On This Day, September 4: Perry Como and Michael Shayne
Also featured: Squad Cars.
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 Perry Como singing his chart-topping hit Till the End of Time for Chesterfield Cigarettes, Phil Brito and His Orchestra swinging on Spotlight Bands for Coca-Cola, Wally Maher solving bizarre murders on The New Adventures of Michael Shayne, flying squad police pursuits and supernatural archaeological horror on Springbok Radio (Squad Cars and Crisis), and early 1930s West Coast radio comedy on Frank Watanabe and the Honorable Archie, Perry Como (1945), Phil Brito (1946), Wally Maher (1948), Eddie Holden (1934), and Springbok Radio (1934–1975):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Till the End of Time with Perry Como" | Syndication / Liggett 1945-09-04 |
Liggett & Myers Chesterfield Cigarettes |
Perry Como (Vocalist) | Ted Steele & Orch. | ["Music", "Vocal", "Musical Autographs", "Perry Como", "Chesterfield"] |
Perry Como performs romantic ballad autographs and pop standards led by his chart-topping hit Till the End of Time. |
| "My O'Darlin' My O'Lovely with Phil Brito and His Orchestra" | Mutual (WOR) 1946-09-04 9:30 PM EDT |
The Coca-Cola Co. Coca-Cola |
Phil Brito & Orch. | Spotlight Bands Staff | ["Music", "Big Band", "Spotlight Bands", "Phil Brito", "Coca-Cola"] |
Phil Brito and his orchestra entertain military veterans with smooth romantic ballads and upbeat Italian-American swing tunes. |
| "The Case of the Generous Killer with Wally Maher as Michael Shayne" | Mutual (KHJ) 1948-09-04 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Hardboiled Detective |
Wally Maher (Shayne) | Cathy Lewis & Halliday | ["Detective", "Hardboiled", "Michael Shayne", "Wally Maher", "Brett Halliday"] |
Miami private detective Michael Shayne investigates an eccentric philanthropist who is murdered shortly after bequeathing cash gifts to random strangers. |
| "To Face the Music with South African Police" | Springbok Radio 1970-09-04 |
Sustaining Police Procedural |
Colin Fish & Drama Cast | Springbok Police Staff | ["Police", "Procedural", "Squad Cars", "Springbok Radio", "South Africa"] |
Johannesburg flying squad patrol officers pursue an armed fugitive who fled into a crowded downtown concert venue after a payroll robbery. |
| "The Presence with Springbok Radio Drama" | Springbok Radio 1975-09-04 |
Sustaining Supernatural Drama |
Springbok Repertory | Michael Silver (Writer) | ["Horror", "Supernatural", "Crisis", "Springbok Radio", "South Africa"] |
A skeptical archaeologist unearths a sealed burial tomb in the Karoo desert and realizes an invisible supernatural entity has followed him back to his estate. |
| "The Housecleaning Dilemma with Eddie Holden" | KNX Los Angeles 1934-09-04 |
Sustaining Dialect Comedy |
Eddie Holden (Frank) | Reginald Sharland (Archie) | ["Comedy", "Dialect", "Frank Watanabe", "Eddie Holden", "KNX"] |
Houseboy Frank Watanabe and his aristocratic English employer Archie become entangled in misunderstandings while preparing their bungalow for guests. |