On This Day, August 31: Inspector West and CBSRMT
Also featured: The Man Called X.
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 gothic radio mystery revivals, Scotland Yard detective serials, true FBI crime files, South China Sea salvage adventures, comedy music quizzes, and Cold War covert espionage, E.G. Marshall and Fred Gwynne in CBS Radio Mystery Theater (1998), Patrick Allen as John Creasey's Inspector West (1970), Stacy Harris in This Is Your FBI (1945), George Lefferts' High Adventure (1954), Garry Moore on Beat the Band (1943), and Herbert Marshall as The Man Called X (1943–1998):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres & Serial Arc | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Voices of Death with E.G. Marshall and Fred Gwynne" | Syndicated Drama 1998-08-31 |
Sustaining Mystery Revival |
E.G. Marshall, Gwynne | Sam Dann (Writer) | ["Mystery", "Suspense", "Horror", "CBSRMT", "Fred Gwynne"] |
A wealthy industrialist plagued by auditory hallucinations of past murder victims consults a psychic investigator who uncovers a family poisoning plot. |
| "The Mark of the Wolf with Patrick Allen" | BBC Radio 4 1970-08-31 7:30 PM BST |
Sustaining Scotland Yard Serial |
Patrick Allen, Lawson | John Creasey (Author) | ["Detective", "Police Procedural", "British", "Inspector West", "BBC"]Arc: Inspector West at Home (Part 1) |
Chief Inspector Roger West balances family domestic life with a high-stakes Scotland Yard hunt for a ruthless gang using a wolf insignia. |
| "The Stolen Military Explosives with Stacy Harris" | ABC / Blue Network 1945-08-31 8:30 PM EWT |
Equitable Life Insurance Security |
Stacy Harris, Woodson | Jerry Devine (Producer) | ["Police Procedural", "True Crime", "FBI", "This Is Your FBI", "Equitable"] |
FBI agents track black-market saboteurs who hijacked a shipment of high-grade TNT from a naval munitions depot. |
| "Paid in Full with George Lefferts" | NBC (WNBC) 1954-08-31 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Global Adventure |
Dramatic Voice Ensemble | George Lefferts (Writer/Dir) | ["Adventure", "Action", "Drama", "High Adventure", "NBC"] |
An American deep-sea salvage captain in the South China Sea risks his crew navigating pirate-infested straits to restore sunken gold bullion. |
| "Musical Knowledge Quiz with Garry Moore and Ted Weems" | NBC (WEAF) 1943-08-31 10:30 PM EWT |
Brown & Williamson Raleigh Cigarettes |
Garry Moore, Weems | NBC Variety Unit | ["Quiz", "Game Show", "Music", "Beat the Band", "Raleigh"] |
Garry Moore challenges orchestra musicians to name obscure listener song requests, paying cash penalties when stumped. |
| "The Uranium Sabotage in Vienna with Herbert Marshall" | NBC (WNBC) 1951-08-31 9:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Cold War Thriller |
Herbert Marshall, Belasco | Jay Richard Kennedy | ["Espionage", "Cold War", "Adventure", "The Man Called X", "Herbert Marshall"] |
Ken Thurston slips into occupied Vienna to intercept a clandestine shipment of fissionable uranium destined for the Soviet zone. |