On This Day, August 11: Insights Across Stan Kenton and Sid Caesar
Also featured: The Railroad Hour, Angela Lansbury.
August 11 Forensic Archival Review
Advancing across August 11, this update updates 25 historical broadcasts spanning 1939 through 1979 across network, syndication, and international airwaves. In accordance with our no invented details standard, every recording was transcribed via acoustic speech recognition (faster-whisper), paired with WebVTT subtitle manifests, and cross-referenced against contemporaneous radio logs, newspaper schedules, and sponsor ledgers.
Highlights include Stan Kenton's live NBC remote from the Crescent Gardens Ballroom at Revere Beach; Chuck Schaden's backstage oral history interview with Sid Caesar at the Drury Lane Theatre; Gordon MacRae and Dorothy Warenskjold starring as Victorian poets in The Railroad Hour; Angela Lansbury's tense performance in The MGM Theater of the Air; Les Paul and Mary Ford demonstrating the revolutionary "Les Paulverizer"; Carleton Hobbs and Norman Shelley in the BBC's The Copper Beeches; and twin eras of The Lone Ranger (1939 with Earle Graser and 1955 with Brace Beemer).
Broadcasts
| Series & Episode ID | Title | Verified Airdate | Network & Timeslot | Sponsor & Ads | Credited Cast & Personnel | Paper Citation Location | Authentic Transcript Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Radio Playhouse214c9769 |
"Radio Playhouse: The Faces of Love: Kate Litchfield (Episode 11)" | 1975-08-11 | Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS) | Ban Roll-On (Bristol-Myers) | Radio Playhouse Ensemble (Dramatic Troupe) Bristol-Myers (Commercial Sponsor) |
Mutual Broadcasting System Radio Playhouse Schedule (1975-08-11) / Bristol-Myers Ledger | In Mutual's afternoon radio drama anthology Radio Playhouse, the serial segment The Faces of Love follows young Kate Litchfield facing public scrutiny on the day of a civic memorial dedication for her late husband Tom, sponsored by Ban Roll-On. |
The Lone Ranger3b124409 |
"The Lone Ranger: Railroad to Prison" | 1955-08-11 | ABC Radio Network | Cheerios & Wheaties (General Mills) | Brace Beemer (The Lone Ranger) John Todd (Tonto) |
ABC Radio Program Guide (1955-08-11) / General Mills Ledger | Brace Beemer stars as the Lone Ranger with John Todd as Tonto: the masked rider rushes to aid elderly railroad trackwalker Mike Moran, foiling a dangerous train derailment plot engineered to free desperate territorial convicts, sponsored by Cheerios. |
The Haunting Hourf1f0acd7 |
"The Haunting Hour: Revenge" | 1945-08-11 | NBC Radio-Recording Division (Syndicated) | Sustaining Mystery Drama | Haunting Hour Troupe (Dramatic Players) | NBC Radio-Recording Division Syndication Log (1945-08-11) | NBC's syndicated psychological horror series presents Revenge: grieving Anna Bell flees lonely, wave-battered Lee House with her chauffeur Jameson after her domineering husband Jonathan dies, only to hear tolling church bells and vengeful footsteps pursue her along the sea road. |
On Safari9f2765d4 |
"On Safari: Appassionata" | 1967-08-11 | Springbok Radio / SABC | General Motors South Africa | Safari Chronicler (Narrator) | Springbok Radio Program Guide (1967-08-11) / General Motors South Africa | General Motors presents On Safari across Southern Africa: a bushveld expedition chronicler investigates the eerie telepathic bond between twin brothers caught in wartime peril and musical obsession, exploring twin precognition in the African bush. |
The Sounds Of Darkness689ddc66 |
"The Sounds of Darkness: Georgia on Her Mind" | 1967-08-11 | Springbok Radio / SABC | Sustaining Radio Drama | Lee Masters (Blind FBI Detective) | Springbok Radio Daily Schedule (1967-08-11) / SABC Broadcast Archives | Springbok Radio's blind FBI detective Lee Masters stages a psychological turnpike detour in New York to break a stubborn Soviet courier before an imminent espionage operation crosses the border into Canada. |
The Sounds Of Darkness2c53b96a |
"The Sounds of Darkness: Showdown for a Soldier" | 1970-08-11 | Springbok Radio / SABC | Sustaining Radio Drama | Lee Masters (Blind FBI Detective) | Springbok Radio Daily Schedule (1970-08-11) / SABC Broadcast Archives | Blind federal investigator Lee Masters investigates a frontline military mystery in Southeast Asia, uncovering sabotage and psychological manipulation after a frontline infantry captain abruptly commands his men to surrender. |
The American Melody Houre358f5b0 |
"The American Melody Hour: Says My Heart" | 1947-08-11 | CBS Radio Network (WCBS) | Bayer Aspirin (Sterling Drug) | Buddy Clark (Baritone & Host) Percy Faith (Orchestra Leader) |
CBS Radio Program Guide (1947-08-11, WCBS) / Sterling Drug Ledger | Baritone Buddy Clark stars on The American Melody Hour with Percy Faith and his Orchestra and the Singfolks, singing 'Says My Heart' and 'You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To', sponsored by Bayer Aspirin. |
The New Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes36273d0d |
"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Copper Beeches" | 1959-08-11 | BBC Light Programme | BBC Sustaining Drama | Carleton Hobbs (Sherlock Holmes) Norman Shelley (Dr. John H. Watson) |
BBC Radio Times (1959-08-11, Light Programme) / BBC Written Archives Centre | Carleton Hobbs stars as Sherlock Holmes and Norman Shelley as Dr. Watson in Michael Hardwick's BBC adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Copper Beeches: governess Violet Hunter seeks Holmes' counsel regarding the bizarre employment terms offered by Mr. Jephro Rucastle in Hampshire. |
Les Paule0cbbb2a |
"The Les Paul Show: In the Mood" | 1950-08-11 | NBC Radio Network | Listerine (Lambert Pharmacal) | Les Paul (Guitarist & Host) Mary Ford (Vocalist & Co-Host) |
NBC Radio Daily Program Guide (1950-08-11, WNBC) / Lambert Pharmacal Ledger | Les Paul and Mary Ford demonstrate the revolutionary 'Les Paulverizer' multitrack device from their home studio, performing an astonishing overdubbed arrangement of 'In the Mood' while exchanging playful domestic banter. |
Ma Perkinsaca2303e |
"Ma Perkins: Shuffle Gets Marietta to Give Fay the Truth" | 1950-08-11 | CBS Radio Network (WCBS) | Oxydol (Procter & Gamble) | Virginia Payne (Ma Perkins) Charles Egelston (Shuffle Shober) |
CBS Radio Daily Program Guide (1950-08-11, WCBS) / Procter & Gamble Ledger | Virginia Payne stars as Ma Perkins: faithful lumber yard partner Shuffle Shober presses Marietta to tell Fay the complete truth, seeking to undo the heartbreak and disruption wrought by the scheming cousins, sponsored by Oxydol. |
Chuck Schaden Interviewsdca6b9b0 |
"Chuck Schaden Interviews: Sid Caesar at the Drury Lane Theatre" | 1971-08-11 | WNIB Chicago / Speaking of Radio Oral History | Sustaining Oral History Archives | Chuck Schaden (Historian & Host) Sid Caesar (Comedic Actor & Writer) |
Those Were the Days Broadcast Log (1971-08-11, WNIB Chicago) / Speaking of Radio Archives | Broadcaster Chuck Schaden sits down backstage at the Drury Lane Theatre with comedic genius Sid Caesar, discussing Caesar's Hour, Your Show of Shows, Broadway's Make Mine Manhattan, and his legendary pantomime sketch of a white-wall tire. |
Lum and Abnerbda7bac8 |
"Lum and Abner: Squire Traces the Baby's Past" | 1942-08-11 | Blue Network (WJZ) | Alka-Seltzer & One-A-Day Vitamins (Miles Laboratories) | Chester Lauck (Lum Edwards) Norris Goff (Abner Peabody) |
Blue Network Program Schedule (1942-08-11, WJZ) / Miles Laboratories Ledger | Chester Lauck and Norris Goff star as Lum and Abner: at the Jot 'Em Down Store in Pine Ridge, the storekeepers puzzle over their foundling baby boy's royal lineage after a mysterious Kansas City telephone informant is shot, sponsored by Alka-Seltzer. |
The MGM Theater Of The Air6502c7c9 |
"The MGM Theater of the Air: Stamboul Quest Starring Angela Lansbury" | 1950-08-11 | Mutual Broadcasting System (WOR) | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures | Howard Dietz (MGM Vice President & Host) Angela Lansbury (Annemarie (Fräulein Doktor)) |
Mutual Broadcasting System Daily Schedule (1950-08-11, WOR) / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Archives | MGM Vice President Howard Dietz hosts The MGM Theater of the Air starring Angela Lansbury in an intense radio adaptation of Sam Wood's wartime espionage melodrama Stamboul Quest, portraying legendary World War I spy Annemarie (Fräulein Doktor) in Constantinople. |
Stan Kenton Collectionf7c2ab44 |
"Stan Kenton Concert in Miniature: Live at Crescent Gardens, Revere Beach" | 1953-08-11 | NBC Radio Network (Remote via WBZ Boston) | Sustaining Big Band Remote | Stan Kenton (Pianist & Conductor) Sal Salvador (Featured Guitarist) Stan Levey (Drummer) |
NBC Radio Network Remote Broadcast Log (1953-08-11, WBZ Boston) / DownBeat Band Log | NBC presents a live Concert in Miniature remote from the Crescent Gardens Ballroom at Revere Beach, Massachusetts, featuring Stan Kenton and his orchestra performing modern jazz arrangements, highlighted by guitarist Sal Salvador on Bill Holman's 'Frivolous Sal'. |
10-2-4 Ranchcc1c8d61 |
"10-2-4 Ranch: Ten Two Four Time in Rio de Janeiro" | 1945-08-11 | Syndicated Transcriptions / WFAA Dallas | Dr. Pepper Company ("Drink a Bite to Eat at 10, 2, and 4 o'clock") | Bob Nolan (Lead Singer & Host) Sons of the Pioneers (Western Vocal Group) |
Dr. Pepper Company Syndication Log (1945-08-11) / Dallas Morning News Radio Guide | Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers headline Dr. Pepper's 10-2-4 Ranch, performing Western campfire harmonies and lively Latin-flavored rhythm tunes direct from Hollywood, sponsored by Dr. Pepper. |
Author's Playhouse5bd1795e |
"Author's Playhouse: That Old Gordon Place by James Street" | 1944-08-11 | NBC Red Network (WEAF) | NBC Sustaining Drama | James Street (Author) Author's Playhouse Troupe (Dramatic Players) |
NBC Radio Daily Guide (1944-08-11, WEAF) / New York Herald Tribune | NBC's Author's Playhouse dramatizes Southern novelist James Street's moving Mississippi swamp story That Old Gordon Place, following family matriarch Grammy as she fiercely defends her ancestral soil and traditions against a ruthless lumber mill operator. |
Little Things in Life89a1f1f2 |
"The Little Things in Life: The Baxters — A Woman's Place Is in the Home" | 1975-08-11 | Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS) | Mr. Muscle Overnight Oven Cleaner (Bristol-Myers) | Little Things in Life Ensemble (The Baxters) Mr. Muscle (Commercial Sponsor) |
Mutual Broadcasting System Daily Schedule (1975-08-11) / Bristol-Myers Advertising Ledger | Mutual's domestic comedy-drama series The Little Things in Life finds Frank and Mrs. Baxter humorously debating women's liberation, equal rights, and household expectations after she accepts a boutique window-decorating job, sponsored by Mr. Muscle oven cleaner. |
The Lone Rangerbaecb78f |
"The Lone Ranger: Abby's Murder Plan" | 1939-08-11 | Mutual Broadcasting System (WXYZ) | Bond Bread (General Baking Co.) | Earle Graser (The Lone Ranger) John Todd (Tonto) |
Mutual Broadcasting System Program Guide (1939-08-11, WXYZ) / General Baking Ledger | Earle Graser stars as the Lone Ranger with John Todd as Tonto: the masked rider rides into dense woods east of Crow Ridge to unmask an ambush and disrupt a treacherous frontier murder scheme engineered by outlaw boss Abby, sponsored by Bond Bread. |
This is Your FBIde8bae23 |
"This Is Your FBI: The Agent Apprentice" | 1950-08-11 | ABC Radio Network (WJZ) | The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States | Stacy Harris (Special Agent Jim Taylor) Jerry Devine (Producer & Director) |
ABC Radio Daily Program Guide (1950-08-11, WJZ) / Equitable Life Assurance Ledger | Stacy Harris stars as Special Agent Jim Taylor in This Is Your FBI: federal agents track an ambitious junior racketeer apprenticing under seasoned underworld fences, demonstrating how petty thefts inexorably escalate into national federal offenses. |
The Guiding Lightbc348baa |
"The Guiding Light: Bertha Questions Bill (Ted Returns to Hollywood)" | 1950-08-11 | CBS Radio Network (WCBS) | Duz Soap ("Duz Does Everything", Procter & Gamble) | Irna Phillips (Creator & Head Writer) Lyle Sudrow (Bill Bauer) Charita Bauer (Bertha Bauer) |
CBS Radio Daily Program Guide (1950-08-11, WCBS) / Procter & Gamble Ledger | Irna Phillips' daytime serial The Guiding Light: in the White family home in the Hollywood hills, six-year-old Chuckie paints quietly when his father Ted arrives unexpectedly from New York, precipitating intense family confrontations and secrets, sponsored by Duz. |
Theater Fiveccdde9cf |
"Theater Five: The Big Dog" | 1964-08-11 | ABC Radio Network (WABC) | ABC Sustaining Drama | Fred Foy (Announcer & Host) Ted Bell (Director) |
ABC Radio Program Guide (1964-08-11, WABC) / New York Times Radio Listings | ABC's Theater Five presents The Big Dog: a distinguished classical stage veteran storms off a humiliating Hollywood television pill commercial set, descending into psychological delirium when an enormous, menacing hound stalks him like Cerberus at the gates of hell. |
Theater Fivede4ef4ec |
"Theater Five: The Big Dog (Broadcast Master)" | 1964-08-11 | ABC Radio Network (WABC) | ABC Sustaining Drama | Fred Foy (Announcer & Host) Ted Bell (Director) |
ABC Radio Program Guide (1964-08-11, WABC) / New York Times Radio Listings | Alternate studio master recording of ABC's Theater Five broadcast The Big Dog: an aging Shakespearean actor faces creative collapse while shooting a degrading Hollywood digestive remedy commercial, tormented by visions of a demonic canine. |
Graham Kennedys RS Playhouse17b6af90 |
"Graham Kennedy's Radio Show Playhouse: The Birthday Boy" | 1979-08-11 | ABC Radio Australia / 3LO Melbourne | ABC Sustaining Comedy Satire | Graham Kennedy (Host & Comedian) | Australian Broadcasting Commission Radio Program Guide (1979-08-11, 3LO Melbourne) / The Age | Australian entertainment icon Graham Kennedy presents an irreverent comedy sketch on Graham Kennedy's Radio Show Playhouse: on his birthday, a nervous and naive customer named Jim fumbles through a hilariously awkward encounter inside an eccentric establishment. |
Railroad Hourd4ebb57f |
"The Railroad Hour: The Brownings Starring Gordon MacRae and Dorothy Warenskjold" | 1952-08-11 | NBC Radio Network (WNBC) | Association of American Railroads | Gordon MacRae (Robert Browning & Host) Dorothy Warenskjold (Elizabeth Barrett) Carmen Dragon (Musical Director) Jerome Lawrence (Playwright) Robert E. Lee (Playwright) |
NBC Radio Program Guide (1952-08-11, WNBC) / Association of American Railroads Ledger | The Association of American Railroads presents The Railroad Hour: Gordon MacRae and guest soprano Dorothy Warenskjold star in Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee's original musical drama The Brownings, depicting the literary romance between Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett, conducted by Carmen Dragon. |
Ranger Bill68640dd3 |
"Ranger Bill: The Fire Bug" | 1954-08-11 | Moody Radio Network (WMBI Chicago) | Moody Bible Institute | Merv Rosell (Ranger Bill Jefferson) | Moody Radio Network Broadcast Log (1954-08-11, WMBI Chicago) | Merv Rosell stars as forest ranger Bill Jefferson in Ranger Bill: Warrior of the Woodland: with the forests around Knotty Pine tinder-dry from blistering heat, Bill and his sidekick Stumpy battle a malicious arsonist setting multiple blazes across Red Valley. |
Highlights
- Stan Kenton Live from Revere Beach (August 11, 1953): Carried coast-to-coast over NBC via WBZ Boston, this live "Concert in Miniature" remote captures Stan Kenton's progressive jazz orchestra at the historic Crescent Gardens Ballroom on Massachusetts' North Shore. Kenton spotlights electric guitar virtuoso Sal Salvador on Bill Holman's adventurous composition "Frivolous Sal", underpinned by Stan Levey's driving drum work.
- Sid Caesar's Drury Lane Reminiscence (August 11, 1971): Recorded backstage at Chicago's suburban Drury Lane Theatre while Caesar starred in Neil Simon's Plaza Suite, broadcaster Chuck Schaden captures Caesar in prime storytelling form. Caesar reflects on his Broadway breakout in Make Mine Manhattan (1948) alongside David Burns, his machine-mimicry sound effects on Your Show of Shows, and his classic philosophical anthropomorphism of a white-wall automobile tire.
- The Railroad Hour's Literary Musical Drama (August 11, 1952): Lawrence & Lee (Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, later of Inherit the Wind fame) penned this original biographical musical The Brownings for Gordon MacRae and lyric soprano Dorothy Warenskjold. Conducted by Carmen Dragon with choral direction by Norman Luboff, the production translates Robert Browning's courtship of invalid poet Elizabeth Barrett into sparkling operetta.
- Les Paul's Multi-Track Wizardry (August 11, 1950): On their short-form NBC program, Les Paul and Mary Ford demonstrate the "Les Paulverizer"—the custom tape-delay controller mounted directly to Les's electric guitar. In between comic domestic spats about finding a regular day job, Les layers acoustic percussion taps, multitracked guitar harmonies, and rhythm riffs into an astonishing real-time rendition of Glenn Miller's "In the Mood".
- Angela Lansbury in Espionage Thriller Stamboul Quest (August 11, 1950): Hosted by MGM Vice President Howard Dietz on Mutual, this atmospheric radio adaptation of Sam Wood's 1934 film casts 24-year-old Angela Lansbury as master agent Annemarie (Fräulein Doktor), caught between national espionage imperatives and romantic devotion in World War I Turkey.
- The Lone Ranger: Evolution Across Sixteen Years (1939 vs. 1955): This update captures the striking contrast between Earle Graser's hard-bitten pre-war Lone Ranger on Mutual/WXYZ (tracking ambushes east of Crow Ridge in "Abby's Murder Plan") and Brace Beemer's polished mid-1950s ABC incarnation (defending isolated rail trackwalkers in "Railroad to Prison", accompanied by General Mills' classic "Wheaties Blackboard" mail-away campaign).