On This Day, September 4: Abbott and Costello
Also featured: Lum, Abner, Inspector West.
September 4 Update
This report documents the historical provenance, broadcast scheduling, commercial sponsorship, credited cast, production personnel, alternate circulating titles, serial story arcs, and pure narrative synopses for broadcasts transmitting on September 4 across Bud Abbott & Lou Costello bickering over used automobile deals on The Abbott and Costello Show for Chase & Sanborn, three classic Arkansas hill country chronicles on Lum and Abner across Horlick's Malted Milk (1935) and Alka-Seltzer (1941), Patrick Barr investigating London extortion homicides in Part 2 of John Creasey's Inspector West Makes Haste, and chamber poetry on Music and the Muse, Bud Abbott & Lou Costello (1940), Chester Lauck & Norris Goff (1935, 1941), Patrick Barr (1971), and WNYC Ensemble (1935–1971):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Lou Buys a Used Car with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1940-09-04 8:00 PM EDST |
Standard Brands Chase & Sanborn Coffee |
Bud Abbott & Costello | Van Steeden & Sportsmen | ["Comedy", "Variety", "Abbott and Costello", "Bud Abbott", "Lou Costello"] |
Bud Abbott attempts to assist Lou Costello in purchasing a bargain second-hand automobile, resulting in rapid-fire fast-talking sales arguments. |
| "Abner's Fake Kidnapping with Chester Lauck and Norris Goff" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1935-09-04 7:30 PM EDST |
Horlick's Malted Milk Malted Milk Tablets |
Chester Lauck & Goff | Chester Lauck & Goff | ["Comedy", "Rural", "Lum and Abner", "Chester Lauck", "Horlick's"] |
Lum concocts a scheme to stage Abner's fake abduction from the Jot 'Em Down Store to raise money for community welfare funds. |
| "The Ransom Demand (Master Recording) with Norris Goff" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1935-09-04 |
Horlick's Malted Milk Malted Milk Tablets |
Chester Lauck & Goff | Chester Lauck & Goff | ["Comedy", "Rural", "Lum and Abner", "Chester Lauck", "Norris Goff"] |
Lum and Abner draft an exaggerated ransom letter while hiding out in the Pine Ridge hills, worrying that the town constable will discover them. |
| "Anxiously Waiting for Reply with Miles Laboratories" | NBC Blue (WJZ) 1941-09-04 8:15 PM EDST |
Miles Laboratories Alka-Seltzer & One-A-Day |
Chester Lauck & Goff | Chester Lauck & Goff | ["Comedy", "Rural", "Lum and Abner", "Chester Lauck", "Alka-Seltzer"] |
Lum and Abner wait nervously by the Pine Ridge post office for a crucial bank telegram approving their county fair concession loan. |
| "Murder Steps In (Part 2) with Patrick Barr as Inspector West" | BBC Radio 4 1971-09-04 |
Sustaining British Detective Serial |
Patrick Barr (West) | Maurice Travers & Creasey | ["Detective", "Police", "Inspector West", "Patrick Barr", "John Creasey"] |
Chief Inspector Roger West follows a trail of extortion letters to a London photography studio where the prime blackmailer is found dead. |
| "Classical Poetry and Symphony with WNYC Ensemble" | WNYC New York 1949-09-04 |
Sustaining Fine Arts Showcase |
WNYC String Quartet | WNYC Music Department | ["Music", "Poetry", "Music And The Muse", "WNYC", "Classical"] |
Readings of English Romantic verse paired with live chamber string quartet performances of Mozart and Schubert. |