On This Day, August 26: The Saint (Vincent Price) and Mr.
Also featured: Mrs. North, CBS European News.
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, Vincent Price starring as Simon Templar in The Saint, two witty Mr. and Mrs. North murder investigations (Alice Frost for Woodbury Soap and Barbara Britton for Colgate Dental Cream), William L. Shirer and Bob Trout on CBS European News reporting the first RAF bombing raid on Berlin, Charlotte Greenwood welcoming returning GIs for Hallmark Cards, and Douglas Edwards (1940–1952):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "RAF Bombing Raid on Berlin (William L. Shirer & Bob Trout — CBS European News)" | CBS (WABC) 1940-08-26 6:45 PM EDST |
Sustaining Transatlantic News Roundup |
Bob Trout, William L. Shirer, Edward R. Murrow | CBS News Special Events | ["News", "Historical", "Wartime", "Documentary", "Public Affairs"] |
"CBS European News, Bob Trout reporting from New York!" William L. Shirer reports under strict German censorship from Berlin following the first major RAF retaliatory bombing raid on the Nazi capital, contrasted with Edward R. Murrow's eyewitness report from London during the height of the Battle of Britain. |
| "Tribute to Returning Servicemen (Charlotte Greenwood — Hallmark Cards)" | ABC (WJZ/KGO) 1945-08-26 3:00 PM EWT |
Hall Brothers, Inc. Hallmark Greeting Cards |
Charlotte Greenwood, John Brown, Barbara Eiler | Martin Gosch, Paul Franklin, Wendell Niles | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Vaudeville", "Americana", "Music"] |
"Hallmark Greeting Cards presents The Charlotte Greenwood Show!" Eccentric, high-kicking stage comedienne Charlotte Greenwood organizes a heartwarming community gala and musical celebration welcoming returning WWII GIs home to their families for Hallmark Cards. |
| "The Prize Fight Case (Vincent Price as Simon Templar — The Saint)" | NBC (WEAF/KNX) 1951-08-26 7:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Hardboiled Detective Drama |
Vincent Price (The Saint), John Hoyt | Leslie Charteris, Helen Mack, Don Stanley | ["Detective", "Hardboiled", "Adventure", "Crime", "Mystery"] |
"The Saint, starring Vincent Price as Simon Templar, the Robin Hood of modern crime!" The Saint investigates the suspicious dressing-room poisoning of a young contender in a championship boxing match, uncovering an extortion racket orchestrated by a ruthless underworld gambling syndicate. |
| "Allied Fleet in Sagami Bay & Pre-Surrender Logistics (Douglas Edwards — CBS)" | CBS (WABC) 1945-08-26 2:00 PM EWT |
Sustaining Historical News Archive |
Douglas Edwards (Anchor), Webley Edwards | CBS News Special Events | ["News", "Historical", "Wartime", "Documentary", "Public Affairs"] |
"American History Through the Eyes of Radio! Preserving the authentic live news broadcasts that shaped our world!" Anchored by Douglas Edwards, CBS shortwave correspondents report on the massing of Allied naval forces in Sagami Bay and the final operational coordination for General Douglas MacArthur's airborne arrival in Tokyo. |
| "The Wrong Number Murder (Alice Frost & Joseph Curtin — Woodbury Soap)" | CBS (WCBS) 1947-08-26 8:30 PM EDT |
Andrew Jergens Co. Woodbury Facial Soap & Cream |
Alice Frost (Pam), Joseph Curtin (Jerry) | Frances & Richard Lockridge, Ron Rawson | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Comedy", "Whodunit", "Crime"] |
"Woodbury Soap presents Mr. and Mrs. North, starring Alice Frost and Joseph Curtin!" When Pam North answers a crossed-wire late-night telephone call and overhears two killers finalizing murder plans for an address in Greenwich Village, she and publisher husband Jerry race against time to prevent the crime for Woodbury Soap. |
| "The Case of the Deadly Doll (Barbara Britton & Richard Denning — Colgate)" | CBS (WCBS) 1952-08-26 8:30 PM EDT |
Colgate-Palmolive Colgate Dental Cream & Halo |
Barbara Britton (Pam), Richard Denning (Jerry) | Lockridges, John Loveton, George Bryan | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Comedy", "Whodunit", "Crime"] |
"Colgate Dental Cream brings you Mr. and Mrs. North, starring Barbara Britton and Richard Denning!" Pam and Jerry North discover that an antique porcelain doll purchased at a boutique charity bazaar contains a fortune in smuggled diamonds and a miniature cyanide needle intended to silence an international smuggler for Colgate. |