On This Day, August 31: FBI in Peace and War
Also featured: Lost Horizon, Thomas E. Dewey.
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 American network FBI crime docudramas, cinematic literary adaptations, presidential election campaign special pre-emptions, and Australian investigative newspaper dramas, Martin Blaine starring across three eras of The FBI in Peace and War (1950, 1955, 1958), Herbert Marshall in James Hilton's Lost Horizon for Frigidaire (1946), Republican presidential nominee Governor Thomas E. Dewey's special address pre-empting Here's to Romance (1944), and Morris West's Australian newspaper procedural Deadline (1944–1958):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Special Political Broadcast Pre-emption (Governor Thomas E. Dewey)" | CBS (WABC) 1944-08-31 10:30 PM EWT |
Bourjois Inc. Evening in Paris |
Gov. Thomas E. Dewey | Republican Nat'l Comm. | ["News", "Politics", "Speech", "Thomas Dewey", "CBS"] |
The regular musical program is pre-empted for an address by Republican presidential nominee Governor Thomas E. Dewey. |
| "The Yankee Dollar with Martin Blaine (Season Premiere)" | CBS (WCBS) 1950-08-31 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining FBI Crime Drama |
Martin Blaine, Ralph Bell | Frederick L. Collins | ["Police Procedural", "True Crime", "FBI", "Martin Blaine", "CBS"] |
Special agents track an international counterfeit currency ring flooding tourist centers with bogus hundred-dollar bills. |
| "Prize Money with Martin Blaine" | CBS (WCBS) 1955-08-31 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining FBI Crime Drama |
Martin Blaine, McDonnell | Max Marcin (Director) | ["Police Procedural", "True Crime", "FBI", "Martin Blaine", "CBS"] |
Federal agents investigate an extortion racket threatening professional prize fighters with poisoned water bottles. |
| "The Hypochondriac with Martin Blaine" | CBS (WCBS) 1958-08-31 6:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining FBI Crime Drama |
Martin Blaine, Cast | Max Marcin (Director) | ["Police Procedural", "True Crime", "FBI", "Martin Blaine", "CBS"] |
FBI investigators trace a neurotically cautious criminal who leaves a telltale trail of prescription pill bottles at robbery scenes. |
| "James Hilton's Lost Horizon with Herbert Marshall" | CBS (WABC) 1946-08-31 8:00 PM EDT |
General Motors Frigidaire Appliances |
Herbert Marshall, Tuttle | James Hilton (Author) | ["Drama", "Film Adaptation", "Hollywood Star Time", "Herbert Marshall", "Frigidaire"] |
A British diplomat survives a plane crash in the Himalayas and discovers the utopian, ageless paradise of Shangri-La. |
| "Seven Years Bad Luck (Melbourne Age Newspaper)" | 3DB Melbourne 1954-08-31 8:30 PM AEST |
Sustaining Australian Newspaper Drama |
Repertory Ensemble | Morris West (Writer) | ["Journalism", "Drama", "Australia", "Crime", "Morris West"] |
A Melbourne crime reporter uncovers a superstition-obsessed criminal syndicate carrying out systematic warehouse burglaries. |