On This Day, September 5: Kraft Music Hall and Mystery House
Also featured: Box 13.
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 London cabbie escapades with Sid James on Taxi, three decades of Kraft Music Hall (Paul Whiteman conducting symphonic jazz [1935], Bob Burns bantering with Ida Lupino & Charlie Ruggles [1940], and Bing Crosby serenading [1946]) for Kraft Foods, Bela Lugosi in supernatural radio suspense on Mystery House, and Alan Ladd answering classified danger on Box 13, Paul Whiteman (1935), Bob Burns (1940), and Alan Ladd (1948):
1. Broadcasts
| Title | Network, Airdate & Showtime | Sponsor & Commercial Ads | Credited Cast & Performers | Director, Writers & Crew | Genres | Story Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Steve's Night Shift with Sid James" | BBC Radio 4 1971-09-05 |
Sustaining British Comedy |
Sid James & Spinetti | Ted Willis (Writer) | ["Comedy", "Sitcom", "Taxi", "Sid James", "BBC Radio 4"] |
London cabbie Sid takes on an eccentric late-night passenger whose strange luggage triggers an unexpected police interrogation across Soho. |
| "Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra with Ramona" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1935-09-05 10:00 PM EDST |
Kraft-Phenix Cheese Kraft Mayonnaise |
Whiteman & Ramona | Kraft Production Unit | ["Music", "Variety", "Kraft Music Hall", "Paul Whiteman", "Kraft"] |
Paul Whiteman conducts symphonic jazz arrangements, showcasing piano solos, hot horn riffs, and vocal ballads for Kraft. |
| "Guest Host Bob Burns with Guests Ida Lupino and Charlie Ruggles" | NBC Red (WEAF) 1940-09-05 10:00 PM EDST |
Kraft Cheese Co. Miracle Whip Dressing |
Bob Burns, Lupino & Ruggles | John Scott Trotter Orch. | ["Comedy", "Variety", "Kraft Music Hall", "Bob Burns", "Ida Lupino"] |
Arkansas bazooka virtuoso Bob Burns trades rustic tall tales with actress Ida Lupino and comedian Charlie Ruggles during Bing's summer hiatus. |
| "Bing Crosby and The Music Maids with John Scott Trotter" | NBC (WEAF) 1946-09-05 9:00 PM EDT |
Kraft Foods Co. Velveeta & Parkay |
Crosby & Music Maids | John Scott Trotter Orch. | ["Music", "Variety", "Kraft Music Hall", "Bing Crosby", "Kraft"] |
Bing Crosby serenades listeners with romantic standards, banter with John Scott Trotter, and choral harmonies from the Music Maids. |
| "The Thirteenth Floor with Bela Lugosi" | Syndication 1948-09-05 |
Sustaining Horror Anthology |
Bela Lugosi & McIntire | Harry MacFayden (Dir.) | ["Horror", "Mystery", "Mystery House", "Bela Lugosi", "Syndication"] |
An architect investigating a cursed skyscraper penthouse discovers an elevator button leading to a hidden floor where occult rituals occur. |
| "Blackmail Is Murder with Alan Ladd" | Mutual / Mayfair 1948-09-05 7:00 PM EDT |
Regional Advertisers Syndicated Mystery |
Alan Ladd & Picker | Russell Hughes (Writer) | ["Detective", "Adventure", "Box 13", "Alan Ladd", "Mayfair"] |
Novelist Dan Holiday answers an anonymous classified ad to help an extortion victim and uncovers a murder frame-up within a high-stakes gambling club. |