On This Day, August 27: Bill Lance and The Cisco Kid
Also featured: Hop Harrigan.
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 and syndication, John McIntire as globe-trotting sleuth Bill Lance for Planters Peanuts, two frontier Western adventures with Jack Mather & Harry Lang on The Cisco Kid (1953 Butter-Nut Bread gold claim, 1957 convict revenge), 1937 big-top drama Jerry of the Circus, Rose Franken's Claudia and David, and Chester Stratton flying high in Hop Harrigan (1937–1957):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Killing of a Corpse" | CBS West Coast (KNX) 1944-08-27 9:00 PM PWT |
Planters Peanuts Jumbo Peanuts |
John McIntire (Bill Lance), Howard McNear | J. Benton Cheney (Creator) | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Hardboiled", "Noir", "Crime"] |
Globe-trotting investigator Bill Lance takes the case of a wealthy heir whose body is found shot twice—hours after the coroner determined he had already died of poison. |
| "The Gold Claim Swindle" | Syndicated (Ziv) 1953-08-27 |
Interstate Bakeries Butter-Nut Bread |
Jack Mather (Cisco), Harry Lang (Pancho) | Frederic W. Ziv Production | ["Western", "Adventure", "Frontier", "Juvenile", "Americana"] |
Cisco and Pancho intercept a crooked frontier land speculator trying to forge gold mine deeds and cheat an elderly prospector out of his claim. |
| "Convict's Revenge" | Syndicated (Ziv) 1957-08-27 |
Commercial Western Sponsors |
Jack Mather (Cisco), Harry Lang (Pancho) | Frederic W. Ziv Production | ["Western", "Adventure", "Frontier", "Juvenile", "Americana"] |
Cisco and Pancho race across the desert to protect a reformed town marshal from an escaped territorial convict seeking deadly vengeance. |
| "Lion Captured & The Lawyer's Letter" | Syndicated Elec 1937-08-27 |
Sustaining Circus Serial |
Jerry Randolph, Biff the Clown | Lorenz Circus Troupe | ["Children", "Adventure", "Circus", "Serial", "Americana"] |
Young circus apprentice Jerry helps the trainers capture an escaped lion before receiving an urgent legal letter revealing a clue to his family inheritance. |
| "Talks About Summer Love" | Syndicated Elec 1948-08-27 4:30 PM EDT |
Commercial Domestic Drama |
Patricia Ryan (Claudia), Richard Kollmar | Rose Franken (Creator) | ["Drama", "Romance", "Comedy", "Domestic", "Marriage"] |
Claudia and David enjoy a quiet summer afternoon in their country home, reflecting on the humor and misunderstandings of young married romance. |
| "The Channel Wing Plane (Episode 1)" | Mutual (WOR) 1947-08-27 5:15 PM EDT |
Sustaining Aviation Serial |
Chester Stratton (Hop), Ken Lynch (Tank) | Glenn Riggs (Announcer) | ["Aviation", "Adventure", "Juvenile", "Mystery", "Serial"] |
Aces of the Airways Hop Harrigan and mechanic Tank Tinker test an experimental channel-wing aircraft and uncover a corporate sabotage plot targeting the test flight. |