On This Day, August 31: Benny Goodman and The Whistler
Also featured: Norman Corwin.
August 31 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 31 across big band swing remotes, psychological suspense, Columbia Workshop radio plays, Hollywood dramatic anthologies, comic strip detectives, and Western adventures, Benny Goodman with Harry James and Gene Krupa on Camel Caravan (1937), Bill Johnstone in The Whistler: Flight 13 for Signal Oil (1952), Elsa Lanchester in Norman Corwin's fantasy Mary and the Fairy (1941), Joseph Cotten in Hollywood Star Playhouse (1952), Dick Tracy (1936), and The Cisco Kid (1936–1954):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Statement in Full with Joseph Cotten" | NBC (WEAF) 1952-08-31 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Dramatic Anthology |
Joseph Cotten, Tuttle | Harry Kronman (Director) | ["Drama", "Anthology", "Suspense", "Joseph Cotten", "NBC"] |
A desperate embezzler delivers a written confession to the police, only to discover his intended victim survived the poison. |
| "The Secret Code Formula with Ned Wever" | Mutual (WOR) 1936-08-31 5:45 PM EDST |
Sustaining Detective Comic Serial |
Ned Wever (Dick Tracy) | Chester Gould (Creator) | ["Detective", "Juvenile", "Comics", "Dick Tracy", "Mutual"] |
Dick Tracy tracks a counterfeit ring attempting to smuggle an industrial blueprint out of town inside a hollow wooden doll. |
| "Benny Goodman and His Orchestra on Camel Caravan" | CBS (WABC) 1937-08-31 9:30 PM EDST |
R.J. Reynolds Camel Cigarettes |
Benny Goodman, Krupa | Harry James & Martha Tilton | ["Music", "Big Band", "Swing", "Benny Goodman", "Camel"] |
Benny Goodman conducts swing arrangements of King Porter Stomp and Bugle Call Rag with clarinet and trumpet solos. |
| "Flight 13 with Bill Johnstone" | CBS (WCBS) 1952-08-31 10:30 PM EDT |
Signal Oil Company Signal Gasoline |
Bill Johnstone, Dobkin | Joel Murcott (Writer) | ["Mystery", "Suspense", "Noir", "The Whistler", "Signal Oil"] |
A greedy passenger boards a transatlantic flight intending to push his wealthy partner out over the ocean, but fate intervenes. |
| "Mary and the Fairy with Elsa Lanchester" | CBS (WABC) 1941-08-31 10:30 PM EDST |
Sustaining Radio Drama Workshop |
Elsa Lanchester, Lloyd | Norman Corwin (Director) | ["Drama", "Fantasy", "Comedy", "Norman Corwin", "Elsa Lanchester"] |
An eccentric Brooklyn housewife is granted three wishes by a miniature fairy and discovers magical wishes cause bureaucratic pandemonium. |
| "Bridge of Doom with Jack Mather and Harry Lang" | Mutual / Ziv Synd. 1954-08-31 |
Interstate Bakeries Weber's Bread |
Jack Mather, Harry Lang | Frederic W. Ziv (Prod.) | ["Western", "Adventure", "Cisco Kid", "Pancho", "ZIV"] |
Cisco and Pancho prevent a gang of saboteurs from dynamiting a railway trestle bridge carrying an oncoming passenger train. |