On This Day, August 23: Martin and Lewis and Imagination Theater
Also featured: Fitch Bandwagon.
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, syndication, and modern audio drama history (1942–2009):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Crisis: The Pigeon & Siren in the Night (Jim French Productions)" | KIXI / Syndication 1998-08-23 (Imagination Theater) |
Sustaining Syndicated Radio Drama |
John Armstrong, Pat French, Terry Rose, Jim French | Jim French (Writer/Director), Larry Albert (Announcer) | ["Drama", "Anthology", "Suspense", "Thriller", "Modern"] |
A thrilling double feature of Jim French's 'Crisis' anthologies: in The Pigeon, a timid bank employee is coerced into acting as an inside courier for kidnappers, followed by Siren in the Night, where a coastal lighthouse keeper receives a desperate SOS. |
| "The Impropriety of Anna Tisdale & January Cove (Imagination Theater)" | KIXI / Syndication 2009-08-23 (Imagination Theater) |
Sustaining Syndicated Radio Drama |
Larry Albert, Jay Green, Cynthia Geary, David Selby | M.J. Elliott & Jim French, Jim French (Director) | ["Drama", "Anthology", "Mystery", "Romance", "Modern"] |
A double bill of dramatic mysteries: in The Impropriety of Anna Tisdale, a proper Victorian widow's scandalous secret inheritance threatens to ruin a prominent family, paired with January Cove, where a storm-battered Maine coastal village harbors a deadly fugitive. |
| "The Martin and Lewis Show with Guest Billie Burke (Chesterfield Cigarettes)" | NBC (WNBC) 1949-08-23 8:30 PM EDT |
Liggett & Myers Chesterfield Cigarettes |
Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Billie Burke (Guest) | Ed Simmons & Norman Lear, Dick Stabile Orchestra | ["Comedy", "Variety", "Slapstick", "Vocal", "Music"] |
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis welcome fluttery stage and screen legend Billie Burke (the Good Witch Glinda in The Wizard of Oz), who becomes hopelessly confounded by Jerry's high-decibel antics and babysitting schemes. |
| "The Fitch Bandwagon: Tuffy Green and his Orchestra (Fitch Shampoo)" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1942-08-23 7:30 PM EWT |
The F.W. Fitch Co. Fitch's Dandruff Remover Shampoo |
Tuffy Green and his Orchestra, Toby Reed (MC) | Ward Byron (Producer), Toby Reed (Announcer) | ["Music", "Big Band", "Swing", "Jazz", "Variety"] |
Toby Reed hops aboard the Fitch Bandwagon to showcase popular Midwest dance band leader Tuffy Green and his Orchestra, playing soaring big band swing standards and romantic wartime jump tunes. |
| "Rosika, The Rose (The Light Crust Doughboys — WBAP Fort Worth)" | WBAP / TQN 1946-08-23 12:30 PM CST |
Burrus Mill Light Crust Flour |
The Light Crust Doughboys (Jim Boyd, Parker Willson) | Burrus Mill / WBAP, Parker Willson (Announcer) | ["Country", "Western Swing", "Music", "Folk", "String Band"] |
Pioneer Western swing innovators The Light Crust Doughboys deliver toe-tapping fiddle tunes and string band harmonies on WBAP Fort Worth, featuring their spirited version of 'Rosika, The Rose' for Light Crust Flour. |
| "The Howard Miller Show with Guest Vic Damone (CBS Radio — WBBM Chicago)" | CBS (WBBM) 1955-08-23 10:45 AM EDT |
Wrigley's Gum Wrigley's Spearmint Gum |
Howard Miller (Host / DJ), Vic Damone (Guest) | WBBM Chicago / CBS Radio Presentation | ["Music", "Interview", "Pop", "Easy Listening", "Variety"] |
America's top disc jockey Howard Miller interviews handsome pop crooner Vic Damone at the WBBM Chicago studios, spinning Vic's latest chart-topping hits and discussing his upcoming nightclub appearances and Columbia records. |