On This Day, September 19: Gunsmoke and Nightbeat
Also featured: Mr and Mrs North, Sherlock Holmes, Fibber McGee (100% Live).
September 19 Update & Historical Discoveries
This report durably records the historical discoveries, technical anomalies, verified cast roles, commercial integrity audits, and contemporary newspaper radio logs for all 198 old-time radio broadcasts transmitted on September 19.
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis & Discovered Historical Insights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "There Was Never a Horse" | CBS Radio Network 1959-09-19 6:30 PM EST |
L&M Filter Cigarettes Liggett & Myers |
William Conrad (Matt Dillon) Parley Baer (Chester) Howard McNear (Doc) Georgia Ellis (Kitty) |
Norman Macdonnell (Producer / Director) John Meston (Writer) Rex Koury (Music) |
["Western", "Drama"] |
Synopsis: Marshal Matt Dillon faces a reckless young drifter determined to build a lethal western reputation by provoking the lawman into a fatal gunfight. Background: Exceptional late-era adult western scripting from John Meston exploring the psychological burden of frontier gunfighter notoriety. |
| "The Ted Carter Murder Case" | NBC Radio Network 1950-09-19 10:00 PM EST |
Pabst Blue Ribbon & Sustaining | Edmund O'Brien (Randy Stone) Virginia Gregg Parley Baer Larry Dobkin |
Warren Lewis (Director) Larry Marcus (Writer) Rex Koury (Music) |
["Mystery", "Detective", "Drama"] |
Synopsis: News reporter Randy Stone combs metropolitan alleys and backroom gyms to uncover why an honest prizefight trainer was executed in cold blood. Background: Authentic hard-boiled newspaper noir atmospheric sound design capturing late-night urban Chicago prizefighting syndicates. |
| "Operation Murder" | CBS Radio Network 1953-09-19 8:30 PM EST |
Colgate-Palmolive Halo Shampoo & Shave Cream |
Joseph Curtin (Jerry North) Alice Frost (Pamela North) Art Ballinger (Announcer) |
John W. Loveton (Producer / Director) Ken Pettus (Writer) Del Castillo (Music) |
["Mystery", "Comedy"] |
Synopsis: Pam and Jerry North investigate the sinister poisoning of a wealthy surgical patient while visiting a friend in a prominent Manhattan hospital ward. Background: Sophisticated Greenwich Village detective comedy created by Richard and Frances Lockridge, skillfully balancing witty marital repartée with authentic forensic murder clues. |
| "The Spies from Planet X" | ABC Radio Network 1953-09-19 10:30 AM EST |
Ralston Purina Wheat Chex / Rice Chex |
Ed Kemmer (Buzz Corry) Lyn Osborn (Cadet Happy) Ken Mayer (Major Robertson) |
Larry Robertson (Director) Lou Huston (Writer) |
["Science Fiction", "Adventure"] |
Synopsis: Commander Buzz Corry and Cadet Happy thwart clandestine alien operatives attempting to sabotage the central navigation towers of Terra City. Background: Live juvenile sci-fi classic originating from ABC Hollywood with signature sound effects created via experimental audio oscillators and high-frequency filtering. |
| "Starring Hawkshaw Hawkins" | WSM Nashville / NBC Monitor 1959-09-19 9:30 PM CST |
R.J. Reynolds Camel Cigarettes / Prince Albert |
Hawkshaw Hawkins The Jordanaires Opry Square Dancers |
WSM Production Staff Grant Turner (Announcer) |
["Country", "Music", "Live"] |
Synopsis: Country music star Hawkshaw Hawkins headlines the historic Ryman Auditorium stage with traditional bluegrass and honky-tonk western favorites. Background: Monumental 1,041st live Saturday night broadcast from the "Mother Church of Country Music", transmitted nationwide via NBC Monitor and overseas via Armed Forces Radio. |
| "Tenth Season Begins: A Marine Borrows a Family" | CBS Radio Network 1950-09-19 8:00 PM PST |
Brown & Williamson Raleigh Cigarettes |
Art Linkletter (Host) Rod O'Connor (Announcer) Studio Audience Contestants |
John Guedel (Producer) Jack Lacoff (Director) |
["Comedy", "Audience Participation"] |
Synopsis: Host Art Linkletter kicks off a new season by challenging a young Marine contestant to go into town and spontaneously borrow an entire family. Background: Landmark 10th anniversary season launch of John Guedel and Art Linkletter's chaotic stunt show, demonstrating masterclass crowd management and spontaneous human psychology. |
| "Fire on the Trail" | ABC Radio Network 1947-09-19 5:00 PM EST |
Quaker Oats Company Puffed Wheat & Puffed Rice |
Paul Sutton (Sgt. Preston) Yukon King (Lead Dog) Jay Michael (Announcer) |
George W. Trendle (Creator) Tom Dougall (Writer) |
["Western", "Adventure", "Juvenile"] |
Synopsis: Sergeant Preston and his courageous husky Yukon King battle sub-zero blizzards and treacherous trail fires to apprehend ruthless northern timber thieves. Background: Iconic juvenile northern adventure recorded at WXYZ Detroit with vivid foley artistry portraying dogsled travel and howling Arctic squalls. |
| "The Kiddy Story Story" | Mutual Broadcasting System 1951-09-19 9:30 PM EST |
Family Rosary Crusade Public Service Sustaining |
Jeff Chandler Jane Wyatt Gail Storm Don Ameche (Host) |
David Young (Director / Writer) Father Patrick Peyton (Executive Producer) |
["Comedy", "Drama"] |
Synopsis: Jeff Chandler and Jane Wyatt star in a playful domestic comedy about ambitious parents attempting to craft original bedtime children stories. Background: Rare comedic turn for dramatic leading man Jeff Chandler on Father Peyton's star-studded Hollywood moral anthology series. |
| "The Black Guardsman of Braddock Castle" | Mutual Broadcasting System 1948-09-19 7:00 PM EST |
Clipper Craft Clothes Men's Tailored Suits |
John Stanley (Sherlock Holmes) Alfred Shirley (Dr. Watson) Cy Harrice (Announcer) |
Edith Meiser (Writer) Basil Loughrane (Director) |
["Mystery", "Detective"] |
Synopsis: John Stanley and Alfred Shirley star as Holmes and Watson investigating supernatural sightings and an ancestral murder curse at Braddock Castle. Background: Peak Clipper Craft era production with John Stanley delivering a cerebral Holmes solving a spectral phantom manifestation at a brooding Scottish estate. |
| "From Camp Borden, Canada" | NBC Red Network 1944-09-19 10:00 PM EWT |
Pepsodent Toothpaste Lever Brothers |
Bob Hope (Host) Frances Langford Jerry Colonna Skinnay Ennis |
Bob Hope Productions | ["Comedy", "Variety", "Armed Forces"] |
Synopsis: Bob Hope broadcasts live from Canadian military base Camp Borden, delivering rapid-fire topical gags to allied troops and singing with Frances Langford. Background: Exceptional cross-border wartime tour broadcast highlighting Bob Hope's tireless troop entertainment across Royal Canadian Air Force and Army installations. |
| "Boy With a Dream" | WMAQ Chicago 1948-09-19 11:30 AM CST |
Chicago Defender & WMAQ Public Service | Hugh Downs (Announcer) Fred Pinkard (Ralph Bunche) WMAQ Dramatic Cast |
Richard Durham (Writer / Creator) | ["Drama", "Historical", "Biography", "Civil Rights"] |
Synopsis: Richard Durham dramatizes the inspiring youth and scholarly rise of future United Nations diplomat and Nobel Peace laureate Ralph Bunche. Background: Monumental WMAQ public affairs drama written by pioneering African American scriptwriter Richard Durham, broadcast just as Bunche was serving as UN chief mediator in Palestine. |
| "Your Three Minutes Are Up" | NBC Radio Network 1955-09-19 10:00 PM EST |
Pet Evaporated Milk | Jim Jordan (Fibber McGee) Marian Jordan (Molly) Arthur Q. Bryan (Doc Gamble) |
Max Hutto (Director) Phil Leslie & Ralph Goodman (Writers) |
["Comedy", "Sitcom"] |
Synopsis: Fibber McGee scrambles to conclude a frantic long-distance telephone conversation before the operator disconnects him for exceeding toll limits. Background: Fast-paced quarter-hour format highlighting Jim Jordan's comedic timing dealing with post-war telephone operator toll switchboards. |