Archival Dispatch: WWII Treasury Broadcasts and Golden Age Classics Dated from Jack Benny, Fibber McGee, and The Shadow
Batch 5 Forensic Discoveries
Batch 5 resolves 17 historical broadcasts spanning the wartime homefront campaigns and peak network comedy/mystery runs of The Jack Benny Program (Grape-Nuts Flakes & Lucky Strike runs), Fibber McGee and Molly (US Treasury War Bond drives & Johnson Wax broadcasts), and The Shadow (50th Anniversary documentary retrospective).
1. Fibber McGee and Molly — WWII War Loan Drives & Special Broadcasts Dated
During World War II, Jim and Marian Jordan regularly dedicated closing segments and entire special broadcasts to War Bond recruitment and homefront rationing drives:
| Original Circulating Filename | Canonical Title | Verified Airdate | Historical Context & Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
Fibber_McGee_Give_Bonds_For_Christmas.mp3 |
"Give Bonds for Christmas (Pearl Harbor 2nd Anniversary)" | 1943-12-07 | Aired on the second anniversary of Pearl Harbor; nationwide Treasury drive. |
Fibber_McGee_Seventh_War_Loan_Drive.mp3 |
"Seventh War Loan Drive Special" | 1945-05-15 | Post-V-E Day Seventh War Loan broadcast featuring Jim & Marian Jordan. |
Fibber_McGee_Mileage_Rationing.mp3 |
"WWII Mileage Rationing Special" | 1942-12-01 | Office of Price Administration (OPA) national gasoline and tire conservation broadcast. |
Fibber_McGee_Buy_Defense_Bonds_And_Stamps.mp3 |
"Buy Defense Bonds and Stamps (Treasury Dept)" | 1942-01-20 | First winter wartime Treasury Department broadcast following US entry into WWII. |
Fibber_McGee_Send_Games_And_Reading_Material.mp3 |
"Send Games and Books to Troops (USO Special)" | 1943-03-16 | Victory Book Campaign / USO serviceman recreation drive. |
Fibber_McGee_Returning_From_Hollywood.mp3 |
"Returning from Hollywood (Johnson Wax)" | 1944-03-21 | Regular Johnson Wax series episode following completion of RKO feature film Heavenly Days. |
2. The Jack Benny Program — Network Masters & Specials Dated
| Original Circulating Filename | Canonical Title | Verified Airdate | Cast, Sponsor & Network Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Jack_Benny_Guests_Are_Lum_And_Abner.mp3 |
"Grape-Nuts Flakes Program: Guests Lum and Abner" | 1943-04-18 | NBC Grape-Nuts Flakes broadcast with Mary Livingstone and Dennis Day. |
Jack_Benny_Rehearsal_Bob_Hope_Double_Date.mp3 |
"Lucky Strike Program: Rehearsal for Bob Hope Double Date" | 1948-03-28 | CBS Lucky Strike run; Jack prepares for double date with Bob Hope. |
Jack_Benny_Christmas_Card_To_Service_Men.mp3 |
"Christmas Card to Service Men (AFRS Special)" | 1944-12-25 | Worldwide Armed Forces Radio Service Christmas Day broadcast. |
Jack_Benny_Heres_To_Veterans_NoDate.mp3 |
"Here's to Veterans: The Jack Benny Program" | 1956-04-15 | Veterans Administration Special #482 with Phil Harris and Rochester. |
Jack_Benny_Violin_Routine_With_George_Burns.mp3 |
"The Jack Benny Program: Violin Routine with George Burns" | 1953-03-29 | Classic George Burns guest appearance debating Jack's violin virtuosity. |
Dennis_Day_For_Texaco.mp3 |
"Texaco Star Theater: Dennis Day Guest Appearance" | 1948-10-13 | Texaco Sky Chief gasoline commercial featuring Dennis Day. |
The_Jack_Benny_Story_Part_1.mp3 |
"The Jack Benny Story (Part 1)" | 1975-01-26 | Memorial career retrospective narrated by Jack Benny and colleagues. |
The_Jack_Benny_Story_Part_4.mp3 |
"The Jack Benny Story (Part 4)" | 1975-02-16 | Concluding chapter of the four-part career documentary. |
Bennys_Golden_Memories_Of_Radio_Part_3.mp3 |
"Benny's Golden Memories of Radio (Part 3)" | 1968-11-24 | Jack reviews the pivotal historical broadcasts of 1939. |
3. The Shadow — 50th Anniversary Documentary
Original Circulating Filename:
The_Story_of_The_Shadow_1985_Radio_Documentary.mp3Canonical Title: "The Story of The Shadow: 50th Anniversary Documentary"
Verified Airdate: 1985-05-12
Forensic Audio Discovery: Original announcer recounts the 1930s Street & Smith origin: "Over 50 years ago, on the original radio program called The Shadow..."