On This Day, August 22: Sherlock Holmes and Gene Autry
Also featured: The Quiz Kids, Comic Weekly Man.
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 and syndicated broadcasting history (1943–2004):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Master Craftsman" | Imagination Theatre 2004-08-22 (Syndicated) |
National Audio Drama Syndication | John Patrick Lowrie (Sherlock Holmes), John Armstrong (Dr. Watson), Rick May (Lestrade), Dennis Bateman (Miles) | M.J. Elliott (Writer), Jim French (Director), Terry Rose (Music) | ["Mystery", "Detective", "Drama"] |
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson investigate the poisoning of a master clockmaker in Clerkenwell whose custom-built celestial clock holds the combination to an uncrackable Bank of England vault, deducing that the murderer used a spring-loaded poisoned escapement wheel. |
| "Gene Sings 'Cool Water' and 'Buttons and Bows'" | CBS (KNX / WABC) 1948-08-22 8:00 PM EDT |
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. Doublemint Chewing Gum |
Gene Autry, Pat Buttram, The Cass County Boys, The Pinafores, Carl Cotner Orchestra | CBS Hollywood, Gene Twombly (Sound Effects), Charlie Lyon (Announcer) | ["Western", "Music", "Comedy", "Variety"] |
Gene Autry and Pat Buttram welcome listeners to Melody Ranch, with Gene performing 'Cool Water' and 'Buttons and Bows', followed by comedic frontier horse-trading tall tales with Pat Buttram and western swing by the Cass County Boys. |
| "Pat Buttram's Uranium Claim Scheme" | CBS (KNX) 1954-08-22 7:00 PM EDT |
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. Doublemint Chewing Gum |
Gene Autry, Pat Buttram, The Cass County Boys, Carl Cotner's Melody Ranch Band | Flying A / Wrigley, Johnny Jacobs (Announcer) | ["Western", "Music", "Comedy", "Variety"] |
Gene Autry sings 'Back in the Saddle Again' and 'I'm an Old Cowhand', while Pat Buttram spins a hilarious scheme about staking out a bogus uranium claim in Death Valley with a clicking pocket watch he mistook for a Geiger counter. |
| "Seven-Year-Old Joel Kupperman Calculates Mental Cube Roots" | Blue / ABC (WENR) 1943-08-22 7:30 PM EWT |
Miles Laboratories Alka-Seltzer & One-A-Day Vitamins |
Joe Kelly (Quizmaster), Joel Kupperman (Age 7), Gerard Darrow (Age 10), Richard Williams (Age 13), Harve Fischman (Age 13) | Louis G. Cowan (Creator & Producer), John Lewellen (Research), Bob Murphy (Announcer) | ["Quiz", "Game Show", "Educational"] |
Seven-year-old mathematical prodigy Joel Kupperman stuns quizmaster Joe Kelly by performing lightning-fast mental cube root calculations in seconds, alongside 10-year-old naturalist Gerard Darrow identifying rare South American bird calls from listener mail questions. |
| "Reading the Sunday Comics: Blondie, Flash Gordon, and Popeye" | WNEW New York 1948-08-22 8:30 AM EDT |
Hearst Newspapers Puck - The Comic Weekly |
Jack Johnstone (The Comic Weekly Man / Storyteller) | WNEW Production Staff, New York | ["Children", "Comedy", "Talk"] |
The Comic Weekly Man reads Sunday newspaper comic strips over the air with animated character voices and sound effects, bringing to life the latest misadventures of 'Blondie and Dagwood', 'Flash Gordon', 'Prince Valiant', and 'Popeye' from Puck The Comic Weekly. |
| "Reading the Sunday Comics: Beetle Bailey, Snuffy Smith, and The Phantom" | WNEW New York 1954-08-22 8:30 AM EDT |
Hearst Newspapers Puck - The Comic Weekly |
Jack Johnstone (The Comic Weekly Man / Narrator) | WNEW Radio, New York | ["Children", "Comedy", "Talk"] |
The Comic Weekly Man delights Sunday morning young listeners by dramatically reading aloud and voicing the weekend color comic strips, featuring the comic escapades of 'Beetle Bailey' dodging Sergeant Snorkel, 'Snuffy Smith' in the hills, and 'The Phantom' in the Deep Woods. |