On This Day, September 2: Gunsmoke and Ellery Queen
Also featured: Paul Whiteman.
September 2 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 September 2 across iconic frontier western drama, classic whodunit deduction mysteries, big band radio hall of fame swing, Cold War counter-espionage, and post-war Pacific documentary reports, William Conrad in Gunsmoke for L&M (1956), Sydney Smith in The Adventures of Ellery Queen for Bromo-Seltzer (1944), Paul Whiteman on The Philco Radio Hall of Fame (1945), Dana Andrews in I Was a Communist for the FBI (1953), The Pacific Story on Hong Kong (1945), and NBC's USS Missouri surrender recap (1944–1956):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Old Pal with William Conrad and L&M Cigarettes" | CBS (KNX) 1956-09-02 8:00 PM EDT |
Liggett & Myers L&M Filter Cigarettes |
William Conrad (Dillon) | John Meston & Macdonnell | ["Western", "Drama", "Gunsmoke", "William Conrad", "LM"] |
Marshal Matt Dillon confronts an old frontier friend who turns to violent armed robbery to pay off spiraling gambling debts in Dodge City. |
| "The Adventure of the Dead Man's Bones with Sydney Smith" | NBC (WEAF) 1944-09-02 7:30 PM EWT |
Emerson Drug Co. Bromo-Seltzer |
Sydney Smith (Ellery) | Santos Ortega & de Corsia | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Ellery Queen", "Sydney Smith", "Bromo Seltzer"] |
Ellery Queen investigates a macabre puzzle when skeletal human remains are delivered inside an archaeological research shipment. |
| "I Want to Be Happy with Paul Whiteman and Philco" | ABC Blue (WJZ) 1945-09-02 6:00 PM EWT |
Philco Corporation Philco Radios |
Paul Whiteman Orch. | Philco Radio Hall Unit | ["Music", "Variety", "Big Band", "Radio Hall Of Fame", "Philco"] |
Paul Whiteman conducts his orchestra in joyous post-war swing arrangements featuring the show tune standard I Want to Be Happy. |
| "The Inhuman Element with Dana Andrews as Matt Cvetic" | Ziv Syndication 1953-09-02 |
Sustaining Cold War Drama |
Dana Andrews (Cvetic) | Frederic W. Ziv Staff | ["Drama", "Espionage", "Cold War", "FBI", "Dana Andrews"] |
Undercover operative Matt Cvetic foils a cell plot to infiltrate a municipal water purification plant and blame union leadership. |
| "Hong Kong and the Post-War Asian Restoration with NBC Pacific" | NBC (KFI) 1945-09-02 11:30 PM EWT |
Sustaining Pacific Documentary |
Documentary Cast | Arnold Marquis (Prod) | ["Documentary", "History", "Pacific Story", "Hong Kong", "NBC"] |
A documentary dramatization explores the liberation of Hong Kong and the political challenges facing British colonial rule across Southeast Asia. |
| "NBC Japanese Surrender Broadcast Recap with Merrill Mueller" | NBC (WEAF) 1945-09-02 |
Sustaining Historic Recap |
Merrill Mueller (Anchor) | Webley Edwards & Bell | ["News", "History", "WWII", "Surrender", "NBC"] |
NBC newsmen provide eyewitness commentary and recap the historic surrender ceremonies conducted aboard the USS Missouri. |