On This Day, August 30: The Whistler and Dick Tracy
Also featured: Lucille Ball on Guess Who?.
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 psychological thriller archives, Bill Forman as The Whistler in Gag Man for Signal Oil (1953), Matt Crowley as Dick Tracy busting wartime counterfeiters for Tootsie V-M (1943), Lucille Ball as the mystery celebrity voice on Guess Who? (1947), Barbara Britton in the ticking-clock thriller Until Midnight on Hollywood Star Playhouse for Bromo-Seltzer (1951), Rex Stout counteracting Axis radio disinformation on Our Secret Weapon (1942), and Ma Perkins investigating a missing deed in Rushville Center for Oxydol (1942–1953):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Shuffle and Ma Try to Get the Truth" | CBS (WCBS) 1950-08-30 1:15 PM EDT |
Procter & Gamble Oxydol Soap Powder |
Virginia Payne, Egelston | Frank & Anne Hummert | ["Soap Opera", "Drama", "Serial", "Daytime", "Americana"] |
Ma Perkins and Shuffle question a reluctant neighbor to uncover the true circumstances behind a missing deed in Rushville Center. |
| "Rex Stout Rebuts German and Japanese Radio Propaganda" | CBS (WABC) 1942-08-30 7:00 PM EWT |
Sustaining Counter-Propaganda |
Rex Stout (Commentator) | Freedom House Staff | ["Propaganda", "World War II", "Docudrama", "History", "Counter-Intelligence"] |
Rex Stout challenges fabricated German and Japanese shortwave radio communiques by contrasting them with documented Allied combat data. |
| "Guest Mystery Voice Lucille Ball with Peter Donald" | Mutual (WOR) 1947-08-30 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Radio Quiz |
Peter Donald, Ball | Guess Who? Staff | ["Quiz", "Game Show", "Celebrity", "Comedy", "Variety"] |
Contestants listen to distorted celebrity voice recordings and attempt to identify film and comedy star Lucille Ball for cash prizes. |
| "Until Midnight with Barbara Britton" | CBS (WCBS) 1951-08-30 10:00 PM EDT |
Emerson Drug Co. Bromo-Seltzer |
Barbara Britton, Rawlinson | Hollywood Star Staff | ["Drama", "Suspense", "Thriller", "Anthology", "Hollywood"] |
A terrified young woman trapped in a desolate country house must outsmart a vengeful escaped convict before the stroke of midnight. |
| "The Case of the Counterfeit War Stamps (Part 1)" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1943-08-30 5:00 PM EWT |
Sweets Company Tootsie V-M |
Matt Crowley (Dick Tracy) | Chester Gould (Creator) | ["Detective", "Police", "Comic Strip", "World War II", "Action"] |
Detective Dick Tracy uncovers a black-market ring printing forged United States defense savings stamps to fund underworld operations. |
| "Gag Man" | CBS West Coast 1953-08-30 10:00 PM EDT |
Signal Oil Co. Signal Gasoline / Motor Oil |
Bill Forman (Whistler) | Whistler Production Staff | ["Mystery", "Suspense", "Psychological Thriller", "Crime", "Noir"] |
A bitter comedy writer plots the demise of an ungrateful radio comedian who has been stealing his jokes and underpaying him for years. |