On This Day, August 30: Walter Winchell and CBSRMT
Also featured: Boston Blackie.
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 radio drama anthologies, the historic network premiere of The Walter Winchell Show on NBC Blue for Lucky Strike (1931), Larry Haines in The Night Shift on CBS Radio Mystery Theater (1976), Richard Kollmar as Boston Blackie solving a synthetic fuel formula murder (1950), Stacy Harris tracking syndicate gambling on This Is Your FBI (1946), Mutual broadcasting live from the 1940 New York World's Fair, and postwar veteran rehabilitation on Treasury Salute (1931–1976):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Wound That Shows No Scars" | Treasury Dept Syndication 1945-08-30 |
U.S. Treasury Dept Victory War Bonds |
Dramatic Cast Ensemble | Treasury Salute Staff | ["Drama", "Military", "War Bonds", "World War II", "Veterans"] |
A combat veteran returns home struggling with psychological battle trauma and finds understanding through community rehabilitation support. |
| "The Stolen Formula Murder" | Syndicated Detective (Ziv) 1950-08-30 |
Sustaining Detective Drama |
Richard Kollmar, Tarplin | Frederic W. Ziv Staff | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Hardboiled", "Richard Kollmar", "Ziv"] |
Boston Blackie clears himself of homicide charges after an industrial research chemist is murdered for an experimental synthetic fuel formula. |
| "Mutual Broadcast Live at the New York World's Fair" | Mutual (WOR) 1940-08-30 3:30 PM EDST |
Sustaining Special Event Broadcast |
WOR Announcers, Guests | Mutual Special Events Staff | ["News", "Documentary", "Special Event", "World's Fair", "Historical"] |
Mutual announcers broadcast live demonstrations and listener interviews from the Futurama and Court of Peace exhibits at the 1940 New York World's Fair. |
| "Premiere Broadcast on NBC Blue" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1931-08-30 8:45 PM EDST |
American Tobacco Co. Lucky Strike Cigarettes |
Walter Winchell (Host) | NBC Blue News Staff | ["News", "Gossip", "Broadway", "Journalism", "Walter Winchell"] |
Walter Winchell rattles off staccato telegraphic news bulletins, Broadway gossip scoops, and political headlines in his signature rapid-fire delivery. |
| "The Night Shift with Larry Haines" | CBS Radio Network 1976-08-30 10:30 PM EDT |
Budweiser / True Value Beer / Hardware |
E.G. Marshall, Haines | Ian Martin (Writer) | ["Horror", "Mystery", "Suspense", "Drama", "CBSRMT"] |
A weary factory watchman working the graveyard shift realizes an unseen vengeful prowler is systematically sabotaging industrial machinery. |
| "Return of the Mob" | ABC (WJZ) 1946-08-30 8:30 PM EDT |
Equitable Life Insurance Policies |
Stacy Harris (Jim Taylor) | Jerry Devine (Dir / Prod) | ["Police", "Procedural", "FBI", "Crime", "Equitable"] |
Special Agent Jim Taylor tracks an ambitious syndicate boss attempting to resurrect an interstate gambling network across state lines. |