On This Day, August 24: Helen Hayes (Fleischmann's) and Jimmy Durante
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, daytime drama, and military morale history (1933–1959):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Exactly Like You & Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive (Johnny Mercer — Old Gold)" | NBC (WEAF) 1944-08-24 10:00 PM EWT |
P. Lorillard Company Old Gold Cigarettes |
Johnny Mercer, Jo Stafford, The Pied Pipers | Paul Weston Orchestra, Howard Wiley, Doug Gourlay | ["Music", "Vocal", "Variety", "Swing", "Comedy"] |
Johnny Mercer and Jo Stafford team up for a joyful evening of musical comedy, delivering toe-tapping swing interpretations of 'Exactly Like You', 'Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive', and 'G.I. Jive' for Old Gold Cigarettes. |
| "The Istanbul Relic (Episode 8 — Jack Moyles as Rocky Jordan — Del Monte)" | CBS West Coast 1952-08-24 6:30 PM PDT |
Del Monte Foods Canned Fruits & Veggies |
Jack Moyles (Rocky Jordan), Jay Novello | G.K. Breitenstein & Larry Roman, Cliff Howell, Larry Thor | ["Detective", "Noir", "Adventure", "Exotic", "Hardboiled"] |
In Istanbul, world-weary American expatriate café owner Rocky Jordan protects an endangered archaeologist from a ruthless black-market antiquity ring determined to seize a priceless Byzantine relic. |
| "The Little Minister (Starring Helen Hayes with Rudy Vallee — Fleischmann's Yeast)" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1933-08-24 8:00 PM EDST |
Standard Brands Fleischmann's Yeast for Health |
Rudy Vallee, Helen Hayes (Babbie), John Griggs | J.M. Barrie (Author), Graham McNamee (Announcer) | ["Variety", "Music", "Drama", "Adaptation", "Vocal"] |
Host Rudy Vallee welcomes Broadway and Hollywood luminary Helen Hayes to perform scenes from J.M. Barrie's Scottish romantic drama The Little Minister, complemented by crooning favorites and jazz selections by The Connecticut Yankees for Fleischmann's Yeast. |
| "The Royal Gelatin Hour: Guest Jimmy Durante (Rudy Vallee)" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1939-08-24 8:00 PM EDST |
Standard Brands Royal Gelatin & Puddings |
Rudy Vallee, Jimmy Durante (Guest Star) | J. Walter Thompson, Graham McNamee (Announcer) | ["Variety", "Comedy", "Music", "Vocal", "Slapstick"] |
"Inka Dinka Doo!" Schnozzola himself Jimmy Durante storms the Rudy Vallee stage for a riotous half-hour of piano-smashing songs, rapid-fire dialect jokes, and chaotic comedic banter with Vallee and The Connecticut Yankees for Royal Gelatin. |
| "Forever Tops #22: Symphonic Jazz Masters (Paul Whiteman — AFRTS)" | AFRTS Los Angeles 1959-08-24 (Show #22) |
Sustaining Armed Forces Morale |
Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra, Earl Wrightson | AFRTS Production, Doug Gourlay (Announcer) | ["Music", "Jazz", "Big Band", "Orchestral", "Nostalgia"] |
The King of Jazz Paul Whiteman leads his magnificent symphonic jazz orchestra through timeless orchestral pop masterpieces, spotlighting soaring arrangements of 'Rhapsody in Blue', 'Whispering', and 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes' for American service personnel overseas. |
| "Evie and the Family Savings (Starring Virginia Payne as Ma Perkins — Oxydol)" | CBS (WCBS) 1950-08-24 1:15 PM EDT |
Procter & Gamble Oxydol Detergent |
Virginia Payne (Ma Perkins), Laurette Fillbrandt | Robert Hardy Andrews, Orin Tovrov, Dick Wells | ["Soap Opera", "Drama", "Family", "Serial", "Americana"] |
In Rushville Center, lumberyard matriarch Ma Perkins confronts her distraught daughter Evie, desperately inquiring whether she handed over their hard-earned family life savings to smooth-talking Sylvester under false pretenses. |