On This Day, September 2: Pat O'Brien and Family Theater
Also featured: Will Rogers Jr..
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 inspiring moral anthologies, small-town newspaper comedy-dramas, syndicated popular science lectures, and debonair private investigator mysteries, Pat O'Brien, William Bendix, and Ruth Hussey on Family Theater (1948, 1953), Will Rogers Jr. and Georgia Ellis in Rogers of the Gazette (1953), Dr. Phillips Thomas on Adventures in Research for Westinghouse (1947, 1952), and Vincent Price as The Saint (1947–1953):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Once on a Golden Afternoon with Ruth Hussey" | Mutual (WOR) 1948-09-02 10:00 PM EDT |
Sustaining Family Rosary Crusade |
Ruth Hussey (Hostess) | Arthur Shields & Tuttle | ["Drama", "Anthology", "Family Theater", "Ruth Hussey", "Mutual"] |
A devoted English schoolteacher inspires young minds through storytelling and discovers lasting personal purpose in an idyllic village. |
| "Testimonial with Pat O'Brien and William Bendix" | Mutual (WOR) 1953-09-02 9:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Family Rosary Crusade |
Pat O'Brien, Bendix | Father Patrick Peyton | ["Drama", "Anthology", "Family Theater", "Pat OBrien", "Mutual"] |
A modest veteran factory foreman reflects on thirty years of community service and quiet integrity when honored at a town testimonial dinner. |
| "The Bessie Richards Story with Will Rogers Jr." | CBS (KNX) 1953-09-02 8:30 PM EDT |
Sustaining Small-Town Comedy |
Will Rogers Jr. (Tom) | Georgia Ellis & Del Valle | ["Comedy", "Drama", "Rogers Of The Gazette", "Will Rogers Jr", "CBS"] |
Small-town newspaper editor Tom Rogers defends a reclusive local seamstress falsely accused of stealing valuable heirloom jewelry. |
| "The Impractical Poet with Dr. Phillips Thomas" | Syndication (KDKA) 1947-09-02 |
Westinghouse Electric Corporation |
Dr. Phillips Thomas | Paul Shannon (Anncr) | ["Science", "Education", "Adventures In Research", "Westinghouse", "Syndicated"] |
The host explores the scientific innovations of early natural philosophers whose poetic theories anticipated modern electromagnetism. |
| "The Story of Cement with Dr. Phillips Thomas" | Syndication (KDKA) 1952-09-02 |
Westinghouse Electric Corporation |
Dr. Phillips Thomas | Paul Shannon (Anncr) | ["Science", "Education", "Adventures In Research", "Westinghouse", "Syndicated"] |
Dr. Phillips Thomas explains the historical development of hydraulic cement from Roman volcanic ash mortar to modern Portland cement. |
| "The Fishing Boat Case with Vincent Price as The Saint" | NBC (KFI) 1951-09-02 7:30 PM EDT |
Emerson Drug Co. Bromo-Seltzer |
Vincent Price (Simon) | Leslie Charteris (Author) | ["Detective", "Mystery", "The Saint", "Vincent Price", "Bromo Seltzer"] |
Simon Templar investigates the midnight sabotage of a commercial tuna clipper involved in an international diamond smuggling racket. |