Cavalcade of America scripts

1935-1953

The DuPont Company developed Cavalcade of America as a dramatic historical anthology that aired on the radio from 1935 to 1953, and on television from 1952 to 1957.

Accused of profiteering during World War I by the Nye Committee (officially the Special Committee on the Investigation of the Munition Industry), DuPont sponsored the show as a way to rebuild public trust in its brand. Cavalcade entertained and educated the public with biographical profiles of many prominent American political and military men, such as Alexander Hamilton, Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, and George Washington; as well as numerous writers, scientists, performers, and other public figures, including Edgar Allen Poe, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sacajawea, Anne Sullivan, and Kit Carson. Some shows also dramatized major events or movements in American history. During World War II, scripts such as I was Married in Bataan, To The Shores of Tripoli, and Soldiers of the Tide reflected the bravery and accomplishments of the American military.

Cavalcade proved a success with audiences, and many prominent actors and writers were associated with the series. Notable actors included Lucille Ball, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Gregory Peck, Tyrone Powers, Ronald Reagan, Edward G. Robinson, Ginger Rogers, Carl Sandburg, Elizabeth Taylor, Ethel Waters, Orson Welles, and also frequent guests Agnes Moorehead and Burgess Meredith. Select scriptwriters included Arthur Arent, Priscilla Kent, Margaret Lewerth, Arthur Miller, Virginia Radcliffe, and Norman Rosten.