On This Day, August 27: Sherlock Holmes and Hollywood Preview
Also featured: Kay Kyser.
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, two classic Sherlock Holmes investigations (Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce in The Adventure of the Cardboard Box for Petri Wine and Barry Foster & David Buck in The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax on the BBC), Robert Young in Hollywood Preview, Kay Kyser on Kollege of Musical Knowledge, Don Ameche in Curtain Time, and Humphrey Lyttelton chairing I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (1937–1979):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" | Mutual (WOR) 1943-08-27 8:30 PM EWT |
Petri Wine Co. Petri California Wine |
Basil Rathbone (Holmes), Nigel Bruce (Watson) | Glenhall Taylor, Harry Bartell | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Victorian", "British", "Crime"] |
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson investigate when an innocent Croydon spinster receives a gruesome package containing two severed human ears packed in coarse salt, leading them to a tragic crime of passion involving an estranged sea captain. |
| "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax" | BBC Radio 4 1978-08-27 9:05 PM |
Sustaining BBC Drama |
Barry Foster (Holmes), David Buck (Watson) | Michael Bakewell, Roger Pine | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Victorian", "British", "Crime"] |
Dr. Watson travels to Lausanne to trace a missing British aristocrat who vanished while carrying valuable Spanish jewelry, uncovering an unscrupulous con man posing as a missionary. |
| "The Sacrificial Lamb" | CBS (KNX) 1949-08-27 9:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Dramatic Anthology |
Robert Young (Host/Lead), Lurene Tuttle | Screen Guild, Elliott Lewis | ["Drama", "Noir", "Hollywood", "Crime", "Anthology"] |
A desperate Hollywood screenwriter falsely confesses to a gangland slaying to raise money for his ailing sister's surgery, only to discover his false alibi is dismantled by real mobsters. |
| "I Guess I'll Have to Dream the Rest" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1941-08-27 10:00 PM EDST |
American Tobacco Lucky Strike Cigarettes |
Kay Kyser, Harry Babbitt, Trudy Erwin | American Tobacco, Verne Smith | ["Music", "Quiz", "Big Band", "Pop Standards", "Comedy"] |
Kay Kyser and his musical troupe test collegiate contestants on popular tunes, featuring vocal performances of 'I Guess I'll Have to Dream the Rest' by Harry Babbitt and Trudy Erwin. |
| "Another Life" | Mutual (WGN) 1937-08-27 10:00 PM EDST |
General Mills Wheaties ("Champions") |
Don Ameche, Beryl Vaughn | General Mills, Pierre Andre | ["Drama", "Romance", "Melodrama", "Americana", "Anthology"] |
A weary concert pianist suffering from amnesia after a train wreck assumes a new identity in a small Midwestern town, falling in love before his forgotten past resurfaces. |
| "The Advertisers' Ball" | BBC Radio 4 1979-08-27 6:30 PM |
Sustaining Comedy Panel Game |
Humphrey Lyttelton (Chair), Barry Cryer | Geoff Mullett, Colin Sell | ["Comedy", "Panel Game", "Satire", "British", "Improv"] |
Humphrey Lyttelton chairs an unscripted comedy panel game featuring Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, Barry Cryer, and Willie Rushton competing in rounds of Sound Charades and Mornington Crescent. |