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Cavalcade of America
	Musical director Donald Voorhees (1935–41 and 1949–53)
Genre	Anthology drama
Running time	25 minutes
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
Home station	CBS (10/09/35–05/29/39); NBC (01/02/40–03/31/53)
TV adaptations	NBC (10/01/52–09/02/53); ABC (09/29/53–06/21/55); ABC (09/06/55–06/04/57)
Hosted by	Walter Huston (09/18/44–02/12/45)
Starring	Numerous Broadway and Hollywood stars
Created by	Roy S. Durstine
Written by	Arthur Miller; Norman Rosten; Robert Tallman; Peter Lyon; Robert Richards; Stuart Hawkins; Arthur Arent; Edith Sommer; Halsted Welles; Henry Denker; Priscilla Kent; Virginia Radcliffe; Frank Gabrielson; Margaret Lewerth; Morton Wishengrad; George Faulkner; Irve Tunick
Directed by	Robert Stevenson (director); Laslo Benedek; Peter Godfrey (director); John Brahm; William A. Seiter; Harry Horner; Kenneth Webb; Homer Fickett; Bill Sweet; Homer Fickett; Jack Zoller
Produced by	Arthur Pryor; Louis Mason; Larry Harding; Homer Fickett; Jack Zoller; Roger Pryor; H.L. Blackburn
Original release	October 9, 1935 –; March 31, 1953
No. of series	18
No. of episodes	781
Audio format	Monaural sound
Opening theme	"March Theme"; "Glory of America"

Cavalcade of America is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented musicals, such as an adaptation of Show Boat,^[1] and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953, and 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. The series was intended to improve DuPont's public image after World War I. 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.

Background

The show started as part of a successful campaign to reinvigorate DuPont. In the early 1930s, the Nye Committee investigations concluded that DuPont had made a fortune profiteering in World War I. The company stood accused of encouraging an arms race between World War I enemies, after being heavily subsidized by the Allies to increase black powder production. The negative effects of the investigation left the company demoralized, directionless and with a tarnished corporate image in the middle of the Great Depression.

DuPont's products were primarily not for public consumption, so there was no purpose in promoting them through advertising. As a solution to DuPont's troubles, Roy S. Durstine, then creative director of Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn, proposed the creation of Cavalcade of America using the company motto. This was to be an important element in the successful re-branding of DuPont as an American legacy engaged in making products for the well-being of Americans and humanity in general.

Content

DuPont's image problems led the company to promote some pacifist and socialist ideals. DuPont stipulated several topics would be taboo on the show, such as gunfire of any kind, which attracted writers such as Norman Rosten and Arthur Miller, who had signed the Oxford Pledge while at University of Michigan. For scripts, the program was also able to attract such prominent writers as Maxwell Anderson, Stephen Vincent Benét, Carl Sandburg and Robert Sherwood. Although Yale University historian Frank Monaghan signed on as an advisor to ensure historically accuracy of the scripts, listeners were quick to point out anachronisms; trains did not use air brakes in 1860 and Washington's troops could not have sung "Tannenbaum" while crossing the Delaware since it was written two months after that event.^{[citation needed]}

The October 4, 1948, episode was "Action At Santiago", starring John Dall and Robert Trout.^[2]

Notable cast

This is the cast listing according to The Concise Encyclopedia of American Radio.^[3]

Narrator Walter Huston

Actors:

Advertising

DuPont, a chemical corporation that did not sell public goods, sponsored Cavalcade of America and integrated their company slogan and agenda into the inspirational and pro-American achievement themes of each episode.^[4]

A world-class PR firm helped DuPont shake the “merchant of death” label, and it remained a sponsor for a top radio program.^[5]

Cavalcade of America was an early exercise in corporate image-building. DuPont promoted itself as a hero for America. This type of propaganda was shrewd but effective; it put a corporate image behind the real-life heroes that lived a century before. One way DuPont was able to emphasize its own products in episodes of Cavalcade of America was by having health-related episodes that promoted the use of chemical-compound products manufactured by DuPont. This was not necessarily advertising, since individuals could not go to the store and purchase these chemical items.^[4]

According to DuPont public relations executives, the goal was not to directly sell their products, but rather to explain the company's goals and foster the confidence, respect and goodwill of the public. By recreating little-known events in the lives of historically-respected Americans through dramatizations, Cavalcade of America caused listeners to associate DuPont's products with patriotism and self-reliance. The series also gave history and chemistry more prestige than it would have otherwise had. By making the show thrilling, but not over-sensationalized, DuPont was able to better its own branding and get away from being perceived as a military-only company.^[6]

Nylon show

On May 15, 1940 DuPont made nylon women's hosiery available to the public and began an advertising blitz. The day was designated "N-day" by DuPont's marketeers, and an entire episode of Cavalcade of America was markedly different: DuPont selected a "typical" housewife to interview G.P. Hoff, Director of Research of DuPont's Nylon Division. In the rigged interview, Hoff expounded at length on the virtues of nylon. Eager to purchase nylon hose, thousands of women waited in lines for department stores to open the following morning. 750,000 nylons had been manufactured for N-Day, but all were sold on the first day they went on sale.

Television

In the 1950s, DuPont switched its advertising strategy from radio to television, and Cavalcade of America became a television series mainly produced by Jack Chertok. One hundred and thirty-three episodes were aired over five seasons between 1952 and 1957. During a six-month period, the television and radio series overlapped. The show was telecast on both NBC (1952–53) and ABC (1953–57). It was renamed DuPont Cavalcade Theater in August 1955, and it was known as DuPont Theater during its last year. In the 1957 fall season, it was replaced by The DuPont Show of the Month, a 90-minute live dramatization of popular novels and short stories or abridged versions of films and plays. That series ran until 1961.

Many kinescopes of Cavalcade of America survive at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

Season 1 (1952–53)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	1	"Poor Richard"	Peter Godfrey	Story by : Teleplay by : Frederick Jackson & Arthur Ripley	October 1, 1952 (1952-10-01)
2	2	"All's Well with Lydia"	Arthur Ripley	Story by : Teleplay by : Frederick Jackson	October 15, 1952 (1952-10-15)
3	3	"The Man Who Took a Chance"	Jules Bricken	Catherine Turney	October 29, 1952 (1952-10-29)
4	4	"A Romance to Remember"	Jules Bricken	David Dortort	November 12, 1952 (1952-11-12)
5	5	"What God Hath Wrought"	Jules Bricken	Story by : Teleplay by : Richard Blake	November 26, 1952 (1952-11-26)
6	6	"No Greater Love"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : Tom Seller	December 10, 1952 (1952-12-10)
7	7	"In This Crisis"	Robert Stevenson	Story by : Teleplay by : David Dortort	December 24, 1952 (1952-12-24)
8	8	"The Arrow and the Bow"	Arthur Ripley	Story by : Teleplay by : Frederick Jackson	January 7, 1953 (1953-01-07)
9	9	"What Might Have Been"	John English	Story by : Teleplay by : Warner Law	January 21, 1953 (1953-01-21)
10	10	"New Salem Story"	Jules Bricken	Story by : Teleplay by : DeWitt Bodeen	February 4, 1953 (1953-02-04)
11	11	"A Matter of Honor"	Arthur Hilton	Story by : Teleplay by : Van Norcross	February 18, 1953 (1953-02-18)
12	12	"Experiment at Monticello"	Jules Bricken	Story by : Teleplay by : Brown Holmes	March 4, 1953 (1953-03-04)
13	13	"Mightier Than the Sword"	William J. Thiele	Tom Seller	March 18, 1953 (1953-03-18)
14	14	"The Indomitable Blacksmith"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : Warner Law	April 1, 1953 (1953-04-01)
15	15	"The Gingerbread Man"	Robert Stevenson	Story by : Teleplay by : Robert Stevenson	April 15, 1953 (1953-04-15)
16	16	"Night Strike"	Robert Stevenson	Robert Stevenson	April 29, 1953 (1953-04-29)
17	17	"Slater's Dream"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : John Thiele, William Thiele, and Charles Larson	May 13, 1953 (1953-05-13)
18	18	"The Pirate's Choice"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : Curtis Kenyon and David P. Sheppard	May 27, 1953 (1953-05-27)
19	19	"John Yankee"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : Charles Larson	June 10, 1953 (1953-06-10)
20	20	"The Tenderfoot"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : Tom Seller	June 24, 1953 (1953-06-24)

Season 2 (1953–54)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
21	1	"Sam and the Whale"	Tim Whelan	George H. Faulkner	September 29, 1953 (1953-09-29)
22	2	"The Stolen General"	Robert Stevenson	Arthur Ripley	October 6, 1953 (1953-10-06)
23	3	"Breakfast at Nancy's"	Sidney Salkow	Story by : Teleplay by : George H. Faulkner	October 13, 1953 (1953-10-13)
24	4	"Sunset at Appomattox"	Robert Stevenson	Story by : Teleplay by : Robert Stevenson	October 20, 1953 (1953-10-20)
25	5	"And to Fame Unknown"	John M. Barnwell Jr.	E.R. Murkland	October 27, 1953 (1953-10-27)
26	6	"A Time to Grow"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : Bill Bruckner	November 3, 1953 (1953-11-03)
27	7	"The Tiger's Tail"	Robert Stevenson	N. Richard Nash	November 17, 1953 (1953-11-17)
28	8	"The Last Will of Daniel Webster"	Robert Stevenson	N. Richard Nash	November 24, 1953 (1953-11-24)
29	9	"Major Pauline"	Robert Stevenson	Robert Stevenson	December 1, 1953 (1953-12-01)
30	10	"The Betrayal"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : Curtis Kenyon	December 8, 1953 (1953-12-08)
31	11	"The Riders of the Pony Express"	Robert Stevenson	Robert Stevenson	December 15, 1953 (1953-12-15)
32	12	"One Nation Indivisible"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : Warner Law	December 22, 1953 (1953-12-22)
33	13	"Mr. Peale's Dinosaur"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : Bill Buckner and Charles Larson	December 29, 1953 (1953-12-29)
34	14	"G for Goldberger"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : Warner Law	January 12, 1954 (1954-01-12)
35	15	"Smyrna Incident"	Robert Stevenson	Story by : Teleplay by : Robert Stevenson	January 19, 1954 (1954-01-19)
36	16	"Man of Glass"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : Tom Seller	January 26, 1954 (1954-01-26)
37	17	"The Plume of Honor"	George Archainbaud	Paul Gangelin	February 9, 1954 (1954-02-09)
38	18	"Margin for Victory"	Arthur Ripley	Story by : Teleplay by : Arthur Ripley	February 16, 1954 (1954-02-16)
39	19	"The Absent Host"	Sidney Salkow	Russell S. Hughes	March 2, 1954 (1954-03-02)
40	20	"Duel at the O.K. Corral"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : Bill Bruckner	March 9, 1954 (1954-03-09)
41	21	"The Splendid Dream"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : Charles Larson	March 16, 1954 (1954-03-16)
42	22	"Young Andy Jackson"	Robert Stevenson	Robert Stevenson	March 23, 1954 (1954-03-23)
43	23	"Escape"	George Archainbaud	Story by : Teleplay by : Paul Gangelin	March 30, 1954 (1954-03-30)
44	24	"Riddle of the Seas"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : William Bruckner	April 6, 1954 (1954-04-06)
45	25	"Crazy Judah"	Lewis R. Foster	Story by : Teleplay by : Lewis R. Foster	April 13, 1954 (1954-04-13)
46	26	"A Strange Journey"	Robert Stevenson	Robert Stevenson	April 20, 1954 (1954-04-20)
47	27	"The Paper Sword"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : Curtis Kenyon and Charles Larson	April 27, 1954 (1954-04-27)
48	28	"Saturday Story"	Francis D. Lyon	Joel Murcott & Merwin Gerard	May 4, 1954 (1954-05-04)
49	29	"Spindletop"	Robert G. Walker	Winston Miller	May 11, 1954 (1954-05-11)
50	30	"Moonlight School"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : Louella MacFarlane	May 18, 1954 (1954-05-18)
51	31	"The Skipper's Lady"	William J. Thiele	William Sackheim	June 8, 1954 (1954-06-08)
52	32	"Courage in Connecticut"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : Warner Law	June 22, 1954 (1954-06-22)

Season 3 (1954–55)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
53	1	"The Great Gamble"	William J. Thiele	Warner Law	October 12, 1954 (1954-10-12)
54	2	"The Forge"	William J. Thiele	Warner Law	October 26, 1954 (1954-10-26)
55	3	"Moonlight Witness"	Maurice Geraghty	Maurice Geraghty	November 2, 1954 (1954-11-02)
56	4	"The Gentle Conqueror"	William J. Thiele	Story by : William Sackheim Teleplay by : Tom Seller	November 9, 1954 (1954-11-09)
57	5	"Mountain Man"	Robert G. Walker	Paul Franklin	November 16, 1954 (1954-11-16)
58	6	"American Thanksgiving"	Robert Stevenson	George Faulkner and Robert Stevenson	November 23, 1954 (1954-11-23)
59	7	"Ordeal In Burma"	William J. Thiele	Charles Larson	November 30, 1954 (1954-11-30)
60	8	"Night Call"	Robert Stevenson	Larry Marcus	December 7, 1954 (1954-12-07)
61	9	"A Medal For Miss Walker"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Teleplay by : William Sackheim	December 14, 1954 (1954-12-14)
62	10	"A Man's Home"	Harry Horner	Eugene Vale	December 28, 1954 (1954-12-28)
63	11	"The Marine Who Was 200 Years Old"	Robert Stevenson	Robert Mason Pollock	January 4, 1955 (1955-01-04)
64	12	"A Message From Garcia"	William J. Thiele	Charles Larson	January 18, 1955 (1955-01-18)
65	13	"Petticoat Doctor"	William J. Thiele	Story by : William Sackheim, Charles Larson, & Jack Bennett Teleplay by : Jack Bennett	January 25, 1955 (1955-01-25)
66	14	"Take Off Zero"	Charles Bennett	Harold Shumate	February 1, 1955 (1955-02-01)
67	15	"Decision For Justice"	William J. Thiele	Story by : Samuel Rice Teleplay by : Charles Larson	February 15, 1955 (1955-02-15)
68	16	"The Hostage"	Charles Bennett	Harold Shumate	February 22, 1955 (1955-02-22)
69	17	"That They Might Live"	Robert Stevenson	Gwen Bagni	March 8, 1955 (1955-03-08)
70	18	"Man On The Beat"	William J. Thiele	Charles Larson	March 15, 1955 (1955-03-15)
71	19	"The Ship That Shook The World"	Robert Stevenson	Robert Stevenson	March 29, 1955 (1955-03-29)
72	20	"The Gift Of Dr. Minot"	Charles Bennett	Larry Marcus	April 12, 1955 (1955-04-12)
73	21	"How To Raise A Boy"	Lewis Foster	Edith Sommer & Robert Soderberg	April 26, 1955 (1955-04-26)
74	22	"Stay On, Stranger!"	William J. Thiele	Jack Bennett	May 3, 1955 (1955-05-03)
75	23	"Sunrise On A Dirty Face"	William J. Thiele	Jack Laird	May 10, 1955 (1955-05-10)
76	24	"Six Hours To Deadline"	Jack Denove	Larry Marcus	May 24, 1955 (1955-05-24)
77	25	"The Palmetto Conspiracy"	Charles Bennett	Charles Bennett	June 7, 1955 (1955-06-07)
78	26	"The Rescue Of Dr.Beanes"	Sobey Martin	Harold Shumate	June 21, 1955 (1955-06-21)

Season 4 (1955–56)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
79	1	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
80	2	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
81	3	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
82	4	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
83	5	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
84	6	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
85	7	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
86	8	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
87	9	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
88	10	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
89	11	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
90	12	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
91	13	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
92	14	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
93	15	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
94	16	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
95	17	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
96	18	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
97	19	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
98	20	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
99	21	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
100	22	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
101	23	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
102	24	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
103	25	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()

Season 5 (1956–57)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
104	1	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
105	2	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
106	3	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
107	4	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
108	5	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
109	6	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
110	7	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
111	8	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
112	9	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
113	10	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
114	11	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
115	12	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
116	13	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
117	14	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
118	15	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
119	16	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
120	17	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
121	18	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
122	19	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
123	20	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
124	21	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
125	22	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
126	23	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
127	24	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
128	25	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
129	26	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()
130	27	TBA	TBD	Story by : Teleplay by :	()

Books

During the late 1930s, Dixon Ryan Fox and Arthur Meier Schlesinger edited a series of books based on the series published by Milton Bradley. In 1956, the series was adapted into a book, Cavalcade of America: The Deeds and Achievements of the Men and Women Who Made Our Country Great, published by Crown. Chapters covered such historical figures as Abraham Lincoln, telegraph organizer Hiram Sibley, engineer James Eads, John Quincy Adams fighting the gag rule and Clara Barton's career that led her to head the American Red Cross. Martin Grams, Jr.'s The History of the Cavalcade of America (Morris Publishing, 1998) features episode guides for both the radio and TV series.

Notes

^ "Cavalcade of America Part 4 of 8". Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
^ "Picked from Airlanes". The Daily Times. Iowa, Davenport. October 2, 1948. p. 8. Retrieved September 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Christopher H. Sterling; Cary O'Dell, eds. (2011). "Cavalcade of America". The Concise Encyclopedia of American Radio. p. 135.
^ ^a ^b Cavalcade of America. Newspaper Heroes on the Air.
^ The Cavalcade of America: Examining the Myth and Reality of Hero Worship in American Radio.
^ Marchand, R. (2001). Creating the Corporate Soul: The Rise of Public Relations and Corporate Imagery in Big Business. pp. 220–223.

References

Blue, Howard (2002). Words at War: World War II Era Radio and the Postwar Broadcasting Industry Blacklist. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0810844133
Godfrey, Donald G.; Leigh, Frederic A. (1998). Historical Dictionary of American Radio. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313296367.
Grams, Martin (1998). The History of the Cavalcade of America. Kearney, NE: Morris Publishing. ISBN 0739201387.
Gregory, James R.; Wiechmann, Jack G. (1999). Marketing Corporate Image. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Business Books. ISBN 0844233072.
Horten, Gerd (2003). Radio Goes to War: The Cultural Politics of Propaganda During World War II. Berkeley, CA; London: University of California Press. ISBN 0520240618.
"Radio Broadcast Log: Cavalcade Of America". Audio Classics Archive. Retrieved 2007-03-10.