On This Day, August 26: FBI in Peace and War
Also featured: Dinah Shore, Sidney Bechet.
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 international networks, Martin Blaine starring as Special Agent Sheppard in three FBI in Peace and War federal cases (Lava Soap highway hijacking, Wildroot Ten Most Wanted pursuit, and Wrigley's Spearmint blackmail ring), Dinah Shore and soprano saxophone pioneer Sidney Bechet on Milton Cross' Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street for Jell-O, U.S. Army Airborne Infantry paratroopers on Voice of the Army, and Michael Mayer's Jim the Great (1940–1979):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Fit for a Queen (Michael Mayer as Jim the Great — Springbok Radio)" | Springbok Radio 1979-08-26 2:30 PM SAST |
Sustaining Comedy Drama Series |
Michael Mayer (Jim), Douglas Bristow | Michael Mayer (Writer/Dir.) | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Adventure", "British", "International"] |
"Jim the Great, the irrepressible adventurer whose schemes are always fit for a king!" In 'Fit for a Queen', smooth-talking British expatriate con artist Jim devises an outrageous scheme to sell an alleged authentic royal coronation antique to a wealthy dowager, triggering a farcical game of hide-and-seek with hotel management. |
| "Fourteen Carat Highway (Martin Blaine as Agent Sheppard — Lava Soap)" | CBS (WCBS) 1948-08-26 8:00 PM EDT |
Procter & Gamble Lava Soap ("Clean Hands") |
Martin Blaine (Agent Sheppard), Walter Greaza | Frederick Collins, Max Marcin, Warren Sweeney | ["Police Procedural", "Docudrama", "Crime", "Government", "Action"] |
"The FBI in Peace and War, brought to you by Lava Soap! In 'Fourteen Carat Highway', FBI Special Agent Sheppard coordinates a multi-state roadblock trap to dismantle an armed highway hijacking ring specializing in intercepting armored jewelry transport trucks traveling along Route 1." |
| "Number One: Top Ten Most Wanted (Martin Blaine — Wildroot Cream-Oil)" | CBS (WCBS) 1953-08-26 8:00 PM EDT |
Wildroot Co. Wildroot Cream-Oil |
Martin Blaine (Sheppard), Jackson Beck | Louis Pelletier, Max Marcin, Warren Sweeney | ["Police Procedural", "Docudrama", "Crime", "Government", "Action"] |
"The FBI in Peace and War, sponsored by Wildroot Cream-Oil!" Special Agent Sheppard hunts down an arrogant escaped federal convict on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list ('Number One'), whose ruthless plan to pull a million-dollar bank heist unravels when agents track his encrypted telephone communications for Wildroot. |
| "The Shakedown Syndicate (Martin Blaine — Wrigley's Spearmint)" | CBS (WCBS) 1956-08-26 5:05 PM EDT |
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Wrigley's Spearmint Gum |
Martin Blaine (Sheppard), Ralph Bell | Jacques Finke, Max Marcin, Warren Sweeney | ["Police Procedural", "Docudrama", "Crime", "Government", "Action"] |
"The FBI in Peace and War, presented by Wrigley's Spearmint Gum!" Special Agents infiltrate an interstate blackmail racket run by illegal casino operators who plant devious listening devices in private clubrooms to extort wealthy patrons under threat of public ruin for Wrigley's Gum. |
| "The Airborne Infantry (Robert Dryden & Luis Van Rooten — Voice of the Army #138)" | Syndicated 1947-08-26 (Army Series #138) |
U.S. Army Recruiting Airborne Volunteer Forces |
Robert Dryden, Luis Van Rooten | Recruiting Publicity Bureau, John M. Wyatt | ["Military", "Docudrama", "Aviation", "Historical", "Action"] |
"The United States Army presents Voice of the Army!" A high-octane dramatization follows elite airborne paratroopers through intense jump school training and tactical combat maneuvers at Fort Bragg, highlighting career opportunities in the peacetime volunteer airborne forces. |
| "Dinah Shore & Sidney Bechet (Milton Cross — Jell-O Basin Street)" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1940-08-26 9:00 PM EDST |
General Foods Jell-O & Jell-O Puddings |
Milton Cross, Dinah Shore, Sidney Bechet | Welbourn Kelley, Paul Laval, Gene Hamilton | ["Music", "Jazz", "Dixieland", "Satire", "Comedy"] |
"The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street, where the three B's are Barrelhouse, Boogie-Woogie, and the Blues, presided over by your Dean, Milton Cross!" Milton Cross introduces sultry blues standards from 'Mademoiselle Dinah Diva' Dinah Shore alongside virtuoso New Orleans jazz improvisations from soprano saxophonist Sidney Bechet for Jell-O. |