On This Day, August 26: The Great Gildersleeve (Kraft) and Milton Berle
Also featured: Huckleberry Finn.
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, Willard Waterman as The Great Gildersleeve attempting self-sufficiency for Kraft, Milton Berle saluting American railroads for Eversharp, Kay Kyser's daytime audition for Pillsbury and Ivory Soap, Wheaties' Curtain Time, Humphrey Lyttelton and Barry Cryer satirizing the Common Market on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, and Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn dramatized for schools on NBC Blue (1938–1975):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story-First Plot Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Kollege of Fun & Knowledge: Audition Cut 2 (Kay Kyser — Pillsbury & Ivory)" | ABC Network 1947-08-26 (Audition Cut 2) |
Pillsbury & P&G Flour & Ivory Soap |
Kay Kyser, Ish Kabibble, Jane Russell | Kay Kyser Productions, Verne Smith | ["Music", "Game Show", "Big Band", "Comedy", "Quiz"] |
"Audition Presentation Cut 2: Kay Kyser's Kollege of Fun and Knowledge!" Kay Kyser leads prospective daytime radio sponsors through an extended interactive audition featuring musical brain-teasers, Ish Kabibble's nonsensical humor, and tailored commercial jingles for Pillsbury's Best Flour and Ivory Soap. |
| "Salute to the Railways of America (Milton Berle & Pert Kelton — Eversharp)" | CBS (WABC) 1947-08-26 8:00 PM EDT |
Eversharp, Inc. Eversharp Injector Razors |
Milton Berle, Pert Kelton, Dick Farney | Kenneth MacGregor, Frank Gallop | ["Comedy", "Variety", "Vaudeville", "Music", "Americana"] |
"Eversharp presents The Milton Berle Show!" Uncle Miltie takes the throttle with a rapid-fire comedic salute to America's train engineers, conductors, and dining car waiters, featuring musical numbers from Brazilian baritone Dick Farney and Eversharp razor pitches. |
| "Sufficient Unto One's Self (Willard Waterman as Gildersleeve — Kraft)" | NBC (WNBC) 1953-08-26 8:30 PM EDT |
Kraft Foods Co. Parkay Margarine & Slices |
Willard Waterman (Gildersleeve), Walter Tetley | Leonard L. Levinson, Virgil Reimer, John Wald | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Small Town", "Domestic", "Family"] |
"The Great Gildersleeve, brought to you by Kraft Foods, makers of delicious Parkay Margarine!" When Marjorie and nephew Leroy go away for a short trip, Water Commissioner Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve proudly declares himself totally self-sufficient, but his disastrous attempts to cook dinner and do household chores soon have Birdie and Floyd rushing to the rescue for Kraft. |
| "Love Is the Answer (Harry Elders & Betty Winkler — Wheaties)" | NBC Red (WMAQ) 1938-08-26 9:00 PM EDST |
General Mills Wheaties ("Breakfast of Champions") |
Harry Elders, Betty Winkler, Bob Bailey | Grant Advertising, Blair Walliser, Don Gordon | ["Drama", "Romance", "Anthology", "Theatre", "Domestic"] |
"Curtain Time, presented by Wheaties, Breakfast of Champions!" In 'Love Is the Answer', an ambitious young architect sacrifices his personal life for a lucrative partnership, only to discover true fulfillment and career inspiration when a spirited interior designer challenges his cynical worldview for Wheaties. |
| "The Common Market Ball (Humphrey Lyttelton & Barry Cryer — BBC Radio 4)" | BBC Radio 4 1975-08-26 6:15 PM BST |
Sustaining Panel Game Antidote |
Humphrey Lyttelton, Graeme Garden, Barry Cryer | Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie, David Hatch | ["Comedy", "Panel Show", "Satire", "Improv", "British"] |
"I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, the antidote to panel games, with Chairman Humphrey Lyttelton!" Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer, and Willie Rushton compete in gloriously pointless rounds including One Song to the Tune of Another and Mornington Crescent, satirizing the newly joined EEC Common Market. |
| "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Jackie Kelk — NBC Blue)" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1940-08-26 2:00 PM EDST |
Sustaining School Literature Drama |
Jackie Kelk (Huck Finn), Juano Hernandez (Jim) | Mark Twain, Helen Walpole, Lyle Van | ["Educational", "Classics", "Literature", "Adventure", "Americana"] |
"Adventure in Reading, presented by the National Broadcasting Company for classrooms and families!" Mark Twain's immortal classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is dramatized, following Huck and Jim's raft journey down the Mississippi River as they encounter two flamboyant confidence men calling themselves the Duke and the King. |