Archival Dispatch: August 23 Calendar Walk — Dead Ringers, Australian Shadow, and Mail Call
Date:
Author: radio index
Reading: 4 min
Tags: August 23, Calendar Walk, Dead Ringers, Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, BBC Radio 4, The Shadow, Australian Radio, Grace Gibson, Lloyd Berrell, Lyndall Barbour, 2UW Sydney, The Frank Muir Version, Frank Muir, Table Manners, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Marius Goring, Harry Alan Towers, Mail Call, AFRS, Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Burns and Allen, Alternate Titles, Original Filenames
August 23 Exhaustive Archival Metadata Enrichment (Increment 09)
This archival dispatch documents the comprehensive provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, and story synopses for historical broadcasts transmitting on August 23 across American, British, and Australian broadcasting history (1944–2002):
1. August 23 Archival Inventory (Increment 09)
| Original Circulating Filename & Alternate Titles | Canonical Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dead_Ringers_2002_08_23.mp3 Alt: Episode, Jon Culshaw Tony Blair 2002 |
"Dead Ringers (Series 5, Episode 4) — Jon Culshaw as Tony Blair" | BBC Radio 4 2002-08-23 6:30 PM |
Non-commercial BBC Public Service |
Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Mark Perry, Kevin Connelly | Bill Dare (Producer), Nev Fountain (Script Editor) | ["Comedy", "Satire", "Parody", "British"] |
The comedy impressionist troupe skewers contemporary British politics and television, featuring Jon Culshaw lampooning Prime Minister Tony Blair holding a surreal Downing Street press briefing and Jan Ravens impersonating Queen Elizabeth II preparing for the Golden Jubilee. |
The_Shadow_1951_08_23.mp3 Alt: Bcast Return To Life, Return to Life |
"Return to Life (Starring Lloyd Berrell & Lyndall Barbour)" | 2UW Sydney / Syndication 1951-08-23 (Grace Gibson) |
Commercial Syndication Aeroplane Jelly & Atlantic Oil |
Lloyd Berrell (The Shadow), Lyndall Barbour (Margot Lane) | Grace Gibson (Producer & Director), Morris West (Adapter) | ["Superhero", "Mystery", "Detective", "Thriller"] |
Lamont Cranston and Margot Lane investigate a ruthless con artist posing as a resurrected spiritual medium to swindle wealthy widows, using the power to cloud men's minds to confront the medium inside a darkened séance chamber. |
The_Shadow_1953_08_23.mp3 Alt: Green Star of Lhasa, Tibetan Emerald Smugglers |
"The Green Star of Lhasa (The Tibetan Emerald Smugglers)" | 2UW / Macquarie 1953-08-23 (Grace Gibson) |
Commercial Syndication Atlantic Motor Oil |
Lloyd Berrell (The Shadow), Lyndall Barbour (Margot Lane) | Grace Gibson (Director), 2UW Sydney Sound Bureau | ["Superhero", "Mystery", "Detective", "Thriller"] |
The Shadow tracks a stolen sacred emerald known as the Green Star of Lhasa through Sydney's waterfront docks, invisible to an international smuggling ring as he prevents the assassination of a Tibetan diplomatic courier. |
Frank_Muir_1976_08_23.mp3 Alt: Table Manners, Frank Muir Dining Etiquette |
"The Frank Muir Version: Table Manners & Historical Dining Etiquette" | BBC Radio 4 1976-08-23 8:15 PM |
Non-commercial BBC Public Radio |
Frank Muir (Host / Humorist), Simon Brett (Reader) | Frank Muir (Writer), Simon Brett (Producer) | ["Comedy", "Talk", "Literature", "Humour", "British"] |
Celebrated British humorist and raconteur Frank Muir explores the bizarre and hilarious evolution of dinner table etiquette through centuries of historical literature, quoting Victorian dining manuals and sharing anecdotes on gastronomic mishaps. |
Scarlet_Pimpernel_1953_08_23.mp3 Alt: In Pursuit Of Colonel Drury, Pursuit of Colonel Drury |
"In Pursuit of Colonel Drury (Starring Marius Goring)" | Towers of London / NBC 1953-08-23 (NBC Syndication) |
Sustaining Regional Syndication |
Marius Goring (Sir Percy), David Peel, Lucie Mannheim | Harry Alan Towers (Director), Sidney Torch (Composer) | ["Adventure", "Historical", "Drama", "Swashbuckler"] |
Sir Percy Blakeney assumes his foppish aristocratic persona while secretly slipping into Revolutionary Paris to rescue a captured British intelligence courier, Colonel Drury, outwitting Chauvelin's secret police at the barricades before the guillotine falls. |
Mail_Call_1944_08_23.mp3 Alt: Jeanette MacDonald Burns Allen, Mail Call #105 |
"AFRS Mail Call #105: Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, and Burns & Allen" | AFRS Transcription 1944-08-23 (Mail Call #105) |
Non-commercial War Dept. Special Services |
Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Burns & Allen, AFRS Orchestra | Jerry Lawrence (Writer), Don Wilson (Announcer) | ["Variety", "Comedy", "Music", "Military", "War"] |
Beloved operetta legends Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy reunite to sing romantic duets for troops overseas, while George Burns and Gracie Allen perform comedy routines on Gracie's eccentric wartime inventions for the Armed Forces Radio Service. |
2. Archival Verification Summary
- Target Calendar Day: August 23
- Broadcasts Resolved This Increment: 6
- Cumulative Resolved on August 23: 54
- Target Repositories Synchronized:
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