On This Day, August 24: Ann Sothern (Maisie) and Chaucer
Also featured: Erle Stanley Gardner.
August 24 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 24 across American network, British BBC Third Programme, and syndication broadcasting history (1950–1996):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Whatever Became Of: Lon McCallister (Richard Lamparski Interview)" | WBAI / Pacifica 1971-08-24 (Pacifica Syndication) |
Sustaining Cultural Presentation |
Richard Lamparski (Host), Lon McCallister (Guest) | Richard Lamparski (Producer/Biographer) | ["Interview", "Biographical", "Talk", "Hollywood", "Nostalgia"] |
Biographer Richard Lamparski interviews former Hollywood heartthrob and WWII juvenile star Lon McCallister, discussing his rapid rise at 20th Century Fox, his transition into real estate, and life after retirement from the screen. |
| "The Orphanage Benefit (Starring Ann Sothern as Maisie Ravier — MGM)" | MGM Syndication 1950-08-24 (Radio Attractions) |
Regional Advertisers Department Stores |
Ann Sothern (Maisie), Pat McGeehan, Lurene Tuttle | Arthur Phillips (Writer), John Lake (Announcer) | ["Comedy", "Domestic", "Sitcom", "Humor", "Human Interest"] |
Brass-hearted showgirl Maisie Ravier volunteers at a local children's orphanage to organize a charity talent carnival, helping an insecure young boy find a loving adoptive home despite meddlesome board members. |
| "The Case of the Midnight Intruder (Starring Lee Bowman — Erle Stanley Gardner)" | NBC (WNBC) 1951-08-24 9:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining NBC Mystery Series |
Lee Bowman (Jonathan Kring), Amzie Strickland | Erle Stanley Gardner, Larry Marcus, Kenneth Banghart | ["Courtroom", "Detective", "Legal", "Drama", "Procedural"] |
Created by Erle Stanley Gardner, brilliant defense attorney Jonathan Kring cross-examines key eyewitnesses in a murder trial, using ballistics angles and a broken wristwatch to prove a young mechanic was framed for shooting his foreman. |
| "The Franklin's Tale (Geoffrey Chaucer — BBC Third Programme)" | BBC Third Prog. 1950-08-24 8:00 PM BST |
Sustaining BBC Cultural Drama |
Cecil Trouncer (The Franklin), Marius Goring, Jill Balcon | Geoffrey Chaucer, Nevill Coghill, Antony Hopkins | ["Drama", "Medieval", "Literature", "Poetry", "British"] |
Nevill Coghill's acclaimed verse translation of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Franklin's Tale, exploring noble chivalry, rash promises, and honor in Brittany as a devoted knight releases his faithful wife from an impossible vow. |
| "The Black Museum: Modern Echoes (Jim French's Mystery Project)" | Jim French Prods. 1996-08-24 (KIXI Seattle) |
Regional Advertisers Washington Sponsors |
Larry Albert, Pat French, John Gilbert | Jim French (Writer/Director), Bill Shurtliff | ["Mystery", "Detective", "Anthology", "Thriller", "Modern Audio Drama"] |
In Jim French's contemporary audio thriller anthology, an American tourist visiting Scotland Yard's macabre Black Museum becomes entangled in a modern re-enactment of an unsolved Victorian poison mystery. |
| "Handcuffs for John L. Sullivan (Arthur Q. Bryan — Tall Tales)" | Mastertone Trans. 1954-08-24 (Feature #12) |
Regional Advertisers Flour & Bakery Sponsors |
Arthur Q. Bryan (Uncle Billy), Frank Nelson, Herb Vigran | George W. Allen (Writer) | ["Folklore", "Comedy", "Western", "Tall Tale", "Americana"] |
Uncle Billy spins an uproarious tall yarn about a boastful frontier sheriff who claimed he could put the cuffs on heavyweight boxing champion John L. Sullivan during the bare-knuckle legend's exhibition tour through the Montana gold camps. |