On This Day, August 23: Janet Blair and Joan Caulfield
Also featured: Jungle Jim.
August 23 Exhaustive Update
This report documents the comprehensive provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, and story synopses for historical broadcasts transmitting on August 23 across American network and syndicated broadcasting history (1941–1952):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Love at the Crossroads (Starring Janet Blair — Dari-Rich)" | CBS (WCBS) 1947-08-23 12:30 PM EDT |
Bowey's Inc. Dari-Rich Chocolate Flavor |
Janet Blair (Guest Star), Frank Graham, Hans Conried | Paul Pierce (Producer), Frank Goss (Announcer) | ["Drama", "Comedy", "Anthology", "Romance"] |
Screen actress Janet Blair stars as an adventurous young fashion designer who misses her train in a picturesque New England town, sparking a delightful whirlwind romance with a charming local editor. |
| "The First Man She Met (Starring Joan Caulfield — Carnation)" | CBS (KNX) 1952-08-23 12:30 PM EDT |
Carnation Company Carnation Evaporated Milk |
Joan Caulfield (Guest Star), William Johnstone, Herb Vigran | Warren Lewis (Director), Frank Goss (Announcer) | ["Drama", "Comedy", "Anthology", "Romance"] |
Hollywood leading lady Joan Caulfield stars in a witty romantic comedy about a jilted Manhattan socialite who vows to marry the very first eligible bachelor she meets on her vacation cruise to Bermuda. |
| "The Case of the Red-Haired Professor (20 Mule Team Borax)" | CBS (WCBS) 1946-08-23 8:30 PM EDT |
Pacific Coast Borax 20 Mule Team Borax & Boraxo |
Robert Haag (Sheriff Mark Chase), Donald Randolph | Ruth Cornwall Woodman (Author), George Hicks | ["Western", "Detective", "Mystery", "Adventure"] |
Sheriff Mark Chase of Death Valley investigates the suspicious disappearance of an eccentric red-haired geology professor who stumbled upon an illegal gold-smuggling operation in an abandoned desert ghost town mine. |
| "Father Albert Duran and the French Underground (OWI & Mutual)" | Mutual (WOR) 1942-08-23 10:30 PM EWT |
U.S. Govt (OWI) War Production Board |
Stefan Schnabel, Martin Gabel, Adelaide Klein | Bernard Schoenfeld (Writer), Frank Waldecker | ["Docudrama", "War", "Historical", "Propaganda", "Drama"] |
Dramatizing authentic underground resistance reports from Nazi-occupied France, a brave village priest Father Albert Duran and courageous patriot Collette Robert risk torture to smuggle downed Allied aviators through secret mountain passes. |
| "Leonarde Keeler and the Lie Detector (Hosted by Raymond Edward Johnson)" | Mutual (WOR) 1950-08-23 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Mutual Crime Docudrama |
Raymond Edward Johnson (Narrator), Berry Kroeger | Max Ehrlich (Writer), Jock MacGregor (Director) | ["Docudrama", "True Crime", "Police Procedural", "Biographical"] |
The true crime story of criminologist Leonarde Keeler, co-inventor of the modern polygraph lie detector, dramatizing how his pioneering scientific interrogation methods trapped a cunning bank embezzler who had fooled experienced detectives. |
| "Jungle Jim #342: River Pirates Attack (Matt Crowley & Juano Hernandez)" | Syndication 1941-08-23 (Transcribed Ep 342) |
Local Commercials King Features Syndication |
Matt Crowley (Jungle Jim), Juano Hernandez (Kolu), Vicki Vola | Alex Raymond (Creator), George Ansbro (Announcer) | ["Adventure", "Jungle", "Action", "Comic Strips", "Pulp"] |
Asian safari guide Jungle Jim Bradley and his loyal Hindu companion Kolu launch a daring riverboat assault across crocodile-infested waters to rescue Joan from a fortress controlled by rogue river pirates. |