On This Day, August 23: The Goon Show and Sgt. Preston Serial
Also featured: Young Widder Brown.
August 23 Exhaustive Update
This report documents the comprehensive provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, serial multi-part narrative arcs, alternate circulating titles, and story synopses for historical broadcasts transmitting on August 23 across American and British broadcasting history (1945–1955):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Ellen Brown and the Jealous Sister (Haley's M-O)" | NBC (WNBC) 1950-08-23 4:45 PM EDT |
Sterling Drug, Inc. Haley's M-O & Phillips' Toothpaste |
Florence Freeman (Ellen Brown), Ned Wever (Dr. Loring), Ethel Remey | Frank & Anne Hummert (Creators), Richard Leonard (Director) | ["Soap Opera", "Romance", "Drama", "Serial"] |
In Simpsonville, widowed mother Ellen Brown faces heartbreak as Dr. Anthony Loring's jealous sister threatens to prevent their wedding by fabricating scandalous rumors regarding Ellen's tea room business. |
| "Who's the Luckiest Man in the World? (The Amazon Lottery Jackpot)" | Mutual (WOR) 1949-08-23 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Mutual Radio Series |
Ted Jewett (John Steele / Narrator), Don MacLaughlin, Santos Ortega | Robert Newman (Writer), Sherman H. Dryer (Director), Carl Warren | ["Adventure", "Drama", "Mystery", "Action"] |
World traveler and adventurer John Steele recounts the perilous ordeal of an impoverished sailor who wins a massive South American lottery jackpot, only to become the target of a ruthless kidnapping syndicate aboard an Amazon river steamer. |
| "Escape from the Tangier Kasbah (John Steele)" | Mutual (WOR) 1955-08-23 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Mutual Radio Drama |
Ted Jewett (John Steele), Mandel Kramer, Bryna Raeburn | Robert Newman (Writer), Sherman H. Dryer (Director), Carl Warren | ["Adventure", "Drama", "Mystery", "Action"] |
John Steele investigates an illicit arms smuggling ring operating in the international port of Tangier, dodging assassin daggers in the Kasbah to rescue an American diplomat's daughter. |
| "The Case of the Noisy Corpse (Part 8) — La France Bluing" | CBS (WABC) 1945-08-23 2:00 PM EWT |
General Foods La France Bluing & Satina Ironing |
Ned Wever (Jeff Spencer), Louise Fitch (Debby Spencer), John Gibson | Harry Junkin (Writer), Tom McDermott (Director), Alice Reinheart | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Comedy", "Serial"] |
In Part 8 of The Case of the Noisy Corpse, husband-and-wife private detective team Jeff and Debby Spencer sneak into a reputedly haunted lakeside boathouse where strange ticking noises lead them to a concealed time bomb wired to the victim's safe. |
| "The Goon Show: Subscribing to the Beekeeper's Guide (Spike Milligan & Peter Sellers)" | BBC Home Service 1954-08-23 8:30 PM |
Non-commercial BBC Public Radio |
Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, Ray Ellington Quartet | Spike Milligan & Eric Sykes (Writers), Peter Eton (Producer) | ["Comedy", "Satire", "Surrealism", "British"] |
Neddie Seagoon (Harry Secombe) attempts to make his fortune by subscribing to the Beekeeper's Guide, only to become entangled in an absurd scheme orchestrated by Hercules Grytpype-Thynne and Count Jim Moriarty to train an army of musical bees to rob the Bank of England. |
| "The Revenge of Steve Carlton (Quaker Puffed Sparkies)" | ABC (WXYZ Detroit) 1947-08-23 5:00 PM EST |
Quaker Oats Co. Puffed Wheat & Puffed Rice Sparkies |
Paul Sutton (Sgt. Preston), Yukon King, Dewey Cole, Brace Beemer | George W. Trendle & Fran Striker (Creators), Fred Flowerday (Director) | ["Western", "Adventure", "Action", "Children", "Serial"] |
Sergeant Preston and his wonder dog Yukon King pursue vengeful ex-convict Steve Carlton across the treacherous Chilkoot Pass after Carlton ambushes the Yukon gold commissioner to settle an old score. |