On This Day, August 31: Winston Churchill and G.I. Journal
Also featured: Heartbeat Theatre.
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 wartime prime minister addresses, Armed Forces Radio variety, Salvation Army moral anthologies, automotive easy listening, and foreign correspondence from the London Blitz, Winston Churchill's broadcast to the Canadian people from the Citadel of Quebec (1943), Robert Young hosting G.I. Journal with Mel Blanc and Mel Tormé (1945), Heartbeat Theatre (1958, 1969), Ray Bloch on The Ford Road Show (1958), and Larry LeSueur reporting from London bomb shelters (1940–1969):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Address to the Canadian People from the Citadel of Quebec" | CBC / BBC / CBS 1943-08-31 3:15 PM EWT |
Sustaining Allied Wartime Address |
Winston Churchill | Allied High Command | ["History", "WWII", "Speech", "Winston Churchill", "Quebec"] |
Prime Minister Churchill delivers an international radio address from Quebec detailing Allied plans for the liberation of continental Europe. |
| "Nightmare at Gate Twelve with Salvation Army Players" | Salvation Army Synd. 1958-08-31 |
The Salvation Army Moral Drama |
Don Ameche (Host) | Salvation Army Team | ["Drama", "Moral", "Anthology", "Heartbeat Theatre", "Salvation Army"] |
An anxious factory watchman confronts guilt over an unpunished industrial theft when an injured coworker seeks shelter at the gatehouse. |
| "The Education of Mr. Phipps with Salvation Army Players" | Salvation Army Synd. 1969-08-31 |
The Salvation Army Moral Drama |
Repertory Ensemble | Salvation Army Team | ["Drama", "Moral", "Anthology", "Heartbeat Theatre", "Salvation Army"] |
A retired bookkeeper learns empathy and human warmth after volunteering to help impoverished inner-city children at a summer mission. |
| "Guest Editor Robert Young with Mel Blanc and Mel Tormé (AFRS 107)" | AFRS Radio 1945-08-31 |
U.S. War Department Armed Forces Radio |
Robert Young, Blanc | Mel Tormé & Connie Haines | ["Variety", "Comedy", "AFRS", "GI Journal", "Robert Young"] |
Robert Young edits a comic wartime newspaper-of-the-air featuring Mel Blanc's Private Sad Sack routines and jazz vocal harmonies. |
| "It Happened in Monterey with The Ray Bloch Orchestra" | CBS (WCBS) 1958-08-31 6:45 PM EDT |
Ford Motor Company Ford Dealers |
Ray Bloch Orchestra | CBS Production Staff | ["Music", "Easy Listening", "Ford Road Show", "Ray Bloch", "Ford"] |
Ray Bloch leads smooth orchestral arrangements of It Happened in Monterey and easy-listening melodies for Sunday drivers. |
| "Larry LeSueur Reports from London Air Raid Shelters" | CBS (WABC) 1940-08-31 8:00 AM EDST |
Sustaining CBS War News Round-Up |
Larry LeSueur | Major George F. Eliot | ["News", "WWII", "London Blitz", "Larry LeSueur", "CBS"] |
Larry LeSueur describes overnight underground Tube station shelter conditions and RAF fighter scrambles during heavy Luftwaffe attacks. |