On This Day, September 2: The Shadow and Orson Welles
Also featured: The Navy Lark.
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 iconic cloaked superhero crime mysteries, monumental historical drama pageants, beloved British naval comedy, heartwarming small-town New England slice-of-life drama, silent cinema retrospective interviews, and supernatural mystery vignettes, Bret Morrison as The Shadow for 'blue coal' (1951), Burgess Meredith and Orson Welles in the 60-minute season finale of CBS's Forecast (1940), The Navy Lark on BBC Radio 4 (1973), Scattergood Baines for Wrigley's (1949), Little Old Hollywood (1940), and Strange (1940–1973):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Deadly Design with Bret Morrison, Gertrude Warner, and Blue Coal" | Mutual (WOR) 1951-09-02 5:00 PM EDT |
D.L.&W. Coal Co. 'blue coal' Heating |
Bret Morrison (Shadow) | Gertrude Warner (Margot) | ["Superhero", "Mystery", "The Shadow", "Bret Morrison", "Blue Coal"] |
Lamont Cranston uses his power to cloud men's minds to stop an extortionist executing textile executives with booby-trapped fashion patterns. |
| "The Birth of a Nation with Burgess Meredith and Orson Welles (Finale)" | CBS (WABC) 1940-09-02 9:00 PM EDST |
Sustaining Dramatic Pageant |
Burgess Meredith, Welles | Bernard Herrmann Orch. | ["Drama", "History", "Anthology", "Forecast", "Orson Welles"] |
A grand historical radio pageant dramatizes the turbulent founding of the United States through revolutionary battles and constitutional debates. |
| "Bombed by the Raffia (Egbert Hitches a Ride) with Stephen Murray" | BBC Radio 4 1973-09-02 1:30 PM BST |
Sustaining British Naval Comedy |
Stephen Murray, Phillips | Jon Pertwee & Alastair Scott | ["Comedy", "British", "Military", "The Navy Lark", "BBC Radio 4"] |
The bumbling crew of HMS Troutbridge inadvertently launches an airborne cargo mixup involving a stubborn livestock mascot. |
| "Scattergood vs. Charity with Wendell Holmes and Wrigley's Gum" | Mutual (WOR) 1949-09-02 5:45 PM EDT |
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. Spearmint Gum |
Wendell Holmes (Scattergood) | Clarence Budington Kelland | ["Comedy", "Drama", "Scattergood Baines", "Wendell Holmes", "Wrigley"] |
Coldriver hardware merchant Scattergood Baines outwits an officious charity organizer trying to humiliate impoverished town residents. |
| "Reminiscing with Hollywood Pioneers on NBC Blue with Ben Alexander" | NBC Blue (KECA) 1940-09-02 8:30 PM EDST |
Sustaining Cinema Retrospective |
Ben Alexander (Host) | NBC Hollywood Staff | ["Interview", "History", "Cinema", "Little Old Hollywood", "Ben Alexander"] |
Ben Alexander interviews silent motion picture pioneers sharing colorful behind-the-scenes memories of early cinema production. |
| "The Phantasm of the Moors with Dramatic Cast and Syndication" | Syndication 1955-09-02 |
Sustaining Supernatural Anthology |
Dramatic Voice Cast | Walter B. Gibson (Writer) | ["Horror", "Mystery", "Strange", "Walter B Gibson", "Syndicated"] |
A skeptical archaeologist unearths a cursed Celtic burial mound and witnesses an apparitional warrior pursuing trespassers across the moors. |