On This Day, August 25: Fred Allen (Salad Bowl Revue) and Dana Andrews
Also featured: Mr. President.
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, sharp Depression-era satire by Fred Allen, Cold War anti-subversion thrillers starring Dana Andrews, presidential historical whodunits starring Edward Arnold, NBC University of the Air documentary explorations of China, and classic FBI dragnet audio dramas (1933–1957):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Rat Race (Dana Andrews as Matt Cvetic — ZIV Syndication)" | ZIV Syndication 1952-08-25 (Transcribed) |
Local Sponsors Transcribed Syndication |
Dana Andrews (Matt Cvetic), Ken Peters | Frederic W. ZIV, Henry Hayward, Fred Foy | ["Espionage", "Drama", "Cold War", "Political", "Procedural"] |
"I Was a Communist for the FBI, starring Dana Andrews!" Undercover FBI operative Matt Cvetic infiltrates a subversive cell within a municipal civil service union, racing to stop Party agitators from planting classified blueprints in the city waterworks. |
| "Szechwan: Fortress Province of China (Arnold Marquis — NBC)" | NBC (WEAF) 1946-08-25 11:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining University of the Air |
Gayne Whitman (Narrator), Jane Morgan | Arnold Marquis (Writer/Dir.), Ted Myers | ["Documentary", "Historical", "Educational", "International", "Asian History"] |
"The Pacific Story, presented by the National Broadcasting Company!" A sweeping documentary exploration of China's fertile Szechwan province, examining how its mountain-ringed basin served as the wartime redoubt of Free China and its post-war reconstruction challenges. |
| "Aching Hearts Matrimonial Agency (Fred Allen — Hellmann's Mayonnaise)" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1933-08-25 9:00 PM EDST |
Best Foods Inc. Hellmann's Mayonnaise |
Fred Allen, Portland Hoffa, Jack Smart | Ferde Grofé Orchestra, Fred Allen | ["Comedy", "Satire", "Vaudeville", "Variety", "Sketch"] |
"The Salad Bowl Revue, starring Fred Allen!" Sharp-witted satirist Fred Allen and Portland Hoffa run amok in a hilarious comedy sketch as unscrupulous operators of the 'Aching Hearts Matrimonial Agency' matching eccentric suitors for Hellmann's Mayonnaise. |
| "Ulysses S. Grant & the Belknap Scandal (Edward Arnold — ABC)" | ABC (WJZ) 1953-08-25 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Historical Mystery |
Edward Arnold (The President), Lurene Tuttle | Robert G. Jennings, Jean Holloway, Bob Anderson | ["Drama", "Historical", "Biographical", "Political", "Mystery"] |
"Mr. President, starring Edward Arnold!" Listeners are challenged to identify the unnamed Commander-in-Chief as President Ulysses S. Grant confronts the devastating corruption scandal surrounding his Secretary of War William W. Belknap. |
| "The Dream Men (Martin Blaine as Special Agent — Wrigley's Spearmint)" | CBS (WCBS) 1954-08-25 8:00 PM EDT |
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. Wrigley's Spearmint Gum |
Martin Blaine, Mandel Kramer, Ralph Bell | Max Marcin (Director), Warren Sweeney | ["Detective", "Procedural", "Crime", "Action", "Espionage"] |
"The FBI in Peace and War, sponsored by Wrigley's Spearmint Gum!" Special agents uncover a slick nationwide con-artist racket operating as a matrimonial bureau that charms wealthy widows before stealing their life savings. |
| "The Winning Streak (Martin Blaine as Special Agent — CBS)" | CBS (WCBS) 1957-08-25 7:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Law Enforcement Drama |
Martin Blaine, Peter Capell, Bryna Raeburn | Max Marcin (Director), Warren Sweeney | ["Detective", "Procedural", "Crime", "Action", "Espionage"] |
Federal agents track an interstate gambling and payroll heist ring whose ringleader believes his lucky winning streak makes him immune to FBI capture, until a marked twenty-dollar bill triggers a federal trap. |