On This Day, August 29: Sherlock Holmes and The Great Gildersleeve
Also featured: Kay Kyser.
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 and BBC Radio 4, opening our comprehensive archival review across August 29th, Louis Hector & Barry Foster starring as Sherlock Holmes across four decades (1936–1975), Harold Peary packing up camp on The Great Gildersleeve for Parkay Margarine, Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge for Colgate, Hildegarde's Raleigh Room cabaret, and Mars Candy's Curtain Time (1936–1975):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "A Scandal in Bohemia" | NBC Red / BBC 1936-08-29 |
Sustaining Classical Detective |
Louis Hector, Leigh Lovell | Edith Meiser (Adapt) | ["Detective", "British", "Mystery", "Victorian", "Classical"] |
The King of Bohemia hires Sherlock Holmes to retrieve a compromising royal photograph from the brilliant and elusive opera singer Irene Adler. |
| "Murder by Proxy" | BBC Radio 4 1975-08-29 |
Sustaining Detective Drama |
Barry Foster, David Buck | Michael Hardwick (Writer) | ["Detective", "British", "Mystery", "Victorian", "Suspense"] |
Sherlock Holmes investigates a sinister series of staged accidents orchestrated by a mastermind who hires unwitting proxies to commit murder. |
| "Guests Willie Howard and Al Kelly" | NBC (WEAF) 1944-08-29 10:30 PM EWT |
Brown & Williamson Raleigh 903 Cigarettes |
Hildegarde, W. Howard | Harry Sosnik (Conductor) | ["Variety", "Music", "Cabaret", "Comedy", "Vocal"] |
The 'Incomparable' Hildegarde hosts sophisticated cabaret songs and welcomes vaudevillian Willie Howard and double-talk comic Al Kelly for sketch comedy. |
| "From Out of Nowhere" | NBC (WEAF) 1945-08-29 10:00 PM EWT |
Colgate-Palmolive Colgate Dental Cream |
Kay Kyser, Ish Kabibble | Georgia Carroll & Douglas | ["Quiz", "Comedy", "Big Band", "Swing", "Variety"] |
The 'Ol' Professor' tests collegiate contestants with musical trivia and comedic forfeits alongside big band swing numbers. |
| "The End of Vacation at Grass Lake" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1943-08-29 6:30 PM EWT |
Kraft Cheese Co. Parkay Margarine |
Harold Peary, W. Tetley | Lillian Randolph & Ross | ["Sitcom", "Comedy", "Domestic", "Family", "Americana"] |
Gildersleeve frantically packs up his unruly household after summer camp at Grass Lake, determined to make the last train back to Summerfield. |
| "The Double Cross" | ABC (WJZ) 1945-08-29 10:30 PM EWT |
Mars, Incorporated Milky Way / Mars Bars |
Harry Elders, N. Sargent | Mars Production Staff | ["Drama", "Romance", "Suspense", "Anthology", "Americana"] |
An ambitious junior executive's scheme to betray his mentor backfires when an incriminating carbon copy falls into his fiancee's hands. |