On This Day, August 27: What Ho Jeeves and Death Valley Days
Also featured: The Tide Show.
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, Michael Hordern and Richard Briers concluding P.G. Wodehouse's The Mating Season on What Ho, Jeeves!, two legendary frontier docudramas on Death Valley Days for 20 Mule Team Borax (1937 Snowshoe Thompson, 1942 Buck and Jess), Jack Smith and Dinah Shore on The Tide Show for Procter & Gamble, and Myrtle Vail's backstage serial Myrt and Marge (1937–1975):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Mating Season (Episode 5 of 5)" | BBC Radio 4 1975-08-27 12:27 PM |
Sustaining BBC Radio Comedy |
Michael Hordern (Jeeves), Richard Briers (Bertie) | Jonathan Cecil, P.G. Wodehouse | ["Comedy", "British", "Satire", "Literature", "Humor"] |
Jeeves orchestrates an ingenious romantic reconciliation at Deverill Hall, untangling five fraught engagements and rescuing Bertie from matrimonial doom. |
| "Snowshoe Thompson" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1937-08-27 8:30 PM EDST |
Pacific Coast Borax 20 Mule Team Borax |
Tim Frawley (Old Ranger), John MacBryde | Ruth Cornwall Woodman (Writer) | ["Western", "Docudrama", "Frontier", "Historical", "Americana"] |
The Old Ranger recounts the heroic frontier legend of Norwegian mail carrier Snowshoe Thompson crossing the blizzard-swept Sierra Nevada mountains on handcrafted skis. |
| "Buck and Jess" | CBS (WABC) 1942-08-27 8:00 PM EWT |
Pacific Coast Borax 20 Mule Team Borax |
Tim Frawley (The Old Ranger) | Ruth Cornwall Woodman (Writer) | ["Western", "Docudrama", "Frontier", "Mining", "Americana"] |
Two rival frontier prospectors join forces to defend their desert gold claim against a band of claim jumpers during a severe sandstorm. |
| "Wartime Swing & Vocal Harmonies" | CBS (WABC) 1945-08-27 7:15 PM EWT |
Procter & Gamble Tide Detergent |
Jack Smith, Clark Sisters, Earl Sheldon | CBS Production Staff | ["Music", "Pop Standards", "Vocal", "Big Band", "Variety"] |
Smilin' Jack Smith and The Clark Sisters sing upbeat popular tunes and wartime victory standards backed by Earl Sheldon's orchestra. |
| "I Feel a Song Coming On" | CBS (WCBS) 1951-08-27 7:15 PM EDT |
Procter & Gamble Tide ("Dirt's Out!") |
Jack Smith, Dinah Shore, Skylarks | Frank DeVol Orchestra | ["Music", "Pop Standards", "Vocal", "Broadway", "Variety"] |
Jack Smith and Dinah Shore duet on classic American standards and lively Broadway show tunes, featuring Jimmy McHugh's 'I Feel a Song Coming On'. |
| "Vivian Admits to Threatening Ray Hunt" | Syndicated Elec 1946-08-27 |
Commercial Soap Opera Sponsors |
Myrtle Vail, Donna Damerel, Ray Hedge | Myrtle Vail (Creator) | ["Drama", "Soap Opera", "Vaudeville", "Backstage", "Serial"] |
Backstage tensions erupt when chorus girl Vivian confesses to confronting director Ray Hunt over stolen chorus line rehearsals. |