On This Day, August 31: Green Hornet and Inner Sanctum
Also featured: Dr. Christian.
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 superhero crimefighting, macabre psychological horror, small-town medical drama, and musical piano variety, Al Hodge as Britt Reid in The Green Hornet battling municipal racketeers (1937) and a coal monopoly (1939), Raymond Edward Johnson hosting The Hands of Death on Inner Sanctum Mystery (1941), Jean Hersholt in Dr. Christian for Vaseline (1949), and Carmen Cavallaro on The Sheaffer Parade (1937–1949):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Guest Carmen Cavallaro (Master 1)" | NBC (WEAF) 1947-08-31 3:00 PM EDT |
W.A. Sheaffer Pen Co. Lifetime Pens & Skrip |
Carmen Cavallaro, Breese | Lou Breese Orchestra | ["Music", "Piano", "Big Band", "Carmen Cavallaro", "Sheaffer"] |
Pianist Carmen Cavallaro performs virtuosic keyboard interpretations of popular melodies and Chopin classics. |
| "Guest Carmen Cavallaro (Master 2)" | NBC (WEAF) 1947-08-31 3:00 PM EDT |
W.A. Sheaffer Pen Co. Fineline Pencils |
Carmen Cavallaro, Breese | Lou Breese Orchestra | ["Music", "Piano", "Big Band", "Carmen Cavallaro", "Sheaffer"] |
Carmen Cavallaro and his rhythm group play sparkling piano solos and romantic ballads for Sheaffer Pens. |
| "The Hands of Death with Raymond Edward Johnson" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1941-08-31 8:30 PM EDST |
Carter Products Carter's Little Liver Pills |
Raymond Edward Johnson | Himan Brown (Producer) | ["Horror", "Suspense", "Macabre", "Inner Sanctum", "Himan Brown"] |
A desperate surgeon whose hands are ruined in an accident receives transplants that compel him to commit gruesome stranglings. |
| "Tradition of the Towel with Jean Hersholt" | CBS (WCBS) 1949-08-31 8:30 PM EDT |
Chesebrough Mfg. Vaseline Brand Products |
Jean Hersholt, DeCamp | William N. Robson (Dir) | ["Drama", "Medical", "Jean Hersholt", "Dr Christian", "Vaseline"] |
Dr. Christian guides a promising medical intern through a personal crisis involving family loyalty and surgical ethics. |
| "The Counterfeit Parking Meter Racket with Al Hodge" | Mutual / WXYZ 1937-08-31 8:00 PM EST |
Sustaining Superhero Crime Drama |
Al Hodge, Hayashi | Trendle & Striker | ["Superhero", "Mystery", "Crime", "The Green Hornet", "Fran Striker"] |
Britt Reid and Kato investigate an extortion gang rigging municipal parking meters to shake down downtown business owners. |
| "Cut-In on Coal with Al Hodge" | Mutual / WXYZ 1939-08-31 8:00 PM EST |
Sustaining Superhero Crime Drama |
Al Hodge, Hayashi | Fran Striker (Writer) | ["Superhero", "Mystery", "Crime", "The Green Hornet", "Fran Striker"] |
The Green Hornet crushes a corrupt union syndicate attempting to enforce a monopoly on commercial winter coal deliveries. |