On This Day, August 30: Gregory Hood and Official Detective
Also featured: Gene Autry's Champion.
August 30 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 30 across American network radio, two thrilling cases from Anthony Boucher and Denis Green on The Casebook of Gregory Hood starring Elliott Lewis (1948) and Martin Gabel (1949), Craig McDonnell in two true-crime police dramatizations on Official Detective (1949–1956), Gene Autry's wonder horse in The Adventures of Champion (1949), and the conclusion of The Case of the Two-Cent Panama on Mystery of the Week for Ivory Snow (1946–1956):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "A Murder, a Swindle, a Horse Race" | Mutual (WOR) 1948-08-30 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Mystery Drama |
Elliott Lewis, McNear | Green & Boucher (Writers) | ["Mystery", "Detective", "San Francisco", "Horse Racing", "Hardboiled"] |
San Francisco antique dealer Gregory Hood investigates the murder of a racehorse owner and exposes a high-stakes betting ring. |
| "The Murder of a Managing Editor" | Mutual (WOR) 1949-08-30 9:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Mystery Drama |
Martin Gabel, McNear | Green & Boucher (Writers) | ["Mystery", "Detective", "Journalism", "San Francisco", "Newspaper"] |
Gregory Hood is drawn into newspaper intrigue when an investigative editor is slain shortly after threatening to publish an exposé. |
| "The Case of the Two-Cent Panama (Part 5)" | CBS (WABC) 1946-08-30 7:00 PM EDT |
Procter & Gamble Ivory Snow Soap |
Dramatic Mystery Cast | Mystery of Week Staff | ["Mystery", "Detective", "Philately", "Serial", "Short Format"] |
The five-part stamp collecting mystery concludes as the detective traps a counterfeit stamp dealer trying to flee with a rare Panama surcharge. |
| "The Ghost of Black Mountain (Chapter 2)" | Mutual (WOR) 1949-08-30 5:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Juvenile Western |
Champion, Stevens | Adventures of Champion Staff | ["Western", "Juvenile", "Adventure", "Wonder Horse", "Serial"] |
Champion the wonder horse leads Ricky North through hidden mountain ravines to discover the real culprits behind a staged ghost hoax. |
| "The Case of the Highway Hijackers" | Mutual (WOR) 1949-08-30 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Police Drama |
Craig McDonnell, Dawson | Official Detective Staff | ["Police", "True Crime", "Docudrama", "Action", "Law Enforcement"] |
Police detectives set up roadblocks and track tire tracks across county lines to apprehend a gang hijacking interstate freight trucks. |
| "Award to Detective Charles Herring" | Mutual (WOR) 1956-08-30 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Police Drama |
Craig McDonnell (Host) | Official Detective Staff | ["Police", "True Crime", "Docudrama", "Forensics", "Law Enforcement"] |
The series dramatizes the true case of Detective Charles Herring solving a string of daylight grocery robberies through ballistics. |