On This Day, August 22: Silver Theater and Superman
Also featured: Cecil and Sally, Ripley's Believe It or Not.
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 transcription broadcasting history (1930–1945):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Characters | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Villain Still Pursues Her" | CBS (WABC) 1943-08-22 6:00 PM EWT |
International Silver Co. 1847 Rogers Bros. Silverplate |
Conrad Nagel (Host), Miriam Hopkins (Sally Trent), Ray Collins (Simon Blackwood), Hans Conried (Stage Director) | Glenhall Taylor (Director), True Boardman (Writer), Felix Mills (Music), Dick Joy (Announcer) | ["Drama", "Comedy", "Anthology"] |
An exasperated Broadway stage actress performing in a gaslight melodrama discovers that the character actor playing the villain has taken his onstage role into real life, attempting to sabotage her marriage to an earnest young engineer. |
| "Ordering Lunch at the Crowded Diner" | MacGregor & Sollie 1930-08-22 (KPO San Francisco) |
Standard Oil of California Regional Retailers |
Johnny O'Brien (Cecil), Helen Troy (Sally) | Johnny O'Brien & Helen Troy (Writers & Producers), MacGregor & Sollie Studios SF | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Short"] |
Cecil and Sally stop at a packed lunchtime diner during a busy workday, struggling through rapid-fire misunderstandings with a hurried short-order cook while trying to decide on lunch orders before their lunch hour expires. |
| "Ghosts of the Air: Chapter 6" | Mutual (WOR) 1944-08-22 5:15 PM EWT |
Kellogg Company Kellogg's Pep Cereal |
Bud Collyer (Clark Kent / Superman), Joan Alexander (Lois Lane), Jackie Kelk (Jimmy Olsen), Julian Noa (Perry White) | Robert & Jessica Maxwell (Directors), B.P. Freeman (Writer), Jack Amrhein (Sound Effects), Jackson Beck (Announcer) | ["Adventure", "Science Fiction", "Action"] |
Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen trace mysterious radio interference disabling Allied test flights over Metropolis to a concealed antenna inside an abandoned lighthouse, where an enemy operative prepares to trigger a frequency jammer against a military transport. |
| "The Flood: Chapter 12" | Mutual (WOR) 1945-08-22 5:15 PM EWT |
Kellogg Company Kellogg's Pep Cereal |
Bud Collyer (Clark Kent / Superman), Joan Alexander (Lois Lane), Jackie Kelk (Jimmy Olsen), Julian Noa (Perry White) | Robert Maxwell (Director), George Lowther (Writer), Jack Amrhein (Sound Effects), Jackson Beck (Announcer) | ["Adventure", "Science Fiction", "Action"] |
With torrential mountain rains weakening the concrete retaining wall of the North Valley reservoir, Superman rushes to divert the surging river and rescue Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen trapped in a submerged pump station before the main dam collapses over the valley. |
| "Danger Is My Business (Guest: Captain John D. Craig)" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1938-08-22 8:00 PM EDT |
General Foods Post 40% Bran Flakes |
Robert L. Ripley (Host / Narrator), Capt. John D. Craig (Guest Salvage Diver), Men About Town (Quartet), B.A. Rolfe (Orchestra) | Douglas Coulter (Producer), Ray Kelly (Sound Effects), Donald Ball (Announcer) | ["Documentary", "Variety", "Adventure"] |
Robert Ripley interviews deep-sea adventurer Captain John D. Craig about surviving encounters with giant manta rays and killer whales while restoring bullion from sunken Spanish galleons off Lower California, dramatized with authentic diving sound effects. |
| "Strange Sports & Feats (Guest: Howard Hill)" | NBC Red / Transcription 1938-08-22 8:30 PM EDT |
General Foods Post Toasties Corn Flakes |
Robert L. Ripley (Host), Howard Hill (Champion Trick Archer), Linda Lee (Vocalist), B.A. Rolfe Orchestra | Douglas Coulter (Producer), Donald Ball (Announcer) | ["Documentary", "Variety", "Sports"] |
Robert Ripley presents unbelievable athletic feats, dramatizing a 19th-century French marathon walker who raced on stilts across the Sahara Desert, followed by a live studio demonstration and interview with legendary trick archer Howard Hill splitting wooden arrows mid-air. |