On This Day, August 29: Squad Cars and Stoopnagle
Also featured: Budd, Crisis.
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, South African Springbok Radio, and syndication, three gripping South African flying squad investigations on Squad Cars for General Motors (1969–1980), Colonel Stoopnagle & Budd's hilarious gadget demonstrations for Schlitz Beer (1934), Mutual's suspense drama Crisis (1974), and Robert Ripley on Ripley's Believe It or Not for Fleischmann's Yeast (1934–1980):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Don't Turn Your Back on a Fight" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1938-08-29 8:30 PM EDST |
Standard Brands Fleischmann's Yeast |
Robert L. Ripley, Rolfe | NBC Blue Drama Staff | ["Docudrama", "Oddities", "History", "Trivia", "Anthology"] |
Robert Ripley dramatizes historical accounts of improbable battlefield duels, iron-willed survivors, and strange athletic coincidences. |
| "Night Rider" | Mutual Network 1974-08-29 |
Sustaining Audio Suspense |
Dramatic Mystery Cast | Mutual Production Staff | ["Suspense", "Psychological", "Supernatural", "Thriller", "Anthology"] |
A late-night commuter picks up an eerie hitchhiker who correctly predicts catastrophic vehicle collisions along an isolated mountain highway. |
| "Inventions for the Modern Home" | CBS (WABC) 1934-08-29 9:30 PM EDST |
Schlitz Brewing Co. Schlitz Beer |
Col. Stoopnagle, Budd | F. Chase Taylor & Budd | ["Comedy", "Satire", "Nonsense Humor", "Parody", "Sketches"] |
Colonel Stoopnagle and Budd demonstrate nonsensical novelty gadgets including revolving door silencers and upside-down umbrellas. |
| "Thug Bait" | Springbok Radio 1969-08-29 |
General Motors SA Automotive Sponsor |
Colin Fish, Hugh Rouse | Hugh Rouse (Creator) | ["Police Procedural", "Docudrama", "True Crime", "Action", "South Africa"] |
Johannesburg flying squad detectives set an undercover decoy trap to catch a ruthless gang mugging late-night railway commuters. |
| "The Top Priority Escape" | Springbok Radio 1975-08-29 |
General Motors SA Automotive Sponsor |
Colin Fish, Hugh Rouse | Springbok Drama Staff | ["Police Procedural", "Docudrama", "True Crime", "Action", "South Africa"] |
Police patrol cars coordinate highway roadblocks across the Transvaal to intercept an armed prison fugitive heading for the border. |
| "The Gentleman Crook" | Springbok Radio 1980-08-29 |
General Motors SA Automotive Sponsor |
Colin Fish, Police Cast | Springbok Drama Staff | ["Police Procedural", "Docudrama", "True Crime", "Action", "South Africa"] |
Flying squad officers investigate a charming jewel thief who charms wealthy dowagers at upscale hotel ballrooms before robbing their suites. |