On This Day, August 27: Let George Do It and 1984 with David Niven
Also featured: Parker Fennelly.
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, the BBC, and historical archives, Bob Bailey in Let George Do It for Chevron, Peter Tinniswood's cricket satire on BBC Radio 4, British superstar Gracie Fields, oral history interview with Titus Moody actor Parker Fennelly, and two masterworks on NBC University Theater (1948 Ellen Glasgow's The Romantic Comedians starring Herbert Marshall and 1949 landmark production of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four starring David Niven) (1944–1981):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Murder on Vacation" | Mutual / Don Lee 1951-08-27 8:00 PM PDT |
Standard Oil of Calif. Chevron & Supreme |
Bob Bailey (George), Virginia Gregg (Brooksy) | David Victor & Jackson Gillis | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Hardboiled", "Crime", "Comedy"] |
George Valentine's quiet mountain fishing holiday is abruptly shattered when a wealthy tourist is found poisoned in a locked cabin. |
| "What Do I Mean By..." | BBC Radio 4 1981-08-27 6:30 PM |
Sustaining BBC Radio Comedy |
Robin Bailey (Narrator) | Peter Tinniswood (Writer) | ["Comedy", "British", "Satire", "Sports", "Monologue"] |
An eccentric English cricket aficionado sits in the pavilion long room spinning fantastical, satirical yarns about historic test matches. |
| "You Only Want It When You Can't Have It" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1944-08-27 8:00 PM EWT |
American Viscose Crown Rayon |
Gracie Fields, Carl Hoff Orchestra | NBC Blue Music Staff | ["Music", "Comedy", "Variety", "British", "Vocal"] |
Beloved British music-hall star Gracie Fields performs comic dialect sketches and spirited wartime songs for factory workers. |
| "Parker Fennelly" | Audio Archive 1977-08-27 |
Sustaining Oral History Archive |
Dave Siegel, Parker Fennelly | Old-Time Radio History | ["Interview", "Oral History", "Biography", "Old-Time Radio", "Documentary"] |
Veteran character actor Parker Fennelly reflects on his long career playing Titus Moody on Allen's Alley and rural Down East characters. |
| "The Romantic Comedians" | NBC (WNBC) 1948-08-27 9:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Literary Showcase |
Herbert Marshall, Lurene Tuttle | Ellen Glasgow (Author) | ["Drama", "Classic Literature", "Satire", "Southern", "Anthology"] |
An aging, aristocratic Southern judge marries a vivacious young flapper, resulting in scandalous gossip and domestic discord across Virginia society. |
| "Nineteen Eighty-Four" | NBC (WNBC) 1949-08-27 6:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Literary Showcase |
David Niven, Norma Jean Nilsson, Herb Butterfield | George Orwell (Author), Andrew C. Love | ["Sci-Fi", "Dystopian", "Classic Literature", "Political", "Drama"] |
Winston Smith secretly rebels against the omnipresent totalitarian regime of Big Brother in dystopian Oceania, falling in love with Julia. |