On This Day, August 28: Charlie Ruggles and Proudly We Hail
Also featured: Fred Waring.
August 28 Update
This report documents the historical provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, and pure narrative synopses for broadcasts transmitting on August 28 across American network radio, BBC Radio 4, and syndication, Charlie Ruggles hosting quiz stunts on A Barrel of Fun for Rem Cough Syrup, modern short fiction on Author's Studio, three patriotic service dramas on Proudly We Hail for US Army Recruiting, and Fred Waring's choral arrangement of Hoagy Carmichael's Washboard Blues (1941–1975):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Charlie Ruggles and the Quiz Games" | Mutual (WOR) 1941-08-28 8:00 PM EDST |
Maryland Pharm Rem and Rel Cough Syrup |
Charlie Ruggles, Benny Rubin | Ray Bloch Orchestra | ["Variety", "Comedy", "Game Show", "Quiz", "Music"] |
Charlie Ruggles leads studio contestants through madcap stunt games and comedy sketches interspersed with swing arrangements. |
| "Modern British Short Stories" | BBC Radio 4 1975-08-28 |
Sustaining BBC Literary Drama |
BBC Drama Readers | BBC Drama Repertory | ["Drama", "Literature", "British", "Anthology", "Short Story"] |
BBC actors present dramatic unabridged readings of contemporary British short fiction exploring marital infidelity and post-industrial town life. |
| "Between Stations" | Syndicated Elec 1946-08-28 |
US Army Recruiting Army / Air Force |
John Conte (Host) | Dramatic Repertory | ["Drama", "Military", "Anthology", "Romance", "Americana"] |
A returning combat infantryman on a cross-country passenger train helps a stranded war widow and finds unexpected romance. |
| "The Professor Takes a Powder" | Syndicated Elec 1949-08-28 |
US Army Recruiting Army / Air Force |
Lee Bowman, Ken Niles | Dramatic Cast | ["Drama", "Comedy", "Military", "Anthology", "Americana"] |
An absentminded physics professor enlists in the peacetime Army reserve to test his experimental ballistics theories. |
| "Three Girls Named Jones" | Syndicated Elec 1955-08-28 |
US Army Recruiting Women's Army Corps |
Joan Banks, Paula Winslowe | Ken Niles (Host) | ["Drama", "Comedy", "Military", "Women in Military", "Anthology"] |
Three unrelated young women with identical surnames join the Women's Army Corps and discover confusing administrative mix-ups at basic training. |
| "The Washboard Blues" | NBC (WEAF) 1947-08-28 10:00 AM EDT |
American Meat Inst. "Meat Builds Strong Bodies" |
Fred Waring, Jane Wilson | Waring Glee Club | ["Music", "Choral", "Jazz Standard", "Pop Standard", "Variety"] |
Fred Waring leads his glee club and full orchestra in choral arrangements of American standards, highlighting Hoagy Carmichael's 'Washboard Blues'. |