On This Day, August 23: Rochester (Jubilee) and Henry Aldrich
Also featured: The Thin Man.
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 AFRS military broadcasting history (1943–1959):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "AFRS Jubilee #41: Rochester, Lucky Millinder & The Charioteers" | AFRS Syndication 1943-08-23 (Show #41) |
U.S. War Dept Armed Forces Radio Service |
Ernie "Bubbles" Whitman (MC), Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Lucky Millinder | AFRS Radio Unit, Recorded at NBC Hollywood | ["Music", "Jazz", "Swing", "Vocal", "African American", "Morale"] |
Master of ceremonies Ernie 'Bubbles' Whitman hosts an electric African-American musical showcase for wartime troops overseas, starring comedian Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, soaring harmonies by The Charioteers, and driving big band swing by Lucky Millinder's Orchestra. |
| "Henry's Bicycle Repair Shop (Post's Grape-Nuts Flakes)" | CBS (WCBS) 1946-08-23 8:00 PM EDT |
General Foods Post's Grape-Nuts Flakes & Jell-O |
Dick Jones (Henry), Jackie Kelk (Homer), House Jameson | Clifford Goldsmith (Creator), Day Tuttle, Harry von Zell | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Teen", "Domestic", "Family"] |
"Hen-reee! Henry Aldrich!" Teenager Henry Aldrich opens an ambitious bicycle repair shop in the Aldrich family garage, accidentally taking apart the town mayor's tandem bicycle without labeling the gears. |
| "The Case of the Lost Dinner (Starring Les Tremayne & Claudia Morgan as The Thin Man)" | CBS (WCBS) 1946-08-23 8:30 PM EDT |
General Foods Post's 40% Bran Flakes & Maxwell |
Les Tremayne (Nick Charles), Claudia Morgan (Nora Charles) | Dashiell Hammett (Creator), Himan Brown, Ed Herlihy | ["Detective", "Comedy", "Mystery", "Crime", "Sophisticated"] |
High-society sleuths Nick and Nora Charles are invited to a lavish penthouse dinner party where the guest of honor is poisoned between the soup and salad courses, prompting Nick to interrogate the eccentric dinner guests while mixing martinis. |
| "Archie's Jalopy Trouble for the Country Club Dance (Swift's Franks)" | NBC (WNBC) 1947-08-23 10:30 AM EDT |
Swift & Company Swift's Premium Franks & Prem |
Bob Hastings (Archie), Harlan Stone Jr. (Jughead), Gloria Mann | Bob Montana (Creator), Kenneth MacGregor, Kenneth Banghart | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Teen", "Comic Strips", "Family"] |
Riverdale high schooler Archie Andrews schemes with best pal Jughead to fix his beat-up jalopy in time to take Veronica Lodge to the country club summer dance, triggering a comical chain reaction of mechanical disasters. |
| "Words We Live By: Human Problems of the Joseph Story (Part 8)" | NBC (WNBC) 1953-08-23 10:30 AM EDT |
Sustaining NBC & Jewish Theological Seminary |
Dr. Louis Finkelstein, Lyman Bryson (Moderator) | NBC Public Affairs, Peter Roberts (Announcer) | ["Docudrama", "Religious", "Literature", "Educational", "Philosophical"] |
In part eight of the profound Biblical exploration of the Joseph narrative, scholars discuss the themes of reconciliation, forgiveness, and moral resilience when Joseph confronts his brothers in Egypt. |
| "Legends of the Bible: The Book of Judges (Narrated by Alexander Scourby)" | NBC (WNBC) 1959-08-23 12:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining NBC & Jewish Theological Seminary |
Alexander Scourby (Narrator), Joseph Julian, Roger De Koven | Peter Barry (Writer), Daniel Sutter, Mel Brandt | ["Drama", "Religious", "Historical", "Anthology", "Literature"] |
Actor Alexander Scourby narrates the dramatic Biblical chronicles of the Book of Judges, portraying the heroic leadership of Gideon and Deborah as they rally the tribes of Israel against oppression. |