On This Day, August 28: Meet the Press and Guiding Light
Also featured: Kirk Douglas.
August 28 Update
This report documents the historical provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, and pure narrative synopses for broadcasts transmitting on August 28 across American network radio, three landmark Meet the Press interviews (1955 Soviet agriculture with Dr. W.V. Lambert, 1960 Eisenhower HEW Secretary Arthur Flemming, and 1966 AFL-CIO President George Meany), Irna Phillips' The Guiding Light for Ivory Soap, Bob Trout & William L. Shirer reporting on the Axis Vienna pact, and Kirk Douglas swashbuckling as Renaissance artist Benvenuto Cellini on The Prudential Family Hour of Stars (1940–1966):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Dr. W.V. Lambert" | NBC (WNBC) 1955-08-28 6:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Public Affairs Interview |
Ned Brooks, Lawrence Spivak | Dr. W.V. Lambert | ["News", "Interview", "Public Affairs", "Agriculture", "Cold War"] |
Dr. W.V. Lambert faces press interrogation regarding Soviet agricultural conditions and collective farm productivity following a groundbreaking visit to the USSR. |
| "Arthur S. Flemming" | NBC (WNBC) 1960-08-28 6:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Public Affairs Interview |
Ned Brooks, Lawrence Spivak | Arthur S. Flemming | ["News", "Interview", "Public Affairs", "Politics", "Government"] |
HEW Secretary Arthur S. Flemming is questioned on medical care legislation for the elderly, federal school construction aid, and public health safeguards. |
| "George Meany" | NBC (WNBC) 1966-08-28 12:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Public Affairs Interview |
Edwin Newman, Lawrence Spivak | George Meany (AFL-CIO) | ["News", "Interview", "Public Affairs", "Labor", "Economics"] |
AFL-CIO President George Meany defends organized labor's collective bargaining rights, airline strike settlements, and wage guideline resistance. |
| "Meta Finds Allies" | CBS (WABC) 1950-08-28 1:45 PM EDT |
Procter & Gamble Ivory Soap / Duz |
Jone Allison, Lyle Sudrow | Irna Phillips (Creator) | ["Soap Opera", "Drama", "Family", "Serial", "Domestic"] |
Meta Bauer seeks support from family members as legal pressures mount regarding custody arrangements and her volatile marriage to Ted White. |
| "Axis Foreign Ministers Meet" | CBS (WABC) 1940-08-28 8:00 AM EDST |
Sustaining Wartime News |
Bob Trout, William L. Shirer | Eric Sevareid | ["News", "Broadcast Journalism", "Wartime", "Historical", "World War II"] |
CBS correspondents report on Axis foreign ministers meeting in Vienna to partition Romanian territory and the escalating London air raids. |
| "The Firebrand" | CBS (WABC) 1949-08-28 6:00 PM EDT |
Prudential Co. "Strength of Gibraltar" |
Kirk Douglas | Carmen Dragon Orchestra | ["Drama", "Historical", "Adventure", "Romance", "Anthology"] |
Renaissance Florentine goldsmith and adventurer Benvenuto Cellini schemes his way out of prison and courts the Duchess of Florence. |