On This Day, August 31: Lux Radio Theatre and Ellery Queen
Also featured: Spotlight Bands.
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 prestige film dramas, detective mystery challenges, big band swing for defense war workers, and breaking pre-war radio bulletins, three classic Hollywood adaptations on Lux Radio Theatre spanning Cheating Cheaters (1936), Three Wise Fools (1947), and One Foot in Heaven (1953), Howard Barnes in The Adventures of Ellery Queen (1947), Joe Sanders on Spotlight Bands (1945), and NBC's breaking bulletin on the German ultimatum to Poland (1936–1953):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Cheating Cheaters with George Raft and June Lang" | CBS (WABC) 1936-08-31 9:00 PM EDST |
Lever Brothers Lux Toilet Soap |
George Raft, June Lang | Cecil B. DeMille (Host) | ["Drama", "Film Adaptation", "Lux Radio Theatre", "George Raft", "Cecil B DeMille"] |
Two rival gangs of jewel thieves rent neighboring suburban mansions, completely unaware that both are targeting the same mansion safe. |
| "Three Wise Fools with Thomas Mitchell and Lionel Barrymore" | CBS (WCBS) 1947-08-31 9:00 PM EDT |
Lever Brothers Lux Flakes / Soap |
Thomas Mitchell, Barrymore | William Keighley (Host) | ["Drama", "Comedy", "Lux Radio Theatre", "Lionel Barrymore", "CBS"] |
Three crotchety old bachelors find their rigid lives upended when they take in an imaginative young orphan girl. |
| "One Foot in Heaven with Fred MacMurray and Phyllis Thaxter" | CBS (WCBS) 1953-08-31 9:00 PM EDT |
Lever Brothers Lux Toilet Soap / Rinso |
Fred MacMurray, Thaxter | Irving Cummings (Host) | ["Drama", "Family", "Lux Radio Theatre", "Fred MacMurray", "CBS"] |
A dedicated Methodist minister and his devoted wife overcome parsonage hardships and obstinate congregation elders in rural Iowa. |
| "Polish Ultimatum and Broadcast from Danzig (NBC Blue)" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1939-08-31 11:00 PM EDST |
Sustaining NBC War News Bulletin |
Max Jordan, Baukhage | NBC News Division | ["News", "WWII", "History", "NBC Blue", "Max Jordan"] |
NBC news commentators monitor international diplomatic reports regarding troop movements along the Polish-German frontier. |
| "The Adventure of the King's Horse with Howard Barnes" | NBC (WEAF) 1947-08-31 6:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Detective Mystery |
Howard Barnes, Charlotte Keane | Manfred Lee & Frederic Dannay | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Ellery Queen", "Manfred Lee", "NBC"] |
Ellery Queen challenges armchair guest detectives to solve the poisoning of a prized royal stallion at an international horse show. |
| "Joe Sanders and His Orchestra Live from the Detroit Ordnance Office" | Mutual (WOR) 1945-08-31 9:30 PM EWT |
The Coca-Cola Co. Coca-Cola |
Joe Sanders Orchestra | Spotlight Bands Staff | ["Music", "Big Band", "Swing", "Spotlight Bands", "Coca-Cola"] |
Joe Sanders and His Orchestra perform swing hits and popular dance standards live for defense war workers in Detroit. |