On This Day, August 29: The Goon Show and Johnny Mercer
Also featured: Beyond Midnight.
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, BBC Transcription Services, and South African Springbok Radio, Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers & Harry Secombe in The China Story on The Goon Show (1956), Johnny Mercer & Jo Stafford jamming with Jack Teagarden (1944), Eileen Farrell & the Golden Gate Quartet on Chesterfield Presents (1943), Michael McCabe's supernatural chiller on Beyond Midnight, Hal Burdick's Night Editor, and Radio City Playhouse (1937–1969):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The China Story (Transcription Service Special)" | BBC Transcription 1956-08-29 |
Sustaining Surreal Comedy |
Spike Milligan, Sellers | Harry Secombe & Milligan | ["Comedy", "Surreal", "Satire", "British", "Parody"] |
Neddie Seagoon leads a British military garrison in 19th-century China fighting off siege attacks orchestrated by the villainous Grytpype-Thynne. |
| "Eileen Farrell and The Golden Gate Quartet" | NBC (WEAF) 1943-08-29 8:00 PM EWT |
Liggett & Myers Chesterfield Cigarettes |
Eileen Farrell, Quartet | Frank Black Orchestra | ["Music", "Vocal", "Gospel", "Classical", "Pop Standard"] |
Soprano Eileen Farrell and the pioneering Golden Gate Quartet perform operatic arias, spiritual harmonies, and wartime pop standards. |
| "The Fatal Matchbook" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1937-08-29 9:00 PM EDST |
Edwards Coffee Edwards Dependable |
Hal Burdick (Host) | Hal Burdick (Creator) | ["Drama", "Journalism", "Anthology", "Storytelling", "Mystery"] |
A veteran newspaper editor recounts how a single discarded matchbook found beside a highway drainage ditch convicted a ruthless hit-and-run driver. |
| "The Unguarded Moment" | NBC (WNBC) 1949-08-29 10:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Radio Drama |
Jan Miner, John Larkin | Harry W. Junkin (Director) | ["Drama", "Psychological", "Suspense", "Anthology", "Domestic"] |
A devoted suburban wife lets slip a single careless phrase during a dinner party that unravels her husband's covert embezzlement scheme. |
| "Take Your Partners" | Springbok Radio 1969-08-29 |
Sustaining Supernatural Drama |
Michael McCabe (Host) | Dramatic Mystery Cast | ["Horror", "Supernatural", "Ghost Story", "Suspense", "South Africa"] |
A young woman attending a seaside ballroom dance discovers her charming dance partner is a phantom who drowned fifty years earlier. |
| "Guest Jack Teagarden and Jo Stafford" | NBC (WEAF) 1944-08-29 8:00 PM EWT |
American Pencils Chesterfield Cigarettes |
Johnny Mercer, Stafford | Jack Teagarden & Weston | ["Music", "Jazz", "Swing", "Vocal", "Variety"] |
Johnny Mercer and Jo Stafford welcome jazz trombonist Jack Teagarden for swing tunes, blues jams, and upbeat lyrical banter. |