On This Day, August 26: Gene Autry (Doublemint) and The Quiz Kids
Also featured: The Likely Lads.
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, Gene Autry and Pat Buttram defending a silver mine on Gene Autry's Melody Ranch for Doublemint Gum, Joe Kelly and 9-year-old math prodigy Joel Kupperman on two Quiz Kids broadcasts for Alka-Seltzer, James Bolam and Rodney Bewes in the football blackout masterpiece No Hiding Place on BBC's Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Hopalong Cassidy comic readings on Comic Weekly Man, and John Storm exploring Tahiti on Ports of Call (1936–1975):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Island of Tahiti (John Storm — Ports of Call)" | Syndicated 1936-08-26 (Travelogue Series) |
Local Merchants Polynesian Travel Series |
John Storm (Narrator), South Sea Serenaders | Harry A. Earnshaw, MacGregor & Sollie | ["Travelogue", "Exotic", "Americana", "Docudrama", "Music"] |
"Ports of Call, romantic voyages to the far corners of the earth!" The World Traveler drops anchor in the turquoise coral lagoons of Tahiti, exploring Polynesian customs, coral reef fishing traditions, and swaying coconut palm melodies of the South Seas. |
| "Ghost Town Silver Mine Sabotage (Gene Autry & Pat Buttram — Doublemint)" | CBS (WCBS) 1950-08-26 8:00 PM EDT |
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Wrigley's Doublemint Gum |
Gene Autry, Pat Buttram, Cass County Boys | William Burch, Charlie Lyon | ["Western", "Music", "Country", "Americana", "Variety"] |
"From Gene Autry's Melody Ranch in the San Fernando Valley, brought to you by Wrigley's Doublemint Gum!" Gene Autry sings 'Back in the Saddle Again' and 'Tumbling Tumbleweeds', then teams with sidekick Pat Buttram in a dramatic frontier sketch to save a struggling young miner from claim-jumpers in a ghost town silver mine for Wrigley's Gum. |
| "Post-War Science & Geography (Joe Kelly & Joel Kupperman — Alka-Seltzer #271)" | ABC (WJZ) 1945-08-26 7:30 PM EWT |
Miles Laboratories Alka-Seltzer & One-A-Day |
Joe Kelly, Joel Kupperman (Math Whiz) | Louis G. Cowan, Jack Kelly, Bob Murphy | ["Game Show", "Panel Show", "Educational", "Juvenile", "Quiz"] |
"The Quiz Kids, brought to you by the makers of Alka-Seltzer and One-A-Day Vitamins!" Master of Ceremonies Joe Kelly tests child math marvel Joel Kupperman and the panel with rapid-fire questions on atomic physics, post-war geography, and Shakespearean soliloquies submitted by listeners seeking to stump the kids for Alka-Seltzer. |
| "Science & World History (Joe Kelly & Naomi Cooks — Alka-Seltzer #574)" | CBS (WCBS) 1951-08-26 3:30 PM EDT |
Miles Laboratories Alka-Seltzer & Bactine |
Joe Kelly, Melvin Miles, Naomi Cooks | Louis G. Cowan, Jack Kelly, Fort Pearson | ["Game Show", "Panel Show", "Educational", "Juvenile", "Quiz"] |
"The Quiz Kids, presented by Alka-Seltzer and Bactine!" Chief Quizzer Joe Kelly moderates an intellectual contest as young whiz-kids answer advanced questions regarding biological taxonomy, medieval European treaties, and classical symphonies to win U.S. Savings Bonds for Alka-Seltzer. |
| "Hopalong Cassidy & Anxious Day for Honey (Puck The Comic Weekly)" | Syndicated 1951-08-26 (Sunday Funnies) |
The Hearst Corp. Puck The Comic Weekly |
The Comic Weekly Man (Narrator/Voices) | King Features Syndicate | ["Juvenile", "Children", "Comics", "Western", "Americana"] |
"Here comes your favorite Sunday pal, The Comic Weekly Man, reading the funnies from Puck — The Comic Weekly!" The Comic Weekly Man performs dramatic voiced readings of today's Sunday newspaper comic strips, featuring Hopalong Cassidy foiling frontier rustlers and the family laughs of 'Anxious Day for Honey'. |
| "No Hiding Place (James Bolam & Rodney Bewes — BBC Likely Lads)" | BBC Radio 4 1975-08-26 7:30 PM BST |
Sustaining British Comedy Sitcom |
James Bolam (Terry), Rodney Bewes (Bob) | Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, James Gilbert | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "British", "Working Class", "Satire"] |
"Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais!" In the classic comedy masterwork 'No Hiding Place', lifelong working-class Geordie pals Terry Collier and Bob Ferris spend an agonizing day attempting to avoid learning the England vs. Bulgaria football score before watching the evening television broadcast, encountering spoiler disasters at every turn. |