On This Day, August 29: Counterspy and CBS News
Also featured: Let's Pretend.
August 29 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 29 across American network radio and the BBC, Don MacLaughlin & Mandel Kramer tackling wartime blueprint theft and industrial extortion on Counterspy (1945–1948), Bob Trout & Edward R. Murrow broadcasting live shortwave reports during the Battle of Britain (1940), Nila Mack's adaptation of The Little Mermaid on Let's Pretend for Cream of Wheat (1942), Martha Scott on Stars Over Hollywood, and BBC comedy Radio Active (1940–1987):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "It Was Twenty Years Ago Last Tuesday" | BBC Radio 4 1987-08-29 |
Sustaining British Comedy |
Angus Deayton, Perkins | Deayton & Perkins | ["Comedy", "British", "Satire", "Sketch", "Parody"] |
The Radio Active comedy team parodies BBC local radio broadcasting with satirical news reports, spoof commercials, and musical gags. |
| "The Case of the Counterfeit Blueprints" | ABC / Blue (WJZ) 1945-08-29 8:30 PM EWT |
Mail Pouch Tobacco Kentucky Club Pipe Tob. |
Don MacLaughlin, Kramer | Phillips H. Lord (Creator) | ["Espionage", "Detective", "Mystery", "Crime", "Thriller"] |
David Harding intercepts an undercover espionage ring attempting to smuggle classified naval aviation blueprints to foreign agents. |
| "The Case of the Hatless Husband" | ABC (WJZ) 1948-08-29 5:30 PM EDT |
Schutter Candy Co. Bit-O-Honey / Old Nick |
Don MacLaughlin, Kramer | Phillips H. Lord (Creator) | ["Espionage", "Detective", "Mystery", "Crime", "Thriller"] |
Counterspy Chief David Harding tracks a blackmailed chemist whose missing clothing provides the crucial clue in a sabotage plot. |
| "The News from Europe (Battle of Britain Day 50)" | CBS (WABC) 1940-08-29 6:45 PM EDST |
Sustaining News Service |
Bob Trout, Murrow | CBS Newsroom | ["News", "History", "World War II", "Journalism", "Live Broadcast"] |
CBS correspondents report live shortwave reports on nighttime Luftwaffe aerial raids over London and RAF defensive dogfights. |
| "The Little Mermaid" | CBS (WABC) 1942-08-29 11:30 AM EWT |
Cream of Wheat Cream of Wheat Cereal |
Nila Mack, Players | Nila Mack (Director) | ["Children", "Fairy Tale", "Fantasy", "Adaptation", "Anthology"] |
A young sea princess rescues a shipwrecked prince from drowning and makes a sacrificial bargain with a sea witch to walk on land. |
| "Behind the Eight Ball with Martha Scott" | CBS (WABC) 1942-08-29 12:30 PM EWT |
Bowey's Inc. Dari-Rich Chocolate |
Martha Scott (Star) | Dramatic Repertory | ["Drama", "Comedy", "Hollywood", "Romance", "Anthology"] |
A resourceful young career woman inadvertently lands in financial peril when an uncashed bonus check gets mixed up in a company takeover. |