On This Day, August 23: Herbert Marshall and Spotlight Bands
Also featured: The Big Story.
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 network broadcasting history (1937–1980):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Spotlighting the Year 1902 (Anthracite Strike & The Gibson Girl)" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1937-08-23 8:00 PM EST |
Sustaining NBC Historical Drama |
Raymond Edward Johnson, Adele Ronson, Mark Warnow Orchestra | Blevins Davis (Writer & Producer), Neil O'Malley (Narrator) | ["Documentary", "Historical", "Music", "Drama"] |
A musical and dramatic retrospective recreating the headlines and cultural milestones of 1902, dramatizing the historic Anthracite Coal Strike negotiations led by President Theodore Roosevelt and the debut of the Gibson Girl dance crazes. |
| "Spotlight Bands #597: Bob Chester and his Orchestra Performing 'The Bounce'" | Blue Network (WJZ) 1943-08-23 9:30 PM EWT |
The Coca-Cola Co. Coca-Cola ("Have a Coke!") |
Bob Chester Orchestra, Betty Bradley, Gene Howard | D'Arcy Advertising Agency, Gil Martyn (Announcer) | ["Music", "Big Band", "Swing", "Live Remote", "War"] |
Bob Chester and his Orchestra broadcast live for defense plant workers and military personnel, performing swinging arrangements of 'The Bounce' and 'Harbor Lights' for Coca-Cola. |
| "Spotlight Bands #911: Bobby Sherwood and his Orchestra Live for Allied Troops" | Blue Network (WJZ) 1944-08-23 9:30 PM EWT |
The Coca-Cola Co. Coca-Cola |
Bobby Sherwood and his Orchestra | D'Arcy Advertising Agency, Gil Martyn (Announcer) | ["Music", "Big Band", "Jazz", "Live Remote", "War"] |
Bobby Sherwood leads his high-energy big band live before stationed military troops, performing his signature million-selling composition 'The Elks' Parade' and 'Sherwood's Forest' for Coca-Cola. |
| "An Inspector Calls (Starring Herbert Marshall)" | CBS (WCBS) 1951-08-23 9:00 PM EDT |
Hall Brothers, Inc. Hallmark Greeting Cards |
Lionel Barrymore (Host), Herbert Marshall (Inspector Goole), Lurene Tuttle | J.B. Priestley (Author), Jean Holloway (Adapter), Bill Gay (Director) | ["Drama", "Mystery", "Theatre", "Moral Drama", "Anthology"] |
Host Lionel Barrymore introduces J.B. Priestley's profound moral drama starring Herbert Marshall as the enigmatic Inspector Goole, who interrupts an affluent family's celebratory dinner party to reveal how each family member contributed to the suicide of a destitute young woman. |
| "Accident Victim Found in Canyon (Honoring Jim Hart of The Los Angeles Examiner)" | NBC (WNBC) 1950-08-23 10:00 PM EDT |
American Tobacco Pall Mall Famous Cigarettes |
Robert Sloane (Narrator), Larry Haines (Jim Hart), Mandel Kramer | Bernard J. Prockter (Producer), Harry Ingram (Director) | ["True Crime", "Journalism", "Police", "Drama"] |
The true journalistic investigation of reporter Jim Hart of The Los Angeles Examiner, who proves that a fatal automobile plunge down a remote mountain canyon was not an accidental brake failure, but an orchestrated insurance murder. |
| "Bob Elson Interviews American League Baseball Umpire John Rice" | WGN Chicago 1980-08-23 (Amtrak Remote) |
Local Advertisers Chicago Co-op |
Bob Elson (Interviewer / Broadcaster), John Rice (MLB Umpire) | Bob Elson Productions, Chicago | ["Interview", "Talk", "Sports", "Baseball"] |
Veteran Chicago sportscaster Bob Elson conducts a trainside interview with American League baseball umpire John Rice, discussing contentious umpire calls, legendary managers, and twenty-five years officiating major league pennant races. |