On This Day, August 26: Knute Rockne and Mel Allen
Also featured: Phil Rizzuto, Captain Midnight.
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 British networks, Grantland Rice recounting the legendary life of Knute Rockne, Mel Allen and Phil Rizzuto calling Game 2 of Yankees vs. Indians at Yankee Stadium for Ballantine Beer, Ed Prentiss soaring over the Andes on Captain Midnight for Ovaltine, Fred Foy in Theater Five, BBC's Guilty Party, and CBS's Indictment (1944–1964):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Knute Rockne: The Fighting Irish (Grantland Rice — Transamerican)" | Syndicated 1944-08-26 (Sports Docudrama) |
Local Merchants Sports Legends Series |
Grantland Rice (Dean of Sports Writers), Cast | Transamerican, Ward Wilson | ["Sports", "Docudrama", "Biographical", "Historical", "Americana"] |
"Grantland Rice presents the greatest thrills in sports history!" Dean of sports writers Grantland Rice narrates the legendary life and coaching triumph of Notre Dame's Knute Rockne, dramatizing his revolutionary football tactics and the inspirational 'Win one for the Gipper' locker room speech that built an enduring athletic legacy. |
| "Cleveland Indians at New York Yankees (Game 2 — Mel Allen & Phil Rizzuto — Ballantine)" | WINS (Yankee Net) 1960-08-26 8:00 PM EDT |
P. Ballantine & Sons Ballantine Beer & Ale |
Mel Allen, Phil Rizzuto, Red Barber | Yankee Stadium, Mantle & Maris | ["Sports", "Baseball", "Live", "Play-by-Play", "Americana"] |
"Ballantine Beer and Ale brings you New York Yankees baseball live from Yankee Stadium, with Mel Allen, Phil Rizzuto, and Red Barber!" In Game 2 of a high-stakes late-August pennant race series, the New York Yankees battle the Cleveland Indians, powered by the slugging M&M Boys, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, in pursuit of the American League title. |
| "Operation Andes: Stolen Radar Pursuit (Part 1 — Ed Prentiss as Captain Midnight — Ovaltine)" | Mutual (WGN) 1946-08-26 5:30 PM EDT |
The Wander Co. Ovaltine Food Drink |
Ed Prentiss (Capt. Midnight), Jack Bivens | Robert Burtt, Russell Young, Pierre Andre | ["Adventure", "Juvenile", "Aviation", "Action", "Sci-Fi"] |
"Captain Midnight! Brought to you by Ovaltine!" Captain Midnight and his Secret Squadron pilots Chuck and Patsy take flight over the Andes Mountains to intercept a renegade aircraft carrying stolen radar guidance components to Ivan Shark's hidden jungle airstrip for Ovaltine. Note: Multi-part serial narrative arc (Operation Andes — Part 1). |
| "The Late Matthew Dillard (Fred Foy & Ralph Bell — ABC Theater Five)" | ABC Radio 1964-08-26 (Drama Revival) |
Sustaining Modern Drama Anthology |
Fred Foy (Host), Ralph Bell, Teri Keane | Edward A. Byron, Ted Bell | ["Drama", "Suspense", "Psychological", "Mystery", "Modern"] |
"ABC presents Theater Five! Five after five across the nation, bringing drama back to radio!" In 'The Late Matthew Dillard', an unscrupulous investment banker feigns his own drowning to collect millions in life insurance, but finds his meticulously planned new identity unravelling when an old acquaintance recognizes him in an airport transit lounge. |
| "Case for the Crown (Tony Britton & John Slater — BBC Guilty Party)" | BBC Light Prog. 1955-08-26 8:30 PM BST |
Sustaining Legal Crime Panel Game |
Tony Britton (Presenter), John Slater | Edward J. Mason, Audrey Cameron | ["Game Show", "Legal", "Mystery", "British", "Whodunit"] |
"Guilty Party! The radio crime game where you match wits with the legal experts!" In 'Case for the Crown', Crown prosecutors and a panel of guest detectives cross-examine suspect witnesses in a dramatized English country manor poisoning case, attempting to identify the guilty party before the jury returns its verdict. |
| "Knock on the Door (Nat Polen as ADA Edward Blaine — CBS Indictment)" | CBS (WCBS) 1956-08-26 5:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Courtroom Docudrama |
Nat Polen (Edward Blaine), John Boruff | Eleanore Beeson, Larry Lesueur | ["Legal", "Courtroom", "Police Procedural", "Crime", "Drama"] |
"Indictment! The record of crime in a great city, taken from the official files of the District Attorney's office!" In 'Knock on the Door', Assistant DA Edward Blaine prosecutes a brutal home-invasion extortion racket preying on immigrant small-business owners, building airtight forensic evidence to secure a grand jury indictment against the syndicate boss. |