On This Day, September 2: Fibber McGee and Molly
Also featured: Twenty Questions, Land of the Lost.
September 2 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 2 across classic Wistful Vista situation comedy, radio parlor mystery game shows, whimsical juvenile underwater fantasies, and New England regional folkloric chronicles, Jim and Marian Jordan in three vintage broadcasts of Fibber McGee and Molly for Johnson's Wax, Prudential, and NBC (1935, 1954, 1955), Robert Alda on Twenty Questions (1950), The Land of the Lost (1944), and Yankee Yarns (1935–1955):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Visiting the State Fair with Jim and Marian Jordan" | NBC Red (WMAQ) 1935-09-02 8:00 PM EDST |
S.C. Johnson & Son Johnson's Floor Wax |
Jim Jordan, Marian Jordan | Don Quinn (Writer) | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Fibber McGee", "Johnsons Wax", "NBC"] |
Fibber and Molly visit the county fairgrounds where Fibber enters a prized homemade squash in the agricultural exhibition. |
| "Fibber Repairs the Radio with Jim and Marian Jordan" | NBC (WNBC) 1954-09-02 10:00 PM EDT |
Prudential Insurance Life Insurance Plans |
Jim Jordan, Marian Jordan | Phil Leslie (Writer) | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Fibber McGee", "Prudential", "NBC"] |
Fibber dismantles the living room radio receiver with improper tools and causes a domestic electrical short circuit. |
| "Molly's Birthday Surprise with Jim and Marian Jordan" | NBC (WNBC) 1955-09-02 10:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Network Comedy |
Jim Jordan, Marian Jordan | Phil Leslie (Writer) | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Fibber McGee", "Jim Jordan", "NBC"] |
Fibber attempts to plan a clandestine birthday dinner for Molly while misplacing the gift under a pile of hall closet clutter. |
| "Guest Robert Alda with Bill Slater" | Mutual (WOR) 1950-09-02 8:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Parlor Game Show |
Bill Slater (Host) | Robert Alda & Rinard | ["Quiz", "Game Show", "Twenty Questions", "Robert Alda", "Mutual"] |
The panel attempts to identify mystery subjects spanning animal, vegetable, and mineral classifications with Broadway star Robert Alda. |
| "The Tale of the Magic Music Box with Isabel Manning Hewson" | ABC Blue (WJZ) 1944-09-02 11:30 AM EWT |
Sustaining Children's Fantasy |
Isabel Manning Hewson | Art Carney (Red Lantern) | ["Children", "Fantasy", "Land Of The Lost", "Art Carney", "ABC"] |
Billy and Isabel travel to the bottom of the sea where Red Lantern the glowworm helps them find a lost musical clockwork. |
| "Needham and Wellesley Historic Lore with Alton Hall Blackington" | WBZ Boston / NBC 1947-09-02 7:30 PM EDT |
First National Stores New England Grocers |
Alton Hall Blackington | WBZ Production Unit | ["History", "Storytelling", "Yankee Yarns", "New England", "WBZ"] |
Alton Blackington chronicles colonial settlement traditions and nineteenth-century academic development in Needham and Wellesley Massachusetts. |