On This Day, August 26: The Eternal Light and The Informer
Also featured: Thirty-Three Half Moon Street.
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 South African radio, four profound docudramas of The Eternal Light produced by the Jewish Theological Seminary on NBC (Joseph in Egypt, Human Equality, Wilderness of Sinai, and Universal Public Education), Victor Jory starring in Liam O'Flaherty's The Informer on The New Theater, and Peter Copley solving Green for Danger on Thirty-Three Half Moon Street (1945–1965):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Green for Danger (Peter Copley as Aubrey Fairfax — Springbok)" | Springbok Radio 1965-08-26 8:30 PM |
Commercial Sponsors Edwardian Detective |
Peter Copley (Fairfax), Diane Appleby | John Dighton, Peter Copley | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Victorian", "British", "Crime"] |
"Springbok Radio presents Thirty-Three Half Moon Street, starring Peter Copley as Edwardian gentleman sleuth Aubrey Fairfax!" In 'Green for Danger', Fairfax investigates a series of mysterious post-surgical poisonings inside a private London clinic where emerald green anesthetic gas tanks have been secretly tampered with. |
| "The Informer by Liam O'Flaherty (Victor Jory as Gypo Nolan — NBC)" | NBC (WEAF) 1951-08-26 7:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Masterpiece Drama |
Victor Jory (Gypo), Berry Kroeger | George Lowther, Charles Arlington | ["Drama", "Tragedy", "Literary", "Irish", "Historical"] |
"NBC presents The New Theater, bringing the world's most compelling theatrical works to radio!" In Liam O'Flaherty's 'The Informer', desperate Dublin dockworker Gypo Nolan (Victor Jory) betrays his rebel comrade to the British police for a twenty-pound bounty, triggering a guilt-ridden, whiskey-soaked flight across foggy Dublin back-alleys. |
| "Joseph in Egypt (Part 2 — Alexander Scourby & Roger DeKoven — The Eternal Light)" | NBC (WEAF) 1945-08-26 12:30 PM EWT |
JTS of America NBC Public Affairs |
Alexander Scourby (Joseph), Roger DeKoven | Morton Wishengrad, Brokenshire | ["Historical", "Docudrama", "Religious", "Literary", "Anthology"] |
"The Jewish Theological Seminary of America and the National Broadcasting Company present The Eternal Light!" In 'Joseph in Egypt', Joseph interprets Pharaoh's troubling prophetic dreams of seven fat kine and seven lean kine, rising from prison to become Grand Vizier of Egypt to store grain against the seven-year famine. Note: Multi-part serial narrative arc (Joseph and His Brothers — Part 2). |
| "The Words We Live By: Human Equality (Part 9 — Norman Rose — The Eternal Light)" | NBC (WNBC) 1951-08-26 12:30 PM EDT |
JTS of America Ethical Drama Series |
Norman Rose (Narrator), Juano Hernandez | Morton Wishengrad, Mel Brandt | ["Historical", "Docudrama", "Religious", "Literary", "Anthology"] |
"The Eternal Light! A radio presentation of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America!" Part 9 of the summer ethical series explores the biblical roots of human equality and civil justice, dramatizing historical struggles against prejudice through the lens of ancient rabbinic teachings. Note: Multi-part serial narrative arc (The Words We Live By — Part 9). |
| "Wilderness of Sinai & Covenant on Moab (Part 9 — Roger DeKoven — The Eternal Light)" | NBC (WRCA) 1956-08-26 12:30 PM EDT |
JTS of America Biblical Docudrama |
Roger DeKoven (Moses), Leon Janney | Joseph Mindel, Peter Roberts | ["Historical", "Docudrama", "Religious", "Literary", "Anthology"] |
"The Eternal Light, produced in cooperation with the Jewish Theological Seminary of America!" Part 9 dramatizes Moses leading the children of Israel through the wilderness of Sinai, recounting the moral lessons of the Bronze Serpent and the renewal of the covenant on the plains of Moab. Note: Multi-part serial narrative arc (The Five Books of Moses — Part 9). |
| "Universal Public Education in Early America (Part 14 — Alexander Scourby — The Eternal Light)" | NBC (WNBC) 1962-08-26 12:30 PM EDT |
JTS of America Educational Docudrama |
Alexander Scourby (Narrator), Dryden | Marc Siegel, Bill McCord | ["Historical", "Docudrama", "Religious", "Literary", "Anthology"] |
"The Jewish Theological Seminary of America presents The Eternal Light on NBC!" In Part 14 of 'Democracy and the Bible', the broadcast dramatizes the founding of universal public education in early America, illustrating how colonial schoolmasters drew upon Old Testament egalitarian principles to educate every child regardless of wealth or rank. Note: Multi-part serial narrative arc (Democracy and the Bible — Part 14). |