On This Day, August 27: Charles de Gaulle Paris Sniper and Mr. District Attorney
Also featured: Skippy Hollywood Theatre.
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 and British radio, Charles Collingwood's dramatic live eyewitness reporting of the assassination attempt on General Charles de Gaulle inside Notre-Dame during Paris liberation services, Kenneth Horne in The Little Things in Life, two legal crusades with Jay Jostyn on Mr. District Attorney for Vitalis, United Press war correspondent Joseph Grigg on Soldiers of the Press, and Robert Young & Lurene Tuttle starring in The Sacrificial Lamb on Skippy Hollywood Theatre for Skippy Peanut Butter (1941–1975):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "General Charles de Gaulle Assassination Attempt in Liberated Paris" | CBS (WABC) 1944-08-27 11:00 PM EWT |
Sustaining CBS News Special |
Charles Collingwood, Douglas Edwards | CBS News Staff | ["News", "Journalism", "Wartime", "Historical", "Live Broadcast"] |
CBS correspondents report live from Paris describing sniper fire inside Notre-Dame Cathedral during a liberation Te Deum service attended by General Charles de Gaulle. |
| "Spending the Night in a Motel" | BBC Radio 4 1975-08-27 11:15 AM |
Sustaining BBC Comedy |
Kenneth Horne, BBC Repertory | BBC Variety Staff | ["Comedy", "British", "Satire", "Short Form", "Observational"] |
A humorous slice-of-life monologue observing the eccentricities, plumbing mishaps, and noisy neighbors encountered during an overnight stay in a roadside motel. |
| "The Case of the Counterfeit Draft Cards" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1941-08-27 9:30 PM EDST |
Bristol-Myers Vitalis & Ipana |
Jay Jostyn (Garrett), Vicki Vola, Len Doyle | Phillips H. Lord (Creator) | ["Police", "Procedural", "Legal", "Detective", "Crime"] |
District Attorney Paul Garrett breaks up an extortion ring forging Selective Service classification cards for desperate young men. |
| "The Case of All's Fair in Love and Murder" | NBC (WNBC) 1947-08-27 9:30 PM EDT |
Bristol-Myers Vitalis & Sal Hepatica |
Jay Jostyn (Garrett), Vicki Vola, Len Doyle | Phillips H. Lord Production | ["Police", "Procedural", "Legal", "Detective", "Crime"] |
The District Attorney investigates the fatal poisoning of a wealthy matrimonial agency director, uncovering a trail of swindled widows and blackmail. |
| "Joseph Grigg — The Paper Hanger" | United Press 1944-08-27 Syndicated |
Sustaining UP War Drama |
Harrison Forman, UP Dramatic Cast | United Press Staff | ["Docudrama", "Journalism", "Wartime", "Military", "Historical"] |
A dramatization of United Press frontline correspondent Joseph Grigg's perilous reporting from Berlin under Gestapo surveillance prior to America's entry into the war. |
| "The Sacrificial Lamb" | Syndicated 1948-08-27 9:00 PM |
Rosefield Packing Skippy Peanut Butter |
Robert Young, Lurene Tuttle | Les Mitchel (Director) | ["Drama", "Hollywood", "Anthology", "Legal", "Suspense"] |
An ambitious junior law associate agrees to take the fall for a senior partner's financial impropriety until he discovers he is being set up for criminal indictment. |