"[1] The 30-minute weekly episodes "managed to combine romance and music in one program, along with gritty adventure and occasional bitter violence," featuring both real people from history and fictional characters.
[2] As an example of the fare heard on Empire Builders, a two-part program that began on February 18, 1929, related the adventures experienced and the obstacles overcome during the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
[3] Among the difficulties included in the program was "the incident at Great Falls, where a cloudburst swelled the river and swept their encampment from the banks like so many flies.
[1] Ameche and Flynn, both from the University of Wisconsin, were selected for the Chicago cast from hundreds of actors and actresses who auditioned for the program.
[4] Ted Pearson was the announcer, Don Bernard was the director, and Josef Koestner conducted the orchestra.