On This Day, August 27: Admiral Turner and Gunsmoke
Also featured: Ellery Queen.
August 27 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 27 across American network radio, Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner's eyewitness account of the Battle of Okinawa and the Allied victory fleet on CBS, William Conrad and Howard McNear in John Meston's classic Gunsmoke script "Doc Quits" for L&M, Hugh Marlowe as Ellery Queen for Gulf Oil, Paul Whiteman on The Philco Radio Hall of Fame, Dana Andrews in I Was a Communist For The FBI, and Arnold Marquis's geopolitical documentary The Pacific Story (1939–1955):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner on Okinawa & Pacific Victory" | CBS (WABC) 1945-08-27 8:00 PM EWT |
Sustaining CBS News Special |
Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner | CBS News Staff | ["News", "Military", "Wartime", "Historical", "Live Broadcast"] |
Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner delivers a comprehensive eyewitness account of the amphibious assault on Okinawa and preparations for the Allied occupation fleet entering Tokyo Bay. |
| "Doc Quits" | CBS (WCBS) 1955-08-27 12:30 PM EDT |
Liggett & Myers L&M Filter Cigarettes |
William Conrad (Dillon), Howard McNear (Doc) | John Meston, Norman Macdonnell | ["Western", "Drama", "Frontier", "Americana", "Adult Western"] |
An exhausted Doc Adams decides to pack his medical bag and abandon Dodge City forever after an ungrateful wounded gunslinger threatens him. |
| "The Adventure of the Secret Partner" | CBS (WABC) 1939-08-27 8:00 PM EDST |
Gulf Oil Corp. Gulf Pride Oil & Gas |
Hugh Marlowe (Queen), Santos Ortega | Marian Shockley, CBS Staff | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Whodunit", "Armchair Detective", "Crime"] |
Ellery Queen challenges a panel of guest arm-chair detectives to deduce which member of an import firm murdered the silent partner before the safe was looted. |
| "Variety Revue & Hit Parade Hits" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1944-08-27 6:00 PM EWT |
Philco Corp. Philco Radios |
Paul Whiteman, Martha Tilton | Deems Taylor (Host) | ["Variety", "Music", "Vaudeville", "Big Band", "Pop Standards"] |
Paul Whiteman conducts orchestral selections, Martha Tilton sings wartime hits, and guest stars stage theatrical comedy sketches honoring the week's entertainment achievements. |
| "Burnt Offering" | Syndicated (Ziv) 1952-08-27 |
Commercial Espionage Sponsors |
Dana Andrews (Matt Cvetic) | Frederic W. Ziv Production | ["Espionage", "Cold War", "Crime", "Docudrama", "Thriller"] |
FBI undercover operative Matt Cvetic infiltrates a Communist sabotage cell attempting to torch a strategic munitions warehouse. |
| "Vladivostok: Mistress of the Far East" | NBC (WEAF) 1944-08-27 11:30 PM EWT |
Sustaining NBC Cultural Series |
NBC Dramatic Repertory | Arnold Marquis (Writer) | ["Documentary", "Educational", "Geopolitical", "Wartime", "Historical"] |
An extensive documentary dramatizing the strategic geopolitical importance, naval fortress history, and supply lines of the Soviet Pacific port city of Vladivostok. |