On This Day, September 4: Radio City Playhouse and Night Editor
Also featured: Morton Downey.
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 Harry Bartell starring in Harry W. Junkin's airborne bomb suspense thriller Night Flight to Madrid on Radio City Playhouse, Hal Burdick narrating newspaper city-room human-interest drama on Night Editor for Edwards Coffee, Irish tenor Morton Downey crooning on The Coke Club for Coca-Cola, classic Australian transcriptions of Alonzo Deen Cole's supernatural horror The Witch's Tale on 3DB Melbourne, Chuck Schaden's extended biographical interview on The Mel Blanc Show, and CBS schedule pre-emption logs for Our Miss Brooks, Harry Bartell (1949), Hal Burdick (1938), Morton Downey (1946), Alonzo Deen Cole (1933), and Mel Blanc (1933–1988):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Night Flight to Madrid with Harry Bartell" | NBC (WNBC) 1949-09-04 5:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Dramatic Anthology |
Harry Bartell (Star) | Harry W. Junkin (Dir.) | ["Drama", "Anthology", "Radio City Playhouse", "Harry Bartell", "NBC"] |
A desperate diplomatic courier aboard a midnight transatlantic flight discovers one of the passengers has smuggled a ticking time bomb aboard. |
| "The Story of the Forgotten Will with Hal Burdick" | CBS Pacific (KNX) 1938-09-04 8:45 PM PST |
Dwight Edwards Co. Edwards Coffee |
Hal Burdick (Narr.) | CBS Pacific Staff | ["Drama", "Anthology", "Night Editor", "Hal Burdick", "Edwards Coffee"] |
The Night Editor recounts a dramatic newsroom chronicle about an impoverished young widow who uncovers a handwritten estate will hidden inside a family Bible. |
| "My O'Darlin' My O'Lovely with Morton Downey" | Mutual (WOR) 1946-09-04 12:15 PM EDT |
The Coca-Cola Co. Coca-Cola |
Morton Downey & Ray | Jimmy Lytell & Orch. | ["Music", "Vocal", "The Coke Club", "Morton Downey", "Coca-Cola"] |
Tenor Morton Downey croons romantic Irish-American melodies and pop favorites including My O'Darlin' My O'Lovely for daytime listeners. |
| "The Old Littleton House with Alonzo Deen Cole" | 3DB Melbourne 1933-09-04 |
Sustaining Supernatural Horror |
Adelaide Fitz-Allen | Alonzo Deen Cole | ["Horror", "Supernatural", "The Witch's Tale", "Alonzo Deen Cole", "3DB"] |
Old Nancy and Satan the cat introduce a chilling tale of two greedy cousins who spend a stormy night inside a haunted colonial estate seeking buried treasure. |
| "The Life and Voices of Mel Blanc with Chuck Schaden" | WBBM Chicago 1988-09-04 |
Sustaining Radio History Interview |
Mel Blanc & Schaden | Chuck Schaden (Host) | ["Interview", "History", "Mel Blanc Show", "Mel Blanc", "Chuck Schaden"] |
Mel Blanc discusses his legendary voice characterizations, his wartime comedy routines, and the creation of his 1946 CBS sitcom on Chuck Schaden's radio showcase. |
| "Pre-empted for Special Broadcast on CBS" | CBS (KNX) 1949-09-04 6:30 PM EDT |
Colgate-Palmolive Lustre-Creme Shampoo |
CBS Announcers | CBS Production Staff | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Our Miss Brooks", "Eve Arden", "CBS"] |
The regularly scheduled broadcast of Our Miss Brooks is pre-empted by CBS for a live special national public affairs address. |