On This Day, August 31: Sam Spade and Doris Day
Also featured: Philo Vance.
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 American hardboiled detective mystery, musical variety, classic detective fiction, juvenile Western serials, and comedy satire, Howard Duff as Sam Spade in The Corkscrew Caper for Wildroot (1947), Doris Day and guest star Ray Bolger for Rexall (1952), Jackson Beck as Philo Vance (1948), Gene Autry's wonder horse in The Adventures of Champion (1949), Official Detective (1948), and Man of Soup (1947–1998):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres & Serial Arc | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Guest Ray Bolger with Doris Day" | CBS (WCBS) 1952-08-31 7:00 PM EDT |
Rexall Drug Company Rexall 1-Cent Sales |
Doris Day, Ray Bolger | Page Cavanaugh Trio | ["Music", "Variety", "Comedy", "Doris Day", "Ray Bolger"] |
Doris Day and dancer Ray Bolger trade comedic Hollywood stories and perform lively vocal duets for Rexall. |
| "The Ghost of Black Mountain (Chapter 3)" | Mutual (WOR) 1949-08-31 5:30 PM EDT |
General Mills Wheaties / Cheerios |
Johnny McGovern, Champion | Bob Hamilton (Writer) | ["Western", "Juvenile", "Serial", "Champion", "Gene Autry"]Arc: The Ghost of Black Mountain (Part 3) |
Champion and young Ricky outrun an avalanche triggered by masked outlaws hiding in the caves of Black Mountain. |
| "The Coachman Murder Case with Jackson Beck" | ZIV Syndication 1948-08-31 |
Sustaining Ziv Detective Drama |
Jackson Beck, Alexander | S.S. Van Dine (Creator) | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Philo Vance", "Jackson Beck", "ZIV"] |
Aristocratic sleuth Philo Vance solves the fatal shooting of a private carriage driver carrying a wealthy heiress's jewels. |
| "Beatlemania Grips Slomzovakia" | Syndicated Comedy 1998-08-31 |
Sustaining Audio Satire |
Comedy Troupe | Man of Soup Production | ["Comedy", "Satire", "Parody", "Modern Radio", "Audio Comedy"] |
A fictional Eastern European republic is thrown into absurd diplomatic turmoil when youth discover bootleg rock-and-roll records. |
| "The Alibi of the Diamond Swindlers" | Mutual (WOR) 1948-08-31 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Police Procedural |
Craig McDonnell, Cast | Official Detective Staff | ["Police Procedural", "Detective", "True Crime", "Mutual", "Investigation"] |
Police detectives expose the falsified train ticket alibi used by two confidence men who swindled a jewelry exchange. |
| "The Corkscrew Caper with Howard Duff" | CBS (WCBS) 1947-08-31 8:00 PM EDT |
Wildroot Company Wildroot Cream-Oil |
Howard Duff, Tuttle | Tallman & James (Writers) | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Hardboiled", "Sam Spade", "Howard Duff"] |
Sam Spade is hired by a panicked vintage wine importer whose partner was murdered with an antique silver corkscrew. |