston travels to Lisbon to intercept an Axis courier smuggling secret naval invasion codes hidden within sheet music. |
| "The Secret of the Black Forest" | ABC (WJZ) 1945-08-28 10:00 PM EWT |
P. Lorillard Co. Old Gold Cigarettes |
Herbert Marshall, Leon Belasco | Jack Johnstone (Director) | ["Espionage", "Mystery", "Thriller", "Wartime", "Action"] |
Ken Thurston infiltrates a hidden underground laboratory in the Black Forest to stop diehard Nazi scientists preparing biological weapons. |
| "The Least of These" | CBS (WABC) 1947-08-28 8:00 PM EDT |
General Motors Frigidaire Appliances |
Herbert Marshall, Leon Belasco | Jack Johnstone (Director) | ["Espionage", "Mystery", "Thriller", "Postwar", "Action"] |
Ken Thurston protects an orphaned refugee child carrying key cryptographic documents through war-ravaged central Europe. |
| "Trapped in the Abandoned Mill" | ABC (WJZ) 1948-08-28 5:15 PM EDT |
John Morrell & Co. Red Heart 3-Flavor Dog Food |
Pal (Lassie), Marvin Miller | Eric Knight (Creator) | ["Adventure", "Animals", "Juvenile", "Action", "Americana"] |
Lassie races through a thunderstorm to lead townsfolk to two boys trapped inside a flooded, collapsing lumber mill. |
| "The Case of the People vs. Vance Cooper" | Syndicated Elec 1955-08-28 |
Commercial Regional Sponsors |
John Howard, Anne Gwynne | Walter Sande | ["Legal", "Courtroom", "Detective", "Mystery", "Whodunit"] |
The public prosecutor presents ballistics and fingerprint evidence to prove an ambitious theatrical producer murdered his wealthy backer. |