On This Day, August 29: Death Valley Days and Vic
Also featured: Sade, Hop Harrigan.
August 29 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 29 across American network radio, three classic Western historical dramas written by Ruth Cornwall Woodman on Death Valley Days for 20 Mule Team Borax (1932–1941), Uncle Fletcher's eccentric midnight breakfast plans on Paul Rhymer's Vic and Sade (1946), Chester Stratton & Glenn Riggs in Hop Harrigan aerial dogfights, and Raymond Massey dramatizing pioneer surgery on The Doctor Fights (1932–1947):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Channel Wing Plane (Part 3)" | Mutual (WOR) 1947-08-29 5:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Aviation Adventure |
Chester Stratton, Riggs | Jon Blummer (Creator) | ["Aviation", "Adventure", "Action", "Serial", "Juvenile"] |
Hop Harrigan and Tank Tinker conduct secret test flights over remote marshland when foreign agents attempt to shoot them down. |
| "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1932-08-29 8:30 PM EDST |
Pacific Coast Borax 20 Mule Team Borax |
Tim Frawley (Old Ranger) | Ruth C. Woodman (Writer) | ["Western", "Docudrama", "History", "Frontier", "Anthology"] |
The Old Ranger recounts an eerie California gold rush tale of phantom miners haunting a deserted Sierra Nevada gulch. |
| "Riley Grannan's Funeral" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1935-08-29 8:00 PM EDST |
Pacific Coast Borax 20 Mule Team Borax |
John MacBryde (Ranger) | Ruth C. Woodman (Writer) | ["Western", "Docudrama", "History", "Frontier", "Anthology"] |
A gold rush mining camp unites to give a legendary high-stakes gambler an eloquent and unforgettable desert funeral eulogy. |
| "The Homeliest Man in Nevada" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1941-08-29 8:30 PM EDST |
Pacific Coast Borax 20 Mule Team Borax |
John MacBryde (Ranger) | Ruth C. Woodman (Writer) | ["Western", "Docudrama", "History", "Frontier", "Anthology"] |
A self-conscious Nevada frontier prospector wins the respect and affections of a spirited dance hall singer through quiet heroism. |
| "Uncle Fletcher's Pre-Arranged Meals" | Mutual (WOR) 1946-08-29 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Midwest Humor |
Art Van Harvey, Flynn | Paul Rhymer (Writer) | ["Sitcom", "Comedy", "Domestic", "Small Town", "Absurdist"] |
Uncle Fletcher bewilders Sade by insisting on eating his restaurant breakfasts at midnight according to an elaborate pre-arranged dietary schedule. |
| "Dr. Ephraim McDowell and the Frontier Surgery" | CBS (WABC) 1944-08-29 9:30 PM EWT |
Schenley Labs Penicillin Schenley |
Raymond Massey (Host) | Medical Drama Staff | ["Docudrama", "Medical", "History", "Biography", "Frontier"] |
A dramatization of Kentucky frontier pioneer surgeon Dr. Ephraim McDowell performing the world's first successful abdominal tumor excision. |