On This Day, August 29: Superman Serials and Silver Theater
Also featured: Ripley.
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, four classic cliffhanger storylines spanning a half-decade of Bud Collyer as the Man of Steel on The Adventures of Superman for Kellogg's Pep Cereal (1941–1946), James Craig and Lynn Bari in Son of the Navy on The Silver Theater for 1847 Rogers Bros. Silverplate (1943), and Robert Ripley dramatizing global curiosities on Ripley's Believe It or Not for Fleischmann's Yeast (1938–1946):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Son of the Navy" | CBS (WABC) 1943-08-29 6:00 PM EWT |
International Silver 1847 Rogers Bros. |
Conrad Nagel, James Craig | Lynn Bari & Troupe | ["Drama", "Romance", "Military", "Naval", "Anthology"] |
A dedicated Navy officer takes in an orphaned street boy who schemes to set him up with an attractive schoolteacher. |
| "Dr. Roebling and the Voice Machine (Episode 243)" | Mutual (WOR) 1941-08-29 5:30 PM EDST |
Sustaining Superhero Serial |
Bud Collyer, J. Alexander | Julian Noa & Troupe | ["Superhero", "Adventure", "Sci-Fi", "Action", "Serial"] |
Clark Kent investigates a rogue scientist whose acoustic vibration invention threatens to shatter Metropolis skyscrapers. |
| "The Scorpion (Part 1)" | Mutual (WOR) 1944-08-29 5:15 PM EWT |
Kellogg Company Kellogg's Pep Cereal |
Bud Collyer, Jackie Kelk | Joan Alexander & Cast | ["Superhero", "Adventure", "Action", "Serial", "Espionage"] |
Superman uncovers the return of the masked criminal mastermind known as The Scorpion after a high-voltage sabotage attack. |
| "The Black Market (Part 4)" | Mutual (WOR) 1945-08-29 5:15 PM EWT |
Kellogg Company Kellogg's Pep Cereal |
Bud Collyer, J. Alexander | Mutual Production Staff | ["Superhero", "Adventure", "Wartime", "Crime", "Serial"] |
Clark Kent and Lois Lane infiltrate a waterfront warehouse ring trading stolen wartime meat and gasoline rations. |
| "Candy Meyers' Big Story (Part 6)" | Mutual (WOR) 1946-08-29 5:15 PM EDT |
Kellogg Company Kellogg's Pep Cereal |
Bud Collyer, Jackie Kelk | Mutual Production Staff | ["Superhero", "Adventure", "Mystery", "Action", "Serial"] |
Superman flies to the rescue when detective Candy Meyers is ambushed and locked inside an abandoned steel mill kiln. |
| "Oddities from Around the World" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1938-08-29 8:00 PM EDST |
Standard Brands Fleischmann's Yeast |
Robert L. Ripley, Rolfe | NBC Blue Drama Staff | ["Docudrama", "Oddities", "History", "Trivia", "Anthology"] |
Robert Ripley dramatizes unbelievable historical oddities including an indestructible ancient tomb and a lightning survivor's strange tattoo. |