On This Day, August 24: London After Dark and Ronald Reagan (USAAF)
Also featured: Arch Oboler.
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, USAAF military, and CBS international shortwave history (1937–1949):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Heart of Gold (Arch Oboler Drama — NBC Blue)" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1937-08-24 8:00 PM EDST |
Sustaining Dramatic Presentation |
Florence Malone, James Meighan, Karl Swenson | Arch Oboler (Writer), Anton M. Leader, Alois Havrilla | ["Drama", "Anthology", "Psychological", "Romance", "Moral Tale"] |
In Arch Oboler's probing moral drama, an embittered Wall Street tycoon facing financial ruin is saved from despair by an impoverished flower girl whose boundless generosity forces him to confront his lifelong greed. |
| "London After Dark (Edward R. Murrow & CBS Correspondents Live in the Blitz)" | CBS (WABC) 1940-08-24 6:30 PM EDST |
Sustaining CBS News Live Relay |
Edward R. Murrow, Larry Lesueur, Eric Sevareid | CBS News Special Events Unit Transatlantic Transmission | ["News", "Documentary", "Historical", "World War II", "Journalism"] |
A historic live transatlantic broadcast across wartime London as Edward R. Murrow and CBS correspondents take mobile microphones to Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, and air raid shelters to capture the sights and sounds of British resilience during the Blitz. |
| "Photo Reconnaissance Mission (Narrated by Ronald Reagan — USAAF Special)" | USAAF / AFRS 1944-08-24 (Special Report) |
U.S. War Dept Army Air Forces Presentation |
Ronald Reagan (Narrator), William Holden | USAAF First Motion Picture Unit, Ken Carpenter | ["Docudrama", "Military", "Aviation", "World War II", "Educational"] |
Narrated by Captain Ronald Reagan, this dramatic USAAF documentary chronicles the perilous unarmed low-altitude aerial reconnaissance mission of an F-5 Lightning over fortified German positions in Normandy to photograph enemy troop movements. |
| "The Ray Bolger Show: Guest Frank Sinatra (Rexall)" | CBS (WABC) 1945-08-24 10:00 PM EWT |
Rexall Drug Company "Good Health from Rexall" |
Ray Bolger, Frank Sinatra (Guest), Elvia Allman | Arthur Stander & Jack Douglas, Dave Swift, Howard Petrie | ["Comedy", "Variety", "Music", "Vocal", "Tap Dance"] |
Comic dancing maestro Ray Bolger welcomes Frank Sinatra for a raucous half-hour of Broadway show tunes, slapstick dance coaching, and their classic wartime vocal duet of 'Saturday Night Is the Loneliest Night of the Week'. |
| "The Apartment Racket (Deadline Mystery — Mutual)" | Mutual (WOR) 1947-08-24 7:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Mystery Presentation |
Joseph Julian, Santos Ortega, Mandel Kramer | Jerry McGill (Writer), Charles Powers, Carl Caruso | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Crime", "Drama", "Investigative"] |
An undercover investigative newspaper reporter poses as a desperate veteran seeking housing in post-war Manhattan, exposing a corrupt subletting racket that extorts exorbitant bonuses from unsuspecting apartment seekers. |
| "Tell Your Neighbor: Everyday Kindness (Fred Beck — ABC)" | ABC (WJZ) 1949-08-24 10:00 AM EDT |
Sustaining Human Interest Presentation |
Fred Beck (Host / Storyteller), Bob Fleming | ABC Hollywood Production, Don Lowe (Announcer) | ["Human Interest", "Talk", "Americana", "Storytelling", "Community"] |
Folklorist and columnist Fred Beck shares heartwarming real-life anecdotes of everyday kindness, community goodwill, and humorous neighborhood eccentricities submitted by listeners across America. |