On This Day, August 25: Charles de Gaulle (Liberation of Paris 1944)
Also featured: The Railroad Hour (Chopin), Édouard Daladier (1939).
August 25 Exhaustive Update
This report documents the comprehensive provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, serial multi-part narrative arcs, and story synopses for historical broadcasts transmitting on August 25 across American network, monumental World War II French historical broadcasts including General de Gaulle's Liberation of Paris speech and Prime Minister Daladier's eve-of-war address, operatic musical biographies of Chopin, Australian satire starring Graham Kennedy, and British medical science features (1939–1979):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Discours de la Libération de Paris à l'Hôtel de Ville (Général Charles de Gaulle)" | Radiodiff. Franç. 1944-08-25 7:00 PM CET |
Sustaining French Liberation |
Général Charles de Gaulle (Free France) | Radiodiffusion de la Nation Française | ["Historical", "Speech", "World War II", "French", "News"] |
"Paris! Paris outragé! Paris brisé! Paris martyrisé! Mais Paris libéré!" General Charles de Gaulle delivers his immortal victory address from the balcony of the Hôtel de Ville following the liberation of Paris from Nazi German occupation. |
| "Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu (Gordon MacRae & Dorothy Kirsten — Railroad Hour)" | NBC (WNBC) 1952-08-25 8:00 PM EDT |
Assoc. Amer. Railroads Rail Freight & Passenger |
Gordon MacRae, Dorothy Kirsten (Soprano) | Carmen Dragon, Norman Luboff, Marvin Miller | ["Music", "Classical", "Operetta", "Vocal", "Americana"] |
"The Railroad Hour, presented by the Association of American Railroads!" Gordon MacRae and Metropolitan Opera soprano Dorothy Kirsten star in an enchanting musical biography of Frédéric Chopin, dramatizing the creation of 'Fantaisie-Impromptu' and 'Polonaise'. |
| "You Only Live Once (Starring Graham Kennedy & Joy Westmore — ABC Australia)" | ABC / 3LO Melb. 1979-08-25 8:00 PM AEST |
Sustaining Australian Comedy |
Graham Kennedy, Joy Westmore, Peter Smith | ABC Melbourne Radio, Geoff Raymond | ["Comedy", "Satire", "Australian", "Sketch", "Parody"] |
Australian television and radio royalty Graham Kennedy stars alongside Joy Westmore in a delightfully irreverent comedic satire of melodrama, poking fun at suburban domestic life and fortune tellers. |
| "Allocution sur le Pacte Germano-Soviétique (Président du Conseil Édouard Daladier — PTT)" | PTT Nationale 1939-08-25 8:00 PM CET |
Sustaining French Gov. Address |
Édouard Daladier (Président du Conseil) | PTT Sound Archives Paris | ["Historical", "Speech", "World War II", "French", "Political"] |
On the immediate eve of World War II, French Prime Minister Édouard Daladier addresses the French nation, forcefully condemning the Molotov-Ribbentrop Non-Aggression Pact and affirming France's treaty obligations to defend Poland. |
| "La France Libérée par Elle-Même (Général Charles de Gaulle — RTF Paris)" | RTF Paris 1944-08-25 7:15 PM CET |
Sustaining French Liberation |
Général Charles de Gaulle (Free France) | Radiodiffusion Française Sound Archives | ["Historical", "Speech", "World War II", "French", "News"] |
General Charles de Gaulle rallies the liberated citizens of Paris from the Hôtel de Ville, proclaiming that France has fought for its own freedom and will march forward alongside the Allies until total victory over Nazi Germany. |
| "The Complicated Simple Cold (Dr. Michael O'Donnell — BBC Radio 4)" | BBC Radio 4 1975-08-25 11:45 AM BST |
Sustaining BBC Science Features |
Dr. Michael O'Donnell (Host/Physician) | Michael Smee (Producer), BBC Science | ["Educational", "Science", "Medical", "Talk", "British"] |
Physician and medical journalist Dr. Michael O'Donnell examines the complex biology, virology, and social history of the common cold, exploring why the simplest human ailment remains one of medicine's most stubborn mysteries. |