On This Day, August 25: Duke Ellington and Tommy Dorsey
Also featured: Perry Mason (Victor Jory), The Barry Sisters.
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, legendary big band jazz summit meetings featuring Duke Ellington, courtroom Perry Mason mysteries starring Victor Jory, bilingual Yiddish klezmer swing harmonies, relativistic sci-fi dramas, and classic daytime radio theater (1940–1950):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Claudia's Impending Departure (Mary Noble, Backstage Wife — Cheer)" | CBS (WCBS) 1950-08-25 4:00 PM EDT |
Procter & Gamble Cheer Laundry Detergent |
Claire Niesen (Mary Noble), Guy Sorel | Frank & Anne Hummert, Arthur Hanna, Harry Clark | ["Drama", "Soap Opera", "Domestic", "Broadway", "Romance"] |
"Backstage Wife... the story of Mary Noble, an ordinary Iowa girl who married Broadway's most handsome matinee idol..." Intrigue behind the curtain intensifies when actress Claudia shocks producer Rupert Barlow with plans to abandon the Broadway play, causing crisis backstage. |
| "The Case of the Lame Canary (Victor Jory as Perry Mason — U.S. Steel)" | ABC (WJZ) 1946-08-25 10:00 PM EDT |
U.S. Steel Corp. U.S. Steel Corporation |
Victor Jory (Perry Mason), Joan Alexander | Erle Stanley Gardner, Kenneth Webb, George Hicks | ["Detective", "Courtroom", "Legal", "Mystery", "Crime"] |
"The Hour of Mystery, presented by United States Steel!" Victor Jory stars as defense attorney Perry Mason, unravelling a complex murder conspiracy involving a smuggled singing bird with clipped claws to clear an innocent young heiress. |
| "Klezmer Swing with The Barry Sisters (Sam Medoff — WHN New York)" | WHN New York 1940-08-25 1:30 PM EDST |
ABC Baking Co. Manischewitz Matzos |
The Barry Sisters, Sam Medoff Swingtet | WHN Jewish Programming, Dick Gersh | ["Music", "Swing", "Jazz", "Yiddish", "Vocal"] |
"Yiddish Melodies in Swing!" The glamorous Barry Sisters and Sam Medoff's swingtet fuse traditional Eastern European klezmer melodies with modern American big band swing, singing vibrant bilingual arrangements for Manischewitz. |
| "Wartime Birthdays & Homefront Budgeting (Fletcher Wiley — Campbell Soup)" | CBS (KNX) 1943-08-25 3:15 PM EWT |
Campbell Soup Co. Campbell's Tomato Soup |
Fletcher Wiley (Host / Commentator) | Ward Wheelock Company, Frank Goss | ["Talk", "Commentary", "Americana", "Domestic", "Homefront"] |
Homespun philosopher Fletcher Wiley reflects on wartime birthdays, homefront consumer budgeting, and community neighborliness while sharing heartwarming listener mail for Campbell's Soup. |
| "Return to Tomorrow (Starring Raymond Burr & Hans Conried — AFRS)" | AFRS 1945-08-25 (Radio Theater) |
Sustaining Armed Forces Sci-Fi |
Raymond Burr, Hans Conried, Virginia Gregg | AFRS Hollywood Drama Unit, Del Sharbutt | ["Science Fiction", "Drama", "Space", "Adventure", "Time Travel"] |
A thrilling science-fiction drama exploring interstellar space travel at relativistic near-light speeds, where a brave starship crew returns to Earth to find centuries have passed and humanity drastically transformed. |
| "Guest Composer & Pianist Duke Ellington (Tommy Dorsey — Tender Leaf Tea)" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1946-08-25 8:30 PM EDT |
Standard Brands Inc. Tender Leaf Tea |
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Duke Ellington | J. Walter Thompson, Howard Barnes, Ken Roberts | ["Music", "Big Band", "Swing", "Jazz", "Concert"] |
"Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" Tommy Dorsey welcomes jazz titan Duke Ellington as special guest, collaborating on swinging renditions of 'Take the A Train', 'Mood Indigo', and 'Song of India' for Tender Leaf Tea. |