On This Day, September 5: Ripley's Believe It or Not and Stoopnagle
Also featured: Squad Cars.
September 5 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 5 across Robert L. Ripley's bizarre real-world oddities on Ripley's Believe It or Not for Post's 40% Bran Flakes, satirical invention comedy on Stoopnagle and Budd for Pontiac, West Coast situation comedy on Frank Watanabe and the Honorable Archie, and South African police drama and suspense on Squad Cars and Crisis, Eddie Holden (1934), Colonel Stoopnagle (1934), and Robert L. Ripley (1938):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Odd Curiosities with Robert L. Ripley and B.A. Rolfe Orchestra" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1938-09-05 8:00 PM EDST |
General Foods Corp. Post's 40% Bran Flakes |
Robert Ripley & Rolfe | Ripley Research Staff | ["Docudrama", "Anthology", "Ripleys Believe It or Not", "Robert Ripley", "Posts Bran"] |
Robert Ripley dramatizes global oddities, strange natural phenomena, and unbelievable historical coincidences verified by his research staff. |
| "The Odd Lady with Robert L. Ripley" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1938-09-05 8:00 PM EDST |
General Foods Corp. Post's 40% Bran Flakes |
Robert Ripley & Rolfe | Ripley Research Staff | ["Docudrama", "Anthology", "Ripleys Believe It or Not", "Robert Ripley", "Posts Bran"] |
Robert Ripley profiles an eccentric English recluse who preserved an untouched banquet table for four decades awaiting a long-lost groom. |
| "Game of Chance with Springbok Radio" | Springbok Radio 1974-09-05 |
Sustaining South African Drama |
SABC Dramatic Troupe | Colin Fish (Director) | ["Drama", "Suspense", "Crisis", "Springbok Radio", "SABC"] |
A desperate gambler facing mounting debt agrees to participate in an illicit high-stakes game that quickly turns into a deadly trap. |
| "The House Painting Scheme with Eddie Holden and Reginald Sharland" | KNX Los Angeles 1934-09-05 7:15 PM PST |
Sustaining West Coast Comedy |
Holden & Sharland | KNX Production Staff | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Frank Watanabe", "Eddie Holden", "KNX"] |
Archie convinces houseboy Frank to paint their suburban cottage with leftover commercial billboard paint, resulting in vibrant neighborhood complaints. |
| "Inventing the Patent Spoon with Colonel Stoopnagle and Budd" | CBS (WABC) 1934-09-05 9:30 PM EDST |
General Motors Corp. Pontiac Motor Cars |
Taylor, Hulick & Arden | Victor Arden Orchestra | ["Comedy", "Satire", "Stoopnagle and Budd", "Colonel Stoopnagle", "Pontiac"] |
Colonel Stoopnagle and Budd demonstrate nonsensical novelty gadgets and inverted consumer inventions to exasperated studio executives. |
| "The Durban Cafe Robbery with South African Police" | Springbok Radio 1969-09-05 8:30 PM |
General Motors SA Chevrolet & Opel |
South African Cast | Colin Fish (Creator) | ["Police Procedural", "Crime", "Squad Cars", "Springbok Radio", "SABC"] |
Durban flying squad patrol officers pursue an armed getaway sedan after a violent midnight payroll hold-up at a waterfront restaurant. |