On This Day, August 26: The Couple Next Door and Blondie
Also featured: Carnation Contented Hour.
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 radio, Peg Lynch's domestic sitcom masterpiece The Couple Next Door across three classic episodes (postal rates, Shakespearean roasts, and lawnmower petunias), Chic Young's Blondie starring Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake (bathtub goldfish for Camels and accidental handcuffs for Super Suds), and Percy Faith conducting the Carnation Contented Hour (1940–1960):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Postal Rate Increase (Peg Lynch & Alan Bunce — Ex-Lax The Couple Next Door)" | CBS (WCBS) 1958-08-26 10:05 AM EDT |
Ex-Lax, Inc. The Chocolated Laxative |
Peg Lynch (Peg), Alan Bunce (Jim) | Peg Lynch, Frank Dodge, Dan Donaldson | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Domestic", "Americana", "Short Form"] |
"The Couple Next Door, created and written by Peg Lynch, starring Peg Lynch and Alan Bunce!" When the U.S. Post Office announces a one-cent first-class postage rate increase, Peg attempts to save pennies by organizing a chaotic neighborhood hand-delivery postal system that costs Jim triple in lost time. |
| "Stratford-upon-Avon & Elizabethan Roasts (Peg Lynch & Alan Bunce — CBS)" | CBS (WCBS) 1959-08-26 10:05 AM EDT |
Sustaining Suburban Domestic Sitcom |
Peg Lynch (Peg), Alan Bunce (Jim) | Peg Lynch, Frank Dodge, Dan Donaldson | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Domestic", "Americana", "Short Form"] |
"The Couple Next Door, starring Peg Lynch and Alan Bunce!" Inspired by an upcoming community Shakespeare festival, Peg attempts to immerse the Piper household in Elizabethan culture by speaking exclusively in rhyming iambic pentameter and cooking authentic 16th-century roasted mutton for Jim. |
| "Mrs. Piper Mows the Lawn (Peg Lynch & Alan Bunce — CBS Couple Next Door)" | CBS (WCBS) 1960-08-26 10:05 AM EDT |
Sustaining Suburban Domestic Sitcom |
Peg Lynch (Peg), Alan Bunce (Jim) | Peg Lynch, Frank Dodge, Dan Donaldson | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Domestic", "Americana", "Short Form"] |
"The Couple Next Door, starring Peg Lynch and Alan Bunce!" Determined to prove suburban self-reliance, Peg takes over the balky gasoline power lawnmower to groom the front yard, inadvertently carving circular crop patterns across the neighbor's prized prize-winning petunias. |
| "Percy Faith & Buddy Clark (Josephine Antoine — Carnation Contented Hour)" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1946-08-26 10:00 PM EDT |
Carnation Company Carnation Evaporated Milk |
Percy Faith, Buddy Clark, Josephine Antoine | Erwin Wasey, Vincent Pelletier | ["Music", "Pop Standards", "Vocal", "Classical", "Big Band"] |
"The Carnation Contented Hour, from contented cows! Maestro Percy Faith leads the Carnation Orchestra and Contented Chorus in sparkling symphonic pop melodies, featuring crooner Buddy Clark singing 'They Say It's Wonderful' and soprano Josephine Antoine singing classical airs for Carnation Milk." |
| "Dagwood's Bathtub Goldfish Farm (Penny Singleton & Arthur Lake — Camel Blondie)" | CBS (WABC/KNX) 1940-08-26 7:30 PM EDST |
R.J. Reynolds Camel Cigarettes & Prince Albert |
Penny Singleton (Blondie), Arthur Lake | Chic Young, Don Bernard, Bill Goodwin | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Domestic", "Family", "Comics"] |
"Camels present Blondie, starring Penny Singleton as Blondie and Arthur Lake as Dagwood!" Dagwood invents an absurd get-rich-quick plan to breed prize Japanese goldfish in the Bumstead family bathtub, triggering furious confrontations with boss Mr. Dithers when the fish overflow into the living room for Camel Cigarettes. |
| "Blondie Handcuffs Her Husband (Penny Singleton & Arthur Lake — Super Suds)" | CBS (WABC/KNX) 1945-08-26 8:00 PM EWT |
Colgate-Palmolive Super Suds ("Lots More Suds") |
Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Hanley Stafford | Chic Young, Don Bernard, Howard Petrie | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Domestic", "Family", "Comics"] |
"Super Suds presents Blondie, starring Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake!" While demonstrating antique police handcuffs from the attic, Blondie accidentally locks Dagwood's wrists together just before an emergency dinner with wealthy prospective architectural client Mr. Dithers for Super Suds. |