On This Day, August 28: Lux Radio Theatre and Ellery Queen
Also featured: Shirer.
August 28 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 28 across American network radio and international news shortwave, Dana Andrews & Susan Hayward in My Foolish Heart on Lux Radio Theatre, William L. Shirer reporting on the Sudetenland crisis, Edward R. Murrow & H.V. Kaltenborn on the eve of World War II, John W. Vandercook, and two Ellery Queen murder mysteries (The Mysterious Traveler for Bromo-Seltzer and The Doomed Man for Anacin) (1938–1950):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "My Foolish Heart" | CBS (WABC) 1950-08-28 9:00 PM EDT |
Lever Brothers Lux Toilet Soap |
William Keighley, Dana Andrews | Susan Hayward, Lois Corbett | ["Drama", "Romance", "Wartime", "Tragedy", "Hollywood"] |
A troubled woman reflects back on her tragic wartime romance with an aviator during World War II and the painful secret she concealed from her husband. |
| "William L. Shirer in Berlin" | CBS (WABC) 1938-08-28 8:00 AM EDST |
Sustaining News Roundup |
William L. Shirer, Bob Trout | CBS News Staff | ["News", "Broadcast Journalism", "Historical", "Diplomacy", "World War II"] |
William L. Shirer broadcasts from Berlin on German diplomatic pressure against Czechoslovakia during the escalating Sudetenland crisis. |
| "The Eve of War" | CBS (WABC) 1939-08-28 6:45 PM EDST |
Sustaining Pre-War Crisis News |
Edward R. Murrow, H.V. Kaltenborn | William L. Shirer | ["News", "Broadcast Journalism", "Wartime", "Historical", "World War II"] |
Edward R. Murrow and H.V. Kaltenborn report on British mobilization, blackout drills, and feverish diplomatic attempts to avert European war. |
| "John W. Vandercook (Blue Network)" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1943-08-28 11:00 PM EWT |
Sustaining Wartime News |
John W. Vandercook | Blue Network News Staff | ["News", "Broadcast Journalism", "Wartime", "Historical", "World War II"] |
John W. Vandercook reviews the strategic Allied naval advances in the Pacific and Red Army counterattacks along the Donets Basin. |
| "The Adventure of the Mysterious Traveler" | NBC (WEAF) 1943-08-28 7:30 PM EWT |
The Emerson Drug Co. Bromo-Seltzer |
Sydney Smith, Santos Ortega | Manfred Lee & Frederic Dannay | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Armchair Detective", "Fair Play Whodunit", "Puzzle"] |
Ellery Queen investigates when an unidentified train passenger is found poisoned in his Pullman berth with a cryptic coded timetable in his pocket. |
| "The Adventure of the Doomed Man" | CBS (WABC) 1946-08-28 7:30 PM EDT |
Whitehall Pharmacal Anacin |
Sydney Smith, Santos Ortega | Manfred Lee & Frederic Dannay | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Armchair Detective", "Fair Play Whodunit", "Puzzle"] |
Ellery Queen challenges armchair detectives to solve the fatal shooting of a wealthy collector who received a series of ominous numbered death threats. |