On This Day, August 22: The Goon Show and Night Editor
Also featured: Witch's Tale, Rudy Vallee.
August 22 Exhaustive Update
This report documents the comprehensive provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, and story synopses for 6 historical broadcasts transmitting on August 22 across British, Australian, and American network broadcasting history (1935–1957):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Reason Why (The Charge of the Light Brigade)" | BBC Home Service 1957-08-22 8:30 PM BST |
Non-commercial BBC Light Entertainment |
Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, The Ray Ellington Quartet, Max Geldray | Spike Milligan & Larry Stephens (Writers), Pat Dixon (Producer), Wallace Greenslade (Announcer) | ["Comedy", "Satire", "Surreal"] |
Neddie Seagoon investigates why 600 pairs of military flannel underpants failed to reach the front line during the Crimean War, triggering chaotic surreal inquiries across Balaclava with Major Bloodnok and Count Jim Moriarty. |
| "The Waterfront Cub Reporter and the Fugitive" | CBS Pacific (KNX) 1937-08-22 8:00 PM PST |
Edwards Coffee Dwight Edwards Vacuum-Packed Coffee |
Hal Burdick (The Night Editor / Narrator) | Hal Burdick (Writer & Producer), Ray Erlenborn (Sound Effects) | ["Drama", "Newspaper", "Anthology"] |
Sitting behind his cluttered late-night city desk, the Night Editor recounts the gritty tale of an ambitious young cub reporter who staked out a fog-bound San Francisco pier to intercept an escaped felon, only to find the fugitive attempting to return stolen diamonds to save his daughter's life. |
| "The Bronze Venus" | 2UW Sydney / AWA 1935-08-22 (Electrical Transcription) |
Sustaining Regional Australian Advertisers |
Queenie Ashton (Old Nancy the Witch), Satan the Cat, Australian dramatic cast | Alonzo Deen Cole (Original Script), AWA Transcription Studios (Sydney) | ["Horror", "Supernatural", "Mystery"] |
Centenarian witch Old Nancy introduces the macabre legend of a Parisian sculptor who casts a lifelike bronze statue of Venus using metal looted from a medieval crypt, unleashing a vengeful nocturnal curse that animates the bronze figure to crush anyone who approaches its pedestal. |
| "The Secret of the Khan el-Khalili: Chapter 9" | CBS (WCBS) 1951-08-22 1:15 PM EDT |
Procter & Gamble Camay Beauty Soap |
Jack Moyles (Rocky Jordan), Jay Novello (Capt. Sam Sabaaya), Virginia Gregg (Amina) | G.F. Thomas & Larry Roman (Writers), Cliff Howell (Director), Larry Thor (Announcer) | ["Adventure", "Mystery", "Detective"] |
In the daytime serialized version of Rocky Jordan's adventures, café owner Rocky Jordan tails a nervous antique runner through the crowded alleys of Cairo's Khan el-Khalili bazaar, trying to intercept a smuggled parcel containing coded canal transit schedules before police captain Sam Sabaaya arrives. |
| "Cecil B. DeMille on 'The Crusades' and Beatrice Lillie" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1935-08-22 8:00 PM EDT |
Standard Brands Fleischmann's Yeast for Health |
Rudy Vallee, Cecil B. DeMille, Beatrice Lillie, Connecticut Yankees Orchestra | J. Walter Thompson Agency, Graham McNamee (Announcer) | ["Variety", "Music", "Comedy", "Interview"] |
Rudy Vallee and the Connecticut Yankees welcome Cecil B. DeMille to discuss 'The Crusades', followed by Beatrice Lillie performing satirical songs alongside Rudy's crooning numbers. |
| "William Gaxton & Victor Moore with Martha Tilton" | Blue / ABC (WJZ) 1943-08-22 6:30 PM EWT |
Philco Corporation Philco Radios & Phonographs |
Paul Whiteman and his 50-Piece Orchestra, William Gaxton, Victor Moore, Martha Tilton | Philco Radio Division, Doug Browning (Announcer) | ["Music", "Variety", "Comedy", "Big Band"] |
Paul Whiteman leads his 50-piece orchestra in symphonic jazz arrangements, welcoming Broadway stars William Gaxton and Victor Moore for comedic political routines and singer Martha Tilton performing 'I'll Be Seeing You' for Philco. |