First Aired: October 1st, 1952
Status: Ended
Genre: Drama
Network: ABC
Summary: 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.
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# of Episodes: 131
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Episode Summaries
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Season 1
Episode 1: Poor Richard
Air Date: October 1st, 1952
Summary: 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.
Episode 6: No Greater Love
Air Date: December 10th, 1952
Summary: 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.
Episode 11: A Matter of Honor
Air Date: February 18th, 1953
Summary: 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?
Episode 13: Mightier Than the Sword
Air Date: March 18th, 1953
Summary: 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.
Episode 14: The Indomitable Blacksmith
Air Date: April 1st, 1953
Summary: 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.
Episode 15: The Gingerbread Man
Air Date: April 15th, 1953
Summary: 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.
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