On This Day, August 22: Mario Lanza and Beulah
Also featured: Jimmy Dorsey, Straight Arrow.
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 network, military, and syndicated broadcasting history (1945–1952):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Renegade" | Mutual-Don Lee (KHJ) 1949-08-22 5:00 PM PST |
Nabisco Nabisco Shredded Wheat ("Injun Cards") |
Howard Culver (Straight Arrow / Steve Adams), Gwen Delano, Fred Howard | Sheldon Stark (Creator), Ted Robertson (Director), Frank Bingman (Announcer) | ["Western", "Adventure", "Children"] |
Rancher Steve Adams dons the secret ceremonial garments of Comanche warrior Straight Arrow and mounts his golden palomino Fury, galloping into the badlands to stop a rogue outlaw from framing peaceful reservation braves for stagecoach robberies. |
| "Arctic Mission: Sabotage at Spitsbergen" | Mutual (WOR) 1949-08-22 8:30 PM EDT |
U.S. Navy ONI Office of Naval Intelligence |
Rear Admiral Ellis M. Zacharias (Host / Narrator), naval dramatic cast | Ellis M. Zacharias (Writer), Arthur V. Jones (Director), Ed Herlihy (Announcer) | ["Espionage", "Military", "Historical", "Drama"] |
Rear Admiral Ellis M. Zacharias narrates the declassified true intelligence mission of a U.S. Navy submarine reconnaissance team sent into the frozen Spitsbergen archipelago to locate and destroy a clandestine German meteorological outpost transmitting vital North Atlantic storm data. |
| "Jimmy Dorsey Live at Casino Gardens Ballroom (AFRS Magic Carpet 104)" | AFRS Transcription 1945-08-22 (Ocean Park CA) |
Non-commercial Armed Forces Radio Service |
Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra, Bob Eberly, Kitty Kallen | AFRS Los Angeles, Casino Gardens Ocean Park Remote | ["Music", "Big Band", "Swing", "Military"] |
Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra broadcast live from the Casino Gardens Ballroom on the Santa Monica shore, entertaining troops around the globe on AFRS Magic Carpet with swinging arrangements of 'Green Eyes', 'Tangerine', and 'Besame Mucho'. |
| "Mario Lanza Sings 'Be My Love' and 'Granada' with Giselle MacKenzie" | NBC (WNBC) 1952-08-22 9:00 PM EDT |
The Coca-Cola Co. "Coke adds life" |
Mario Lanza (Tenor), Giselle MacKenzie (Soprano), Ray Sinatra Orchestra | Ray Sinatra (Music), Bill Goodwin (Announcer) | ["Music", "Classical", "Opera", "Easy Listening"] |
Acclaimed tenor Mario Lanza thrills listeners with passionate operatic arias and romantic popular ballads for Coca-Cola, performing 'Be My Love', 'Granada', and a romantic duet with guest soprano Giselle MacKenzie backed by Ray Sinatra's Orchestra. |
| "Bill's Garage Fix-It Shop and the Vacuum Mower" | CBS (KNX / WCBS) 1949-08-22 7:00 PM EDT |
Procter & Gamble Dreft Detergent & Oxydol |
Hattie McDaniel (Beulah), Ernest Whitman (Bill), Ruby Dandridge, Hugh Studebaker | Charles Stewart & Arthur Phillips (Writers), Helen Mack (Director) | ["Comedy", "Sitcom"] |
Beulah helps her boyfriend Bill Jackson launch a neighborhood fix-it shop in the Henderson garage, but comedic chaos ensues when Bill accidentally reassembles Mr. Henderson's gasoline lawnmower with parts from Mrs. Henderson's electric vacuum cleaner. |
| "Hollywood Trivia Panel: Eve Arden, Eddie Bracken, and George Sidney" | NBC (KFI) 1948-08-22 7:00 PM EDT |
American Tobacco Co. Lucky Strike ("First again with tobacco men!") |
George Murphy (Host), Erskine Johnson, Eddie Bracken, George Sidney, Eve Arden | Glenhall Taylor (Writer), Frank Martin (Announcer) | ["Quiz", "Game Show", "Talk", "Show Business"] |
Host George Murphy challenges a celebrity panel—including quick-witted Eve Arden, comic Eddie Bracken, and director George Sidney—to answer listener-submitted trivia questions about Hollywood movie history and backstage studio legends for Lucky Strike. |