On This Day, August 29: Mr. District Attorney and WWII News
Also featured: Little Things in Life.
August 29 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 29 across American network radio, BBC, and CBC, Jay Jostyn & Raymond Edward Johnson busting extortion rackets on Mr. District Attorney for Vitalis (1939–1945), vital World War II news broadcasts covering Churchill speeches, Italian air campaigns, and MacArthur's Tokyo occupation preparations (1941–1945), and Lister Sinclair's Canadian domestic satire on Little Things in Life (1939–1975):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "These Are Great Days (Winston Churchill Speech Analysis)" | BBC North Amer 1941-08-29 |
Sustaining Wartime News |
BBC War Reporters | BBC Editorial Staff | ["News", "World War II", "Journalism", "British History", "Military"] |
BBC commentators analyze Winston Churchill's wartime rhetoric and review British naval convoys braving North Atlantic U-boat wolfpacks. |
| "World News Today (Allied Advance in Southern Italy)" | CBS (WABC) 1943-08-29 2:30 PM EWT |
Sustaining Wartime News |
John Daly (Anchor) | CBS Foreign Desk | ["News", "World War II", "Journalism", "Italian Campaign", "Live Report"] |
CBS correspondents report live on Allied heavy bomber strikes softening Axis defenses across the Strait of Messina prior to mainland landings. |
| "Report from Japan (General MacArthur Prepares Tokyo Occupation)" | NBC (WEAF) 1945-08-29 |
Sustaining Wartime News |
Merrill Mueller, Bell | NBC War Desk | ["News", "World War II", "Journalism", "Pacific War", "Historical"] |
NBC correspondents broadcast eyewitness reports from Atsugi airfield as initial Allied airborne troops secure landing strips for General MacArthur. |
| "Modern Life and the Repairman" | CBC Radio 1975-08-29 |
Sustaining Canadian Humor |
Peg Dixon, Cast | Lister Sinclair (Creator) | ["Comedy", "Satire", "Sitcom", "Domestic", "Canadian"] |
A satirical comedy sketch examining suburban domestic frustration when household electrical appliances break down simultaneously. |
| "The Case of the Protection Racket" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1939-08-29 10:00 PM EDST |
Bristol-Myers Vitalis / Sal Hepatica |
Raymond Johnson, Doyle | Ed Byron (Creator) | ["Crime", "Police Procedural", "Hardboiled", "Law Enforcement", "Action"] |
District Attorney Paul Garrett mobilizes undercover investigators to break up an extortion mob shaking down neighborhood dry cleaners. |
| "The Case of the Traveling Rat" | NBC (WEAF) 1945-08-29 9:30 PM EWT |
Bristol-Myers Vitalis / Sal Hepatica |
Jay Jostyn, Len Doyle | Jerry Devine (Writer) | ["Crime", "Police Procedural", "Hardboiled", "Law Enforcement", "Action"] |
The District Attorney pursues a fugitive jewel thief who hides stolen diamonds inside mechanical toy rats shipped across state lines. |