On This Day, August 26: Superman (Kellogg's Pep) and Gene Autry's Champion
Also featured: Official Detective.
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, Bud Collyer as the Man of Steel foiling undersea pirates in The Adventures of Superman for Kellogg's Pep, Gene Autry's Wonder Horse Champion in The Mystery of the Lost Treasure for Post's Cereals, Sunday and Lord Henry in Our Gal Sunday for Anacin, two authentic police procedurals on Official Detective, and Johnny O'Brien and Helen Troy in early radio sitcom pioneer Cecil and Sally (1930–1955):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Mystery of the Lost Treasure (Part 5 — Gene Autry's Champion — Post's)" | Mutual (WOR) 1949-08-26 5:00 PM EDT |
General Foods Post's 40% Bran Flakes |
Gene Autry, Champion, Johnny McGovern | Gene Autry Ent., William Burch, Frank Martin | ["Western", "Juvenile", "Adventure", "Action", "Animal"] |
"The Adventures of Champion, starring Gene Autry's Wonder Horse Champion!" In Chapter 5 of 'The Mystery of the Lost Treasure', young Ricky North and Champion track a band of outlaw claim-jumpers into a maze of limestone caverns, where the wonder stallion charges the bandit lookout to prevent an ambush for Post's Cereals. Note: Multi-part serial narrative arc (The Mystery of the Lost Treasure — Part 5). |
| "Silver Creek Family Reunion (Part 23 — Vivian Smolen as Sunday — Anacin)" | CBS (WCBS) 1955-08-26 12:45 PM EDT |
Whitehall Pharmacal Anacin Fast Pain Relief |
Vivian Smolen (Sunday), Karl Swenson (Lord Henry) | Frank and Anne Hummert, Ed Fleming | ["Soap Opera", "Drama", "Romance", "Domestic", "Marriage"] |
"Our Gal Sunday, the story that asks the question: Can this girl from a little mining town in the West find happiness as the wife of a wealthy and titled Englishman?" Sunday and Lord Henry Brinthrope return to Silver Creek for a family reunion, only to face an unexpected financial revelation that threatens their Virginia estate for Anacin. Note: Multi-part serial narrative arc (The Crisis at Black Bear — Part 23). |
| "The Case of the Pretty Woman (Craig McDonnell as Lt. Dan Ryan — Mutual)" | Mutual (WOR) 1952-08-26 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Police Procedural Docudrama |
Craig McDonnell (Lt. Dan Ryan), Martin Gabel | William Sweets, Wynn Wright, Doug Browning | ["Detective", "Police Procedural", "Crime", "Docudrama", "Mystery"] |
"Official Detective Stories! Dedicated to the police departments of America who stand guard night and day!" Detective Lieutenant Dan Ryan investigates the strangulation homicide of a glamorous fashion model found in an uptown apartment, unmasking a jealous con artist who used forged society identities to prey on wealthy victims. |
| "Stonewall Jackson's Bible (Craig McDonnell as Detective Dan Ryan — Mutual)" | Mutual (WOR) 1954-08-26 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Police Procedural Docudrama |
Craig McDonnell (Detective Dan Ryan), Larry Haines | William Sweets, Wynn Wright, Doug Browning | ["Detective", "Police Procedural", "Crime", "Docudrama", "Historical"] |
"Official Detective Stories, dramatized from the files of America's leading law enforcement officers!" When an armed burglar murders a museum curator during the theft of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson's personal inscribed Bible, Lieutenant Dan Ryan follows the underworld antique black market to restore the priceless historical artifact. |
| "Introduction to Little Otis (Johnny O'Brien & Helen Troy — Cecil & Sally)" | Syndicated (KPO) 1930-08-26 (Transcription) |
Local Merchants Early Domestic Sitcom |
Johnny O'Brien (Cecil), Helen Troy (Sally) | Johnny O'Brien, Helen Troy, MacGregor & Sollie | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Domestic", "Early Radio", "Americana"] |
"Cecil and Sally, the heartbreak and hilarity of two young moderns!" In this pioneering 1930 domestic comedy, Cecil and Sally babysit their mischievous little nephew Otis for the afternoon, resulting in tangled parlor curtains, ruined lemonade, and chaotic romantic misunderstandings. |
| "Professor Thorpe's Bathysphere (Part 1 of 12 — Bud Collyer as Superman — Kellogg's Pep)" | Mutual (WOR) 1940-08-26 5:15 PM EDST |
The Kellogg Co. Kellogg's Pep Cereal |
Clayton 'Bud' Collyer (Superman), Joan Alexander | Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Jackson Beck | ["Superheroes", "Action", "Adventure", "Sci-Fi", "Juvenile"] |
"Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! It's Superman, brought to you by Kellogg's Pep!" Clark Kent and Lois Lane board an oceanographic vessel to observe Professor Thorpe test a revolutionary deep-sea bathysphere, unaware that modern pirates equipped with a disguised submarine intend to hijack the vessel for Kellogg's Pep. Note: Multi-part serial narrative arc (Professor Thorpe's Bathysphere — Part 1 of 12). |