On This Day, August 31: Death Valley Days and Hop Harrigan
Also featured: Claudia, David.
August 31 Update
This report documents the historical provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, serial story metadata, and pure narrative synopses for broadcasts transmitting on August 31 across American frontier history dramas, aviation superhero serial auditions, domestic marital comedies, circus juvenile serials, and vocal variety hours, Ruth Cornwall Woodman's Death Valley Days for 20 Mule Team Borax (1931, 1933), the original audition for DC Comics' Hop Harrigan (1942), Patricia Ryan and Richard Kollmar in Claudia and David (1948), Jerry of the Circus (1937), and romantic baritone Tony Martin on The Bourjois Show (1931–1948):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres & Serial Arc | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Spike Saves Jerry But Who Is Spike? (Episode 26)" | Syndicated Juvenile 1937-08-31 |
Sustaining Circus Adventure Serial |
Dramatic Voice Ensemble | Jerry Circus Staff | ["Circus", "Adventure", "Juvenile", "Serial", "Early Radio"]Arc: Jerry of the Circus (Part 26) |
A mysterious stranger pulls Jerry from the path of a stampeding circus elephant before disappearing into the big top crowd. |
| "Dave's Country Vacation with Patricia Ryan and Richard Kollmar" | CBS (WCBS) 1948-08-31 4:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Domestic Comedy |
Patricia Ryan, Kollmar | Rose Franken (Author) | ["Comedy", "Domestic", "Romance", "Claudia and David", "CBS"] |
Claudia schemes to keep David from cutting his relaxing country farm vacation short for urgent architectural office business. |
| "The Secret of the Plastic Plane with Chester Stratton (Audition 1)" | ABC / Blue Network 1942-08-31 5:00 PM EWT |
Sustaining Aviation Serial Audition |
Chester Stratton, Delmar | DC Comics / Radio Staff | ["Aviation", "Adventure", "Juvenile", "Hop Harrigan", "DC Comics"] |
America's ace aviator Hop Harrigan test-flies an experimental lightweight plastic monoplane targeted by axis saboteurs. |
| "Pay Dirt with The Old Ranger" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1931-08-31 8:30 PM EDST |
Pacific Coast Borax 20 Mule Team Borax |
Tim Frawley, White | Ruth C. Woodman (Writer) | ["Western", "History", "Death Valley Days", "Old Ranger", "Borax"] |
An impoverished desert prospector discovers rich gold veins in the Funeral Mountains after years of ridicule from frontier boomtown merchants. |
| "Mrs. Trotter's Husband (Part 1)" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1933-08-31 9:00 PM EDST |
Pacific Coast Borax 20 Mule Team Borax |
Tim Frawley (The Old Ranger) | Ruth C. Woodman (Writer) | ["Western", "History", "Death Valley Days", "Old Ranger", "Borax"]Arc: Mrs. Trotter's Husband (Part 1 of 2) |
A determined pioneer woman operates a profitable Death Valley mule freight line while her wandering husband searches for lost silver lodes. |
| "Guest Tony Martin (Part 1) with David Broekman" | CBS (WABC) 1946-08-31 7:30 PM EDT |
Bourjois Inc. Evening in Paris |
Tony Martin, Broekman | David Broekman Orch. | ["Music", "Variety", "Romance", "Tony Martin", "Bourjois"]Arc: The Tony Martin Showcase (Part 1 of 2) |
Romantic baritone Tony Martin performs melodic popular standards and Broadway show tunes accompanied by David Broekman's orchestra. |