On This Day, August 22: Al Jolson and Tallulah Bankhead
Also featured: Octavia Butler Sci-Fi, John Dickson Carr.
August 22 Exhaustive Update
This report documents the comprehensive provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, and story synopses for 6 historical broadcasts transmitting on August 22 across American, British, and public broadcasting history (1936–2000):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Eternal Light: The Immigrant's Dream on the Lower East Side" | NBC (WNBC) 1971-08-22 12:30 PM EDT |
Jewish Theological Seminary of America |
Norman Rose (Narrator), dramatic radio ensemble | Morton Wishengrad (Writer), Daniel Sutter (Director) | ["Inspirational", "Religious", "Cultural", "Drama"] |
Norman Rose narrates a moving biographical dramatization exploring the life of an impoverished Eastern European immigrant tailor who arrives on Manhattan's Lower East Side, establishing a community mutual aid society to support orphanages and labor education. |
| "Al Jolson with Guest Tallulah Bankhead, Martha Raye, and Parkyakarkus" | CBS (WABC) 1936-08-22 9:30 PM EDT |
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Rinso Detergent & Lifebuoy Soap |
Al Jolson, Tallulah Bankhead, Parkyakarkus, Martha Raye, Victor Young Orchestra | Harry Tugend (Writer), Joseph R. Stauffer (Director), Tiny Ruffner (Announcer) | ["Comedy", "Variety", "Music"] |
Broadway legend Al Jolson trades sharp-tongued banter with flamboyant stage queen Tallulah Bankhead, jokes with Greek dialect comedian Parkyakarkus, and belts out musical classics including 'Swanee' and 'My Mammy' alongside Martha Raye for Rinso. |
| "Shambleau (by C.L. Moore) & Bloodchild (by Octavia Butler)" | NPR Satellite 2000-08-22 (2000X Series) |
CPB / NPR Corporation for Public Broadcasting |
Richard Dreyfuss (Host), Armin Shimerman, Robin Atkin Downes, Gates McFadden | Erik Bauersfeld & Yuri Rasovsky (Adapters), Jim McKee (Sound Design) | ["Science Fiction", "Drama", "Horror", "Anthology"] |
Richard Dreyfuss introduces a provocative science-fiction double feature dramatizing C.L. Moore's classic Shambleau—where Martian smuggler Northwest Smith rescues an alluring alien creature with deadly psychic tendrils—followed by Octavia Butler's Hugo-winning Bloodchild. |
| "The Case of the Forged Checkbook (Parole Board Hearing)" | CBS (WABC) 1943-08-22 8:30 PM EWT |
Philip Morris & Co. "Call for Philip Morris!" |
Ray Collins (Dr. Ordway), Everett Sloane, Alice Frost, Santos Ortega | Max Marcin (Creator), Jack Johnstone (Director), Ken Roberts (Announcer) | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Medical", "Psychological Thriller"] |
Criminal psychologist Dr. Benjamin Ordway investigates a paroled bank accountant accused of forging company payroll checks, uncovering psychological evidence that the accountant's embittered brother-in-law planted the forged signature stamps to trigger a parole violation. |
| "Heavy Hangs the Head (Hosted by John Dickson Carr)" | Mutual (WOR) 1949-08-22 8:00 PM EDT |
Mystery Writers of America Sustaining Mystery Series |
John Dickson Carr (Guest Host), Lawson Zerbe, Donald Buka, Elspeth Eric | Robert A. Arthur & David Kogan (Creators), David Kogan (Director) | ["Mystery", "Detective", "Drama", "Crime"] |
Renowned locked-room mystery author John Dickson Carr presents a macabre tale of an eccentric French antique collector who is decapitated by an antique parlor guillotine inside a bolted study, challenging listeners to untangle the ingenious mechanical contraption used by the heir. |
| "London Assurance (by Dion Boucicault, Starring Jack Hulbert & Cicely Courtneidge)" | BBC Home Service 1953-08-22 9:15 PM |
Non-commercial British Broadcasting Corp. |
Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge, David Tomlinson, Frank Pettingell | Dion Boucicault (Author), Cynthia Pughe (Adapter), Archie Campbell (Director) | ["Comedy", "Drama", "Theatre", "Victorian"] |
In Dion Boucicault's witty Victorian comedy of manners, aging London dandy Sir Harcourt Courtly arrives at an aristocratic Gloucestershire estate to wed an eighteen-year-old heiress, only for his spendthrift son Charles to arrive disguised under a false name and steal her affections. |