On This Day, August 28: Mr. District Attorney and Burns
Also featured: Allen, Damon Runyon.
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 and syndication, Peg Lynch's suburban domestic comedy The Little Things in Life, John Brown narrating Damon Runyon's Social Error, two hardboiled crime investigations on Mr. District Attorney for Vitalis Hair Tonic, Les Mitchel in Skippy Hollywood Theater, and George Burns & Gracie Allen confusing university admissions in Maxwell House Coffee Time (1940–1975):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Crisis with a Dead Pet" | Syndicated Drama 1975-08-28 |
Sustaining Family Comedy |
Peg Lynch, Alan Bunce | Peg Lynch (Creator) | ["Sitcom", "Comedy", "Domestic", "Family", "Americana"] |
A suburban couple faces an emotional dilemma when their young neighbor's pet goldfish dies while in their care. |
| "Social Error" | Syndicated Elec 1949-08-28 |
Commercial Regional Sponsors |
John Brown, Alan Reed | Russell Hughes (Adapter) | ["Comedy", "Crime", "Anthology", "Broadway", "Americana"] |
Broadway narrator tells the story of a tough Manhattan gangster who hires etiquette tutors to crash a high-society debutante ball. |
| "The Case of the Counterfeit Swindle" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1940-08-28 8:00 PM EDST |
Bristol-Myers Vitalis / Ipana |
Jay Jostyn, Vicki Vola | Len Doyle, Phillips H. Lord | ["Police Procedural", "Legal", "Detective", "True Crime", "Hardboiled"] |
The district attorney investigates a sophisticated con artist preying on small-town investors with bogus oil well stock. |
| "The Case of the Conference of Killers" | NBC (WEAF) 1946-08-28 9:30 PM EDT |
Bristol-Myers Vitalis / Sal Hepatica |
Jay Jostyn, Len Doyle | Phillips H. Lord (Creator) | ["Police Procedural", "Legal", "Detective", "True Crime", "Hardboiled"] |
Mr. District Attorney and investigator Harrington plant wiretaps at an underworld summit where syndicate bosses plan a regional syndicate takeover. |
| "The Fault of the Frog" | Syndicated Elec 1943-08-28 |
Rosefield Packing Skippy Peanut Butter |
Hollywood Guest Cast | Les Mitchel (Host / Dir) | ["Drama", "Mystery", "Hollywood", "Comedy", "Anthology"] |
An eccentric country doctor uncovers an inheritance swindle while treating a wealthy patient whose pet tree frog serves as an unlikely alibi. |
| "College Days" | NBC (WNBC) 1947-08-28 8:30 PM EDT |
General Foods Maxwell House Coffee |
George Burns, Gracie Allen | Bill Goodwin, Meredith Willson | ["Sitcom", "Comedy", "Domestic", "Vaudeville", "Music"] |
Gracie Allen decides to enroll in college courses to improve her intellect, confounding the university admissions dean with her circular logic. |