On This Day, August 28: The Witch's Tale and Life with Luigi
Also featured: Rudy Vallee.
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 commercial syndication, and studio rehearsals, Old Nancy the Witch narrating The Tiger, J. Carrol Naish & Hans Conried in Life with Luigi for Spearmint Gum, Johnny Mercer & Jo Stafford swinging for Old Gold, Jack Moyles in Cairo on A Man Named Jordan, and Rudy Vallee trading vaudeville insults with Bert Lahr (1930) and John Barrymore (1940) (1930–1951):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Tiger" | 2UW Sydney (AU) 1933-08-28 |
Commercial Regional Sponsors |
Old Nancy the Witch | Alonzo Deen Cole (Creator) | ["Horror", "Supernatural", "Gothic", "Occult", "Anthology"] |
Old Nancy tells the chilling tale of an Indian rajah whose reincarnation as a man-eating royal Bengal tiger terrorizes a jungle tea plantation. |
| "Schultz and Olson Not in Luigi's Class" | CBS (WABC) 1951-08-28 9:00 PM EDT |
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. Spearmint Chewing Gum |
J. Carrol Naish, Alan Reed | Hans Conried, Cy Howard | ["Sitcom", "Comedy", "Immigrant", "Americana", "Dialect"] |
Luigi Basco is heartbroken when his citizenship night-school teacher announces that classroom rivals Schultz and Olson were reassigned to another period. |
| "Guest Jo Stafford" | NBC (WEAF) 1944-08-28 7:00 PM EWT |
P. Lorillard Co. Old Gold Cigarettes |
Johnny Mercer, Jo Stafford | The Pied Pipers, Paul Weston | ["Music", "Variety", "Swing", "Vocal", "Pop Standard"] |
Johnny Mercer and songstress Jo Stafford trade witty lyric banter and perform upbeat popular swing tunes with The Pied Pipers. |
| "The Lady from Istanbul" | CBS Pacific 1949-08-28 8:30 PM EDT |
California Packing Del Monte Foods |
Jack Moyles, Jay Novello | Larry Roman (Writer) | ["Detective", "Hardboiled", "Noir", "Exotic", "Adventure"] |
Cafe owner Rocky Jordan protects an alluring Turkish refugee in Cairo hunted by international assassins seeking a stolen emerald necklace. |
| "Guest Bert Lahr" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1930-08-28 8:00 PM EDST |
Standard Brands Fleischmann's Yeast |
Rudy Vallee, Bert Lahr | Connecticut Yankees | ["Variety", "Music", "Vaudeville", "Comedy", "Big Band"] |
Rudy Vallee croons popular ballads through his megaphone and trades Broadway comic patter with vaudevillian Bert Lahr. |
| "Dress Rehearsal for Robert Burns Panatela" | NBC Rehearsal 1940-08-28 |
General Cigar Co. Robert Burns Panatela |
Rudy Vallee, John Barrymore | Xavier Cugat Orchestra | ["Variety", "Comedy", "Rehearsal", "Hollywood", "Music"] |
Rudy Vallee runs a lively full-cast studio rehearsal featuring Shakespearean actor John Barrymore trading self-deprecating theatrical insults. |