On This Day, August 25: Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney
Also featured: Father Knows Best (2 Eras), Sir Ralph Richardson.
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, Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney's breezy morning vocal duets, two eras of domestic comedy on Father Knows Best starring Robert Young (Maxwell House & Post Bran Flakes), Sir Ralph Richardson in Arnold Bennett's The Judgement, outback aviation on The Flying Doctor, and Broadway belter Ethel Merman on The Royal Gelatin Hour (1938–1961):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "I Feel a Song Coming On (Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney — CBS)" | CBS (WCBS) 1961-08-25 10:45 AM EDT |
Sustaining Morning Pop Variety |
Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Buddy Cole | Bill Morrow, Murdo MacKenzie, George Walsh | ["Music", "Pop", "Vocal", "Easy Listening", "Variety"] |
"The Bing Crosby-Rosemary Clooney Show!" Pop music titans Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney trade effortless vocal duets and witty banter, performing 'I Feel a Song Coming On', 'Fancy Meeting You Here', and 'Love Is Here to Stay' with the Buddy Cole Trio for CBS. |
| "The Outback Flood Rescue (James McKechnie as Dr. Halliday — BBC)" | BBC Light 1959-08-25 7:30 PM BST |
Sustaining Outback Aviation Drama |
James McKechnie (Dr. Halliday), Bill Kerr | Ernest Dudley, Charles Chilton, Sidney Torch | ["Adventure", "Medical", "Aviation", "Australian", "Action"] |
"The Flying Doctor, based on the real-life work of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia!" Dr. Greg Halliday pilots his medical biplane through blinding monsoon rains to parachute emergency surgical supplies to an isolated sheep station cut off by outback floodwaters. |
| "Guest Broadway Star Ethel Merman (Rudy Vallee — Royal Gelatin)" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1938-08-25 8:00 PM EDST |
Standard Brands Inc. Royal Gelatin & Puddings |
Rudy Vallee, Ethel Merman, Eric Blore | Joe Bigelow (Dir.), Jimmy Wallington | ["Variety", "Music", "Broadway", "Comedy", "Vocal"] |
"The Royal Gelatin Hour, starring Rudy Vallee!" Broadway's brassy superstar Ethel Merman belts showstopping Broadway anthems, while dry British comic Eric Blore trades hilarious high-society barbs with Rudy for Royal Gelatin Desserts. |
| "The Judgement by Arnold Bennett (Starring Sir Ralph Richardson — Mutual)" | Mutual (Towers) 1954-08-25 9:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining British Classic Drama |
Sir Ralph Richardson, Laurence Payne | Arnold Bennett, Harry Alan Towers, Sidney Torch | ["Drama", "British", "Classics", "Victorian", "Anthology"] |
"From London, Theatre Royal, starring Sir Ralph Richardson!" Sir Ralph Richardson stars in Arnold Bennett's poignant Edwardian drama The Judgement, portraying an inflexible magistrate whose harsh public moral pronouncements are challenged when his own son is brought before the bench. |
| "Jim Takes Over the Family Cooking (Robert Young — Maxwell House)" | NBC (WNBC) 1949-08-25 8:30 PM EDT |
General Foods Maxwell House Coffee |
Robert Young (Jim), June Whitley (Margaret) | Ed James, Kenneth MacGregor, Bill Goodwin | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Domestic", "Family", "Americana"] |
"Father Knows Best, starring Robert Young, brought to you by Maxwell House Coffee!" When Margaret is bedridden with a summer cold, Jim proudly insists that running a household and cooking three square meals a day is simple, turning the Anderson kitchen into a smoke-filled disaster area for Maxwell House. |
| "Roller Skates on the Stairs (Robert Young — Post 40% Bran Flakes)" | NBC (WNBC) 1952-08-25 8:30 PM EDT |
General Foods Post's 40% Bran Flakes |
Robert Young (Jim), Jean Vander Pyl | Ed James, Kenneth MacGregor, Bill Goodwin | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Domestic", "Family", "Americana"] |
"Post 40% Bran Flakes presents Father Knows Best!" Jim Anderson launches a household safety campaign after nearly breaking his neck tripping over Bud's roller skates on the front stairs, only for his elaborate safety rules to trap the family inside their own house for Post Cereals. |