On This Day, September 4: Johnny Mercer and Rocky Jordan
Also featured: Ben-Hur.
September 4 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 4 across Johnny Mercer and Jo Stafford harmonizing on Johnny Mercer's Music Shop for Pepsodent, Jack Moyles facing Egyptian desert perils as Rocky Jordan, Ruth Etting performing torch classics with Rudy Vallee on The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour, Dennis Day causing small-town havoc on A Day in the Life of Dennis Day for Colgate, Virginia Payne outwitting real estate fraudsters on Ma Perkins for Oxydol, and Ronald Colman presenting General Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur on Favorite Story, Johnny Mercer & Jo Stafford (1944), Jack Moyles (1949), Rudy Vallee & Ruth Etting (1930), Dennis Day (1948), Virginia Payne (1950), and Ronald Colman (1930–1950):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "I Don't Want to Know About You with Jo Stafford" | NBC (WEAF) 1944-09-04 8:30 PM EWT |
Pepsodent Company Pepsodent Tooth Powder |
Johnny Mercer & Stafford | Paul Weston & Pipers | ["Music", "Variety", "Johnny Mercer's Music Shop", "Johnny Mercer", "Jo Stafford"] |
Johnny Mercer and Jo Stafford exchange swinging songwriting banter and perform pop duets led by I Don't Want to Know About You. |
| "Stranger to the Desert with Jack Moyles as Rocky Jordan" | CBS (KNX) 1949-09-04 |
Sustaining Near East Detective |
Jack Moyles (Rocky) | Jay Novello & Gerson | ["Detective", "Adventure", "A Man Named Jordan", "Rocky Jordan", "Jack Moyles"] |
Cairo cafe owner Rocky Jordan is pursued into the Egyptian desert after protecting an injured European courier carrying a stolen archeological relic. |
| "Guest Ruth Etting with Rudy Vallee" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1930-09-04 8:00 PM EDST |
Standard Brands Fleischmann's Yeast |
Rudy Vallee & Etting | Connecticut Yankees | ["Music", "Variety", "Rudy Vallee", "Ruth Etting", "Fleischmann's"] |
Rudy Vallee welcomes torch singer Ruth Etting for classic Broadway torch ballads and upbeat early Depression-era dance arrangements. |
| "Dennis Auditions for the Community Opera with Colgate" | NBC (WNBC) 1948-09-04 10:00 PM EDT |
Colgate-Palmolive Colgate Dental Cream |
Dennis Day (Dennis) | Barbara Eiler & Benaderet | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Dennis Day", "Barbara Eiler", "Colgate"] |
Dennis Day causes small-town pandemonium when he tries to secure the tenor lead in the Weaverville amateur community opera production. |
| "Sylvester's Trickery Exposed with Virginia Payne as Ma Perkins" | CBS (WABC) 1950-09-04 1:15 PM EDT |
Procter & Gamble Oxydol Soap Powder |
Virginia Payne (Ma) | Charles Egelston & Forbes | ["Soap Opera", "Drama", "Ma Perkins", "Virginia Payne", "Oxydol"] |
Ma Perkins confronts unscrupulous promoter Sylvester in her Rushville lumber yard office after exposing his fraudulent real estate investment scheme. |
| "Ben-Hur with Ronald Colman" | Syndication / Ziv 1948-09-04 |
General Petroleum Mobilgas & Mobiloil |
Ronald Colman (Host) | Lawrence & Lee (Writers) | ["Drama", "Anthology", "Favorite Story", "Ronald Colman", "Ben-Hur"] |
A Jewish prince falsely accused of treason by his Roman boyhood friend survives galley slavery to seek justice in a legendary chariot race. |