On This Day, August 25: Archie Andrews (Swift) and Walter Reed (Columbia Workshop)
Also featured: Calling All Detectives.
August 25 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 25 across American network, Archie Andrews & Jughead wrestling with jalopy transmissions for Swift & Company, Frank Lovejoy challenging listeners on Calling All Detectives, Major Walter Reed conquering yellow fever on CBS's Columbia Workshop / Men Against Death, Frank Graham in The Gentleman Adventurer, Atlanta Radio Theater's Slick Bracer, and psychological deep-sea terror on CBC's The Sounds of Darkness (1938–2007):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Case of the Time Rocket (Frank Lovejoy as Robin Morgan — Mutual)" | Mutual (WOR) 1945-08-25 1:30 PM EWT |
Sustaining Interactive Mystery Quiz |
Frank Lovejoy (Robin Morgan), Vincent Pelletier | Jerry Devine (Writer), Jerry Sears | ["Detective", "Game Show", "Interactive", "Mystery", "Quiz"] |
"Calling All Detectives! Can you solve the mystery before Robin Morgan gives you the answer?" Amateur sleuth Robin Morgan investigates the theft of top-secret experimental rocket propulsion blueprints from a defense lab, challenging home listeners to spot the single fatal flaw in the laboratory assistant's alibi. |
| "The Jalopy Transmission Crisis (Bob Hastings as Archie Andrews — Swift)" | NBC (WEAF) 1945-08-25 10:30 AM EWT |
Swift & Co. Swift's Meats & Allsweet |
Bob Hastings (Archie), Harlan Stone (Jughead) | Bob Montana, Kenneth MacGregor, Kenneth Banghart | ["Comedy", "Teen", "Sitcom", "High School", "Americana"] |
"Archie Andrews, brought to you by Swift & Company, makers of Swift's Premium Frankfurts!" Riverdale teenager Archie Andrews tries to rebuild the broken transmission of his battered jalopy in time for a Saturday night dance with Veronica Lodge, but Jughead accidentally swaps the car gears for lawnmower parts. |
| "Major Walter Reed Conquers Yellow Fever (Martin Gabel — Columbia Workshop)" | CBS (WABC) 1938-08-25 8:00 PM EDST |
Sustaining Medical History Docudrama |
Martin Gabel (Walter Reed), House Jameson | Paul de Kruif, William N. Robson, Frank Gallop | ["Drama", "History", "Medical", "Biography", "Documentary"] |
"Men Against Death, based on the famous book by Paul de Kruif!" In Havana, Cuba in 1900, Major Walter Reed and brave volunteer Army doctors risk their own lives in deadly human trials to prove that the Stegomyia mosquito is the lethal vector transmitting epidemic yellow fever. |
| "The Adventure of the Winged Serpent (Frank Graham as Julian Carlyle — Mutual)" | Mutual (WOR) 1948-08-25 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining International Adventure |
Frank Graham (Julian Carlyle), Virginia Gregg | Frank Graham, Jaime del Valle, Don Rickles | ["Adventure", "Mystery", "Exotic", "Espionage", "Action"] |
"The Gentleman Adventurer! Danger and intrigue with Julian Carlyle across the globe!" Globetrotting adventurer Julian Carlyle travels to the Yucatan jungle to investigate the mysterious death of an archaeologist, uncovering a modern syndicate of diamond smugglers using the ancient Mayan legend of the Winged Serpent to terrorize local villagers. |
| "Slick Bracer and the Giant Nap (Atlanta Radio Theater — NPR Showcase)" | NPR Syndicate 2007-08-25 (Pacifica Relay) |
Sustaining Audio Theater Comedy |
Brian Price, Rick Burkhardt, Laura Annawyn | Atlanta Radio Theater, Ron N. Butler | ["Comedy", "Parody", "Sci-Fi", "Audio Theater", "Modern"] |
"Summer Showcase presents modern audio theater!" Hardboiled private eye parody Slick Bracer is hired by an eccentric billionaire insomniac to investigate a mysterious corporation manufacturing a patented sleep device that induces perpetual 40-year naps. |
| "Pressure Point (Host Bernard Cowan & John Drainie — CBC Drama)" | CBC Radio 1967-08-25 11:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Psychological Suspense |
Bernard Cowan (Host), John Drainie, Bud Knapp | CBC Drama Dept., Max Ferguson | ["Horror", "Suspense", "Psychological", "Mystery", "Anthology"] |
"The Sounds of Darkness, exploring the terrifying shadows of the human mind!" In 'Pressure Point', a deep-sea diver trapped inside a malfunctioning decompression chamber begins hallucinating underwater voices that reveal the secret murder committed by his diving partner on the surface. |