September 30
DEATH VALLEY DAYS DAY
First heard on the NBC Red radio network this day in 1930,
Death
Valley Days became one of radio’s biggest hits. The 30-minute,
Western-adventure series starred Tim Daniel Frawley as the Old Ranger, Harvey Hays as
the Old Prospector, John White as the Lonesome Cowboy, Edwin Bruce as Bobby Keen,
Robert Haag as Sheriff Mark Chase and Olyn Landick as Cassandra Drinkwater.
The tales heard on Death Valley Days were all based on fact and were human interest stories revolving around the borax mining town of Death Valley, California. The show was created by Ruth Woodman, a script writer for a New York ad agency. She had never seen Death Valley; but had found the vehicle to sell 20-Mule-Team Borax. As time went on, Ms. Woodman did make a trip to Death Valley. She went back again and again after that, digging up facts for her scripts. She even met an honest-to-goodness old ranger, Wash Cahill, who knew everyone and everything about the mining town. Death Valley Days was renamed Death Valley Sheriff in 1944 and The Sheriff in 1945. And Ruth Woodman continued to write the scripts. She even wrote scripts when Death Valley Days became a TV show. Buy some 20-Mule-Team Borax in commemoration. |
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