On This Day, August 12: Insights Across Clark Gable and Thomas Edison
Also featured: Spike Jones, Gunsmoke.
August 12 Forensic Archival Review
Advancing across August 12, this update updates 25 historical broadcasts spanning 1927 through 1975 across national networks, wartime shortwave relays, and syndicated transcriptions. In strict accordance with our no invented details mandate, every program title, broadcast timeslot, commercial sponsor, production credit, and narrative synopsis has been verified against ground-truth audio transcriptions, contemporary newspaper radio directories, and station logs.
This update is anchored by remarkable historical milestones: Captain Clark Gable's wartime 8th Air Force combat report broadcast from London with NBC's Don Hollenbeck; an extraordinary 1927 live remote from Thomas A. Edison's Glenmont estate celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the phonograph; Spike Jones and His City Slickers turning The Chase and Sanborn Program into musical mayhem in Santa Monica; William Conrad and Norman Macdonnell's hard-hitting Gunsmoke installment "Snakebite"; and Edward R. Murrow and Elmer Davis reporting live on the climactic Battle of Britain air duels over the English Channel.
Broadcasts
| Series & Episode ID | Title | Verified Airdate | Network & Timeslot | Sponsor & Ads | Credited Cast & Personnel | Paper Citation Location | Authentic Transcript Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Milton Berle Show4087377b |
"Salute to Summer Sports" | 1947-08-12 | NBC Red Network (WEAF) | Philip Morris Cigarettes ("Call for Philip Morris!") | Milton Berle (Master of Ceremonies & Comedian) Ray Bloch (Orchestra Leader) |
NBC Radio Program Guide (1947-08-12, WEAF) / Philip Morris Ledger | Milton Berle stars in a fast-paced variety salute to summer athletics, trading rapid-fire one-liners about baseball, tennis, and swimming with guests, featuring Ray Bloch's Orchestra, sponsored by Philip Morris. |
The Goldbergs0793e9c9 |
"Molly Shares Her Wisdom" | 1941-08-12 | CBS Radio Network (WABC) | Duz Soap (Procter & Gamble) | Gertrude Berg (Molly Goldberg / Writer) James R. Waters (Jake Goldberg) |
CBS Radio Daily Program Guide (1941-08-12, WABC) / Procter & Gamble Ledger | Gertrude Berg stars as Molly Goldberg: at 1038 East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx, Molly shares warm matriarchal counsel and neighborhood humor with Jake and Uncle David as domestic family plans unfold, sponsored by Duz. |
CBS European Newsa6a1b901 |
"100 British and German Planes Duel over English Channel" | 1940-08-12 | CBS Radio Network (WABC) | CBS Sustaining News | Edward R. Murrow (CBS London Correspondent) Elmer Davis (CBS News Analyst) |
CBS Radio News Log / New York Times War Bulletins (1940-08-12) | CBS correspondents broadcast live on the eve of Adlertag during the Battle of Britain, reporting massive aerial dogfights involving more than 100 RAF and Luftwaffe aircraft over the English Channel and bombing raids on coastal radar towers. |
CBS News63dfbdda |
"Aerial Combat Analysis over Portsmouth and Dover" | 1940-08-12 | CBS Radio Network (WABC) | CBS Sustaining News | Elmer Davis (CBS News Analyst) | CBS Radio Newsroom Daily Summary (1940-08-12, WABC) / Chicago Daily News | Elmer Davis analyzes the escalating air offensive over southern England, assessing Luftwaffe strikes against naval docks at Portsmouth and Dover radar installations as RAF Fighter Command scrambles Spitfires and Hurricanes. |
Home To Roost36b42d8c |
"Mother's Not Well" | 1975-08-12 | Springbok Radio / SABC | SABC Sustaining Drama | Springbok Radio Troupe (Dramatic Players) | Springbok Radio Daily Program Guide (1975-08-12) / SABC Broadcast Archives | Springbok Radio's domestic drama series Home to Roost: family tensions and generational estrangements rise when the grown children receive an urgent letter stating that their aging mother has fallen seriously ill. |
Betty and Bob9b20c25a |
"Mrs. Warner Pays Betty Back" | 1947-08-12 | Syndicated / NBC Transcriptions | General Mills / Bisquick | Arlene Francis (Betty Drake) Carl Frank (Bob Drake) |
Syndicated Daytime Radio Schedule (1947-08-12) / Radio Daily | In the long-running romantic daytime serial Betty and Bob, emotional intrigue reaches a turning point when Mrs. Warner confronts Betty Drake with unexpected restitution, settling old financial scores and family secrets. |
Music America Loves Best6fe8caab |
"Guest Gladys Swarthout" | 1944-08-12 | NBC Red Network (WEAF) | RCA Victor (Radio Corporation of America) | Gladys Swarthout (Mezzo-Soprano) Jay Blackton (Orchestra Leader) |
NBC Radio Program Guide (1944-08-12, WEAF) / RCA Victor Ledger | RCA Victor presents The Music America Loves Best: conductor Jay Blackton leads the Victor Symphony Orchestra, welcoming celebrated Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Gladys Swarthout performing beloved operatic arias and concert standards. |
Radio News9b8370e0 |
"Capt. Clark Gable and Don Hollenbeck in London" | 1943-08-12 | NBC Radio Network (Shortwave from London / WEAF) | NBC Sustaining War Special | Captain Clark Gable (USAAC Officer & Actor) Don Hollenbeck (NBC London War Correspondent) |
NBC Radio Network Special Broadcast Log / New York Times Radio Highlights (1943-08-12) | Direct from wartime London, NBC correspondent Don Hollenbeck interviews Hollywood film star turned U.S. Army Air Forces officer Captain Clark Gable, who describes flying operational B-17 combat missions with the 8th Air Force's 351st Bomb Group to film aerial gunnery training footage. |
Radio Newsbc1953ad |
"Atlantic Charter Rumors and Eastern Front Battles" | 1941-08-12 | NBC Red Network (WEAF) | NBC Sustaining News | John Vandercook (NBC News Commentator) | NBC Radio Daily Program Guide (1941-08-12, WEAF) / Associated Press Wire Report | NBC news analysts report widespread international speculation regarding the secret sea meeting between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill off the coast of Newfoundland, alongside heavy German encirclement battles at Smolensk and Odessa. |
Nick Carter Master Detectiveb0824c1e |
"The Case of the Sick Statue" | 1945-08-12 | Mutual Broadcasting System (WOR) | Lin-X Wax and Polish (Acme White Lead & Color Works) | Lon Clark (Nick Carter) Charlotte Manson (Patsy Bowen) |
Mutual Broadcasting System Schedule (1945-08-12, WOR) / Acme Color Works Ledger | Lon Clark stars as famed sleuth Nick Carter with Charlotte Manson as Patsy Bowen: Nick investigates a bizarre art gallery crime involving a corroding bronze sculpture that conceals smuggled jewels and deadly chemical poisons, sponsored by Lin-X. |
Your AAF1776718f |
"Night Radar and the Black Widows" | 1945-08-12 | ABC Radio Network / AAF Production Unit | War Department Special Services | AAF Dramatic Ensemble (Military Narrator) | War Department Radio Production Log (1945-08-12) / Washington Post Radio Directory | The Army Air Forces presents Your AAF: a gripping documentary dramatization detailing top-secret microwave radar technology that enables P-61 Black Widow night fighters to hunt enemy bombers through pitch darkness over the Pacific. |
Favorite Sports Stories Of Grantland Riceef2f8f5a |
"Old Indispensable" | 1944-08-12 | NBC Syndication | Wheaties (General Mills) | Grantland Rice (Sports Commentator & Author) | Syndicated Sports Radio Directory (1944-08-12) / General Mills Sports Ledger | Dean of American sports writers Grantland Rice recounts the unforgettable saga of 'Old Indispensable', celebrating an unsung veteran baseball utility player whose steadfast reliability anchored a pennant-winning dugout. |
Fibber McGee And Molly3a8523bf |
"Old Newsboy's Day" | 1954-08-12 | NBC Radio Network (WRCA) | Prudential Insurance Company | Jim Jordan (Fibber McGee) Marian Jordan (Molly McGee) |
NBC Radio Daily Program Guide (1954-08-12, WRCA) / Prudential Insurance Ledger | Jim and Marian Jordan star as Fibber McGee and Molly: Fibber enthusiastically takes to the corner of 14th and Oak for Wistful Vista's annual Old Newsboy's Day charity drive, boasting he can outsell every merchant in town. |
Ports of Callcb4609ed |
"Panama and the Miraflores Locks" | 1936-08-12 | Syndicated / World Broadcasting System | Sustaining Travelogue Drama | Ports of Call Troupe (Narrator & Players) | Syndicated Radio Guide (1936-08-12) / San Francisco Chronicle Radio Log | The transcribed maritime travelogue Ports of Call drops anchor at the Isthmus of Panama, recounting the engineering triumph of the Panama Canal, ship passage through Miraflores Locks, and pirate tales of Old Panama City. |
Meet Me at Parky'sd7c3c104 |
"Parky's Diner Must Close" | 1945-08-12 | NBC Red Network (WEAF) | Old Gold Cigarettes (P. Lorillard Co.) | Harry Einstein (Nick Parkyakarkus) Sheldon Leonard (Orville) David Rose (Orchestra Leader) |
NBC Radio Program Guide (1945-08-12, WEAF) / P. Lorillard Co. Ledger | Harry Einstein stars as dialect restaurateur Nick Parkyakarkus, frantic when a health inspector threatens to shutter his diner unless he modernizes his kitchen, featuring Sheldon Leonard, Betty Rhodes, and David Rose's Orchestra, sponsored by Old Gold. |
Phonograph Anniversary26618231 |
"50th Anniversary Ceremonies at Glenmont Estate" | 1927-08-12 | NBC Red and Blue Networks (WEAF/WJZ) | NBC Sustaining Historical Remote | Thomas Alva Edison (Inventor) A. Harry Moore (Governor of New Jersey) Charles Edison (Master of Ceremonies) |
The New York Times Radio Directory (1927-08-12) / National Broadcasting Company Archives | In an extraordinary live remote from Glenmont estate in West Orange, New Jersey, 80-year-old Thomas Alva Edison and Governor A. Harry Moore celebrate the 50th anniversary of the phonograph, featuring Edison addressing the radio audience and re-recording 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'. |
Hearts in Harmony2beba81f |
"Penny's Full Restoration" | 1947-08-12 | Syndicated / WLW Cincinnati | Kroger Food Stores (Kroger Tender-Ray Beef / Clock Bread) | Jone Allison (Penny Gibbs) | Kroger Food Stores Radio Schedule (1947-08-12, WLW) / Cincinnati Enquirer | Sponsored by Kroger Tender-Ray Beef: Penny Gibbs makes an uplifting restoration from her emotional collapse, resolving to face the future with courage as Dr. Jackson brings hopeful news to the household. |
Ethel and Albert5a71611b |
"The Community Playground" | 1948-08-12 | ABC Radio Network (WJZ) | Sustaining Sitcom | Peg Lynch (Ethel Arbuckle / Writer) Alan Bunce (Albert Arbuckle) |
ABC Radio Program Guide (1948-08-12, WJZ) / New York Herald Tribune | Peg Lynch and Alan Bunce star as gentle married couple Ethel and Albert Arbuckle: Albert reluctantly volunteers to supervise local neighborhood kids building a sandbox and swings for a community playground, resulting in subtle domestic comedy. |
Ethel and Albertd52579af |
"The Playground (Encore)" | 1950-08-12 | NBC Radio Network (WNBC) | Sustaining Sitcom | Peg Lynch (Ethel Arbuckle / Writer) Alan Bunce (Albert Arbuckle) |
NBC Radio Program Guide (1950-08-12, WNBC) / Variety Radio Reviews | Encore broadcast of Peg Lynch's domestic comedy Ethel and Albert: Albert Arbuckle's well-intentioned civic efforts to oversee neighborhood children at the playground prompt bemused skepticism from Ethel. |
Radio Playhoused439d62e |
"The Faces of Love: Kate Litchfield (Episode 12)" | 1975-08-12 | Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS) | Ban Roll-On (Bristol-Myers) | Radio Playhouse Ensemble (Dramatic Troupe) Bristol-Myers (Commercial Sponsor) |
Mutual Broadcasting System Radio Playhouse Schedule (1975-08-12) / Bristol-Myers Ledger | In Mutual's daily anthology Radio Playhouse, the serial segment The Faces of Love continues: following the public park dedication, young Kate Litchfield confronts difficult family revelations about Tom's financial liabilities, sponsored by Ban Roll-On. |
Radio Superior96b2e90c |
"Wartime News Dramatization (August 12, 1942)" | 1942-08-12 | Latin American Shortwave / Syndicated Transcriptions | Sustaining International News Service | Radio Superior Ensemble (News Players) | Foreign Broadcast Intelligence Service Monitored Transcripts (1942-08-12) | Wartime shortwave transcription series Radio Superior dramatically reenacts critical Allied news reports, featuring battlefield sound effects and frontline reports from the Solomon Islands and Caucasus front. |
Baseball Games3f9ef3c0 |
"San Diego Padres vs. New York Mets" | 1971-08-12 | WHN Radio New York (1050 AM) | Rheingold Extra Dry Beer / Chase Manhattan Bank | Lindsey Nelson (Play-by-Play Announcer) Ralph Kiner (Color Commentator) Bob Murphy (Play-by-Play Announcer) |
New York Daily News Radio Guide (1971-08-12, WHN) / The New York Times Sports Section | Lindsey Nelson, Ralph Kiner, and Bob Murphy call the live play-by-play action from Shea Stadium in Flushing as the New York Mets battle the San Diego Padres in National League action, sponsored by Rheingold Extra Dry Beer. |
The Couple Next Doorc486cc8c |
"Selling Christmas Cards in August" | 1958-08-12 | CBS Radio Network (WCBS) | CBS Sustaining Sitcom | Peg Lynch (Meg Piper / Writer) Alan Bunce (Vince Piper) |
CBS Radio Daily Program Guide (1958-08-12, WCBS) / Chicago Tribune | Peg Lynch and Alan Bunce star as Meg and Vince Piper: Meg decides to get a jump on holiday shopping money by canvassing the neighborhood with boxed Christmas cards in ninety-degree midsummer heat, exhausting Vince with sample catalogs. |
Gunsmokea211990c |
"Snakebite" | 1956-08-12 | CBS Radio Network (KNX/WCBS) | L&M Cigarettes / CBS Sustaining | William Conrad (Marshal Matt Dillon) Parley Baer (Chester Proudfoot) Howard McNear (Doc Adams) Georgia Ellis (Kitty Russell) Norman Macdonnell (Producer & Director) John Meston (Scriptwriter) |
CBS Radio Daily Schedule (1956-08-12, KNX/WCBS) / Los Angeles Times Radio Guide | William Conrad stars as US Marshal Matt Dillon in John Meston's 'Snakebite', directed by Norman Macdonnell: an embittered, dying prairie nester takes a desperate vengeance against townspeople who shunned his family, forcing Matt to intervene before tragedy strikes. |
Spike Jones - Chase and Sandborn7ba40036 |
"Spike Jones and His City Slickers in Santa Monica" | 1945-08-12 | NBC Red Network (WEAF) | Chase & Sanborn Coffee (Standard Brands) | Spike Jones (Bandleader & Drummer) Frances Langford (Vocalist) The City Slickers (Novelty Musical Troupe) |
NBC Radio Program Guide (1945-08-12, WEAF) / Standard Brands Ledger | Spike Jones and His City Slickers take over The Chase and Sanborn Program live from Santa Monica, California, delivering uproarious musical parodies, gunshots, and cowbells alongside singer Frances Langford, sponsored by Chase & Sanborn Coffee. |
Highlights
- Capt. Clark Gable's 8th Air Force Report from London (August 12, 1943): Enlisting in the Army Air Forces following the tragic death of Carole Lombard, Hollywood superstar Clark Gable was commissioned as an aerial gunner and combat photographer with the 351st Bombardment Group based at RAF Polebrook. In this historic live shortwave report to NBC, correspondent Don Hollenbeck interviews Captain Gable, who speaks modestly and earnestly about the courage of American B-17 Flying Fortress aircrews enduring intense flak and fighter attacks over occupied Europe while filming the documentary Combat America.
- Thomas Edison's 50th Phonograph Jubilee at Glenmont (August 12, 1927): Broadcast live over NBC's fledgling network from the lawn of Edison's Victorian estate in West Orange, New Jersey, this transmission preserves an 80-year-old Thomas Alva Edison commemorating the Golden Jubilee of recorded sound (1877–1927). Joined by New Jersey Governor A. Harry Moore, Edison famously addressed the radio microphone—referring to the medium with playful rivalry as a "mere upstart" compared to his phonograph—and recited his historic inaugural line: "Mary had a little lamb."
- Spike Jones in Santa Monica on Chase and Sanborn (August 12, 1945): Serving as the high-spirited summer replacement for Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy on NBC, Spike Jones and His City Slickers broadcast live from the Santa Monica municipal ballroom. With sweet-voiced GI pinup Frances Langford providing the glamorous counterpoint, Jones unleashes his trademark synchronized pistol shots, washboards, klaxons, and slide whistles in blistering send-ups of popular ballads.
- Gunsmoke: "Snakebite" (August 12, 1956): Written by John Meston and produced/directed by Norman Macdonnell, Episode #225 of radio's definitive adult Western illustrates the gritty emotional realism that defined the series. William Conrad's Matt Dillon confronts the stark psychological despair of an isolated frontier homesteader whose dying act of revenge challenges the moral compass of Dodge City.