On This Day, August 28: Squad Cars and Charlie McCarthy
Also featured: Sherlock Holmes.
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, the BBC Light Programme, and Springbok Radio (South Africa), high-speed highway chases on Squad Cars, Charlie McCarthy heckling Ralph Bellamy & Nelson Eddy for Chase & Sanborn, Harry McNaughton as butler Higgins, and Carleton Hobbs & Norman Shelley solving Arthur Conan Doyle's The Devil's Foot and The Bruce-Partington Plans on the BBC (1938–1981):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Pretoria Road Car Chase" | Springbok Radio 1970-08-28 |
Sustaining Police Docudrama |
SAP Flying Squad Cast | Hugh Rouse (Creator) | ["Police Procedural", "Docudrama", "True Crime", "Action", "International"] |
Johannesburg flying squad patrol units pursue an armed getaway sedan carrying payroll hijackers along the high-speed Pretoria highway. |
| "The Scrap Iron Crates" | Springbok Radio 1981-08-28 |
Sustaining Police Docudrama |
SAP Flying Squad Cast | SABC Production Team | ["Police Procedural", "Docudrama", "True Crime", "Action", "International"] |
Detectives investigate industrial scrap metal packing crates used by an organized ring to smuggle stolen firearms across the border. |
| "Guests Ralph Bellamy & Nelson Eddy" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1938-08-28 8:00 PM EDST |
Standard Brands Chase & Sanborn |
Edgar Bergen, Charlie McCarthy | Ralph Bellamy, Nelson Eddy | ["Variety", "Comedy", "Vaudeville", "Music", "Hollywood"] |
Charlie McCarthy trades insults with stage and screen actor Ralph Bellamy and heckles baritone Nelson Eddy during summer variety routines. |
| "Sir Mr. Roberts' Birthday" | NBC (WNBC) 1951-08-28 9:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Domestic Comedy |
Harry McNaughton (Higgins) | Vinton Hayworth | ["Sitcom", "Comedy", "Domestic", "British Expat", "Americana"] |
Impeccable English butler Higgins attempts to orchestrate a dignified surprise birthday dinner for his chaotic suburban American employer. |
| "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot" | BBC Light Programme 1962-08-28 |
Sustaining BBC Mystery Drama |
Carleton Hobbs, Norman Shelley | Michael Hardwick (Adapter) | ["Detective", "Mystery", "British", "Victorian", "Gothic"] |
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson investigate the horrifying death of a woman and the sudden madness of her brothers in a secluded Cornish cottage. |
| "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans" | BBC Light Programme 1964-08-28 |
Sustaining BBC Mystery Drama |
Carleton Hobbs, Norman Shelley | Michael Hardwick (Adapter) | ["Detective", "Mystery", "British", "Victorian", "Espionage"] |
Mycroft Holmes calls on his brother Sherlock to restore stolen Admiralty submarine blueprints found on a clerk's body on the London Underground. |