On This Day, August 28: The Count of Monte Cristo and Kate Smith
Also featured: Raffles.
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, Australian syndication, and electrical transcription, four classic adaptations of Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo starring Carleton Young (1933–1951), Kate Smith discussing Alaskan pioneer homesteading for Post Toasties (1946), and gentleman thief A.J. Raffles investigating Scottish apparitions on Raffles, The Amateur Cracksman (1933–1951):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Alaska Pioneer Land" | CBS (WABC) 1946-08-28 12:00 PM EDT |
General Foods Post Toasties / Swans Down |
Kate Smith, Ted Collins | Ted Collins (Producer) | ["Talk", "Commentary", "Americana", "Human Interest", "History"] |
Kate Smith discusses post-war homesteading opportunities in the Alaskan wilderness and shares heroic stories of pioneer aviation. |
| "The Hidden Treasure of Monte Cristo (Episode 86)" | Syndicated Elec 1933-08-28 |
Commercial Regional Sponsors |
Dramatic Cast | Alexandre Dumas (Author) | ["Adventure", "Historical", "Serial", "Drama", "Literature"] |
Edmond Dantes excavates the secret subterranean grotto on the isle of Monte Cristo to claim the vast fortune left by Abbé Faria. |
| "The Plot Against Morcerf" | Mutual (WOR) 1945-08-28 8:00 PM EWT |
Sustaining Classical Adventure |
Carleton Young, P. Baer | Alexandre Dumas (Author) | ["Adventure", "Historical", "Drama", "Revenge", "Literature"] |
The Count orchestrates a brilliant trap in Parisian high society to expose Count de Morcerf's wartime betrayal of Ali Pasha. |
| "The Louisiana Conspiracy" | Mutual (WOR) 1949-08-28 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Classical Adventure |
Carleton Young (The Count) | Robert C. Dennis (Writer) | ["Adventure", "Historical", "Swashbuckler", "Espionage", "Drama"] |
Edmond Dantes journeys to New Orleans to disrupt a treasonous scheme to overthrow the territorial government of Louisiana. |
| "The Affair of the Queen's Necklace" | Mutual (WOR) 1951-08-28 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Classical Adventure |
Carleton Young (The Count) | Alexandre Dumas (Author) | ["Adventure", "Historical", "Swashbuckler", "Mystery", "Drama"] |
The Count foils an elaborate royal diamond forgery plot designed to ruin an innocent French aristocrat's reputation. |
| "The Ghoul of Glen Garron" | Macquarie / Synd 1942-08-28 |
Commercial Regional Sponsors |
Horace Keats (Raffles) | E.W. Hornung (Author) | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Supernatural", "British", "Adventure"] |
Gentleman thief A.J. Raffles and Bunny Manders investigate a terrifying ghostly manifestation haunting an ancestral Scottish estate. |