On This Day, August 24: Groucho Marx (Mail Call) and Flash Gordon
Also featured: Rocky Jordan.
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, AFRS military, and syndication broadcasting history (1935–1952):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Man They All Loved (Starring George Trench as Rocky Jordan)" | CBS (WCBS) 1952-08-24 6:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining CBS Adventure Series |
George Trench (Rocky Jordan), Jay Novello, Virginia Gregg | Larry Roman (Writer), Cliff Howell, Larry Thor | ["Detective", "Hardboiled", "Adventure", "Noir", "Exotic"] |
In the shadow of the minarets at the Cafe Tambourine in Cairo, American expatriate Rocky Jordan is drawn into a lethal intrigue involving the murder of a charismatic British archaeologist whom three different women claim was their lawful husband. |
| "Azura Regains Memory (Chapter 18 — Starring Gale Gordon as Flash Gordon)" | Hearst Syndication 1935-08-24 (Chapter 18) |
Regional Advertisers Comic Strip Sponsors |
Gale Gordon (Flash Gordon), Maurice Franklin, Bruno Wick | Alex Raymond (Creator), Himan Brown, Harry Crocker | ["Science Fiction", "Adventure", "Space Opera", "Fantasy", "Action"] |
On planet Mongo, Queen Azura regains her lost memory after Flash Gordon and Dr. Zarkov disable the Witch Queen's hypnotic mind-control crystal, leading to an open rebellion against the tyranny of Emperor Ming the Merciless. |
| "Mail Call #53: Groucho Marx, Betty Hutton & Duke Ellington (AFRS)" | AFRS Unit 1943-08-24 (Show #53) |
U.S. War Dept Armed Forces Radio Service |
Groucho Marx (Host), Betty Hutton, Duke Ellington Orchestra | AFRS Hollywood Unit, Don Wilson (Announcer) | ["Comedy", "Variety", "Big Band", "Jazz", "Morale"] |
Master of quick-witted ad-libs Groucho Marx hosts wartime Mail Call from Hollywood for American troops abroad, trading frantic comedy with energetic dynamo Betty Hutton and swinging to Duke Ellington's Orchestra. |
| "To the Rear, March! Veterans Housing & G.I. Bill Special (Burgess Meredith)" | AFRS Unit 1946-08-24 (Series Finale) |
U.S. War Dept Armed Forces Radio Service |
Burgess Meredith (Host), Mel Blanc, Frank Nelson | Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee, Hy Averback | ["Docudrama", "Comedy", "Military", "Historical", "Educational"] |
Host Burgess Meredith guides returning WWII veterans through the intricacies of veteran home-loan applications, G.I. Bill tuition programs, and civilian job placement, punctuated by comedic character vignettes from Mel Blanc. |
| "Spotlight Bands #602: Harry James from Naval Air Station Corpus Christi (Coca-Cola)" | Blue Network (WJZ) 1944-08-24 9:30 PM EWT |
The Coca-Cola Co. "Have a Coke" / Morale |
Harry James & Music Makers, Buddy DiVito, Kitty Kallen | D'Arcy Advertising, Gil Martyn (Announcer) | ["Music", "Big Band", "Swing", "Jazz", "Morale"] |
Direct from the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas, trumpet king Harry James and his Music Makers ignite military service personnel with roaring swing renditions of 'Somebody Loves Me' and 'Two O'Clock Jump' for Coca-Cola. |
| "A Dead Illusion Can Destroy: Marie Wathen of The Montgomery Advertiser (Pall Mall)" | NBC (WNBC) 1949-08-24 10:00 PM EDT |
American Cigarette Co. Pall Mall Famous Cigarettes |
Robert Sloane (Narrator), Joan Alexander, Bill Lipton | Bernard J. Prockter (Producer), Ernest Chappell | ["Docudrama", "True Crime", "Journalism", "Police", "Investigative"] |
The true journalistic investigation of Alabama reporter Marie Wathen of The Montgomery Advertiser, who unraveled a web of small-town perjury and corrupt framing to save an innocent man sentenced to death for armed robbery. |