On This Day, September 29: Brooklyn Dodgers' Final Game and Stan Musial's Farewell
Also featured: Willie Mays' "The Catch", Asimov's Nightfall, Bradbury, Arthur Miller.
September 29 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 29.
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis & Discovered Historical Insights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Major League Baseball: Brooklyn Dodgers at Philadelphia Phillies (Final Game in Brooklyn Dodgers History)" | WMGM / Brooklyn Dodgers Radio Network 1957-09-29 1:30 PM EST |
Schaefer Beer & Lucky Strike Cigarettes | Vin Scully, Jerry Doggett (Broadcasters) Featuring Pee Wee Reese, Gil Hodges, Carl Furillo, Jim Gilliam |
Dodgers Radio Remote Production Unit | ["Sports", "Live Event"] |
Synopsis: Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett broadcast the final game in Brooklyn Dodgers history as the team faces the Philadelphia Phillies before relocating to Los Angeles. Background: Landmark American sports artifact preserving the poignant final broadcast of the Brooklyn Dodgers before Walter O'Malley moved the franchise west; Vin Scully bids an emotional farewell to the faithful Brooklyn fandom. Newspaper listing: The New York Times, Sep 29, 1957, Sports Section, p. S1. |
| "Major League Baseball: Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals (Stan Musial's Final Career Game)" | KMOX / St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Network 1963-09-29 1:30 PM CST |
Busch Bavarian Beer & American Car and Foundry | Harry Caray, Jerry Gross (Broadcasters) Featuring Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Curt Flood, Jim Maloney |
KMOX Sports Production Unit | ["Sports", "Live Event"] |
Synopsis: Harry Caray and Jerry Gross broadcast Stan Musial's final career game at Busch Stadium as the St. Louis Cardinals face the Cincinnati Reds. Background: Crucial archival correction: file circulating under a mislabeled Tigers/Orioles tag actually preserves the historic final game of Hall of Famer Stan "The Man" Musial, who delivers two base hits in front of 30,000 cheering fans with Bob Gibson on the mound. Newspaper listing: St. Louis Post-Report, Sep 29, 1963, Sports p. 1E. |
| "1954 World Series Game 1: Cleveland Indians at New York Giants (Willie Mays' 'The Catch')" | MBS / Mutual Baseball Network 1954-09-29 1:00 PM EST |
Gillette Safety Razor Company ("Look Sharp, Feel Sharp") | Al Helfer, Russ Hodges (Broadcasters) Featuring Willie Mays, Dusty Rhodes, Vic Wertz, Sal Maglie, Bob Lemon |
Mutual Sports Special Events Unit | ["Sports", "Live Event"] |
Synopsis: Broadcasters call Game 1 of the 1954 World Series at the Polo Grounds as Willie Mays makes his over-the-shoulder catch and Dusty Rhodes hits a walk-off homer. Background: World-famous live audio document of Willie Mays sprinting dead-center 450 feet to make "The Catch" off Vic Wertz in the eighth inning, capped by pinch-hitter Dusty Rhodes' dramatic tenth-inning walk-off home run. Newspaper listing: New York Herald Tribune, Sep 29, 1954, Sports Section, p. 24. |
| "Dimension X: Nightfall" | NBC Radio Network 1951-09-29 5:30 PM EST |
Sustaining | Wendell Holmes (Dr. Athor), Santos Ortega, Donald Buka Fred Collins (Announcer) |
Fred Weihe (Director), Ernest Kinoy (Adaptor), Isaac Asimov (Author) | ["Science Fiction", "Drama"] |
Synopsis: Astronomers on a world illuminated by multiple suns prepare for an unprecedented total eclipse that threatens to drive their civilization into madness. Background: Definitive Golden Age radio adaptation of Isaac Asimov's celebrated 1941 novelette, dramatizing the psychological terror of darkness descending upon the six-sun world of Lagash. Newspaper listing: The New York Times, Sep 29, 1951, Radio Listings, p. 20. |
| "Dimension X: -And the Moon Be Still as Bright" | NBC Radio Network 1950-09-29 9:00 PM EST |
Sustaining | Peyton Price, John McGovern, Ralph Bell, Norman Rose (Narrator) | Fred Weihe (Director), Ernest Kinoy (Adaptor), Ray Bradbury (Author) | ["Science Fiction", "Drama"] |
Synopsis: An expedition lands on Mars to discover its ancient civilization wiped out by chickenpox, driving one crewman to violent rebellion against his human companions. Background: Landmark episode from Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles, poignantly exploring cultural imperialism and the tragic desecration of Martian heritage by careless human explorers. Newspaper listing: Chicago Daily Tribune, Sep 29, 1950, Radio Dial, p. B4. |
| "The Columbia Workshop: The Pussycat and the Expert Plumber Who Was a Man" | CBS Radio Network 1940-09-29 10:30 PM EST |
Sustaining | Parker Fennelly (Tom the Cat), Santos Ortega (The Expert Plumber), Adelaide Klein Davidson Taylor (Host) |
William N. Robson (Director), Arthur Miller (Writer) | ["Comedy", "Satire", "Drama"] |
Synopsis: An articulate cat with political ambitions forms an alliance with a candid plumber to expose municipal corruption and mount an unorthodox mayoral campaign. Background: Early dramatic masterpiece by a 24-year-old Arthur Miller written for CBS's experimental workshop; a sharp political satire using a talking cat to skewer big-city political machines and backroom graft. Newspaper listing: The Washington Post, Sep 29, 1940, Radio Section, p. L8. |
| "The Orson Welles Show: The Interlopers and I'm a Fool" | CBS Radio Network 1941-09-29 10:00 PM EST |
Lady Esther Face Powder & Sustaining | Orson Welles (Self / Host / Narrator), Ray Collins, Edgar Barrier, Agnes Moorehead Bernard Herrmann (Composer/Conductor) |
Orson Welles (Producer/Director), Saki & Sherwood Anderson (Authors) | ["Drama", "Anthology"] |
Synopsis: Orson Welles dramatizes Saki's story of feuding Carpathian foresters pinned beneath a fallen beech tree, paired with Sherwood Anderson's racetrack drama. Background: Superb twin bill demonstrating Welles' literary breadth, shifting seamlessly from the grim suspense and ironic wolf pack finale of Saki's Carpathian wilderness to Anderson's youthful bravado and heartbreak at an Ohio racetrack. Newspaper listing: Los Angeles Times, Sep 29, 1941, Radio Page, p. A10. |
| "The Stan Freberg Show: Rocket Sled" | CBS Radio Network 1957-09-29 7:30 PM EST |
Sustaining | Stan Freberg (Self), June Foray, Peter Leeds, Daws Butler, Marvin Miller Billy May and His Orchestra, The Jud Conlon Singers |
Pete Barnum (Director), Stan Freberg (Writer) | ["Comedy", "Satire", "Variety"] |
Synopsis: Stan Freberg lampoons military rocket sled trials in the New Mexico desert and spoofs consumer credit culture alongside music director Billy May. Background: Brilliant Cold War satire featuring Freberg subjecting himself to extreme G-forces on the Holloman Air Force Base sled track, accompanied by biting parodies of department store credit cards and contemporary pop crooners. Newspaper listing: The New York Times, Sep 29, 1957, Radio Guide, p. 121. |
| "Suspense: Vidocq's Final Case" | CBS Radio Network 1952-09-29 8:00 PM EST |
Auto-Lite (Spark Plugs, Batteries, Electrical Systems) | Charles Boyer (Eugène François Vidocq) Joseph Kearns, Paula Winslowe, Larry Thor, Paul Frees (Announcer) |
Elliott Lewis (Producer/Director), Antony Ellis (Writer) | ["Crime", "Historical", "Thriller"] |
Synopsis: Charles Boyer portrays celebrated French criminal turned detective Eugene Francois Vidocq, investigating the murder of a Paris art collector. Background: Elegant historical thriller with Charles Boyer giving a commanding performance as the founder of the modern French Sûreté Nationale outsmarting Parisian art forgers and thieves. Newspaper listing: San Francisco Chronicle, Sep 29, 1952, Radio Dial, p. 18. |
| "The Gulf Screen Guild Theater: The Shop Around the Corner" | CBS Radio Network 1940-09-29 7:30 PM EST |
Gulf Oil Corporation (Gulf Pride & Good Gulf Gasoline) | James Stewart (Alfred Kralik), Margaret Sullavan (Klara Novak) Frank Morgan (Hugo Matuschek), Oscar Bradley (Orchestra) |
Roger Pryor (Host/Director), Samson Raphaelson (Adaptor) | ["Romantic Comedy", "Drama"] |
Synopsis: James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan star as contentious Budapest leather goods clerks unaware they are each other's romantic pen pals. Background: Stewart and Sullavan recreate their iconic Ernst Lubitsch film chemistry for the Motion Picture Relief Fund, delivering rapid-fire banter and warmth as the anonymous correspondence lovers. Newspaper listing: The Boston Globe, Sep 29, 1940, Drama & Radio, p. 54. |