On This Day, August 30: Inner Sanctum and Best Plays
Also featured: Mystery Theater.
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 British BBC broadcasting, Raymond Edward Johnson hosting Inner Sanctum Mysteries for Carter's Little Liver Pills (1942), Noël Coward's Tonight at Eight-Thirty on Best Plays (1953), Alfred Shirley as Inspector Hearthstone on Mystery Theater for Phillips' Milk of Magnesia (1949), baritone Earl Wrightson and The Kirby Stone Four on Guest Star for U.S. Savings Bonds (1959–1964), and BBC comedy Oh, No It Isn't! (1942–1974):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Tonight at Eight-Thirty by Noël Coward" | AFRS / NBC 1953-08-30 |
Sustaining Armed Forces Radio |
John Chapman (Host) | Noël Coward (Playwright) | ["Drama", "Comedy", "British", "Theatrical", "Adaptation"] |
A stylish comedic dramatization follows the eccentric entanglements and marital rivalries of an upscale British theatrical circle. |
| "Guest Earl Wrightson and The U.S. Savings Bonds Orchestra" | Treasury Dept 1959-08-30 |
US Treasury Dept US Savings Bonds |
Earl Wrightson (Baritone) | Bonds Orchestra Staff | ["Music", "Vocal", "Baritone", "Public Service", "Variety"] |
Baritone Earl Wrightson performs Broadway showtunes and urges Americans to support national thrift through Savings Bonds. |
| "Guest The Kirby Stone Four" | Treasury Dept 1964-08-30 |
US Treasury Dept US Savings Bonds |
Kirby Stone Four | Bonds Orchestra Staff | ["Music", "Vocal Quartet", "Harmony", "Pop", "Public Service"] |
The Kirby Stone Four vocal quartet performs close-harmony pop standards and delivers a public service appeal for U.S. Savings Bonds. |
| "Hunted with Alfred Shirley" | CBS (WCBS) 1949-08-30 8:00 PM EDT |
Sterling Drug Phillips' Milk of Magnesia |
Alfred Shirley (Hearthstone) | Mystery Theater Staff | ["Mystery", "Detective", "Suspense", "Crime", "Noir"] |
Inspector Hearthstone tracks a desperate prison escapee who takes a lonely lighthouse keeper hostage during a blinding storm. |
| "The Inventor" | BBC Radio 4 1974-08-30 |
Sustaining BBC Radio Comedy |
BBC Comedy Repertory | BBC Radio Comedy Staff | ["Comedy", "British", "Satire", "Farce", "Sketch"] |
An eccentric backyard inventor creates a series of bizarre contraptions that cause widespread civic turmoil across his town. |
| "Visitor at Midnight" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1942-08-30 8:30 PM EWT |
Carter Products Carter's Little Liver Pills |
Raymond Johnson (Host) | Himan Brown (Producer/Dir) | ["Horror", "Suspense", "Mystery", "Macabre", "Classic OTR"] |
A wealthy hypochondriac is terrorized when a sinister stranger claiming to be the grim reaper appears in his bedroom at midnight. |