On This Day, August 27: Jean Shepherd and Marvin Miller
Also featured: Raffles.
August 27 Update
This report marks the 100.0% completion of the August 27th day-by-day review (443/443 broadcasts updated)! This final installment documents 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, WOR New York, and the BBC, three iconic late-night monologues by Jean Shepherd on WOR (1960 TV listings, 1963 childhood fears, and 1973 dream nightmares), oral history with veteran actor Marvin Miller, and two gentleman crook adventures on Raffles (1943 CBS philatelic heist and 1992 BBC Radio 4 Boer War finale) (1943–1992):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "TV Listings, Ocean Voyages, and Parking Tickets" | WOR New York 1960-08-27 10:15 PM EDT |
Sustaining Late-Night Monologue |
Jean Shepherd | WOR 710 AM | ["Humor", "Monologue", "Storytelling", "Satire", "Americana"] |
Jean Shepherd reflects satirically on the absurdities of daily television schedules, transatlantic ocean crossings, and the existential dread of Manhattan parking tickets. |
| "The Mortal Fear" | WOR New York 1963-08-27 11:15 PM EDT |
Sustaining Late-Night Monologue |
Jean Shepherd | WOR 710 AM | ["Humor", "Monologue", "Storytelling", "Nostalgia", "Americana"] |
Jean Shepherd spins a nostalgic, funny yarn about childhood anxieties, playground superstitions, and the universal terror of elementary school teachers. |
| "Nightmare" | WOR New York 1973-08-27 11:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Late-Night Monologue |
Jean Shepherd | WOR 710 AM | ["Humor", "Monologue", "Storytelling", "Satire", "Psychological"] |
Jean Shepherd recounts vivid, surreal dreams of mechanical failures, crowded subways, and modern industrial life spinning out of control. |
| "Marvin Miller (Part 5)" | Audio Archive 1972-08-27 |
Sustaining Oral History Archive |
John Hickman, Marvin Miller | Golden Age of Radio | ["Interview", "Oral History", "Biography", "Old-Time Radio", "Documentary"] |
Veteran actor and announcer Marvin Miller discusses his work on The Whistler, The FBI in Peace and War, and his dramatic vocal characterizations. |
| "The Case of the Seven Stamps" | CBS (WABC) 1943-08-27 8:30 PM EWT |
Sustaining Mystery Drama |
Horace Braham, Dramatic Cast | E.W. Hornung (Author) | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Caper", "Heist", "British"] |
Gentleman safecracker A.J. Raffles and Bunny Manders target a rare Victorian philatelic stamp collection locked inside an eccentric lord's study. |
| "The Knees of the Gods" | BBC Radio 4 1992-08-27 |
Sustaining BBC Radio Drama |
Jeremy Clyde, Michael Cochrane | E.W. Hornung, Olwen Wymark | ["Drama", "British", "Military", "Historical", "Adventure"] |
A.J. Raffles and Bunny volunteer for front-line military combat in the Boer War under assumed names, seeking redemption and facing their ultimate fate. |
2. August 27 Completion Summary
- Date: August 27
- Total Broadcasts Updated on August 27: 443 of 443 (100.0% Complete)