On This Day, August 25: Fred Allen (Linit Bath) and Front Page Drama (Hearst)
Also featured: BBC Challenge of Space.
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, the legendary dry wit of Fred Allen and Portland Hoffa for Linit Bath, post-Apollo 11 planetary space science featuring Dr. Wernher von Braun on BBC World Service, 1950s comedy-mysteries starring Richard Denning & Barbara Britton for Palmolive, and three dramatic decades of Hearst newspaper headline adaptations on Front Page Drama (1933–1969):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Crooked Boxing Ring (Richard Denning & Barbara Britton — Palmolive)" | CBS (WCBS) 1953-08-25 8:30 PM EDT |
Colgate-Palmolive Palmolive Shave Cream |
Richard Denning (Jerry), Barbara Britton | John Loveton (Dir.), George Bryan | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Comedy", "Romantic Comedy", "Crime"] |
"Mr. and Mrs. North, brought to you by Palmolive Shave Cream!" Jerry and Pam North attend a championship boxing match at Madison Square Garden and uncover a deadly fix when a prizefighter collapses from poisoned water for Palmolive. |
| "The Long Road Out to the Planets (Reg Turnill & Wernher von Braun — BBC)" | BBC World Service 1969-08-25 8:30 PM BST |
Sustaining BBC Science & Space |
Reg Turnill, Dr. Wernher von Braun | BBC Science Operations London | ["Science", "Documentary", "Space", "Astronomy", "Educational"] |
"Challenge of Space, from the BBC World Service." Following Apollo 11, aerospace correspondent Reg Turnill and leading astrophysicists map future interplanetary missions to Mars, Jupiter, and deep solar orbit. |
| "Aching Hearts Matrimonial Agency (Fred Allen & Portland Hoffa — Linit Bath)" | CBS (WABC) 1933-08-25 9:00 PM EDST |
Corn Products Co. Linit Starch for Bath |
Fred Allen, Portland Hoffa, Jack Haley | Ferde Grofé Orchestra, Jimmy Wallington | ["Comedy", "Variety", "Satire", "Vaudeville", "Parody"] |
"Step right in to the Linit Bath Club Revue, starring the dry-witted Fred Allen and Portland Hoffa!" Fred presents a vaudeville parody of lonely-hearts correspondence clubs with the sketch 'Aching Hearts Matrimonial Agency' alongside Ferde Grofé's orchestra for Linit Bath. |
| "The Night of Nights (Roger De Koven — The American Weekly)" | Hearst Synd. 1934-08-25 (World Synd.) |
Hearst Sunday Mag. The American Weekly |
Roger De Koven, Donald Briggs, Selena Royle | World Broadcasting, George Hicks | ["Drama", "Anthology", "Newspaper", "Romance", "Crime"] |
"Front Page Drama, dramatized from the pages of The American Weekly!" A high-society debutante faces a fateful evening when her long-hidden secret marriage to an ambitious young reporter is threatened with front-page tabloid exposure for The American Weekly. |
| "The Case of the Marked Bullet (Santos Ortega — The American Weekly)" | Hearst Synd. 1939-08-25 (World Synd.) |
Hearst Sunday Mag. The American Weekly |
Santos Ortega, Betty Garde, Frank Readick | World Broadcasting, Ken Roberts | ["Drama", "Anthology", "Newspaper", "Detective", "Crime"] |
"Front Page Drama, from The American Weekly!" A forensic ballistics expert races against a midnight execution deadline to prove that a distinctively marked bullet was fired from the corrupt sheriff's own revolver for The American Weekly. |
| "The Counterfeit Heiress (Karl Swenson & Joan Alexander — The American Weekly)" | Hearst Synd. 1945-08-25 (World Synd.) |
Hearst Sunday Mag. The American Weekly |
Karl Swenson, Joan Alexander, Mandel Kramer | World Broadcasting, Ron Rawson | ["Drama", "Anthology", "Newspaper", "Suspense", "Mystery"] |
"Front Page Drama, true stories behind the headlines of The American Weekly!" An opportunistic Broadway actress is hired by an unscrupulous syndicate to impersonate a missing South American heiress, only to realize the real heiress was murdered for The American Weekly. |