On This Day, August 22: The Thin Man and Calling All Detectives
Also featured: Norman Vincent Peale.
August 22 Exhaustive Update
This report documents the comprehensive provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, and story synopses for 6 historical broadcasts transmitting on August 22 across American and South African broadcasting history (1947–1980):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Case of the Deadly Nightmare" | CBS (WCBS) 1947-08-22 8:30 PM EDT |
General Foods Corp. Post's Toasties & Sanka Coffee |
Les Damon (Nick Charles), Claudia Morgan (Nora), Parker Fennelly (Sheriff) | Dashiell Hammett (Creator), Milton Lewis (Writer), Himan Brown (Director), Ron Rawson (Announcer) | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Comedy", "Crime"] |
Nick and Nora Charles (along with their wire fox terrier Asta) spend a summer weekend in the Connecticut countryside where a sleepwalking heir is found holding a bloody antique dagger over his murdered uncle's body, prompting Nick to prove the young man was framed while under the influence of scopolamine. |
| "The Case of the Stolen Diamond Brooch (Jerry Browning Mystery)" | Mutual Syndication 1949-08-22 (Co-op Broadcast) |
Local Advertisers Participating Retail Sponsors |
Vincent Pelletier (Host), Frank Lovejoy (Jerry Browning) | George Anderson (Writer), Ted MacMurray (Director) | ["Mystery", "Detective", "Quiz", "Short"] |
Private detective Jerry Browning outlines the forensic clues in the theft of an emerald-cut diamond brooch from an upscale hotel safe, challenging listeners at home to identify the suspect's fatal logical flaw before the telephone operator calls a contestant for a cash jackpot. |
| "One Leak Leads to Another (The Poisoned Water Reservoir)" | Springbok / SABC 1972-08-22 (Durban Studios) |
Regional Advertisers Springbok Radio Drama |
Adrian Steed (Host), Springbok Drama Repertory Company | Douglas Bristow (Writer), SABC Durban Production | ["Suspense", "Thriller", "Horror", "Drama"] |
A tense psychological thriller about a municipal reservoir inspector who uncovers a clandestine plot by extortionists to contaminate a metropolitan water filtration system with an experimental bio-toxin unless their million-rand demand is paid in diamonds. |
| "Gdansk Shipyard Strike: Solidarity Movement Expands Across Poland" | Mutual (Washington) 1980-08-22 6:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Mutual Evening News |
Ed O'Brien (Washington Anchor), foreign correspondents | Mutual Newsroom, Washington, D.C. | ["News", "Public Affairs", "Historical"] |
Mutual News correspondents provide live coverage as tens of thousands of Polish shipyard workers led by Lech Wałęsa continue their general strike in Gdańsk demanding independent trade unions, while Soviet military forces conduct conspicuous maneuvers along the Polish border. |
| "Dr. Norman Vincent Peale: Supporting Cast of the Bible (Part 8)" | NBC (WNBC) 1954-08-22 10:00 AM EDT |
National Council of Churches / Non-commercial |
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, NBC Radio Choir | NBC Public Affairs, Kenneth Banghart (Announcer) | ["Inspirational", "Religious", "Talk", "Educational"] |
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale delivers the eighth installment of his series on the overlooked figures of the Bible, exploring how ordinary, unnamed biblical citizens demonstrated extraordinary faith and moral resilience in times of crisis to provide everyday inspiration for modern listeners. |
| "The Eternal Light: Poetry of the Bible — The Book of Proverbs" | NBC (WNBC) 1965-08-22 12:30 PM EDT |
Jewish Theological Seminary of America |
Norman Rose, Marian Seldes, Alexander Scourby, Cantor David Putterman | Morton Wishengrad (Writer), Daniel Sutter (Director) | ["Inspirational", "Religious", "Cultural", "Literature"] |
Norman Rose, Marian Seldes, and Alexander Scourby present a lyrical dramatic exploration of the biblical Book of Proverbs, weaving ancient King Solomon's proverbs on wisdom, justice, and humility with traditional cantorial music from the Jewish Theological Seminary. |