On This Day, September 5: Counterspy and FDR
Also featured: Seeing Ear Theater.
September 5 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 5 across two thrilling espionage investigations on Counterspy starring Don MacLaughlin (1945, 1948 for Pepsi-Cola), President Franklin D. Roosevelt's historic Labor Day address at Denton, Maryland (1938), Brian Dennehy starring in The Great Work on Seeing Ear Theater (2000), British diamond heist investigation on The Detective Galbraith Mysteries (1975), and biting satire on Radio Active (1987), Franklin D. Roosevelt (1938), Don MacLaughlin (1945, 1948), and Brian Dennehy (2000):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Case of the Ham Actor with Don MacLaughlin" | Blue Network (WJZ) 1945-09-05 8:30 PM EWT |
Sustaining Counter-Espionage |
Don MacLaughlin & Kramer | Phillips H. Lord (Creator) | ["Espionage", "Drama", "Counterspy", "Don MacLaughlin", "Phillips H Lord"] |
United States Counterspies David Harding and Harry Peters expose an espionage ring using an egotistical Broadway actor to smuggle microfilms. |
| "The Case of the Sincere Scientist with Don MacLaughlin" | ABC (WJZ) 1948-09-05 5:30 PM EDT |
Pepsi-Cola Company Pepsi-Cola Bottlers |
Don MacLaughlin & Kramer | Phillips H. Lord (Creator) | ["Espionage", "Drama", "Counterspy", "Don MacLaughlin", "Pepsi-Cola"] |
David Harding protects a naive rocket propulsion physicist targeted by foreign agents attempting to blackmail his overseas relatives. |
| "Labor Day Address at Denton, Maryland" | NBC / CBS / Mutual 1938-09-05 2:30 PM EDST |
Sustaining Presidential Speech |
Franklin D. Roosevelt | White House Press Office | ["Speech", "History", "Franklin D Roosevelt", "Fireside Chat", "Labor Day"] |
President Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses a Labor Day audience in Denton, Maryland, defending New Deal labor standards and fair wages. |
| "The Great Work with Brian Dennehy" | SciFi.com Audio Drama 2000-09-05 |
Sustaining Modern Audio Drama |
Brian Dennehy & Cast | Seeing Ear Repertory | ["Sci-Fi", "Drama", "Seeing Ear Theater", "Brian Dennehy", "Audio Drama"] |
An obsessed medieval alchemist constructs an elaborate mechanical automaton that unexpectedly achieves sentience. |
| "The 7 Million Pound Touch with Bernard Brown" | BBC Radio 4 1975-09-05 |
Sustaining British Detective Drama |
Bernard Brown & Cast | Bill Morrison (Writer) | ["Detective", "Mystery", "Detective Galbraith", "Bernard Brown", "BBC"] |
Inspector Galbraith pursues a trail of forged transit certificates across European diamond exchanges following a seven-million-pound vault theft. |
| "The Radio Radio Programme with Angus Deayton" | BBC Radio 4 1987-09-05 |
Sustaining British Satirical Comedy |
Deayton & Perkins | Geoffrey Perkins (Writer) | ["Comedy", "Satire", "Radio Active", "Angus Deayton", "BBC"] |
The Radio Active comedy team parodies British local commercial radio with absurd call-in shows and satirical advertising jingles. |