On This Day, August 24: Superman (4 Serial Arcs) and Jack Carson
Also featured: Squad Cars.
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, AFRS military, and South African Springbok Radio broadcasting history (1943–1973):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Civil Air Patrol (Part 5 — Starring Bud Collyer as Superman — Kellogg's PEP)" | Mutual (WOR) 1943-08-24 5:15 PM EWT |
Kellogg Company Kellogg's PEP Cereal |
Bud Collyer (Superman), Joan Alexander (Lois) | Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, George Lowther, Jackson Beck | ["Superhero", "Adventure", "Science Fiction", "Action", "Juvenile"] |
In part five of the wartime Civil Air Patrol arc, Clark Kent and the junior air spotters track down a clandestine Axis shortwave transmitter broadcasting Allied ship departures from a coastal lighthouse, triggering Superman's aerial rescue when enemy agents trap the cadets in the flooded tower. |
| "Ghosts of the Air (Part 8 — Starring Bud Collyer as Superman — Kellogg's PEP)" | Mutual (WOR) 1944-08-24 5:15 PM EWT |
Kellogg Company Kellogg's PEP Cereal |
Bud Collyer (Superman), Jackie Kelk (Jimmy Olsen) | Siegel & Shuster, B.P. Freeman, Jackson Beck | ["Superhero", "Adventure", "Science Fiction", "Action", "Juvenile"] |
In chapter eight of Ghosts of the Air, the Man of Steel intercepts an experimental invisible bomber terrorizing coastal shipping corridors, battling blinding electronic radar jamming high above Metropolis to guide a disabled transport plane safely to ground. |
| "The Black Market (Part 1 — Starring Bud Collyer as Superman — Kellogg's PEP)" | Mutual (WOR) 1945-08-24 5:15 PM EWT |
Kellogg Company Kellogg's PEP Cereal |
Bud Collyer (Superman), Julian Noa (Perry White) | Siegel & Shuster, B.P. Freeman, Jackson Beck | ["Superhero", "Adventure", "Science Fiction", "Action", "Juvenile"] |
In chapter one of a new postwar arc, Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent uncovers a dangerous black market racket diverting critical baby formula and penicillin shipments from city hospitals, vowing to hunt down the syndicate's shadowy kingpin. |
| "The Mystery of the Letter (Part 7 of 11 — Starring Bud Collyer as Superman)" | Mutual (WOR) 1948-08-24 5:15 PM EDT |
Sustaining Mutual Adventure Series |
Bud Collyer (Superman), Jackie Kelk, Joan Alexander | Siegel & Shuster, Jessica Maxwell, Jackson Beck | ["Superhero", "Adventure", "Science Fiction", "Action", "Juvenile"] |
In chapter seven of The Mystery of the Letter, Jimmy Olsen is captured by counterfeiters operating in an abandoned waterfront brewery, forcing Clark Kent to use his x-ray vision to pinpoint the boy's location before a dynamite fuse reaches a hidden ammunition cache. |
| "Command Performance #342: Jack Carson, Marion Hutton & Arthur Treacher (AFRS)" | AFRS Unit 1948-08-24 (Show #342) |
U.S. War Dept Armed Forces Radio Service |
Jack Carson (Host), Marion Hutton, Arthur Treacher | AFRS Hollywood Unit, Ken Carpenter (Announcer) | ["Variety", "Comedy", "Music", "Big Band", "Vocal"] |
Hollywood funnyman Jack Carson hosts an all-star variety hour for American servicemen overseas, trading frantic insults with Arthur Treacher and introducing swing singer Marion Hutton and the Pied Pipers. |
| "The Suicide Man (Colin Fish Drama — Springbok Radio Squad Cars)" | Springbok Radio 1973-08-24 8:00 PM SAST |
General Motors Chevrolet & Delco Batteries |
Adrian Steed, Douglas Bristow, Patrick Mynhardt | Colin Fish (Writer/Director), Hugh Rouse | ["Police", "Procedural", "True Crime", "Action", "Drama"] |
Flying Squad patrol officers in Johannesburg race against time to talk down a despondent diamond courier threatening to jump from a 15th-floor skyscraper ledge, uncovering a deadly corporate embezzlement blackmail plot behind his despair. |