Cavalcade of America

Episode 1

Mountain Man

Tue, Sep 28, 1954

The story of James Ohio Pattie, the first American to write an account of a visit to California, re-enacted in his arrival in San Diego, the Mexican provincial capital, in 1828, and his role in averting a smallpox epidemic, thus winning the friendship of the Mexicans and freedom for the Americans they hold in captivity.

Episode 2

The Great Gamble

Tue, Oct 5, 1954

A dramatization about Cyrus Field, who after several unsuccessful attempts, realized his dream of laying a cable across the Atlantic from Newfoundland to Ireland.

Episode 3

The Forge

Tue, Oct 26, 1954

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.

Episode 4

Moonlight Witness

Tue, Nov 2, 1954

Abraham Lincoln interrupts his campaign for the U.S. Senate to defend the son of a boyhood friend who has been charged with murder.

Episode 5

Saturday Story

Tue, Nov 9, 1954

Episode 6

The American Thanksgiving: Its History and Meaning

Tue, Nov 23, 1954

The history of Thanksgiving Day is presented by dramatizations of the holiday as it was in Washington's time and Lincoln's time.

Episode 7

Ordeal in Burma

Tue, Nov 30, 1954

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.

Episode 8

Night Call

Tue, Dec 7, 1954

A dramatization of a typical twenty-four-hour period in a doctor's life -- from night calls, work at a hospital, office appointments, and his efforts to save the life of a young stranger who is the victim of a rare disease.

Episode 9

A Medal for Miss Walker

Tue, Dec 14, 1954

A biographical account 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.

Episode 10

A Man's Home

Tue, Dec 28, 1954 30 mins

Otis, a Boston lawyer serving as advocate-general to the British crown just prior to the Revolution, resigns his post in protest against illegal invasion of American homes.

Episode 11

The Marine Who Was Two Hundred Years Old

Tue, Jan 4, 1955 30 mins

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.

Episode 12

A Message from Garcia

Tue, Jan 18, 1955

An account of the heroic mission of Lt. Andrew Rowan, who braved the Cuban jungles and risked capture and execution by Spanish troops in order to obtain information to aid the United States in the Spanish-American War.

Episode 13

Petticoat Doctor

Tue, Jan 25, 1955

Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the nation's first woman doctor, is befriended by New York newspaperman Horace Greeley in her struggle to obtain recognition and respect for professional women.

Episode 14

Take Off Zero

Tue, Feb 1, 1955

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.

Episode 15

Decision for Justice

Tue, Feb 15, 1955

The story of John Marshall, first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, and his influence on the American judicial system.

Episode 16

The Hostage

Tue, Feb 22, 1955

Captain Richard Stobo, of the Virginia Militia, is given as a hostage in the surrender of Fort Necessity during the French and Indian War.

Episode 17

That They Might Live

Tue, Mar 8, 1955 30 mins

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.

Episode 18

Man on the Beat

Tue, Mar 15, 1955

Typical incidents in the daily life of a city patrolman illuminate the role of the police force in protecting citizens and maintaining order in the community.

Episode 19

The Ship That Shook the World

Tue, Mar 29, 1955 30 mins

A dramatization of events leading to the construction of the Monitor, the ironclad ship built by the Federal Government during the Civil War to oppose the Merrimac.

Episode 20

The Gift of Dr. Minot

Tue, Apr 12, 1955

The story of a Boston physician who neglected his own health in an effort to find a cure for the dreaded pernicious anemia.

Episode 21

How to Raise a Boy

Tue, Apr 26, 1955 30 mins

An embittered teenage orphan from the city is regenerated by his visit to a mid-Western farm.

Episode 22

Stay On, Stranger

Tue, May 3, 1955

Alice Lloyd relocates from Boston to Caney Creek KY to begin schooling the local children, despite opposition from Zeke Wells.

Episode 23

Sunrise on a Dirty Face

Tue, May 10, 1955

A dramatization of the campaign waged by James E. West and Theodore Dreiser to establish the first juvenile court in the District of Columbia.

Episode 24

Six Hours to Deadline

Tue, May 24, 1955

A drama about a newspaper editor's reluctant decision to print a story which will bring sorrow to a man he deeply respects.

Episode 25

The Palmetto Conspiracy

Tue, Jun 7, 1955

Detective Allan Pinkerton thwarts a plot to kill President-elect Abraham Lincoln in 1861.

Episode 26

The Rescue of Dr. Beanes

Tue, Jun 21, 1955 24 mins

Life of Francis Scott Key leading to writing Star Spangled Banner.