On This Day, August 24: Johnny Dollar and London After Dark
Also featured: Jack Benny.
August 24 Exhaustive Update
This report documents the comprehensive provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, serial multi-part narrative arcs, and story synopses for historical broadcasts transmitting on August 24 across American network, transatlantic shortwave, and radio comedy history (1932–1956):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Kranesburg Matter (Part 5 — Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar — CBS)" | CBS (WCBS) 1956-08-24 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Radio Mystery Serial |
Bob Bailey (Johnny Dollar), Virginia Gregg, Parley Baer | John Dawson (Writer), Jack Johnstone, Roy Rowan | ["Detective", "Hardboiled", "Mystery", "Noir", "Insurance"] |
Freelance insurance investigator Johnny Dollar traps an elusive art smuggler and restores valuable stolen Old Master paintings after staging an undercover sting operation in the Kranesburg estate boathouse. |
| "London After Dark: Live from the Blitz (Edward R. Murrow — CBS)" | CBS (WABC) 1940-08-24 6:30 PM EDST |
Sustaining CBS News Live Relay |
Edward R. Murrow, Eric Sevareid, Larry LeSueur | CBS News Transatlantic Unit, Bob Trout (Anchor) | ["Historical", "Documentary", "News", "World War II", "Journalism"] |
A landmark live transatlantic shortwave broadcast capturing the sounds of wartime London during the Blitz, featuring Edward R. Murrow speaking under the footsteps of pedestrians outside St. Martin-in-the-Fields and church bells ringing during the blackout. |
| "The Cellar Broadcast (Jack Benny & Mary Livingstone — Canada Dry)" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1932-08-24 8:00 PM EDST |
Canada Dry Ginger Ale Canada Dry Beverages |
Jack Benny, Mary Livingstone, George Olsen Orchestra | Jack Benny & Harry Conn, Bertha Brainard | ["Comedy", "Variety", "Music", "Vaudeville", "Satire"] |
Jack Benny trades zany insults with orchestra leader George Olsen, reads hilarious rhyming poems from Mary Livingstone, and performs comedic violin solos for Canada Dry Ginger Ale. |
| "The House of Rawchild (Jack Benny Movie Parody — Chevrolet)" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1934-08-24 10:00 PM EDST |
General Motors Chevrolet Knee-Action |
Jack Benny, Mary Livingstone, Frank Parker, Don Wilson | Jack Benny & Harry Conn, Don Bestor Orchestra | ["Comedy", "Variety", "Parody", "Music", "Vaudeville"] |
Jack Benny and his troupe present a riotous film parody of George Arliss's hit movie The House of Rothschild titled 'The House of Rawchild', complete with penny-pinching gags and musical selections from tenor Frank Parker for Chevrolet. |
| "The Case of the Forged Check (John Larkin as Perry Mason — Tide)" | CBS (WCBS) 1951-08-24 2:15 PM EDT |
Procter & Gamble Tide Detergent & Camay |
John Larkin (Perry Mason), Joan Alexander (Della) | Erle Stanley Gardner, Arthur Hanna, Bob Dixon | ["Legal", "Detective", "Procedural", "Soap Opera", "Mystery"] |
Attorney Perry Mason and loyal secretary Della Street cross-examine a nervous bank teller whose forged withdrawal slip implicates an innocent probate clerk in an embezzlement scandal. |
| "The Disappearance of Ed Beekman's Daughter (John Larkin as Perry Mason — Tide)" | CBS (WCBS) 1954-08-24 2:15 PM EDT |
Procter & Gamble Tide & Spic and Span |
John Larkin (Perry Mason), Joan Alexander, Mandel Kramer | Erle Stanley Gardner, Arthur Hanna, Bob Dixon | ["Legal", "Detective", "Procedural", "Soap Opera", "Mystery"] |
Perry Mason investigates the sudden disappearance of Ed Beekman's estranged daughter, uncovering that her secret marriage certificate holds the key to an contested waterfront estate. |