On This Day, August 25: Nelson Eddy (Kraft Music Hall) and Oscar Wilde
Also featured: Bob and Ray.
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, operetta variety showcases, studio rehearsal session recordings, serialized children's Oscar Wilde classics, concert romance broadcasts, and satirical morning sketches (1940–1952):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Studio Rehearsal: 'Get Happy' (Guest Host Nelson Eddy — Kraft Music Hall)" | NBC (Studio A) 1948-08-25 (Dress Rehearsal) |
Kraft Foods Co. Miracle Whip & Velveeta |
Nelson Eddy (Baritone), Armbruster Orchestra | J. Walter Thompson, Earl Ebi, Ken Carpenter | ["Music", "Variety", "Vocal", "Rehearsal", "Comedy"] |
An extraordinary behind-the-scenes recording capturing golden age baritone star Nelson Eddy and the Robert Armbruster Orchestra rehearsing Harold Arlen's 'Get Happy' and trading spontaneous studio banter before the live Kraft Music Hall transmission. |
| "Guest Host Nelson Eddy & Metropolitan Soprano Dorothy Kirsten (Kraft Music Hall)" | NBC (WNBC) 1949-08-25 9:00 PM EDT |
Kraft Foods Co. Miracle Whip & Mayonnaise |
Nelson Eddy (Baritone), Dorothy Kirsten | J. Walter Thompson, Earl Ebi, Ken Carpenter | ["Music", "Variety", "Classical", "Operetta", "Vocal"] |
Baritone idol Nelson Eddy guest-hosts the Kraft Music Hall, reuniting with Metropolitan Opera soprano Dorothy Kirsten for a radiant performance of operetta duets and American folk songs for Kraft Miracle Whip. |
| "You're the Top (Jane Pickens & Bob Hannon — Bayer Aspirin)" | CBS (WCBS) 1947-08-25 8:00 PM EDT |
Sterling Drug Inc. Bayer Aspirin & Phillips' |
Jane Pickens (Soprano), Bob Hannon (Tenor) | Frank & Anne Hummert, Frank Black, Ford Bond | ["Music", "Classical", "Vocal", "Pop", "Concert"] |
"The American Melody Hour, dedicated to the favorite songs that America loves!" Jane Pickens and tenor Bob Hannon lead an enchanting half-hour concert featuring Cole Porter's 'You're the Top' and Victor Herbert romances with Frank Black's Orchestra for Bayer Aspirin. |
| "The Canterville Ghost: The Haunted Manor (Part 1 of 5 — John Griggs — Mutual)" | Mutual (WOR) 1947-08-25 4:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Children's Literature |
John Griggs (Solo Storyteller / All Voices) | Oscar Wilde (Author), Robert E. Morrison | ["Adventure", "Juvenile", "Literature", "Comedy", "Supernatural"] |
Master storyteller John Griggs opens a five-part serialization of Oscar Wilde's witty classic The Canterville Ghost, detailing what happens when practical American Minister Hiram B. Otis purchases an ancient English manor haunted by Sir Simon de Canterville. |
| "Aunt Agatha and the Baron's Mountain Hike (Our American Family Robinson — NAM)" | Syndicated 1940-08-25 (NAM Series) |
National Assoc. of Mfrs. Free Enterprise & Industry |
Carlton Young, Colleen Ward, Ethel Wilson | Grace Gibson Productions, Ed Prentiss | ["Drama", "Soap Opera", "Domestic", "Americana", "Family"] |
Outspoken Aunt Agatha, daughter Myra, and the mysterious European aristocrat 'The Baron' embark on a scenic summer mountain hike, sparking humorous cultural debates on American free enterprise versus Old World nobility. |
| "Mary Backstayge's Summer Stock Disaster (Bob and Ray — NBC)" | NBC (WNBC) 1952-08-25 5:45 PM EDT |
Sustaining Satirical Comedy |
Bob Elliott, Ray Goulding (Wally Ballou) | Bob Elliott & Ray Goulding, Arthur Van Horn | ["Comedy", "Satire", "Parody", "Improvisation", "Sketch"] |
"Matinee with Bob and Ray!" Comedy satirists Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding present another hilarious chapter of 'Mary Backstayge, Noble Wife', where Harry Backstayge tries to direct a disastrous summer stock theater production in Skunk Haven, Long Island. |