On This Day, September 4: Cavalcade of America and Dinah Shore
Also featured: Rube Goldberg.
September 4 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 4 across DuPont's prestigious historical dramatizations on Cavalcade of America starring Robert Montgomery (1944) and Karl Swenson portraying William Penn (1951), cartoonist Rube Goldberg joining the panel on Twenty Questions for Ronson, Mercedes McCambridge exposing police corruption on Defense Attorney, Dinah Shore singing wartime sweethearts' ballads with Gordon Jenkins, and choral anthems on The Lyn Murray Show, Robert Montgomery & Karl Swenson (1944, 1951), Rube Goldberg (1948), Mercedes McCambridge (1952), and Dinah Shore (1942–1952):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "What Makes a Hero with Robert Montgomery" | NBC (WEAF) 1944-09-04 8:00 PM EWT |
E.I. du Pont de Nemours Better Things for Living |
Robert Montgomery (Star) | Donald Voorhees and Orch. | ["History", "Drama", "Cavalcade of America", "Robert Montgomery", "DuPont"] |
A stirring Labor Day historical drama examining the quiet everyday courage of merchant sailors and factory workers who sustain frontline soldiers. |
| "Towards a New World (William Penn) with Karl Swenson" | NBC (WNBC) 1951-09-04 8:00 PM EDT |
E.I. du Pont de Nemours DuPont Products |
Karl Swenson (Penn) | Robert Tallman & Voorhees | ["History", "Drama", "Cavalcade of America", "Karl Swenson", "DuPont"] |
The pioneering life of seventeenth-century Quaker statesman William Penn as he establishes democratic liberties and religious freedom in Pennsylvania. |
| "The Case of the Frame-Up with Mercedes McCambridge" | ABC Network 1952-09-04 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Courtroom Drama |
Mercedes McCambridge | Howard Culver & Malone | ["Drama", "Legal", "Defense Attorney", "Mercedes McCambridge", "ABC"] |
Defense lawyer Martha Ellis Bryan investigates an alleged nightclub brawl homicide and exposes corrupt police payoffs framing an ex-convict. |
| "Guest Cartoonist Rube Goldberg with Bill Slater" | Mutual (WOR) 1948-09-04 8:00 PM EDT |
Ronson Art Metal Ronson Lighters |
Bill Slater & Goldberg | Fred Van Deventer & Rinard | ["Quiz", "Panel", "Twenty Questions", "Rube Goldberg", "Ronson"] |
Legendary Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Rube Goldberg joins the panel to guess animal, vegetable, or mineral mystery subjects within twenty questions. |
| "Who Wouldn't Love You with Gordon Jenkins" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1942-09-04 9:30 PM EWT |
Bristol-Myers Co. Sal Hepatica & Mum |
Dinah Shore (Vocalist) | Gordon Jenkins and Orch. | ["Music", "Vocal", "Dinah Shore", "Gordon Jenkins", "Bristol-Myers"] |
Dinah Shore sings her trademark sweet vocal renditions of Who Wouldn't Love You, Blues in the Night, and romantic ballads for servicemen. |
| "Labor Day Melodies and Choral Harmonies with Lyn Murray" | CBS Radio 1944-09-04 6:15 PM EWT |
Sustaining Choral Showcase |
Lyn Murray and Chorus | CBS Music Department | ["Music", "Choral", "Lyn Murray", "CBS", "Labor Day"] |
Lyn Murray conducts vibrant choral harmonies and orchestral arrangements of American patriotic songs and popular standards for Labor Day. |