Archival Dispatch: August 31 Calendar Walk — Cab Calloway, The Goon Show, and The Witch's Tale
Date:
Author: radio index
Reading: 3 min
Tags: August 31, Calendar Walk, Cab Calloway, Quizzicale, Harlem Jazz, The Goon Show, Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, BBC, The Witchs Tale, Alonzo Deen Cole, Old Nancy, Serial Story, Johnny Mercers Music Shop, Johnny Mercer, Jo Stafford, The Pied Pipers, Lucky Strike, Alternate Titles, Original Filenames
August 31 Archival Metadata Enrichment (Increment 476)
This archival dispatch 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 jive musical quizzes, landmark British absurdist radio comedy, pioneer horror anthologies, and swing music shop broadcasts, Cab Calloway hosting Quizzicale on Mutual (1941), Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, and Harry Secombe in The Goon Show: The Starlings on the BBC (1954), Alonzo Deen Cole's The Witch's Tale (1931, 1934), and Johnny Mercer with Jo Stafford and The Pied Pipers for Lucky Strike (1931–1954):
1. August 31 Archival Inventory (Increment 476)
| Original Circulating Filename & Alternate Titles | Canonical Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres & Serial Arc | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Calloway_1941_Quizzicale.mp3 Alt: Cab Calloways Quizzicale 1941 |
"Live Musical Jive Quiz with Cab Calloway" | Mutual (WOR) 1941-08-31 9:30 PM EDST |
Sustaining Jive Music Quiz |
Cab Calloway & Orchestra | Cab Calloway (Host) | ["Music", "Jazz", "Quiz", "Cab Calloway", "Mutual"] |
Cab Calloway tests contestants on Harlem jazz slang and popular swing music trivia interspersed with high-energy big band solos. |
Goon_1954_Starlings.mp3 Alt: Special The Starlings rec |
"The Starlings with Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, and Harry Secombe" | BBC Home Service 1954-08-31 |
Sustaining Absurdist Comedy |
Sellers, Milligan, Secombe | Peter Eton (Producer) | ["Comedy", "British", "Absurdist", "The Goon Show", "BBC"] |
Neddie Seagoon devises an absurd military acoustic campaign to evict billions of noisy starlings occupying central London buildings. |
Witch_1931_FiringSquad.mp3 Alt: The Firing Squad Witchs Tale |
"The Firing Squad with Alonzo Deen Cole" | WOR New York 1931-08-31 10:30 PM EDST |
Sustaining Pioneer Horror Drama |
Alonzo Deen Cole, Fitz-Allen | Alonzo Deen Cole (Writer) | ["Horror", "Macabre", "Supernatural", "Witchs Tale", "WOR"] |
A condemned wartime officer facing a firing squad places a supernatural death curse upon the officers who betrayed him. |
Witch_1934_Gargoyles2.mp3 Alt: House Gargoyles Part 2 |
"The House of the Gargoyles (Part 2)" | WOR / Mutual 1934-08-31 9:30 PM EDST |
Sustaining Pioneer Horror Drama |
Alonzo Deen Cole, Wolfe | Alonzo Deen Cole (Writer) | ["Horror", "Macabre", "Supernatural", "Witchs Tale", "Mutual"]Arc: The House of the Gargoyles (Part 2 of 2) |
Two terrified heirs uncover the occult secret of stone cathedral gargoyles that animate at midnight to claim sacrificial victims. |
Mercer_1943_PiedPipers.mp3 Alt: Johnny Mercers Music Shop 1943 |
"Guest The Pied Pipers with Johnny Mercer" | NBC (WEAF) 1943-08-31 7:00 PM EWT |
American Tobacco Co. Lucky Strike |
Johnny Mercer, Pied Pipers | Paul Weston Orchestra | ["Music", "Variety", "Swing", "Johnny Mercer", "Lucky Strike"] |
Johnny Mercer and The Pied Pipers perform lyrical swing duets and witty rhythm numbers for Lucky Strike. |
Mercer_1944_DontWantKnow.mp3 Alt: I Dont Want To Know About You |
"I Don't Want to Know About You with Jo Stafford" | NBC (WEAF) 1944-08-31 7:00 PM EWT |
American Tobacco Co. Lucky Strike |
Johnny Mercer, Jo Stafford | Paul Weston Orchestra | ["Music", "Variety", "Swing", "Jo Stafford", "Johnny Mercer"] |
Johnny Mercer and vocalist Jo Stafford perform romantic wartime pop ballads and lively comedic musical sketches. |
2. Archival Verification Summary
- Target Calendar Day: August 31
- Broadcasts Resolved This Increment: 6
- Cumulative Resolved on August 31: 156 / 376
- Target Repositories Synchronized:
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