On This Day, August 26: Paul Whiteman and Dick Tracy
Also featured: Tennessee Jed.
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, Paul Whiteman conducting symphonic jazz masterpieces St. Louis Blues and Rhapsody in Blue, Jerry Wayne on Club 15 for Campbell's, concert baritone Thomas L. Thomas on Manhattan Merry-Go-Round for Bayer Aspirin, Matt Crowley in Dick Tracy for Tootsie Rolls, Johnny Thomas in Tennessee Jed for Tip-Top Bread, and Armchair Adventures (1945–1952):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "St. Louis Blues & Rhapsody in Blue (Paul Whiteman & Martha Tilton — ABC)" | ABC (WJZ) 1946-08-26 9:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Symphonic Jazz Showcase |
Paul Whiteman, Martha Tilton, Whiteman Orch. | Roy Bargy, Doug Browning | ["Music", "Jazz", "Big Band", "Symphonic Jazz", "Variety"] |
"Paul Whiteman: Forever Tops, bringing you the greatest timeless melodies in modern orchestral arrangements!" The King of Jazz, Paul Whiteman, leads his 40-piece orchestra in definitive symphonic arrangements of W.C. Handy's 'St. Louis Blues' and George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue', featuring guest vocalist Martha Tilton. |
| "Jerry Describes His Daily Activities (Jerry Wayne & The Modernaires — Campbell's)" | CBS (WCBS) 1948-08-26 7:30 PM EDT |
Campbell Soup Co. Campbell's Tomato & Chicken |
Jerry Wayne, Evelyn Knight, Modernaires | Ace Ochs, Del Sharbutt | ["Music", "Vocal", "Pop Standards", "Comedy", "Variety"] |
"Campbell's Soup presents Club 15, starring Jerry Wayne with Evelyn Knight and The Modernaires!" Baritone Jerry Wayne delivers a humorous monologue recounting the chaotic trials of his daily fitness regimen, followed by breezy vocal harmonies from The Modernaires and standard hits for Campbell's Soups. |
| "Honey & Sentimental Journey (Thomas L. Thomas — Bayer Aspirin)" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1945-08-26 9:00 PM EWT |
Sterling Drug Dr. Lyon's & Bayer Aspirin |
Thomas L. Thomas, Marian McManus | Frank and Anne Hummert, Ford Bond | ["Music", "Vocal", "Broadway", "Pop Standards", "Variety"] |
"Jump on the Manhattan Merry-Go-Round! Brought to you by Dr. Lyon's Tooth Powder and Bayer Aspirin!" Concert baritone Thomas L. Thomas and soprano Marian McManus take listeners on a musical tour of New York nightlife, singing popular Broadway hits including 'Honey', 'The More I See You', and 'Sentimental Journey'. |
| "The Missing Mr. Dillon (James McKechnie & Norman Shelley — Armchair Adventures)" | Syndicated 1952-08-26 (Towers of London) |
Local Merchants British Cozy Mystery |
James McKechnie, Norman Shelley | John P. Wynn, Towers of London | ["Mystery", "Detective", "British", "Whodunit", "Short Form"] |
"Armchair Adventures, pulling up a chair by the fireside for an intriguing mystery!" In 'The Missing Mr. Dillon', an eccentric London solicitor vanishes from his locked study in Mayfair on the eve of probating a massive aristocratic estate, leaving only a half-burned railway timetable and a coded chessboard puzzle. |
| "The Case of the Counterfeit Diamonds (Part 1 — Matt Crowley as Dick Tracy — Tootsie Rolls)" | ABC (WJZ) 1946-08-26 5:00 PM EDT |
Sweets Co. of America Tootsie Rolls & Tootsie V-M |
Matt Crowley (Dick Tracy), Howard Smith | Chester Gould, Mitchell Grayson, George Gunn | ["Detective", "Juvenile", "Police Procedural", "Action", "Comics"] |
"Tootsie Rolls present America's Number One Detective, Dick Tracy!" In Part 1 of 'The Case of the Counterfeit Diamonds', plainclothes detective Dick Tracy and Junior use his iconic 2-Way Wrist Radio to track an armed heist crew hijacking an armored gem transport van, discovering the stolen diamonds were synthetic decoy stones. Note: Multi-part serial narrative arc (The Case of the Counterfeit Diamonds — Part 1). |
| "The Rustlers of Spanish Peaks (Part 11 — Johnny Thomas as Tennessee Jed — Tip-Top Bread)" | ABC (WJZ) 1946-08-26 5:15 PM EDT |
Ward Baking Co. Ward's Tip-Top Bread |
Johnny Thomas (Tennessee Jed), Humphrey Davis | Howard Carraway, Paul Harrison, Court Benson | ["Western", "Juvenile", "Action", "Adventure", "Americana"] |
"Ward's Tip-Top Bread brings you Tennessee Jed, fastest shot in the West!" Frontier sharpshooter Tennessee Jed Sloan and his faithful companion scout a treacherous canyon near the Spanish Peaks, dodging a sniper ambush from masked cattle rustlers who poisoned the valley waterhole for Ward's Tip-Top Bread. Note: Multi-part serial narrative arc (The Rustlers of Spanish Peaks — Part 11). |