On This Day, August 23: Four Decades of Meet the Press and Miss Marple
Also featured: The Guiding Light.
August 23 Exhaustive Update
This report documents the comprehensive provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, and story synopses for historical broadcasts transmitting on August 23 across American and British broadcasting history (1946–1999):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Meet the Press: Secretary of Labor Lewis B. Schwellenbach on Post-War Strikes" | Mutual (WOR) 1946-08-23 10:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Mutual Public Affairs |
Martha Rountree (Moderator), Lawrence E. Spivak, Lewis B. Schwellenbach | Martha Rountree & Lawrence Spivak (Creators) | ["News", "Interview", "Public Affairs", "Politics"] |
Secretary of Labor Lewis B. Schwellenbach faces sharp questioning from Lawrence E. Spivak and a panel of Washington correspondents regarding post-war nationwide strikes, wage stabilization, and labor arbitration policy. |
| "Meet the Press: UN Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. on the Korean Truce (Revere Ware)" | NBC (WNBC) 1953-08-23 6:00 PM EDT |
Revere Copper & Brass Revere Ware Cooking Utensils |
Martha Rountree (Moderator), Lawrence E. Spivak, Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. | Lawrence Spivak (Producer), Jim MacAllen (Director) | ["News", "Interview", "Public Affairs", "Politics"] |
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. defends American diplomatic strategy in the aftermath of the Korean War armistice, fielding tough questions on Soviet relations and UN seating for neutral nations. |
| "Meet the Press: Erwin Canham on Inflation & Khrushchev's U.S. Visit" | NBC (WNBC) 1959-08-23 6:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Commercial Co-op |
Ned Brooks (Moderator), Lawrence E. Spivak, Erwin Canham | Lawrence Spivak (Producer), NBC Public Affairs | ["News", "Interview", "Public Affairs", "Economics"] |
Erwin Canham, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and editor of The Christian Science Monitor, discusses inflation pressures, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev's upcoming U.S. visit, and national economic growth with Lawrence Spivak's press panel. |
| "Meet the Press: Senators Hubert H. Humphrey & Eugene McCarthy at the 1964 DNC" | NBC News 1964-08-23 6:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining NBC News Special |
Ned Brooks (Moderator), Lawrence Spivak, Hubert Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy | Lawrence Spivak (Producer, Atlantic City) | ["News", "Interview", "Public Affairs", "Politics"] |
Broadcasting live on the eve of the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, Minnesota Senators Hubert H. Humphrey and Eugene McCarthy face questions regarding the vice presidential nomination, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party seating challenge. |
| "Agatha Christie's A Murder Is Announced (Part 3) — Starring June Whitfield as Miss Marple" | BBC Radio 4 1999-08-23 2:00 PM |
Non-commercial BBC Public Radio |
June Whitfield (Miss Marple), Ian Lavender, Paola Dionisotti | Agatha Christie (Author), Michael Bakewell (Adapter), Enyd Williams | ["Mystery", "Detective", "Drama", "British"] |
In Part 3 of Agatha Christie's A Murder Is Announced, Miss Marple pieces together clues following the second poisoning at Little Paddocks, realizing the murderer is concealing their true identity behind a false family inheritance claim. |
| "Meta Confides in Ross Boling (Procter & Gamble Duz)" | CBS (WCBS) 1950-08-23 1:45 PM EDT |
Procter & Gamble Duz Laundry Soap & Ivory Flakes |
Jone Allison (Meta Bauer), Phil Sterling (Ross Boling), Lyle Sudrow | Agnes Nixon (Writer), Walter Gorman (Director), Hal Simms | ["Soap Opera", "Romance", "Drama", "Domestic"] |
In Selby Flats, an emotionally distraught Meta Bauer White confides in defense attorney Ross Boling about her husband Ted White's manipulative behavior and her growing fears for the psychological welfare of her son Chuckie. |