# Cavalcade 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, 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.
The October 4, 1948, episode was "Action At Santiago", starring John Dall and Robert Trout.

## Notable cast

This is the cast listing according to The Concise Encyclopedia of American Radio.
Narrator Walter Huston
Actors:
* Walter Brennan
* Ray Collins
* Ted de Corsia
* Kenny Delmar
* Ross Elliott
* Cary Grant
* Gary Gray
* Ted Jewett
* Raymond Edward Johnson
* Bill Johnstone
* John McIntire
* Agnes Moorehead
* Dennis Morgan
* Jeanette Nolan
* Tyrone Power
* Frank Readick
* Ronald Reagan
* Stafford Repp
* Mickey Rooney
* Luis van Rooten
* Everett Sloane
* Jack Smart
* Paul Stewart
* Karl Swenson
* Orson Welles

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

## 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 | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 80 | 2 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 81 | 3 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 82 | 4 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 83 | 5 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 84 | 6 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 85 | 7 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 86 | 8 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 87 | 9 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 88 | 10 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 89 | 11 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 90 | 12 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 91 | 13 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 92 | 14 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 93 | 15 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 94 | 16 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 95 | 17 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 96 | 18 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 97 | 19 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 98 | 20 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 99 | 21 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 100 | 22 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 101 | 23 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 102 | 24 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |
| 103 | 25 | TBA | TBA | Story by : Teleplay by : | TBA |

### Season 5 (1956–57)

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

## 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.