Corey's Ramblings: Another 25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas - Day 8: Choral Music for the Holidays from Du Pont's Cavalcade (1946)

I have fallen behind - but I will catch up soon. Today, I think I highlight another episode from Du Pont's Cavalcade of America as they celebrate their own staff in the Wilmington, Deleware headquarters.

Seems like a great way to celebrate the holidays this year. As you know, I am highlighting a different Christmas episodes from Old Time Radio by showcasing a program a day (well, I will try). I expect to have some repeats, but also some new shows featured as well. If you have Sirius XM, you can listen to Greg Bell's Old time radio channel (#148). Or you can see my previous OTR Christmas entries (or drop to the bottom of this message).

MSVMA All-State Choir at Michigan Youth Arts Festival
(Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 9, 2009)

The Cavalcade of America is a great series sponsored by DuPont. The purpose of the program has been one of great study and I am definitely glad that I have a few episodes to talk about it. The long-running show ran from 1935 to 1953 and then had a second life on television. Starting first on the CBS Network, it moved to NBC in 1939. This 30 minute program provided a great platform to showcase some of the lesser known incidents and people who made the country great. Not only was this series a great source of historical dramas, there were numerous fictional stories brought in as well. From the Internet Archive page (see link below), "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."

For the Christmas episodes of Cavalcade in 1946, 1947, 1950 and 1951, the program passed up a chance to engage leading actors, writers and producers of radio to shift the focus inward. In 1944, a group of Du Pont employees formed the Du Pont Chorus through their mutual interest in song. They were directed by Daniel Boyer and included around 200 employees from across the company. For the first time they were featured on Cavalcade on December 23, 1946, they performed at the Playhouse in Wilmington Delaware where 154 Du Pont men and women sang a beautiful collection of songs for the season. It is great to hear where the soloists are from in the company - including Miss Lois Cato of the Wilmington Chemical Department who sang the solo in When the Crimson Sun Has Set. The shows also feature a statement from the Du Pont President - who for the 1946 program was Walter Carpenter Jr. This year, they decided to share the joy of the Du Pont Chorus with the world. In the message, Carpenter shared best wishes for the holidays and the new year for the world that was coming off a devastating war.

I hope you enjoy these wonderful programs of songs of the season from the men and women of the Du Pont Company.

Du Pont Chorus on Cavalcade for America December 23, 1946