On This Day, August 23: Lum and Abner
Also featured: Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney.
August 23 Exhaustive Update
This report documents the comprehensive provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, and story synopses for historical broadcasts transmitting on August 23 across American and British broadcasting history (1935–1964):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Jot 'Em Down Store Popularity Contest Ends (Horlick's Malted Milk)" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1935-08-23 7:30 PM EDST |
Horlick's Corp. Horlick's Malted Milk |
Chester Lauck (Lum Edwards), Norris Goff (Abner Peabody) | Chester Lauck & Norris Goff, Carlton Brickert | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Small Town", "Rural"] |
At the Jot 'Em Down Store in Pine Ridge, Arkansas, Lum Edwards and Abner Peabody tally the final ballots in their hilarious community popularity contest, discovering that Grandpap Spears cast a decisive vote for himself. |
| "The Case of Neighbor Meliot's Borrowed Plow (Alka-Seltzer)" | CBS (KNX) 1947-08-23 8:00 PM EDT |
Miles Laboratories Alka-Seltzer & One-A-Day |
Chester Lauck (Lum), Norris Goff (Abner), Clarence Hartzell | Bill Burch (Director), Gene Baker (Announcer) | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Small Town", "Rural"] |
Lum and Abner get caught in an eccentric misunderstanding regarding neighboring farmer Meliot's prize livestock, concocting a convoluted scheme to return a borrowed plow without admitting they lost it. |
| "Lum Buys More Than He Intended at the County Auction (Frigidaire)" | CBS (WCBS) 1948-08-23 8:00 PM EDT |
General Motors Frigidaire Home Appliances |
Chester Lauck, Norris Goff, Andy Devine, Zasu Pitts | Larry Berns (Director), Wendell Niles (Announcer) | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Small Town", "Rural"] |
Lum attends the Pine Ridge county estate auction intending only to bid on a small brass tea kettle, but his nervous twitching gestures cause the auctioneer to declare him the winning bidder for a dilapidated barn full of antique junk. |
| "Play It Cool: Alexis Korner with the Johnny Burch Octet & Alan Skidmore (BBC)" | BBC Light 1964-08-23 5:00 PM |
Non-commercial BBC Jazz & Popular Music |
Alexis Korner (Host), Johnny Burch Octet, Alan Skidmore | Terry Henebery (Producer), BBC Radio | ["Music", "Jazz", "Cool Jazz", "British", "Modern Jazz"] |
Host Alexis Korner introduces leading figures of the British modern jazz renaissance, spotlighting the innovative hard bop and modal arrangements of the Johnny Burch Octet and saxophonist Alan Skidmore. |
| "The Bing Crosby-Rosemary Clooney Show: 'Singin' in the Rain' (Buddy Cole Trio)" | CBS (KNX) 1961-08-23 10:45 AM EDT |
Sustaining CBS Daytime Variety |
Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Buddy Cole and his Trio | Bill Morrow (Producer), Ken Carpenter (Announcer) | ["Music", "Vocal", "Pop", "Easy Listening", "Variety"] |
Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney exchange relaxed banter and harmonized duets, singing a breezy rendition of 'Singin' in the Rain' alongside solo standards accompanied by Buddy Cole on organ and piano. |
| "The Bing Crosby-Rosemary Clooney Show: 'This Can't Be Love' (Buddy Cole Trio)" | CBS (WCBS) 1962-08-23 10:45 AM EDT |
Sustaining CBS Daytime Variety |
Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Buddy Cole and his Trio | Bill Morrow (Producer), Ken Carpenter (Announcer) | ["Music", "Vocal", "Pop", "Easy Listening", "Variety"] |
Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney charm daytime radio listeners with delightful vocal chemistry, singing Rodgers and Hart's classic 'This Can't Be Love' with swinging organ rhythms provided by the Buddy Cole Trio. |