On This Day, August 23: Superman Serials and Tinker Tailor
Also featured: Benny Goodman's Camel Caravan.
August 23 Exhaustive Update
This report documents the comprehensive provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, serial multi-part narrative arcs, alternate circulating titles, and story synopses for historical broadcasts transmitting on August 23 across American and British broadcasting history (1938–1988):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Flood (Part 13) — The Metropolis Dam Disaster (Kellogg's Pep)" | Mutual (WOR) 1945-08-23 5:15 PM EWT |
Kellogg Company Kellogg's Pep Cereal |
Bud Collyer (Superman), Joan Alexander (Lois), Jackie Kelk | B.P. Freeman (Writer), George Lowther (Director) | ["Superhero", "Action", "Adventure", "Disaster"] |
In Part 13 of The Flood, a torrential cloudburst ruptures the mountain reservoir above Metropolis, prompting Superman to fly at superhuman velocity to brace the crumbling concrete wall with granite boulders and save trapped valley villagers. |
| "Candy Meyer's Big Story (Part 2 of 8) — The Extortion Notebook" | Mutual (WOR) 1946-08-23 5:15 PM EDT |
Kellogg Company Kellogg's Pep Cereal |
Bud Collyer (Superman), Ronald Liss (Candy Meyer), Jackie Kelk | Robert & Jessica Maxwell (Writers), Jackson Beck (Announcer) | ["Superhero", "Action", "Adventure", "Children"] |
In Part 2 of Candy Meyer's Big Story, teenage copy boy Candy Meyer stumbles across a coded notebook belonging to an extortion gang while running errands for the Daily Planet, escaping into a crowded subway station before the gangsters corner him. |
| "The Mystery of the Letter (Part 6 of 11) — The Stolen Chemical Formula" | Mutual (WOR) 1948-08-23 5:15 PM EDT |
Sustaining Mutual Radio Drama |
Bud Collyer (Superman), Joan Alexander (Lois), Julian Noa | Jessica Maxwell (Director), Jackson Beck (Announcer) | ["Superhero", "Action", "Adventure", "Mystery"] |
In Part 6 of The Mystery of the Letter, Lois Lane is abducted by a criminal syndicate demanding the return of a stolen industrial chemical formula, prompting Superman to follow the kidnappers' tire tracks across state lines to a remote farmhouse hideout. |
| "The Curse of Devil's Creek (Starring Michael Fitzmaurice)" | ABC (WJZ) 1950-08-23 5:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining ABC Youth Drama |
Michael Fitzmaurice (Superman), Joan Alexander (Lois), Jack Grimes | Allen Ducovny (Director), Ross Martin (Announcer) | ["Superhero", "Action", "Adventure", "Western", "Mystery"] |
Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen travel to the ghost town of Devil's Creek to investigate rumors of a gold mine curse, discovering that an armed outlaw gang used trick mirrors and smoke to frighten away homesteaders while extracting high-grade ore. |
| "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Part 4 of 7) — George Smiley Interrogates Connie Sachs" | BBC Radio 4 1988-08-23 3:00 PM |
Non-commercial BBC Public Service |
Bernard Hepton (George Smiley), Michael Jayston, Frank Windsor | John le Carré (Author), René Basilico (Adapter), John Tydeman (Director) | ["Spy", "Espionage", "Drama", "Cold War", "British"] |
In Part 4 of the definitive BBC serialization of John le Carré's espionage masterpiece, retired spymaster George Smiley interviews ailing former Circus researcher Connie Sachs, unearthing critical files that confirm a high-level Soviet mole codenamed 'Gerald' operates within the British Secret Service. |
| "Camel Caravan: Benny Goodman with Martha Tilton Singing 'Love Me or Leave Me'" | CBS (WABC) 1938-08-23 9:30 PM EDST |
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. Camel Cigarettes & Prince Albert |
Benny Goodman, Martha Tilton, Teddy Wilson, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton | Harry Ackerman (Director), Dan Seymour (Announcer) | ["Music", "Big Band", "Swing", "Jazz"] |
The King of Swing Benny Goodman and his Orchestra perform live for Camel Cigarettes, featuring vocal sensation Martha Tilton singing 'Love Me or Leave Me' alongside dazzling swing improvisations from the Benny Goodman Quartet on 'Stompin' at the Savoy'. |