Cavalcade of America
Cavalcade of America is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented a musical, such as an adaptation of Show Boat, and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953, and later on television from 1952 to 1957. Originally on CBS, the series pioneered the use of anthology drama for company audio advertising. Cavalcade of America documented historical events using stories of individual courage, initiative and achievement, often with feel-good dramatizations of the human spirit's triumph against all odds. This was consistent with DuPont's overall conservative philosophy and legacy as an American company dating back to 1802. The company's motto, "Maker of better things for better living through chemistry," was read at the beginning of each program, and the dramas emphasized humanitarian progress, particularly improvements in the lives of women, often through technological innovation.
Seasons
1. Poor Richard
Air Date: 1952-10-01
Dramatized incidents are used to show how Benjamin Franklin delayed a conference between Lord Howe and John Adams until the spring rainy season commenced, thereby allowing General Washington to extricate his troops from Long Island under the cover of a storm. This drama sent the ""old and obstinate"" Franklin to delay American surrender talks with the British, thereby allowing General George Washington to escape capture to fight another day.
2. All's Well with Lydia
Air Date: 1952-10-15
The Revolutionary War story of Lydia Darragh, American patriot and Philadelphia widow, who by her cleverness gained information instrumental in an American victory.
3. The Man Who Took a Chance
Air Date: 1952-10-29
The story of an 19th century genius who adapted 20th century methods to solve an American problem, Eli Whitney first begins to manufacture muskets.
4. A Romance to Remember
Air Date: 1952-11-12
The tale of the two beautiful Peabody Sisters who become rivals for the love of Nathaniel Hawthorne.
5. What Hath God Wrought
Air Date: 1952-11-26
The story of how Samuel Morse, after many hardships, gained recognition for the first telegraph.
6. No Greater Love
Air Date: 1952-12-10
A story about Clara Louise Maas, a Spanish-American War nurse who allowed herself to be bitten by a Stegomyia mosquito in order to further the experiments which were being conducted in the Las Animas Hospital in Havana under the direction of Dr. William C. Gorgas during a yellow fever epidemic at the turn of the century.
7. In This Crisis
Air Date: 1952-12-24
John Honeyman, American patriot, pretends to be a Tory in order to gain information that will mean Washington?s victory over the Hessians.
8. The Arrow and the Bow
Air Date: 1953-01-07
The career of Andrew Johnson, who, starting as a tailor, became the 17th President.
9. What Might Have Been
Air Date: 1953-01-21
The story of the tragic romance and marriage of Jefferson Davis and Sarah Knox Taylor.
10. New Salem Story
Air Date: 1953-02-04
The legendary tale of Abe Lincoln and his great love for Ann Rutledge.
11. A Matter of Honor
Air Date: 1953-02-18
A historical drama portraying the misunderstanding between Sam Houston and his wife, Eliza, which resulted in Houston's resignation of the governorship of Tennessee. The story of Sam Houston, hero of the Alamo, who gave the woman he loved a locket engraved with one word, ""integrity"" but had she earned the right to wear it?
12. Experiment at Monticello
Air Date: 1953-03-04
Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States, uses himself as a guinea pig and is inoculated with the germs of small pox in a heroic effort to establish control of the disease.
13. Mightier Than the Sword
Air Date: 1953-03-18
A pre-Revolutionary War drama. The freedom of the press is upheld through the trial and acquittal of John Peter Zenger, a New York newspaper publisher who was imprisoned for printing the truth about corruption of the British administration. Story of John Peter Zenger in the famous trial that established American freedom of the press.
14. The Indomitable Blacksmith
Air Date: 1953-04-01
A story about Thomas Davenport, a blacksmith, and his long struggle to invent and perfect the electric motor. Setting: Brandon, Vt., in the 1830's. The story of how Thomas Davenport neglected his blacksmith trade and failed in business, but won immortality in science by inventing the first electric motor.
15. The Gingerbread Man
Air Date: 1953-04-15
A true story about Christopher Ludwick, the baker, who came to America in 1776 from Germany. He made a most unusual gingerbread man which later became famous in America. He lived with his wife in Philadelphia. A comedy-drama about an elderly German baker who persuades 123 Hessian soldiers to desert the British Army during the American Revolution.
16. Night Strike
Air Date: 1953-04-29
Dramatizes an incident in the career of Captain John Paul Jones. Describes a raid made by Americans under Jones' leadership on the English coast at Whitehaven in 1778 and the unexpected outcome of the action.
17. Slater's Dream
Air Date: 1953-05-13
Dramatizes the story of Samuel Slater, a young Englishman, who came to America in 1790 and struggled to construct from memory the cotton spinner, the plan of which England jealously guarded to insure a monopoly on the machine.
18. The Pirate's Choice
Air Date: 1953-05-27
Dramtizes the events which led to the decision of the pirate Jean Lafitte to join Andrew Jackson in the defense of New Orleans against the English forces in 1814.
19. John Yankee
Air Date: 1953-06-10
Dramatizes John Adams' difficult and unpopular decision to defend eight English soldiers who participated in a Boston riot prior to the Revolution.
20. The Tenderfoot
Air Date: 1953-06-24
A historical drama showing how young Theodore Roosevelt, undaunted by a blizzard, pursues and captures three outlaws in the Dakota Bad Lands. Time: 1886.
1. Sam and the Whale
Air Date: 1953-09-29
Sam Mulford, a famous American whale hunter who resents the English tax on whales and the methods employed by the King's tax collectors along the coast of Long Island goes to England, where, with the help of Lady Montagu, he takes his complaint to the royal court. Time: 1712.
2. The Stolen General
Air Date: 1953-10-06
A Revolutionary War drama. When romance-seeking British General Prescott arranges to meet Dorothea Meadows in an unprotected house in Rhode Island, he is captured by Miss Meadows' co-conspirator, Colonel Barton.
3. Breakfast at Nancy's
Air Date: 1953-10-13
In Georgia during the American Revolution, a beautiful girl and a gleaming rifle bring aid to the cause of freedom. Messengers vital to the cause of the Colonies are hidden by Nancy Hart beneath the floor of her cabin in the Georgia hills. When the safety of one messenger is threatened, she uses cunning and force to protect him.
4. Sunset at Appomattox
Air Date: 1953-10-20
A dramatization of the meeting of General Lee and General Grant at Appomattox based on detailed accounts of fourteen eye-witnesses to the surrender. The surrender of Robert E. Lee's army to the Union Army headed by U.S. Grant in 1865 ends the four years of war between the Union and the Confederacy.
5. And to Fame Unknown
Air Date: 1953-10-27
Shows how a high school science teacher is helping to develop a better America for younger generations through his efforts in the field of science education. Explains that educators can alleviate the manpower shortage in scientific fields by stimulating the interest of exceptional high school students and encouraging them to pursue scientific careers.
6. A Time to Grow
Air Date: 1953-11-03
A historical drama showing the events which led to the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803.
7. Tiger's Tail
Air Date: 1953-11-17
Becoming aware of corruption in politics in New York, Thomas Nast, known for his drawings of Santa Claus, initiates a series of cartoons in which Boss Tweed is symbolized as a snarling tiger. In spite of threats and slander the cartoonist continues his work and inflames the public to the overthrow of the corrupt Tweed political machine. Time: 1870's.
8. The Last Will of Daniel Webster
Air Date: 1953-11-24
Daniel Webster, tormented by memories of selfish deeds, is comforted as he nears the end of his life by friends who point out that his constructive acts will be remembered.
9. Major Pauline
Air Date: 1953-12-01
A historical drama. Distressed by the outbreak of war between the States, Pauline Cushman, famous actress, offers her services as a Union espionage agent behind the Confederate lines.
10. Betrayal
Air Date: 1953-12-08
A drama depicting the evolution of Benedict Arnold's plan to surrender West Point to the British and his subsequent flight to England when papers incriminating him were intercepted. Time: 1777-1780.
11. Riders of the Pony Express
Air Date: 1953-12-15
A historical drama. The pony express era is initiated by Alexander Majors, one of the owners of a transport firm, who, in searching for methods of transporting mail and packages across the West, delves into history and adapts the relay courier system as used by Genghis Khan.
12. One Nation Indivisible
Air Date: 1953-12-22
The editor of the Tribune, Horace Greeley,(America's Titan of the Press) influenced by a conversation with President Lincoln, changes his views regarding Jefferson Davis and proceeds, with some risk to his career, to conduct a successful crusade to free the ex-Confederate president from prison. Time: latter half of nineteenth century.
13. Mr. Peale's Dinosaur
Air Date: 1953-12-29
A drama relating the events which led to Charles Willson Peale's conception of the idea of establishing in Philadelphia a national museum of natural history and his efforts to provide the museum with noteworthy exhibits. Time: 1794. Painter Charles Wilson Peale risks his career and possessions to excavate and reconstruct a fossilized mastadon, the greatest skeleton ever seen in his day.
14. G for Goldberger
Air Date: 1954-01-12
Dr. Joseph Goldberger fights disbelief and prejudice, after touring stricken areas in the South, he conceives and attempts to prove his theory that pellagra is the result of a dietary deficiency. Time: 1915.
15. Smyrna Incident
Air Date: 1954-01-19
A historical drama. The captain of an American ship, anchored in the Turkish port of Smyrna, risks of a battle with three Austrian ships when he demands the release of an Austrian-born prisoner who has applied for American citizenship. U.S. Naval Commander Ingraham defies the Austrian Navy to protect an American subject.
16. Man of Glass
Air Date: 1954-01-26
Dramatizes the life of Henry William Stiegel, who came to America from Germany and rose from a worker in an iron foundry to be head of a large glass factory. Describes Stiegel's realization, following his financial ruin, that material success did not make him superior to other men, but that his greatness lay in the beauty of the glassware which he created. He built a church and received as rent, one red rose.
17. The Plume of Honor
Air Date: 1954-02-09
A historical drama about Francis Huger, an American medical student, and Erich Bollman, a young German physician, who attempt to rescue Lafayette from an Austrian prison in 1794.
18. Margin of Victory
Air Date: 1954-02-16
A historical drama about an American spy, posing as a loyal Tory, who is responsible for the strategic landing of French troops in America while British forces are being concentrated in New York City to withstand a supposed attack by General Washington. The Culpers, famous spies, enable reinforcements to land in Rhode Island during the American Revolution.
19. The Absent Host
Air Date: 1954-03-02
A historical drama about Jack Jouett, a patriotic Virginian who risks his life to warn Thomas Jefferson that British soldiers are planning to capture him in a surprise attack on Monticello. (Year 1781)
20. Duel at the OK Corral
Air Date: 1954-03-09
A dramatization of the efforts of Wyatt Earp to free the West of dangerous armed gunmen. Earp's activities in Dodge City, Kansas, in Deadwood, South Dakota and in Tombstone, Arizona, are highlighted.
21. The Splendid Dream
Air Date: 1954-03-16
Dramatizes the life of William Penn from his early interest in the Society of Friends, which led to his imprisonment under the Conventicle act, to his ultimate success in founding in the New World a colony where religious freedom became a reality. Time: 1701
22. Young Andy Jackson
Air Date: 1954-03-23
A historical drama about thirteen-year-old Andrew Jackson, who, with his older brother Robert, joins the militia and engages in guerrilla fighting against the British.
23. Escape
Air Date: 1954-03-30
A historical drama. After taking part in an unsuccessful revolt against the King of Prussia and his army, Carl Schurz and two compatriots, refusing to surrender to the army, escape from soldiers guarding the town of Rastatt, Germany, in 1849.
24. Riddle of the Seas
Air Date: 1954-04-06
Relates the story of the life work of Matthew Fontaine Maury, founder of the United States Weather Bureau, who advanced and proved his revolutionary theory that the paths of the sea--winds, currents, and temperature--could be accurately predicted and charted. Time: mid-nineteenth century.
25. Crazy Judah
Air Date: 1954-04-13
The life of Theodore Judah portray his attempts to realize his dream of unifying the country with a railroad system. Portrays his trips from California to Washington by boat and burro, his initial failure in 1859 to secure help from Congress and from California businessmen, his work in surveying a route through the Sierra Mountains, the encouragement of Leland Stanford and Charles Crocker, the formation of a company to start work, and Judah's death before the fulfillment of his dream. ""Crazy Judah"" is the name Theodore Judah gets when he tries to sell his idea of a transcontinental railroad to the politicians of 19th century Americans.
26. A Strange Journey
Air Date: 1954-04-20
A historical drama about the adventures of George Merchant, an American rifleman from the Virginia backwoods who is captured by the British at Quebec, sent to England as a prisoner, and released early in 1776 by colonial sympathizers to deliver to Hancock several letters which affect the decision of the Continental Congress to declare independence for the Colonies.
27. The Paper Sword
Air Date: 1954-04-27
Dramatizes the story of James King, a fearless newspaper editor, whose murder because of his crusade against corrupt officials in the San Francisco government set into motion one of the most sweeping reform movements in American history. Time: 1855.
28. Saturday Story
Air Date: 1954-05-04
Dramatizes the career of Mark Wilson, a high school football coach who taught principles of living as well as football fundamentals to his players, one of whom was Otto Graham of the Cleveland Browns. Frank Leahy, former Notre-Dame coach, introduces the story and participates in a closing interview with Mark Wilson and Otto Graham.
29. Spindletop
Air Date: 1954-05-11
Dramatized incidents tell the story of the efforts of Captain Anthony Lucas, an Austrian mining engineer, to prove his theory regarding the feasibility of drilling for oil in the salt-dome formations of the Beaumont area. Describes the equipment and methods which he used in drilling, his unsuccessful attempts, and his ultimate success when the first big gusher in the Southwest came in at Spindletop, Texas.
30. Moonlight School
Air Date: 1954-05-18
Dramatizes the experiences of Cora Wilson Stewart, a county superintendent and a teacher in a one-room school who succeeds in establishing a night class for adults in a backward section of Kentucky which is unsympathetic to book learning. Time: 1911.
31. Cat With Crimson Eyes
Air Date: 1954-05-25
A Mexican family--one brother is murdered and the gems from his house are stolen. His brother comes to investigate the murder and theft. He gets to the most influential woman and there he finds the answer.
32. The Skipper's Lady
Air Date: 1954-06-08
Dramatized incidents portray the courage and skill of a captain's wife who was forced to assume command of a clipper ship sailing from New York to San Francisco with the annual allotment of supplies for the Indians of California and Oregon.
33. Courage in Connecticut
Air Date: 1954-06-22
After a long battle with racism, Turner looks for answers to find meaning in life.
1. The Great Gamble
Air Date: 1954-10-12
A dramatization about Cyrus Field, who after several unsuccessful attempts, realized his dream of laying a cable across the Atlantic from Newfoundland to Ireland. The story of the great faith and fortitude of Cyrus Field in his attempt to lay the first telegraphy cable beneath the Atlantic Ocean. Field was labeled a swindler when his first try failed, but he continued his work.
2. The Forge
Air Date: 1954-10-26
The events in the life of Eliphalet Remington leading to the development of his famous rifle which played an important part in American history because it gave to the pioneers a cheap and superior substitute for European-made weapons. Eliphalet Remington builds his own rifle on his father's forge. He then enters a shooting match in an attempt to prove that American-made goods offer worthy competition for the more expensive European-made items.
3. Moonlight Witness
Air Date: 1954-11-02
In the midst of preparations for his political debates with Douglas, Lincoln successfully defends William Armstrong, a benefactor's son who is charged with murder.
4. The Gentle Conqueror
Air Date: 1954-11-09
A drama about Father Junipero Serra, an 18th century Spanish missionary who devoted his life to establishing missions up and down the coast of California. Depicts incidents connected with the Portola Expedition to San Diego in 1769 and portrays the role of Father Serra in civilizing the Indians there.
5. Mountain Man
Air Date: 1954-11-16
Relates the story of James Ohio Pattie, the first American to write an account of a visit to California. Reenacts his arrival in San Diego, the Mexican provincial capital, in 1828, and portrays his role in averting a smallpox epidemic, thus winning the friendship of the Mexicans and freedom for the Americans whom they held in captivity.
6. American Thanksgiving
Air Date: 1954-11-23
The history of Thanksgiving Day is presented by dramatizations of the holiday as it was in Washington's time and Lincoln's time.
7. Ordeal in Burma
Air Date: 1954-11-30
The story of Ann and Adoniram Judson, American missionaries, whose determination to return love and understanding for hatred not only saved their own lives but also helped end the war between Great Britain and Burma in 1824.
8. Night Call
Air Date: 1954-12-07
A dramatization of a typical twenty-four-hour period in a doctor's life. Follows his activities during his night calls, his work at a hospital, his office appointments, and his efforts to save the life of a young stranger who is the victim of a rare disease.
9. A Medal for Miss Walker
Air Date: 1954-12-14
A biographical account of the wartime medical service of Dr. Mary Walker, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for her courageous work as a civilian surgeon among Federal troops during the Civil War.
10. A Man's Home
Air Date: 1954-12-28
A dramatization of some of the events leading up to the American Revolution. Shows the part played by James Otis in defending the right of citizens to be protected against unreasonable search and seizure of home and property.
11. The Marine Who Was 200 Years Old
Air Date: 1955-01-04
A story about Lou Diamond, a marine gunnery sergeant who refused to let old age and sickness keep him from his post with the Fifth Marine Regiment during World War II.
12. A Message from Garcia
Air Date: 1955-01-18
An account of the heroic mission of Lt. Andrew Rowan, who braved the Cuban jungles, risking capture and execution by Spanish troops in order to obtain information to aid the United States in the Spanish-American War.
13. Petticoat Doctor
Air Date: 1955-01-25
A biographical account of the career of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman doctor to practice in America, who, with the assistance of her younger sister, managed the New York Infirmary for Women and Children. Dr.Elizabeth Blackwell is befriended by New York newspaperman Horace Greeley in her struggle to obtain recognition and respect for professional women.
14. Take Off Zero
Air Date: 1955-02-01
The story of the Navy's first plane to take off vertically and of the man, Lt. Col. ""Skeets"" Coleman, who made the first take-off.
15. Decision for Justice
Air Date: 1955-02-15
Dramatizes an episode in the life of Chief Justice John Marshall, showing how his decision in the case of Marbury vs. Madison resulted in the recognition of the Supreme Court as the final authority in the interpretation of the Constitution.
16. The Hostage
Air Date: 1955-02-22
The heroic activities of Captain Robert Stobo,of the Virginia Militia, who, as a prisoner of the French during the French and Indian War, procured for the British the plans of Forts Duquesne and Quebec and made possible an important British victory.
17. That They Might Live
Air Date: 1955-03-08
A biographical drama about Doctor Abraham Jacobi and his wife, Doctor Mary Putnam Jacobi, whose theories about prenatal and child care brought about the recognition of pediatrics as a separate branch of medicine.
18. Man on the Beat
Air Date: 1955-03-15
Typical incidents in the daily life of a city patrolman are used inexplaining the role of the police force in protecting citizens and maintaining order in the community.
19. The Ship That Shook the World
Air Date: 1955-03-29
The events leading to the construction of the Monitor, the ironclad ship built by the Federal Government during the Civil War to oppose the Merrimac.
20. The Gift of Dr. Minot
Air Date: 1955-04-12
Dramatizes the career of Dr. George Minot, and Nobel prize winner who disregarded his own diabetic condition and successfully continued his experiments to effect a cure for pernicious anemia. Time: 1922.
21. How to Raise a Boy
Air Date: 1955-04-26
Shows how the influences of a farm environment, the necessity of assuming responsibility, and the receiving of faith and trust from a loving family contribute toward the rehabilitation of an unhappy city orphan.
22. Stay On, Stranger!
Air Date: 1955-05-03
Tells how Mrs. Alice Lloyd, a forty-year-old Bostonian, started a school in the mountain town of Caney, Kentucky, in 1916 and gradually overcame local opposition to education by showing that her students could use their education to help their own community.
23. Sunrise on a Dirty Face
Air Date: 1955-05-10
Dramatizes the campaign waged by James E. West and Theodore Dreiser to establish the first juvenile court in the District of Columbia. Half a century ago a young attorney named James E. West became interested in juvenile delinquents. His fight for more humane treatment of mistreated youngster led to a great improvement in the laws.
24. Six Hours to Deadline
Air Date: 1955-05-24
A drama about a newspaper editor's reluctant decision to print a story which will bring sorrow to a man whom he deeply respects.
25. The Palmetto Conspiracy
Air Date: 1955-06-07
Dramatizes the part played by Allan Pinkerton and his National Detective Agency in thwarting a Southern plot to assassinate Lincoln as he passed through Baltimore in 1861 on his way to his first inauguration.
26. The Rescue of Dr. Beanes
Air Date: 1955-06-21
During the War of 1812 a Baltimore attorney goes on a rescue mission behind the British lines. His name is Francis Scott Key and the trip inspires him to write the national anthem, ""The Star Spangled Banner.""
1. A Time for Courage
Air Date: 1955-09-13
The story of ""Nancy Merki and the swimming coach who led her to victory over polio and to Olympic stardom.
2. The Texas Rangers
Air Date: 1955-09-27
A phase of the work of the Texas Rangers in the late nineteenth century is described in a dramatization about J. L. Armstrong, the ranger who captured John Wesley Hardin on a train in Florida and thwarted the prisoner's efforts to escape during the long train journey from Florida to Texas.
3. Toward Tomorrow
Air Date: 1955-10-04
A tribute to Dr. Ralph Bunche, undersecretary of the United Nations. The drama is based on the early life of the statesman, who was orphaned at the age of 8 and was guided from then on by his aged grandmother.
4. Disaster Patrol
Air Date: 1955-10-18
The work, organization, and purpose of the Civil Air Patrol is described in a dramatization about a CAP pilot in California who risks his life to fly doctors and emergency supplies into a canyon community seriously damaged by an earthquake.
5. The Swamp Mutiny
Air Date: 1955-10-25
A historical drama showing how General Francis Marion, a colonial officer during the American Revolution, won the admiration and eventually the support of a young British officer who witnessed the general's tactical suppression of a mutiny among colonial volunteer soldiers. Setting: Georgetown South Carolina, in 1780.
6. Chain of Hearts
Air Date: 1955-11-01
The story of John Staniszewski, a Polish seaman who tried to gain American citizenship after World War 2.
7. One Day at a Time
Air Date: 1955-11-15
This is the true story of the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous. The principals in the organization were two alcoholics, one a financial genius, the other a doctor. Both men's lives and careers were threatened by their drinking problem, until they found that by working together they could cure each other and other victims.
8. Crisis in Paris
Air Date: 1955-11-29
A drama showing how Benjamin Franklin, an inexperienced diplomat and member of the American Commission to France, negotiated a treaty providing for French aid to the Colonies in their war with England. Setting: Paris, during the American Revolution.
9. Doctor on Wheels
Air Date: 1955-12-13
A true story of a Saskatchewan farm boy who finished medical school in a wheel chair after he became paralyzed by polio.
10. Barbed Wire Christmas
Air Date: 1955-12-20
A documentary drama about life in a German prison camp. When a group of GIs in a German prison camp in 1944 pool their resources in order to hold a Christmas Mass, the prison commandant not only permits the service to continue but, with the guards, joins the prisoners in their worship.
11. Postmark: Danger
Air Date: 1955-12-27
The work of a postal inspector is described in a dramatization about two postal inspectors who expose the civilian supervisor of a prison mail room as an extortioner who has been using the mails to defraud the parents of servicemen reported missing during the Korean War.
12. The Boy Who Walked to America
Air Date: 1956-01-03
Based on a true story of a Korean youngster who to give up his dream. With the assistance of sympathetic soldiers and a Catholic priest, the boy managed to achieve his dream of going to America.
13. The Prison Within
Air Date: 1956-01-17
A girl is overcome with remorse when the soldier she refused to marry is killed in Korea. Her unusual guilt complex leads her to commit a series of crimes, for which she is imprisoned. Convicted forgery when she is paroled, her parole officer is troubled by her inexplicable behavior.
14. Star and Shield
Air Date: 1956-01-24
The true story about a warmhearted police officer in Union City, N. J., who attempts to secure an apartment in a low-cost housing project for an embittered old woman and her five-year-old grand-daughter.
15. The Secret Life of Joe Swedie
Air Date: 1956-02-07
The story about a child-therapist who helps bedridden children in hospitals to retain an interest in life.
16. Call Home the Heart
Air Date: 1956-02-21
The true story of the Japanese gardener who, under the sponsorship of a pioneer civic leader, beautified Miami Beach area with his imaginative planting of lush greenery. He eventually became one of the city?s honored citizens.
17. The Listening Hand
Air Date: 1956-03-06
The Hathaways are a deaf and blind couple who fight for their right to keep and care for their newborn baby.
18. A Life to Live By
Air Date: 1956-03-20
The story of a California schoolboy who, in spite of the knowledge that he has an inaccurate disease, sets the world?s record for the high school shot-put and leads a full life before death overtakes him.
19. The Doll Who Found a Mother
Air Date: 1956-04-03
A judge introduces the parents of an unhappy child to a toy loan library.
20. The Jackie Jensen Story
Air Date: 1956-04-17
True story of Red Sox star outfielder Jackie Jensen and Ralph Kerchum, the high school teacher whose guidance and friendship made the difference between greatness or oblivion.
21. Diplomatic Outpost
Air Date: 1956-05-01
In the Far East, a young American diplomat and his wife cope with a polio epidemic and the threat of civil war.
22. Danger on Clover Ridge
Air Date: 1956-05-08
Drifter winds up on the plains of the West.
23. Who is Byington?
Air Date: 1956-05-22
Dramatized incidents portray the activities of newspaper correspondents in covering the battles of the Civil War, the rivalry which spurred them on, and the efforts of Homer Byington of the New York Tribune to follow the Battle of Gettysburg and telegraph the news to his paper.
24. The Boy Nobody Wanted
Air Date: 1956-05-29
Billy Brandon's father is a good man, but also a professional gambler who doesn't have much time for his son. Left alone one day, he gets into a fight with a neighbor's boy who taunts him about his father being a gambler. The boy is accidently killed when he falls and hits his head. The boy's father, editor of the local newspaper, takes revenge by smearing Billy's dad in his paper. As a result, Nick Brandon is soon imprisoned and Billy is sent to an adoption agency. Luckily, he is adopted by an older couple and his life becomes filled with love. He grows to be an A student and a war hero. When his father is finally released from prison, Billy must make a hard decision.
25. The Major of St. Louis
Air Date: 1956-06-05
Major Thomas D. Howie of the 3rd Battallion, 116th Infantry, 29th Division. He lies at rest between a Private and a General in the American Cemetery in Normandy, overlooking Omaha Beach. He was loved by his men, though an enigma to some, and loved reading verses from Edgar Lee Masters ""Spoon River Anthology"", ""These are the ghosts from the desolate coasts...would you go to them...only pursue them...whatever enshrined is within you ..is you.""
1. Monument to a Young Man
Air Date: 1956-09-18
A Los Angeles police detective, school principal, and star athlete try to help a juvenile delinquent.
2. A Bed of Roses
Air Date: 1956-09-25
An engaged girl disagrees with her parents about the kind of wedding ceremony she should have. She wants an elaborate church wedding; her parents insist on a simple home ceremony.
3. The People and General Glancy
Air Date: 1956-10-09
The small community of Duluth, Ga., is desperately in need of a hospital, but refuses to accept a wealthy industrialist's check.
4. Wild April
Air Date: 1955-10-16
Portrays events in the later life of Johnny Appleseed, showing his influence on the pioneers who lived in a small community in the Ohio River Valley.
5. The Hobo Kid
Air Date: 1956-10-23
A truant-officer tracks down a kid who's not in school because he's watching his father drink himself to death.
6. Date With a Stranger
Air Date: 1956-10-30
An Austrian girl is desperate because she is about to be deported from the U.S. She prays to George Washington for help. This results in a mysterious encounter with a man named Casimir Pulaski.
7. Innocent Bystander
Air Date: 1956-11-13
A newspaper reporter that has lived his whole life believing in the biblical maxim of ?As Ye Sow, so Shall Ye Reap.? When he is seriously injured while investigating a juvenile gang fight, he begins to lose his faith.
8. Woman's Work
Air Date: 1956-11-20
An elderly man lets his son and the boy's bride live in the family home. His intentions are to turn the girl into a household slave, but she has a different idea.
9. Return of Bombardier
Air Date: 1956-11-27
During his imprisonment in a Japanese POW camp, an American flier finds that religion gives him the strength he needs to withstand hardship. He vows to return to Japan to preach the word of God if he is ever released.
10. Pursuit of a Princess
Air Date: 1956-12-04
Long-time partners in an antique business break up when one of them marries the other?s former girl friend. Each opens an antique store, keeping a wary eye on the other?s activities. When the married partner starts collecting cigar-store Indians, the other begins to thwart his every effort.
11. Once a Hero
Air Date: 1956-12-11
An ex-rodeo champion who feels he has failed as a father tries to gain respect in his son's eyes by going back to the rodeo where he was once successful.
12. The Blessed Midnight
Air Date: 1956-12-18
A youngster steals a cake from a bakery to give his aunt. With the help of a friend his own age, the boy tries to keep from being caught.
13. Three Young Kings
Air Date: 1956-12-25
As part of the Christmas festivities in a Latin-American village, youngster traditionally distribute gifts to other children whose parents purchased the presents. The gift-givers almost start a revolt one year by giving the gifts to the poor children instead.
14. The Two Worlds of Nicolo
Air Date: 1957-01-01
A teenage Italian boy comes to this country to attend high school as an exchange student. He is thrilled and happy with everything about his visit, until he learns his family in Italy is in trouble.
15. The House of Empty Rooms
Air Date: 1957-01-08
A widow worries about the years ahead. All the children are living far away, and her house seems increasingly empty and lonely each day.
16. Leap to Heaven
Air Date: 1957-01-15
Story of two-time Olympic champion Bob Richards in Polevaulting (1952-1956), who started off as a young football halfback, then after winning Olympic medals moving on to the ministry.
17. Dowry for Ilona
Air Date: 1957-01-22
A young Hungarian-American couple fall in love and plan to marry. They announce their intentions to their parents, and immediately a family rivalry emerges. Both fathers want to present impressive marriage gifts.
18. The Man from St. Paul
Air Date: 1957-01-29
Principal John Norton befriends a youngster who is accused of robbery, and obtains a parole for the boy. He even gets him a job as cashier in the school lunchroom. When money is stolen from the lunchroom, the boy becomes the number-one suspect, and Norton again comes to his assistance.
19. Are Trees People?
Air Date: 1957-02-05
An elderly Irishwoman is living alone in suburban home given to her by her married daughter. On a trip back to the Bronx to visit old friends, she discovers three orphan youngsters, and takes them home with her, without notifying the proper authorities.
20. Decision for a Hero
Air Date: 1957-02-12
Joe Loring, a college football player, doesn't know it, but Dewey Elton, a fellow student, has been writing letters home saying they are best friends. When Dewey dies unexpectedly, his parents arrive on campus and want to talk about him with Joe.
21. The Frightened Witness
Air Date: 1957-02-19
Joe Kohler happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He witnesses a mob hit when a car deliberately runs over a pedestrian. When mob lieutenant Craig tells Joe that he had best keep quiet and even stops home with him to see his family, Joe gets the point. But Joe doesn't like being intimidated and goes to the police to tell his story and do the right thing.
22. The Man Who Asked No Favors
Air Date: 1957-03-05
During a dry spell, members of a preacher's congregation demand that he ask the Lord to send them rain. He refuses, which enrages his followers.
23. Don Marshall's Brat
Air Date: 1957-03-19
Young Trudy Marshall is an 11-year old who dreams of ending the feud between her parents and maternal grandfather. When she saves the life of an elderly Mexican bandit, the Calaveras Kid, he decides to help her.
24. The Widow is Willing
Air Date: 1957-03-26
After an attempted takeover of her ranch the widow is smitten by her hostile opponent.
25. The Last Signer
Air Date: 1957-04-02
Citizen's of an American town are infuriated when a Czech immigrant signs his name to one of the historical copies of the Declaration of Independence.
26. The Shark on the Mountain
Air Date: 1957-04-23
Young Brian Beck is addicted to telling tall tales. After he sees a man killed he tells his best friend Noah, that he is in danger. But the old man thinks it's another of Brian's stories and ignores the boy's pleas for help. With the killer getting closer, Brian decides to go after the criminal himself.
27. Chicago 2-1-2
Air Date: 1957-04-30
A caller plays a cat and mouse game with his intended victim when the roles become reversed.
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Rating
3.5/10
Release Date
1952-10-01
Episodes
131 (5 seasons)
Status
Ended