On This Day, August 26: Howard Miller and Jack Carson
Also featured: The Sealed Book.
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 network and regional radio, Chicago deejay king Howard Miller hosting two editions for Wrigley's Gum (welcoming the Chicago Theatre of the Air cast and reviewing 1957 pop chart hits), Jack Carson and Arthur Treacher in the US Treasury's Our Land Be Bright, Philip Clarke narrating the macabre thriller Time on My Hands on The Sealed Book, juvenile high-seas peril in The Adventures of the Sea Hound, and Richard Crenna in Mutual Radio Theater (1945–1980):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Guest Chicago Theatre of the Air Cast (Howard Miller — Wrigley's Spearmint)" | CBS (WBBM) 1955-08-26 10:45 AM EDT |
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. Wrigley's Spearmint Gum |
Howard Miller (Host), Chicago Theatre Cast | Frank Atlass, Art Mercier | ["Music", "Interview", "Pop Standards", "Variety", "Talk"] |
"Wrigley's Spearmint Chewing Gum presents The Howard Miller Show, from the WBBM CBS studios in Chicago!" America's #1 disc jockey Howard Miller spins the week's hit singles, welcoming cast members from the Chicago Theatre stage for lively backstage banter, theatre gossip, and music appreciation for Wrigley's. |
| "Top 40 Chart Hits & Pop Commentary (Howard Miller — Wrigley's Juicy Fruit)" | CBS (WBBM) 1957-08-26 10:45 AM EDT |
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. Wrigley's Juicy Fruit Gum |
Howard Miller (Host), The Miller Trio | CBS Chicago, Art Mercier | ["Music", "Pop Standards", "Rock & Roll", "Interview", "Talk"] |
"Wrigley's Juicy Fruit presents The Howard Miller Show!" Chicago deejay king Howard Miller spins late-summer 1957 pop and early rock & roll chart-toppers, providing witty industry commentary, record reviews, and national listener mail for Wrigley's Gum. |
| "The God of Vengeance (Bobby Hastings as Jerry — The Sea Hound)" | ABC (WJZ) 1948-08-26 5:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Juvenile Maritime Drama |
Bobby Hastings (Jerry), Ken Daigneau | Fran Striker, Doug Browning | ["Adventure", "Maritime", "Juvenile", "Action", "Mystery"] |
"Ahoy, mates! Stand by to cruise the ocean sea on The Adventures of the Sea Hound with Captain Silver and Jerry!" In 'The God of Vengeance', Captain Silver and the crew anchor off a treacherous volcanic Pacific atoll to rescue a stranded archeologist from a fanatical cult guarding an ancient jade idol. |
| "Win the Peace with Jack Carson & Arthur Treacher (US Treasury War Finance)" | Mutual (WOR) 1945-08-26 2:30 PM EWT |
US Treasury War Finance ("Victory Bonds") |
Jack Carson, Arthur Treacher, Tilton | Wilbur Hatch, Del Sharbutt | ["Variety", "Comedy", "Patriotic", "Wartime", "Music"] |
"The United States Treasury Department presents Our Land Be Bright: Win the Peace!" Comedian Jack Carson trades self-deprecating wisecracks with his haughty butler Arthur Treacher, featuring Martha Tilton singing patriotic ballads to urge Americans to secure the post-war peace through Victory Bonds. |
| "Time on My Hands (Philip Clarke as Keeper of the Book — The Sealed Book)" | Mutual (WOR) 1945-08-26 9:00 PM EWT |
Sustaining Macabre Mystery Series |
Philip Clarke (Keeper), Robert Dryden | Jock MacGregor, John Bryson | ["Horror", "Macabre", "Psychological", "Mystery", "Supernatural"] |
"Once again we open The Sealed Book, which contains all the secrets of all the mysteries, all the thrills and all the terrifying horrors that ever haunted the mind of man!" In 'Time on My Hands', an obsessed clockmaker builds an intricate grandfather clock that can manipulate the flow of time to commit the perfect murder, only to become trapped in an eternal ticking death chamber. |
| "One Man's Fight (Richard Crenna & Parley Baer — Mutual Radio Theater)" | Mutual 1980-08-26 10:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Modern Audio Theater |
Richard Crenna (Host/Star), Baer | Elliott Lewis, Art Gilmore | ["Drama", "Suspense", "Legal", "Contemporary", "Anthology"] |
"The Mutual Broadcasting System presents The Mutual Radio Theater, with Tuesday Host Richard Crenna!" In 'One Man's Fight', an honest small-town building contractor refuses to pay kickbacks to a corrupt municipal zoning board, risking his family's livelihood and his life in a solitary crusade for civic justice. |