On This Day, August 23: Jean Shepherd and Count of Monte Cristo
Also featured: Raffles.
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, Canadian, international, and New York broadcasting history (1935–1965), completing 100% of the August 23 day (390 total broadcasts updated):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Should Immigration to Israel Be Restricted? (Town Hall Cairo, Egypt)" | ABC (WJZ) 1949-08-23 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Town Hall World Tour |
George V. Denny Jr. (MC), Israel Rokach, Habib Abi-Chahla | Town Hall Cairo Bureau, George Hicks (Announcer) | ["Debate", "Public Affairs", "Politics", "Historical", "International"] |
Broadcasting live from Cairo, Egypt during Town Hall's historic global tour, Mayor of Tel Aviv Israel Rokach and Lebanese leader Habib Abi-Chahla debate the contentious issue of unrestricted immigration into the newly established State of Israel. |
| "The Trapper's Cabin Ambush (Blair of the Mounties — Episode #5)" | CJOR / Syndication 1935-08-23 (Canadian Transcription) |
Regional Advertisers Canadian Syndication |
Col. J. Innes (Sergeant Blair), Mary Lou Dickson | Col. J. Innes (Writer/Producer) | ["Western", "Adventure", "Canadian", "Action", "Police"] |
In the Yukon wilderness, Mountie Sergeant Blair tracks a ruthless pair of fur thieves to a secluded snowbound cabin on the Klondike Trail, orchestrating an ambush to save a wounded trapper. |
| "The Great Hollywood Bible Movie Epic (Jean Shepherd — WOR New York)" | WOR 710 AM 1963-08-23 11:15 PM EDT |
The Village Voice Local New York Commercials |
Jean Shepherd (Host / Monologist) | WOR New York Live Broadcast | ["Comedy", "Monologue", "Satire", "Humor", "Storytelling"] |
Master raconteur Jean Shepherd delivers a hilarious late-night satirical improvisation mocking Hollywood's gargantuan widescreen biblical movie epics, skewering overproduced Roman chariot pageantry and booming orchestral scores. |
| "Why the British and Japanese Will Never Play Good Baseball (Jean Shepherd)" | WOR 710 AM 1965-08-23 11:15 PM EDT |
The Village Voice Local New York Commercials |
Jean Shepherd (Host / Monologist) | WOR New York Live Broadcast | ["Comedy", "Monologue", "Satire", "Humor", "Sports"] |
Jean Shepherd spins a rambling, brilliant comedic theory on the uniquely American soul of baseball, explaining why polite British cricket traditions and Japanese cultural formality fundamentally clash with arguing with umpires and chewing tobacco. |
| "The Affair of the King's Messenger (Starring Carleton Young as The Count of Monte Cristo)" | Mutual-Don Lee 1949-08-23 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Mutual Presentation |
Carleton Young (Edmond Dantès), Parley Baer, Virginia Gregg | Alexandre Dumas, Jay Gould, Jaime del Valle, John Laing | ["Adventure", "Historical", "Drama", "Swashbuckler", "Literature"] |
The enigmatic Count of Monte Cristo intervenes in a high-stakes Parisian diplomatic conspiracy when a royal courier carrying secret state treaties is assassinated in an alleyway near the Seine. |
| "The Case of the Seven Stamps (Starring J.T. Rogers as A.J. Raffles)" | CBS / CBC Radio 1943-08-23 8:30 PM EWT |
Sustaining CBS Mystery Presentation |
J.T. Rogers (A.J. Raffles), Horace Lapp (Bunny Manders) | E.W. Hornung, Charles Mortimer, Don Gordon | ["Detective", "Crime", "Mystery", "British", "Victorian"] |
Gentleman thief and champion cricketer A.J. Raffles and sidekick Bunny Manders target a crooked London philatelist who possesses seven priceless stolen Victorian postage stamps, outwitting Inspector Mackenzie with a daring sleight-of-hand swap. |