On This Day, August 26: Jungle Jim and Texaco Star Theater
Also featured: It's Maritime.
August 26 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 26 across American and South African radio, three thrilling serial installments of Alex Raymond's Jungle Jim starring Matt Crowley and Gerald Mohr (Stacey's Captivity, Temple of the Cobra Queen, and Ivory Smugglers of Zanzibar), James Melton and Jane Froman on the Texaco Star Theater, Frank Lovejoy narrating the Arctic convoy to Murmansk on It's Maritime, and George Douglas Brown's The House with the Green Shutters on Radio Playhouse (1939–1975):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The House with the Green Shutters (Michael Mayer — Springbok Radio Playhouse)" | Springbok Radio 1975-08-26 9:00 PM |
Commercial Sponsors Masterpiece Playhouse |
Michael Mayer (Narrator), Patrick Mynhardt | George Douglas Brown, Michael Mayer | ["Drama", "Literary", "Tragedy", "Historical", "South African"] |
"Radio Playhouse on Springbok Radio!" An arrogant, tyrannical Scottish merchant in a small 19th-century village builds an ostentatious manor house to intimidate his rivals, only to watch his pride and family succumb to bankruptcy and tragic ruin. |
| "Stacey's Captivity (Part 11 — Matt Crowley & Gerald Mohr — Hearst Jungle Jim)" | Syndicated 1939-08-26 (Hearst King Features) |
Local Food Sponsors King Features Syndicate |
Matt Crowley (Jim), Gerald Mohr (Kolu) | Alex Raymond, Jay Clark, Glenn Riggs | ["Adventure", "Action", "Jungle", "Juvenile", "Short Form"] |
"Jungle Jim! From the colorful pages of the Sunday comic section, the thrilling adventures of Jungle Jim Bradley!" In 'Stacey's Captivity', Jungle Jim and his native companion Kolu trek through the uncharted Malayan jungle to rescue heiress Joan Stacey from a renegade pirate stronghold guarded by fierce headhunters. Note: Multi-part serial narrative arc (The Rescue of Joan Stacey — Part 11). |
| "The Temple of the Cobra Queen (Part 6 — Matt Crowley — Jungle Jim)" | Syndicated 1944-08-26 (King Features) |
Local Merchants Hearst King Features |
Matt Crowley (Jim), Vicki Vola | Alex Raymond, Jay Clark, Glenn Riggs | ["Adventure", "Action", "Jungle", "Juvenile", "Short Form"] |
"Jungle Jim Bradley in the heart of the Asiatic wilderness!" Jim and Kolu infiltrate the subterranean serpent caverns of the Cobra Queen to restore stolen rubber plantation maps vital to the Allied war effort, narrowly escaping a pit of venomous king cobras. Note: Multi-part serial narrative arc (The Cobra Queen Caverns — Part 6). |
| "The Ivory Smugglers of Zanzibar (Part 4 — Matt Crowley — Jungle Jim)" | Syndicated 1950-08-26 (King Features) |
Local Merchants Adventure Series |
Matt Crowley (Jim), Juano Hernandez | Alex Raymond, Jay Clark, Glenn Riggs | ["Adventure", "Action", "Jungle", "Juvenile", "Short Form"] |
"Jungle Jim! The greatest safari hero of all time!" Jungle Jim and Kolu intercept an illicit dhow laden with smuggled ivory tusks off the coast of Zanzibar, engaging the pirate crew in hand-to-hand combat amidst the coastal coral reefs. Note: Multi-part serial narrative arc (The Zanzibar Ivory Syndicate — Part 4). |
| "The Convoy to Murmansk (Frank Lovejoy — U.S. Maritime Service It's Maritime)" | CBS (WABC) 1944-08-26 5:00 PM EWT |
U.S. Maritime Service War Shipping Administration |
Frank Lovejoy (Narrator), Ted Osborne | Allan Sloane, John M. Wyatt | ["Maritime", "Docudrama", "Military", "Wartime", "Action"] |
"It's Maritime! Dedicated to the men who man the ships that deliver the goods of war!" The dramatic docudrama recounts the Arctic run of a Liberty cargo ship navigating through pack ice, German U-boat wolfpacks, and dive-bomber attacks to deliver vital tanks and munitions to the Soviet port of Murmansk. |
| "James Melton with Jane Froman & Ed Wynn (Al Goodman — Texaco Star Theater)" | CBS (WABC) 1945-08-26 9:30 PM EWT |
The Texas Company Texaco Fire-Chief & Havoline |
James Melton, Jane Froman, Ed Wynn | Buchanan & Co., Jimmy Wallington | ["Variety", "Music", "Comedy", "Pop Standards", "Big Band"] |
"The Texas Company, makers of Texaco Fire-Chief Gasoline and Havoline Motor Oil, presents the Texaco Star Theater, starring James Melton!" Metropolitan Opera tenor James Melton sings Broadway favorites and operatic arias, joined by courageous songstress Jane Froman and comedy from Ed Wynn for Texaco. |