On This Day, August 26: Escape (John D. MacDonald) and Bette Davis
Also featured: Sgt. Preston.
August 26 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 26 across American and British networks, Frank Lovejoy in John D. MacDonald's noir thriller Your Grandfather's Necktie on CBS Escape, Bette Davis starring in W. Somerset Maugham's The Letter on Your Radio Theater, two classic Klondike adventures with Paul Sutton as Sergeant Preston on Challenge of the Yukon for Quaker Cereals, Nicholas Parsons refereeing Just a Minute on BBC Radio 4, and Jone Allison in Hearts in Harmony for Kroger (1943–2002):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Questions About Sam Ansley's Will (Part 12 — Jone Allison — Kroger)" | Syndicated (WLW) 1947-08-26 (Daytime Serial) |
The Kroger Co. Tenderay Beef & Top Frost |
Jone Allison (Penny Winters), Richard Holland | Frank and Anne Hummert, Ed Herlihy | ["Soap Opera", "Drama", "Romance", "Small Town", "Mystery"] |
"Hearts in Harmony, presented by Kroger Grocery Stores!" In Rossville, Penny Winters and Freddie Morgan investigate suspicious alterations in the last will and testament of wealthy town elder Sam Ansley, uncovering a conspiracy by greedy out-of-town relatives seeking to disinherit the local community orphanage for Kroger. Note: Multi-part serial narrative arc (The Dispute Over Sam Ansley's Will — Part 12). |
| "Your Grandfather's Necktie by J.D. MacDonald (Frank Lovejoy — CBS Escape)" | CBS (WCBS) 1950-08-26 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining High-Adventure Anthology |
Frank Lovejoy (Edward Craine), Betty Lou Gerson | John D. MacDonald, William N. Robson, Roy Rowan | ["Adventure", "Suspense", "Noir", "Psychological", "Crime"] |
"Tired of the everyday routine? We offer you... Escape!" In John D. MacDonald's gripping noir thriller 'Your Grandfather's Necktie', an unassuming accountant played by Frank Lovejoy inherits an antique necktie with a sinister curse, dragging him into a desperate race against time through the dark criminal underworld to escape a vengeful mob hitman. |
| "The Chairman's Darkest Secret (Nicholas Parsons & Paul Merton — BBC)" | BBC Radio 4 2002-08-26 6:30 PM BST |
Sustaining British Comedy Panel Game |
Nicholas Parsons, Clement Freud, Paul Merton | Ian Messiter, Claire Jones | ["Comedy", "Panel Show", "British", "Improv", "Game Show"] |
"Just a Minute! The panel game that challenges players to speak for sixty seconds without hesitation, repetition, or deviation, with Chairman Nicholas Parsons!" Clement Freud, Paul Merton, Graham Norton, and Ross Noble engage in lightning-fast comedic verbal sparring on subjects including 'The Chairman's Darkest Secret', 'Bargain Hunting', and 'Summer Holidays'. |
| "The Letter by W. Somerset Maugham (Bette Davis & Herbert Marshall — AFRTS)" | AFRTS 1959-08-26 (Overseas Drama) |
U.S. Dept. of Defense AFRTS Worldwide Service |
Bette Davis (Leslie), Herbert Marshall, Vincent Price | W. Somerset Maugham, Ken Carpenter | ["Drama", "Classics", "Noir", "Mystery", "Psychological"] |
"Your Radio Theater, presenting the finest dramatic entertainment for American servicemen and women overseas!" Bette Davis stars in W. Somerset Maugham's tropical murder masterpiece The Letter, portraying a rubber plantation owner's wife in British Malaya who shoots a man in alleged self-defense, only for an incriminating letter to threaten her life. |
| "The Last Days of a Freight Line (Paul Sutton as Sgt. Preston — Quaker)" | Mutual/ABC 1943-08-26 5:00 PM EWT |
Quaker Oats Co. Quaker Puffed Wheat Sparkies |
Paul Sutton (Sgt. Preston), King (Wonder Dog) | George W. Trendle, Charles Livingstone, Bob Hite | ["Western", "Adventure", "Juvenile", "Action", "Historical"] |
"Challenge of the Yukon! With lead dog King, fastest and strongest of the Royal Mounted!" Sergeant Preston and King investigate the sabotage of a struggling horse-drawn freight company in the Klondike goldfields, exposing a cutthroat rival operator trying to force a buyout for Quaker Puffed Wheat Sparkies. |
| "Bullets for Preston (Paul Sutton as Sergeant Preston — Quaker Cereals)" | ABC (WJZ) 1951-08-26 5:30 PM EDT |
Quaker Oats Co. Quaker Puffed Wheat & Rice |
Paul Sutton (Sgt. Preston), King (Wonder Dog) | George W. Trendle, Fred Flowerday, Bob Hite | ["Western", "Adventure", "Juvenile", "Action", "Historical"] |
"On, King! On, you huskies! Challenge of the Yukon, brought to you by Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice!" When a vengeful escaped convict vows to put bullets into Sergeant Preston, the Northwest Mountie and King follow snowy wilderness tracks into a mountain cabin to disarm the ambusher for Quaker Cereals. |