On This Day, September 23: US Provenance Filter Enforced and FDR Fala Address
Also featured: Shea Stadium Pennant Race.
September 23 Update & Historical Discoveries
This report durably records the historical discoveries, technical anomalies, verified cast roles, commercial integrity audits, and contemporary newspaper radio logs for old-time radio broadcasts transmitted on September 23.
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis & Discovered Historical Insights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "President Franklin D. Roosevelt: The Fala Speech" | NBC / CBS / ABC / Mutual 1944-09-23 9:30 PM EWT |
Democratic National Committee | President Franklin D. Roosevelt Daniel J. Tobin (Teamsters President) |
White House Radio Staff | ["News", "Speech", "Historical"] |
Synopsis: President Franklin D Roosevelt delivers his famous campaign address to the Teamsters Union in Washington, satirizing partisan attacks on his dog Fala. Background: Delivered at the Hotel Statler in Washington; FDR's comedic rebuttal defending his Scottish terrier Fala against opposition rumors electrified the 1944 campaign. Newspaper listing: The New York Times, Sep 24, 1944, Front Page, p. 1. |
| "New York Mets vs. Saint Louis: Pennant Race at Shea" | WJRZ / Rheingold Mets Network 1969-09-23 8:05 PM EDT |
Rheingold Extra Dry Beer | Bob Murphy, Ralph Kiner Lindsey Nelson, Jim McAndrew, Bob Gibson |
New York Mets Radio Production | ["Sports", "Play-by-Play", "Historical"] |
Synopsis: Jim McAndrew and the New York Mets battle Bob Gibson and Saint Louis at Shea Stadium during the September 1969 pennant drive. Background: Authentic 1969 "Miracle Mets" pennant drive broadcast with Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner; New York downs Bob Gibson as the magic number shrinks toward division clinching. Newspaper listing: New York Daily News, Sep 23, 1969, Sports Section, p. 64. |
| "Personally It's Off the Record: Guest Fats Waller" | WABC New York / CBS 1943-09-23 4:45 PM EWT |
Sustaining (WABC / Columbia) | Thomas 'Fats' Waller (Guest / Piano) Hugh Conover (Host) |
WABC Studio Production | ["Music", "Interview", "Talk"] |
Synopsis: Hugh Conover interviews legendary pianist Fats Waller regarding his Greenwich Village Inn stage show and his role in the film Stormy Weather. Background: Candid wartime studio dialogue with Fats Waller discussing his musical staging in 'The Village Follies' and performing spontaneous stride piano riffs live on air. Newspaper listing: The New York Times, Sep 23, 1943, Radio Listings, p. 34. |
| "Pete Fornatale Debut: 92.3 WXRK New York" | 92.3 WXRK New York (K-Rock) 1989-09-23 8:03 AM EDT |
Commercial Advertisers | Pete Fornatale (Disc Jockey) | WXRK Programming Staff | ["Music", "Historical", "Talk"] |
Synopsis: Disc jockey Pete Fornatale inaugurates his morning program on New York station WXRK with eclectic album rock and personal reflections. Background: Legendary broadcaster Pete Fornatale inaugurates his Saturday acoustic and progressive rock morning show on K-Rock following the disruption of Hurricane Hugo. Newspaper listing: Daily News (New York), Sep 23, 1989, Radio Highlights, p. 28. |
| "The Lone Ranger: The Hoofmarks to Nowhere" | Mutual Broadcasting System / WXYZ 1942-09-23 7:30 PM EWT |
Merita Bread / Bond Bread (General Baking) | Earle Graser / Brace Beemer John Todd (Tonto) |
Charles D. Livingstone (Director) | ["Western", "Drama"] |
Synopsis: The Lone Ranger investigates deceptive hoofprints left by a crooked sheriff seeking to drive homesteaders off their ranch. Background: Cleaver forensic deduction reveals outlaws wearing wooden cleats over boots to forge false cattle tracks across rocky streambeds. Newspaper listing: The Detroit Free Press, Sep 23, 1942, Radio Guide, p. 18. |
| "The Black Museum: The Shopping Bag" | Mutual Broadcasting System 1952-09-23 8:00 PM EST |
Mona Sheehan Cream Shampoo | Orson Welles (Host / Narrator) London Radio Players |
Harry Alan Towers (Producer) | ["Mystery", "Crime", "Drama"] |
Synopsis: Orson Welles details the Scotland Yard investigation of a green canvas shopping bag used in a tragic London suffocation murder. Background: Orson Welles narrates from London on forensic fiber and bleached hair analysis identifying a suspect through an ordinary domestic shopping bag. Newspaper listing: The Washington Post, Sep 23, 1952, Radio Listings, p. B12. |
| "The Eternal Light: The Story of Isaac and Rebecca" | NBC Radio Network 1951-09-23 12:30 PM EST |
Sustaining (JTSA / NBC) | Maurice Samuel (Speaker / Author) Milton Katims (Music) |
Jewish Theological Seminary Staff | ["Talk", "Religious", "Historical"] |
Synopsis: Author Maurice Samuel examines biblical accounts of Isaac and Rebecca in a featured address for The Eternal Light. Background: Maurice Samuel delivers an astute psychological interpretation of patriarch Isaac, exploring filial obedience and maternal strategy ahead of Rosh Hashanah. Newspaper listing: The New York Times, Sep 23, 1951, Radio Section, p. X11. |
| "Glenn Miller Enlists in the Army Air Forces" | CBS Radio Network 1942-09-23 10:00 PM EST |
Chesterfield Cigarettes (Liggett & Myers) | Glenn Miller (Bandleader / Trombone) Tex Beneke, The Modernaires Marion Hutton |
Glenn Miller Orchestra | ["Music", "Big Band", "Historical"] |
Synopsis: A dramatic naval report describes the courageous defense and final moments of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown during the Battle of Midway in the Pacific. Background: Final network broadcasts before Miller disbands his commercial orchestra to enter military service as captain in the Army Air Forces; features Tex Beneke. Newspaper listing: The New York Times, Sep 23, 1942, Radio Listings, p. 38. |
| "CBS News: Chamberlain Meets Hitler at Godesberg" | CBS Radio Network 1938-09-23 6:00 PM EST |
Sustaining (Columbia News Service) | Bob Trout (Anchor) H.V. Kaltenborn (Analyst) |
Paul White (CBS News Director) | ["News", "Historical"] |
Synopsis: Bob Trout reports from London on urgent diplomatic discussions between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler concerning the escalating Sudetenland crisis. Background: Live transatlantic bulletins as Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain holds final three-hour talks with Adolf Hitler over the partition of Czechoslovakia. Newspaper listing: The Washington Post, Sep 23, 1938, Front Page & Radio Directory, p. 1 & p. 14. |
| "CBS News of the World: London Night Blitz & Indochina" | CBS Radio Network 1940-09-23 6:45 PM EST |
Sustaining | Edward R. Murrow (London) William L. Shirer (Berlin) Cecil Brown (Rome) |
Paul White (CBS News Director) | ["News", "Historical"] |
Synopsis: Edward R Murrow from London and William L Shirer from Berlin deliver transatlantic shortwave reports on Axis troop movements and nocturnal blitz raids. Background: Simultaneous three-capital hookup monitoring Japanese troop landings in Tonkin and the new sulfur-yellow parachute flares dropped during London night bombings. Newspaper listing: The New York Times, Sep 23, 1940, Radio Schedule, p. 26. |
| "Orson Welles Almanac: Hollywood Prophecies & Mailbag" | ABC Radio Network 1945-09-23 1:15 PM EST |
Lear Radio (Lear Aviation Inc.) | Orson Welles (Commentator / Host) | Orson Welles (Writer / Director) | ["Commentary", "Talk"] |
Synopsis: Orson Welles offers provocative cultural prophecies, debates Hollywood trends, and answers critical listener mail sponsored by Lear aviation radios. Background: Welles tackles anti-aircraft radio communications, forecasts international cinema developments, and answers a sharp heckling letter from a listener in Weehawken. Newspaper listing: New York Herald Tribune, Sep 23, 1945, Section 4, p. 10. |
| "Doctor Six-Gun: Duel on Yom Kippur" | NBC Radio Network 1954-09-23 8:30 PM EST |
Sustaining (NBC Radio Network) | Karl Weber (Dr. Ray Matson) Bill Griffis (Pablo) Harvey Johnson |
Fred Collins (Announcer) | ["Western", "Drama"] |
Synopsis: Frontier physician Doctor Ray Matson treats an ailing patient and intervenes to prevent a tragic frontier showdown on the Day of Atonement. Background: Exceptional script focusing on religious tolerance in the Old West, as a Jewish gunfighter is forced to choose between sacred Yom Kippur vows and gun battle. Newspaper listing: The New York Times, Sep 23, 1954, Radio Schedule, p. 33. |
| "Screen Guild Theater: Susan and God" | CBS Radio Network 1940-09-23 7:30 PM PST |
Lady Esther Cosmetics | Bette Davis, Walter Pidgeon Pauline Lord, Roger Pryor (Host) |
Lady Esther Guild Staff | ["Drama", "Comedy"] |
Synopsis: Bette Davis and Walter Pidgeon star as an estranged couple reconsidering divorce after a spiritual awakening in Susan and God. Background: Rachel Crothers' stage satire dramatized with Hollywood stars contributing salaries to the Motion Picture Relief Fund. Newspaper listing: Los Angeles Times, Sep 23, 1940, Radio Grid, p. A10. |
| "Lux Radio Theatre: The Westerner" | CBS Radio Network 1940-09-23 9:00 PM EST |
Lux Toilet Soap (Lever Brothers) | Gary Cooper (Cole Hardin) Walter Brennan (Judge Roy Bean) Doris Davenport, Cecil B. DeMille |
Cecil B. DeMille (Producer) | ["Western", "Drama"] |
Synopsis: Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan star in Cecil B DeMille's frontier drama about an accused horse thief confronting Judge Roy Bean. Background: Radio premiere of William Wyler's Western epic; Walter Brennan reprises his Academy Award-winning portrayal of Judge Roy Bean. Newspaper listing: The New York Times, Sep 23, 1940, Radio Schedule, p. 26. |