Robert Montgomery Presents | |
---|---|
Also known as | Robert Montgomery Presents Your Lucky Strike Theater |
Genre | Drama |
Directed by | Vincent J. Donehue Norman Felton Perry Lafferty John Newland James Sheldon Herbert B. Swope Jr. |
Presented by | Robert Montgomery |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 8 |
No. of episodes | 276 |
Production | |
Executive producer | Robert Montgomery |
Running time | 47–50 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | January 30, 1950 – June 24, 1957 |
Robert Montgomery Presents is an American drama television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950, until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its eight-year run, and the title was altered to feature the sponsor, usually Lucky Strike cigarettes, for example, Robert Montgomery Presents Your Lucky Strike Theater, ....The Johnson's Wax Program, and so on.
Initially offering hour-long dramas adapted from successful Hollywood films, the series was hosted and produced by Robert Montgomery. His presence lent a degree of respectability to the new medium of television, and he was able to persuade many of his Hollywood associates to appear.[ citation needed ] Montgomery introduced each episode and also acted in many episodes.
The program was noted for the high level of production values and the consistent attempt to present quality entertainment within the constraints of a live presentation. A drama built around the Hindenburg disaster, including interviews with survivors of the actual event, was one example of the ambitious nature of the program. In the 1950–51 season, the series finished #11 in the Nielsen ratings, followed by finishing #26 in 1951–52. [1]
The debut episode was W. Somerset Maugham's The Letter , starring Madeleine Carroll in her television debut. [2] The broadcast raised concern with regard to how television rights to a story related to film rights to the same story. Warner Bros. produced the film The Letter (1940), and after the TV broadcast studio executives considered suing NBC and others connected with the program for copyright infringement. [3]
During its first season, the movie adaptations included Rebecca , The Egg and I , Dark Victory and Montgomery's Ride the Pink Horse . Over the following seasons it adapted highly respected works but also showcased new writers and original dramas written expressly for the series. On Christmas Eve 1956, in a departure from its usual non-musical format, the series telecast Gian-Carlo Menotti's opera Amahl and the Night Visitors , which had already become an annual television event.
From 1952, a repertory cast appeared on the show along with guest artists (and featured during the series' Summer Theater seasons as well). Montgomery's daughter, Elizabeth Montgomery, made her acting debut as a repertory player in 1951 and remained with the show until 1956. Cliff Robertson also made his acting debut as part of the same group in 1954.
The announcer was Nelson Case. [4]
On November 20, 1950, the program presented "The Canterville Ghost", starring Cecil Parker and Margaret O'Brien. [5]
Notable guest stars included:
Year | Award | Result | Category |
---|---|---|---|
1952 | Nominated | Emmy Award | Best Dramatic Show |
1953 | Won | Best Dramatic Program | |
1954 | Nominated | Best Dramatic Show |
The year 1951 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1951.
The year 1950 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1950.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965, it was renamed The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Hitchcock himself directed only 18 episodes during its run.
Your Hit Parade was an American radio and television music program that was broadcast from 1935 to 1953 on radio, and seen from 1950 to 1959 on television. It was sponsored by American Tobacco's Lucky Strike cigarettes. During its 24-year run, the show had 19 orchestra leaders and 52 singers or groups.
Armstrong Circle Theatre is an American anthology drama television series which ran from June 6, 1950, to June 25, 1957, on NBC, and from October 2, 1957, to August 28, 1963, on CBS. It alternated weekly with The U.S. Steel Hour. It finished in the Nielsen ratings at number 19 for the 1950–51 season and number 24 for 1951–52. The principal sponsor was Armstrong World Industries.
Sheila Gish was an English actress. For her role in the 1995 London revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical Company, she won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical.
Everett H. Sloane was an American character actor who worked in radio, theatre, films, and television.
Robert Ellenstein was an American actor. The son of Meyer C. Ellenstein, a Newark dentist, Ellenstein grew up to see his father become a two-term mayor from 1933 to 1941. He served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, earning a Purple Heart during his service.
Lux Video Theatre is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays.
John Herrick McIntire was an American character actor who appeared in 65 theatrical films and many television series. McIntire is well known for having replaced Ward Bond, upon Bond's sudden death in November 1960, as the star of NBC's Wagon Train. He played Christopher Hale, the leader of the wagon train from early 1961 to the series' end in 1965. He also replaced Charles Bickford, upon Bickford's death in 1967, as ranch owner Clay Grainger on NBC's The Virginian for four seasons.
George Vincent Homeier, known professionally as Skip Homeier, was an American actor who started his career at the age of eleven and became a child star.
Robert Sterling was an American actor. He was best known for starring in the television series Topper (1953–1955).
The Philco Television Playhouse is an American television anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the Golden Age of Television, winning a 1954 Peabody Award and receiving eight Emmy nominations between 1951 and 1956.
Ford Theatre, spelled Ford Theater for the original radio version and known, in full, as The Ford Television Theatre for the TV version, is a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s. At various times the television series appeared on all three major television networks, while the radio version was broadcast on two separate networks and on two separate coasts. Ford Theatre was named for its sponsor, the Ford Motor Company, which had an earlier success with its concert music series, The Ford Sunday Evening Hour (1934–42).
The Big Story is an American radio and television crime drama which dramatized the true stories of real-life newspaper reporters. The only continuing character was the narrator, Bob Sloane.
The Loretta Young Show is an American anthology drama television series broadcast on Sunday nights from September 2, 1953, to June 4, 1961, on NBC for a total of 165 episodes. The series was hosted by actress Loretta Young, who also played the lead in various episodes.
Celanese Theatre is an anthology television series which aired from October 3, 1951, to June 25, 1952, on ABC.
The Dumplings is an American sitcom starring James Coco and Geraldine Brooks that aired on NBC during the 1975–76 television season. The series was based on a syndicated comic strip of the same name by Fred Lucky that ran in newspapers from 1975 to 1977.
Somerset Maugham TV Theatre is an American anthology drama program. The series aired on CBS October 18, 1950 – March 28, 1951, and on NBC April 2, 1951 – December 10, 1951.
William Post Jr. was an American actor and drama instructor. He was sometimes billed without the use of "Jr." following his surname.