On This Day, August 25: Orson Welles (Isaac Woodard) and Edward R. Murrow (The Blitz)
Also featured: The Witch's Tale.
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, historic civil rights investigative crusades by Orson Welles, live shortwave Battle of Britain London Blitz news, midnight macabre horror, WWI naval aviation histories, and classic Western serials (1936–1949):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Air Arm in World War I (Frank Lovejoy — U.S. Navy)" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1943-08-25 7:30 PM EWT |
U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics |
Frank Lovejoy (Narrator), Navy Combat Pilots | Homer Heck (Director), Ben Grauer | ["Documentary", "Military", "Historical", "World War II", "Aviation"] |
"Battle Stations! Official documentary drama of the United States Navy at War!" A stirring historical retrospective charting the birth of American naval aviation during the First World War, chronicling the perilous anti-submarine flying boat patrols over the North Sea. |
| "The Living Mannequin (Adelaide Fitz-Allen as Old Nancy — Alonzo Deen Cole)" | Mutual (WOR) 1936-08-25 10:00 PM EDST |
Sustaining Gothic Horror Series |
Adelaide Fitz-Allen (Old Nancy), Alonzo Deen Cole | Alonzo Deen Cole (Writer/Dir.), Mel Marshall | ["Horror", "Macabre", "Supernatural", "Gothic", "Audio Drama"] |
"The Witch's Tale... hundred and thirteen years old she is today, eh Satan? Spun from the shadows..." Old Nancy the Witch cackles over the macabre tale of an obsessive Parisian sculptor whose beautiful wax dress mannequin is possessed by the vengeful spirit of a murdered model. |
| "The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard: The Place Was Batesburg (Orson Welles — Lear)" | ABC (WJZ) 1946-08-25 1:15 PM EDT |
Lear Inc. Lear Radios & Receivers |
Orson Welles (Solo Commentator & Orator) | Orson Welles (Writer), William Spier | ["Talk", "Civil Rights", "Journalism", "Black History", "Documentary"] |
In one of the most courageous broadcasts in American broadcast history, Orson Welles unmasks the South Carolina town of Batesburg and its police chief Linwood Shull, demanding federal justice for the brutal blinding of decorated Black WWII veteran Sgt. Isaac Woodard. |
| "CBS World News Today: London Blitz & Berlin Sirens (Elmer Davis & Edward R. Murrow)" | CBS (WABC) 1940-08-25 8:00 PM EDST |
Sustaining CBS News Operations |
Elmer Davis (NY), Edward R. Murrow (London) | Paul White (News Director), William L. Shirer | ["News", "World War II", "Historical", "Live", "Journalism"] |
"This is CBS World News Today." Elmer Davis in New York connects live with Edward R. Murrow reporting from London on civilian endurance amid escalating nighttime Luftwaffe bombing raids, alongside William L. Shirer reporting on Berlin air raid sirens. |
| "The Case of the Formal Duck: The Emerald Stash (Part 1 — Frank Lovejoy — Pepsi-Cola)" | CBS (WCBS) 1947-08-25 7:00 PM EDT |
Pepsi-Cola Co. Pepsi-Cola — "Hits the Spot" |
Frank Lovejoy, Joan Alexander, Santos Ortega | Himan Brown (Director), Dan Seymour | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Hardboiled", "Crime", "Suspense"] |
"Mystery of the Week!" In Part 1 of The Case of the Formal Duck, an eccentric Park Avenue society playboy is found dead in white tie and tails clutching a stuffed duck that hides a fortune in stolen emeralds for Pepsi-Cola. |
| "The Mystery of the Lost Treasure: The Canyon Ambush (Chapter 4 — Gene Autry — Wheaties)" | CBS (WCBS) 1949-08-25 5:30 PM EDT |
General Mills Inc. Wheaties — "Breakfast of Champions" |
Gene Autry, Pat Buttram, Champion the Horse | Flying A Productions, Charlie Lyon | ["Western", "Adventure", "Juvenile", "Action", "Frontier"] |
"Champion, the wonder horse!" In Chapter 4 of The Mystery of the Lost Treasure, Champion gallops into a canyon ambush to rescue young Ricky from an outlaw gang searching for a lost Spanish gold mine for Wheaties. |