On This Day, August 31: FDR and Churchill
Also featured: National Lampoon, Lorna Doone.
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 historic WWII address relays, BBC wartime breaking announcements, operetta musical theater, countercultural satire, and daytime variety comedy, FDR and Winston Churchill addressing the Canadian Parliament live from Quebec (1943), BBC's Alvar Lidell reading Hitler's 16-point Polish ultimatum on the eve of war (1939), Gordon MacRae and Dorothy Kirsten in Lorna Doone on The Railroad Hour (1953), Chevy Chase and Christopher Guest on The National Lampoon Radio Hour (1974), and two masters of The Jack Kirkwood Show (1939–1974):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "We're Not Shooting Dice (Master 1)" | CBS (WABC) 1945-08-31 7:00 PM EWT |
Procter & Gamble Oxydol Soap / Camay |
Jack Kirkwood, Leigh | Joe Bigelow (Director) | ["Comedy", "Variety", "Sitcom", "Jack Kirkwood", "Procter & Gamble"] |
Jack Kirkwood tries to convince a suspicious building superintendent that a boisterous craps game in his apartment is a church fundraiser. |
| "We're Not Shooting Dice (Master 2)" | CBS (WCBS) 1945-08-31 11:00 PM EWT |
Procter & Gamble Oxydol Soap |
Jack Kirkwood, Leigh | Joe Bigelow (Director) | ["Comedy", "Variety", "Sitcom", "Jack Kirkwood", "Procter & Gamble"] |
In this alternate broadcast master, Jack Kirkwood improvises fresh gags when his dice-game explanation unravels before the landlord. |
| "R.D. Blackmore's Lorna Doone with Gordon MacRae and Dorothy Kirsten" | NBC (WEAF) 1953-08-31 8:00 PM EDT |
Assoc. American Railroads American Freight Rail |
Gordon MacRae, Kirsten | Carmen Dragon Orchestra | ["Musical", "Operetta", "Gordon MacRae", "Dorothy Kirsten", "Railroad Hour"] |
In 17th-century Exmoor, yeoman farmer John Ridd falls in love with Lorna Doone while defying her murderous outlaw clan. |
| "Alvar Lidell Reports on German 16-Point Polish Ultimatum (BBC)" | BBC National 1939-08-31 9:00 PM BST |
Sustaining BBC Breaking News |
Alvar Lidell (Newsreader) | BBC News Service | ["News", "WWII", "History", "BBC", "Alvar Lidell"] |
BBC newsreader Alvar Lidell reads the full text of Adolf Hitler's 16-point ultimatum to Poland on the eve of World War II. |
| "Live Broadcast from the First Quebec Conference (FDR and Churchill)" | Combined Networks / CBC 1943-08-31 10:00 PM EWT |
Sustaining Allied News Relay |
FDR, Churchill, King | Allied Radio Pool | ["News", "WWII", "History", "FDR", "Winston Churchill"] |
President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill address the Canadian Parliament following the secret Quadrant Conference in Quebec. |
| "The Summer Rerun Ripoff Show with Chevy Chase and Christopher Guest" | National Lampoon Synd. 1974-08-31 |
Sustaining Audio Satire Revue |
Chevy Chase, Guest | Bob Tischler (Producer) | ["Comedy", "Satire", "Counterculture", "National Lampoon", "Chevy Chase"] |
The National Lampoon cast mocks seasonal network television practices with sarcastic commercial parodies and self-referential sketches. |