On This Day, August 26: Roy Acuff and Martin Kane
Also featured: Philco Hall of Fame.
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 radio, Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl live from the Ryman Auditorium on the Grand Ole Opry for Prince Albert Tobacco, Lloyd Nolan as hardboiled detective Martin Kane for Sano Cigarettes, Paul Whiteman celebrating Georgia Gibbs' birthday on the Philco Radio Hall of Fame, The Flying Doctor in Australia, Gerald Mohr on Crime Is My Pastime, and The Texas Rangers (1945–1959):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Open Range & Western Ballads (The Texas Rangers — KMBC Transcriptions)" | Syndicated 1950-08-26 (KMBC Series) |
Local Merchants Western Feed Mills |
The Texas Rangers (Herb Kinsley, Hugh Beaumont) | Arthur B. Church, Gomer Cool | ["Western", "Country", "Americana", "Vocal", "Folk"] |
"The Texas Rangers Show, direct from Kansas City!" The famed Western singing ensemble performs cowboy harmonies and western swing favorites including 'The Open Range', 'Tumbling Tumbleweeds', and square-dance fiddle breakdowns. |
| "Georgia Gibbs' Birthday Celebration (Paul Whiteman & The Merry Macs — Philco)" | Blue / ABC 1945-08-26 6:00 PM EWT |
Philco Corporation Philco Radios & Freezers |
Paul Whiteman, Georgia Gibbs, The Merry Macs | Willson M. Tuttle, Glenn Riggs | ["Variety", "Music", "Big Band", "Jazz", "Comedy"] |
"Philco, famous for quality the world over, presents the Philco Radio Hall of Fame!" Paul Whiteman and the Hall of Fame Orchestra throw a gala on-air birthday celebration for vocal star Georgia Gibbs, featuring four-part swing harmonies by The Merry Macs and rustic Arkansas humor from Bob Burns for Philco. |
| "The Case of the Fatal Flamingo (Gerald Mohr — Crime Is My Pastime)" | Syndicated 1945-08-26 (Ziv Transcription) |
Local Merchants Crime & Intrigue Series |
Gerald Mohr (Criminologist), Jeff Corey | Jerry Devine, Frank Martin | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Hardboiled", "Crime", "Short Form"] |
"Crime Is My Pastime! True accounts of daring criminal schemes unmasked by criminological science!" A debonair society criminologist (Gerald Mohr) investigates the poisoned drink death of an emerald dealer at a plush Miami nightclub, uncovering a counterfeit jewel smuggling ring disguised inside ornamental flamingo statues. |
| "The Outback Typhoid Outbreak (James McKechnie & Bill Kerr — BBC Flying Doctor)" | BBC Light 1959-08-26 7:30 PM |
Sustaining Outback Medical Drama |
James McKechnie (Dr. Halliday), Bill Kerr | Ernest Dudley, Charles Maxwell, David Jacobs | ["Adventure", "Medical", "Drama", "Australian", "Action"] |
"The Flying Doctor, based on the real-life adventures of Australia's Royal Flying Doctor Service!" Dr. Greg Halliday (James McKechnie) flies his emergency medical aircraft through a blinding desert dust storm to reach an isolated sheep station where a sudden typhoid epidemic threatens the lives of sheep shearers and children. |
| "The Case of the Woman in Pink (Lloyd Nolan as Martin Kane — Sano Cigarettes)" | NBC (WEAF) 1951-08-26 4:30 PM EDT |
U.S. Tobacco Co. Sano Cigarettes & Model |
Lloyd Nolan (Martin Kane), Horace McMahon | Ted Hediger, Frank Burns, Fred Collins | ["Detective", "Hardboiled", "Noir", "Crime", "Mystery"] |
"United States Tobacco Company presents Martin Kane, Private Investigator, starring Lloyd Nolan!" Broadway private eye Martin Kane is hired by an elusive woman wearing a distinctive pink hat who vanishes minutes later, leaving Kane to solve a jewel robbery and a Midtown theater alley shooting before police lieutenant Happy Kowalski arrests him for the crime for Sano Cigarettes. |
| "Roy Acuff & The Smoky Mountain Boys (Minnie Pearl — Prince Albert Grand Ole Opry)" | NBC (WSM) 1950-08-26 10:30 PM EDT |
R.J. Reynolds Prince Albert Smoking Tobacco |
Roy Acuff, Smoky Mountain Boys, Minnie Pearl | Jack Stapp, Grant Turner | ["Country", "Americana", "Folk", "Comedy", "Variety"] |
"Prince Albert, the National Joy Smoke, presents the Grand Ole Opry, live from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, starring the King of Country Music, Roy Acuff!" Roy Acuff and the Smoky Mountain Boys perform 'Wabash Cannonball' and 'Great Speckled Bird', alongside country humor from Minnie Pearl and Rod Brasfield for Prince Albert Pipe Tobacco. |