On This Day, August 24: Charles Boyer and Henry Fonda (Eyes Aloft)
Also featured: Tyrone Power.
August 24 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 24 across American network, Hollywood prestige anthologies, and wartime defense history (1942–1955):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Book Farmer: Dr. Stephen Moulton Babcock (Westinghouse)" | Westinghouse 1954-08-24 7:15 PM EDT |
Westinghouse Electric Agricultural Science |
Paul Shannon (Narrator), Dr. Phillips Thomas | Westinghouse Electric & KDKA Pittsburgh | ["Science", "Educational", "Historical", "Agriculture", "Docudrama"] |
The inspiring biographical docudrama of agricultural chemist Dr. Stephen Moulton Babcock, who revolutionized American dairy farming and crop science by relying on empirical laboratory testing rather than traditional folklore. |
| "King Robert of Sicily (Starring Charles Boyer — Family Theater)" | Mutual (WOR) 1949-08-24 9:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Father Patrick Peyton PSA |
Charles Boyer (Host / King Robert), Hans Conried | Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Kelley, David Young | ["Drama", "Religious", "Anthology", "Moral Tale", "Historical"] |
French cinema icon Charles Boyer stars in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's legendary parable King Robert of Sicily, portraying an arrogant monarch stripped of his crown by an angel and forced to serve as court jester until he learns true Christian humility. |
| "The Roll Call of the Reef (Starring Stephen McNally — Family Theater)" | Mutual (WOR) 1955-08-24 9:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Father Patrick Peyton PSA |
Stephen McNally (Host / Star), Herb Vigran | Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, David Young, Tony La Frano | ["Drama", "Supernatural", "Religious", "Anthology", "Moral Tale"] |
Hollywood leading man Stephen McNally stars in Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch's atmospheric Cornish supernatural drama, following a haunted military deserter who seeks spiritual redemption on a desolate storm-swept coastal reef. |
| "A Date with Mickey Rooney (Judy Canova with Guest Mickey Rooney — Colgate)" | CBS (WABC) 1943-08-24 8:30 PM EWT |
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Colgate Dental Cream |
Judy Canova, Mickey Rooney (Guest), Mel Blanc | Fred Fox & Arthur Stander, Joe Rines, Howard Petrie | ["Comedy", "Variety", "Music", "Vocal", "Country"] |
Hillbilly yodeling sensation Judy Canova gets into a flurry of comic misunderstandings when MGM superstar Mickey Rooney drops by Rancho Canova, sparking high-energy comedic banter, zany dialect gags with Mel Blanc, and hillbilly musical numbers for Colgate. |
| "Middle East Oil & National Security (Starring Tyrone Power as Senator Edwards)" | Ziv Syndication 1952-08-24 (Show #22) |
Regional Advertisers Commercial Sponsors |
Tyrone Power (Senator Edwards), Edwin Jerome | Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee, Frederic W. Ziv | ["Drama", "Political", "Cold War", "Patriotic", "Docudrama"] |
Hollywood superstar Tyrone Power stars as idealistic U.S. Senator Dean Edwards, confronting intense Washington political lobbying and espionage threats over international strategic petroleum reserves and Middle Eastern oil concessions. |
| "Eyes Aloft #2: Aircraft Warning Service (Narrated by Henry Fonda — USAAF)" | NBC West Coast 1942-08-24 6:00 PM PWT |
USAAF 4th Fighter Aircraft Warning Service |
Henry Fonda (Narrator), Lou Merrill, Gale Gordon | USAAF Fourth Fighter Command, True Boardman, Frank Goss | ["Military", "Docudrama", "World War II", "Civilian Defense", "Drama"] |
Guest narrator Henry Fonda dramatizes the vital vigilance of civilian Aircraft Warning Service spotters perched along the Pacific coastline, demonstrating how volunteer observation posts detected and intercepted unidentified aircraft over the West Coast during wartime. |