On This Day, August 23: Mr. Chameleon and Alan Young
Also featured: Jules Verne.
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 network and educational broadcasting history (1936–1950):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Want Ad Murder Case (Starring Karl Swenson — Ironized Yeast)" | CBS (WCBS) 1950-08-23 8:00 PM EDT |
Sterling Drug Inc. Ironized Yeast & Campho-Phenique |
Karl Swenson (Mr. Chameleon), Frank Butler, Roger De Koven | Frank & Anne Hummert (Producers), Howard Claney | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Crime", "Police Procedural"] |
Master of disguise Mr. Chameleon adopts the undercover persona of an eccentric antique book collector to trap a ruthless killer who lured wealthy victims through fraudulent classified newspaper want-ads. |
| "Alan Young as a Hollywood Beach Lifeguard (Sal Hepatica & Vitalis)" | NBC (WEAF) 1944-08-23 9:00 PM EWT |
Bristol-Myers Co. Sal Hepatica & Vitalis Hair Tonic |
Alan Young, Jean Gillespie, Jim Ameche, Lud Gluskin Orchestra | Eddie Pola (Director), Jimmy Wallington (Announcer) | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Variety", "Music"] |
Befuddled young comedian Alan Young tries his hand at becoming a glamorous Hollywood lifeguard to impress his girlfriend, sparking beachside misadventures and satirical songs backed by Lud Gluskin's Orchestra for Sal Hepatica. |
| "The Weaver and the Wasp: History of Paper (Westinghouse Science)" | KDKA / Syndication 1949-08-23 (Transcribed) |
Westinghouse Electric Public Service Science Series |
Dr. Phillips Thomas (Narrator), Paul Shannon (Host) | Charles A. Scarlott (Writer), Westinghouse Labs | ["Docudrama", "Educational", "Science", "Historical"] |
Dr. Phillips Thomas explores the history of human papermaking and natural biomimicry, explaining how 18th-century French scientist René Antoine de Réaumur discovered modern wood-pulp paper manufacturing by observing paper wasps. |
| "The Magic Key of RCA: Gladys Swarthout & Frank Black's Symphony (RCA Victor)" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1936-08-23 2:00 PM EDST |
Radio Corp of America RCA Victor Radios & Records |
Gladys Swarthout, Frank Black & NBC Symphony Orchestra | Thomas L. Stix (Producer), Milton Cross (Announcer) | ["Variety", "Music", "Classical", "Vocal", "Historical"] |
Dr. Frank Black conducts the NBC Symphony Orchestra in a coast-to-coast variety showcase for RCA Victor, featuring Metropolitan Opera star Gladys Swarthout and a live shortwave musical remote from San Francisco's Golden Gate. |
| "Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Hosted by Roddy McDowall)" | Mutual (KHJ) 1950-08-23 9:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Family Rosary Crusade |
Roddy McDowall (Host), Macdonald Carey (Nemo), Bill Johnstone | Jules Verne (Author), Jaime del Valle, Tony La Frano | ["Adventure", "Science Fiction", "Drama", "Literature"] |
Host Roddy McDowall presents Jules Verne's underwater epic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, starring Macdonald Carey as the enigmatic Captain Nemo commanding the submarine Nautilus on a voyage into the ocean depths. |
| "Arch Oboler's 'I Give My Life' (Starring Bret Morrison & Marvin Miller)" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1942-08-23 6:30 PM EWT |
Sustaining NBC Drama Anthology |
Bret Morrison, Marvin Miller, Betty Winkler | Arch Oboler (Author), Wynn Wright, Fort Pearson | ["Drama", "Anthology", "War", "Psychological"] |
In a wartime psychological drama written by Arch Oboler, an underground resistance saboteur in Nazi-occupied Europe risks everything to save an innocent village from brutal reprisal, weighing his personal survival against the sacrifice for freedom. |