On This Day, August 28: Strange As It Seems and Special Agent
Also featured: WWII News.
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 and syndication, John Hix investigating the 1855 Devonshire 'Devil's Footprints' phenomenon on Strange As It Seems, James Meighan busting counterfeit postage stamps on Special Agent, Ben Grauer celebrating 30 years of WNBC broadcasting history, post-war synthetic chemistry on Living 1949, Sigrid Schultz reporting from Berlin on the eve of World War II, and John W. Vandercook analyzing Mediterranean air raids (1936–1952):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Devil's Footprints" | Syndicated Elec 1936-08-28 |
Commercial Regional Sponsors |
John Hix (Host / Creator) | Dramatic Repertory | ["Docudrama", "Historical", "Oddities", "Mystery", "Anthology"] |
Host John Hix dramatizes the mysterious 1855 snowfall in Devonshire where unbroken cloven hoof-prints appeared over rooftops, walls, and fields. |
| "The Case of the Counterfeit Stamps" | Mutual (WOR) 1948-08-28 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Secret Service Drama |
James Meighan (Alan Drake) | Wynn Wright (Director) | ["Police Procedural", "Detective", "Hardboiled", "True Crime", "Action"] |
A US Treasury special agent goes undercover inside a waterfront print shop to dismantle an international counterfeit postage stamp ring. |
| "Thirty Years of Radio History" | WNBC New York 1952-08-28 10:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Historical Retrospective |
Ben Grauer (Host) | NBC Announcing Staff | ["Historical", "Documentary", "Broadcast Journalism", "Tribute", "Americana"] |
Host Ben Grauer celebrates thirty years of broadcasting on flagship station WEAF/WNBC with historic audio excerpts of early radio breakthroughs. |
| "The Chemical Kingdom Today" | NBC (WNBC) 1949-08-28 4:35 PM EDT |
Sustaining Documentary Series |
Ben Grauer, Jane Cowl | Lou Hazam (Writer) | ["Documentary", "Educational", "Science", "Public Affairs", "Industry"] |
A documentary dramatization exploring how modern synthetic chemistry, plastics, and miracle fibers transform postwar American industry and domestic life. |
| "Sigrid Schultz in Berlin" | Mutual (WOR) 1939-08-28 10:00 PM EDST |
Sustaining Pre-War Crisis News |
Sigrid Schultz (Berlin Chief) | Mutual News Staff | ["News", "Broadcast Journalism", "Wartime", "Historical", "World War II"] |
Pioneering female war correspondent Sigrid Schultz reports from Berlin on food rationing decrees and German military mobilization days before the invasion of Poland. |
| "John W. Vandercook" | NBC (WEAF) 1943-08-28 7:15 PM EWT |
Sustaining Wartime News |
John W. Vandercook | Merrill Mueller | ["News", "Broadcast Journalism", "Wartime", "Historical", "World War II"] |
NBC newsman John W. Vandercook analyzes Allied air offensives against southern European rail junctions following the liberation of Sicily. |