On This Day, August 30: Gunsmoke and Broadway Is My Beat
Also featured: Dana Andrews.
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 and syndicated transcription drama, William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon in two legendary John Meston scripts on Gunsmoke (The Juniper Tree in 1952 and Obie Tater for L&M in 1954), Larry Thor as Danny Clover investigating a Times Square hotel murder on Broadway Is My Beat (1952), Dana Andrews as undercover agent Matt Cvetic in I Was a Communist for the FBI (1953), Ray Bloch conducting Here's to Romance for Evening in Paris perfume (1945), and Rex Stout on wartime shortwave monitoring (1942–1954):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Althea Cornish Murder Case" | CBS (WCBS) 1952-08-30 9:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Police Noir |
Larry Thor, Calvert | Peter Barry (Creator) | ["Detective", "Hardboiled", "Police", "Noir", "Broadway"] |
Detective Danny Clover investigates the strangling of a glamorous Broadway chorus girl found inside a locked hotel wardrobe. |
| "CBS Our Secret Weapon with Rex Stout" | CBS (WABC) 1942-08-30 7:00 PM EWT |
Sustaining Wartime News |
Rex Stout (Commentator) | CBS News Staff | ["News", "Propaganda", "World War II", "Commentary", "Historical"] |
Rex Stout analyzes shortwave Axis radio broadcasts from Berlin and Rome, exposing falsified casualty figures and battle reports. |
| "The Juniper Tree" | CBS (WCBS) 1952-08-30 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Adult Western |
William Conrad, Baer | John Meston & Macdonnell | ["Western", "Adult Western", "Drama", "Frontier", "Classic OTR"] |
Marshal Matt Dillon rides out to protect an eccentric homesteader refusing to leave his prairie claim despite armed threats from neighboring cattle barons. |
| "Obie Tater" | CBS (WCBS) 1954-08-30 8:00 PM EDT |
Liggett & Myers L&M Filter Cigarettes |
William Conrad, Ellis | John Meston (Writer) | ["Western", "Adult Western", "Drama", "Frontier", "Classic OTR"] |
An impoverished old prospector claims to possess a secret gold map, attracting greedy outlaws who torture him to extract the location. |
| "Ray Bloch and His Orchestra with Vocalist Guests" | CBS (WABC) 1945-08-30 10:30 PM EWT |
Bourjois, Inc. Evening in Paris Perfume |
Ray Bloch and Orchestra | Guest Vocalists | ["Music", "Orchestral", "Vocal", "Romance", "Variety"] |
Ray Bloch conducts lush romantic orchestral melodies and introduces pop ballad soloists for Evening in Paris perfume. |
| "The Red Courier of Pittsburgh" | Ziv Syndication 1953-08-30 |
Sustaining Anti-Communist Drama |
Dana Andrews (Cvetic) | Frederic W. Ziv Staff | ["Espionage", "Cold War", "True Crime", "Political", "Action"] |
Undercover operative Matt Cvetic intercepts an underground courier carrying encoded membership rosters between Pittsburgh steel union cells. |