Each radio and television episode used predominantly top-tier personalities
Written by
radio scripts: Richard Alan Simmons, Milton Geiger, Jack Rubin, Nat Wolf
Directed by
radio: Bill Karn, Warren Lewis
Produced by
radio: Howard Wylie
Original release
January 9, 1949(1949-01-09) (radio version)/October 5, 1955(1955-10-05) (television version)– September 28, 1951(1951-09-28) (radio version)/September 26, 1956(1956-09-26) (television version)
No. of episodes
122
Audio format
Monaural sound
Screen Directors Playhouse (sometimes written as Screen Directors' Playhouse) is an American radio and television anthology series which brought leading Hollywood actors to the NBC microphones beginning in 1949. The radio program broadcast adaptations of films, with original directors of the films sometimes involved in the productions, although their participation was usually limited to introducing the radio adaptations and taking a brief "curtain call" with the cast and host at the end of the program. During the 1955–56 season, the series was seen on television, focusing on original teleplays and several adaptations of famous short stories (such as Robert Louis Stevenson's "Markheim").
The radio version ran for 122 episodes and aired on NBC from January 9, 1949, to September 28, 1951, under several different titles: NBC Theater, Screen Directors Guild Assignment, Screen Directors Assignment and, as of July 1, 1949, Screen Directors Playhouse.
The television version, produced and filmed at Hal Roach Studios, was broadcast for one season of 35 half-hour episodes on NBC, under the sponsorship of Eastman Kodak,[1] airing from October 5, 1955, to June 1956. The final episodes aired on ABC ending on September 26, 1956.[2]
Hal Roach Studios produced the program, and members of the Screen Directors Guild directed the 30-minute filmed episodes. The guild used its income to support its educational and benevolent foundation.[3]
John Wayne appeared in the episode "Rookie of the Year", in "his only real dramatic role on TV", and Errol Flynn's first dramatic role on TV came in "The Sword of Villon".[4]
Hugo Haas (1901–1968, 1933–62) "The Dream" (May 16, 1956; written by John McGreevey [another source indicates Richard Karlan and Patricia Karlan]; story by Ivan Turgenev)
Gower Champion (1921–1980, 1956–74) "What Day Is It?" (June 6, 1956; written by Jean Holloway)
Lewis Allen (1905–2000, 1943–77) "Every Man Has Two Wives" (June 13, 1956; written by DeWitt Bodeen and Frank Gill, Jr.; story by Thames Williamson)
Opening announcement: "SCREEN DIRECTORS PLAYHOUSE. Bringing you each week an outstanding original screenplay chosen and directed by one of the country's foremost motion picture directors."
Announcer: "Next week, Gower Champion will make his first appearance as a director when he brings us a sparkling dance comedy entitled, 'What Day Is It?' Teamed with Gower will be his lovely wife and partner, Marge Champion. One of the show's highlights will be their famous clown dance. A happy half hour will be yours to enjoy next week when Screen Directors Playhouse brings you 'What Day Is It?' Be sure to join us."
Announcer: "Tonight we are pleased to present the noted director John Brahm. Mr. Brahm has chosen for this evening a bright and amusing story by the Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist William Saroyan. The story is entitled 'A Midsummer Daydream' and it stars Kim Hunter, Keenan Wynn and Don Hanmer."
Announcer: "Next week, Screen Directors Playhouse welcomes Mr. David Butler, director of such hits as Calamity Jane with star Doris Day, Glory and April in Paris. Mr. Butler will bring us a hilarious musical about a famous singing star, her protege and two famous celebrities. 'Prima Donna' will star Jeanette MacDonald, with special guest stars Laraine Day and Leo Durocher. Be sure to join us."
Announcer: "Tonight, we are pleased to welcome Mr. Stuart Heisler who has directed such outstanding pictures as Biscuit Eater, Smash-Up and Blue Skies. For this evening, Mr. Heisler has chosen a humorous western story entitled 'The Brush Roper', which stars Walter Brennan in the leading role."
Announcer: "Tonight, our director is John Ford, the only man ever to win four Academy Awards for direction. Mr. Ford has selected a fascinating story about the baseball world entitled 'Rookie of the Year'. The starring role is played by one of Hollywood's best known stars, John Wayne, in his first dramatic role on television, and introduces his son, Pat Wayne." Screen Directors Playhouse is brought to you on film by the men and women of Eastman Kodak and Kodak dealers everywhere."
Announcer: "Tonight, our director is Mr. H. C. Potter, whose Hollywood and Broadway successes include Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House and Point of No Return. For this evening, Mr. Potter directs a new television drama entitled 'Lincoln's Doctor's Dog'. The stars are Robert Ryan, Charles Bickford and Richard Long." Introduction by H. C. Potter: "For a long time, it had been an axiom, among book publishers, that stories with a medical background, stories about pets, and incidents in the life of Abraham Lincoln were invariably popular. And the publishers nodded wistfully to each other that a title like 'Lincoln's Doctor's Dog', the triple threat, would be practically irresistible. But nobody ever did anything about it. Until, one day, recently, my friend Christopher Morley, one of the most prolific and best loved American authors, began to dream. Did Lincoln, perhaps, have a doctor, who had a dog, who had a story?"
Announcer: "Tonight, Screen Directors Playhouse welcomes Mr. Ted Tetzlaff, whose many directorial credits include The Window and The White Tower. Tonight, Mr. Tetzlaff directs a story of a gamble at sea aboard the most glamorous ship of its day, entitled 'The Titanic Incident', starring Leo Genn in his first dramatic role on television. Screen Directors Playhouse is brought to you on film by the men and women of Eastman Kodak and Kodak dealers everywhere."
Announcer: "Tonight, Screen Directors Playhouse welcomes Mr. Allan Dwan, director of Sands of Iwo Jima, starring John Wayne. For this evening, Mr. Dwan brings us a warmly human story about a minister and a tramp, entitled 'It's Always Sunday'. Our stars are Dennis O'Keefe, Sheldon Leonard and Fay Wray."
Announcer: "Tonight, Screen Directors Playhouse proudly presents Miss Ida Lupino, renowned for her direction of The Hitch-Hiker and The Bigamist. For this evening, Miss Lupino brings us the searching story of a deaf girl and the man she is afraid to love, entitled 'No. 5 Checked Out'. In tonight's cast are Teresa Wright, Peter Lorre and William Talman."
Announcer: "Tonight, Screen Directors Playhouse welcomes Mr. David Butler, director of the musical Calamity Jane, which starred Doris Day, and the recently released Glory. For this evening, Mr. Butler will bring us a happy musical treat entitled 'Prima Donna'. Our star is Jeanette MacDonald with special guest stars Laraine Day and Leo Durocher."
Announcer: "Tonight, Screen Directors Playhouse welcomes Mr. George Sherman, noted for his direction of many fine western films. His pictures include The Treasure of Pancho Villa and Chief Crazy Horse. For this evening, Mr. Sherman brings us an exciting story of the old west entitled 'Cry Justice'. Our stars are MacDonald Carey, Dick Haymes and James Dunn. Screen Directors Playhouse is brought to you on film by the men and women of Eastman Kodak and Kodak dealers everywhere."
Announcer: "Next week, Screen Directors Playhouse welcomes Mr. Byron Haskin, noted for his direction of such exciting films as The Naked Jungle and His Majesty O'Keefe. Mr. Haskin will bring us an intriguing story of romance set against the tropical background, entitled 'Affair in Sumatra', with Ralph Bellamy, Rita Gam and Basil Rathbone. Be sure to join us."
Announcer: "Each week at this time, the Eastman Kodak company invites you to see an outstanding screenplay, produced on Eastman Kodak film with all the scope and realism that only modern motion picture techniques make possible, and brought to you on Screen Directors Playhouse."
Announcer: "Tonight, Screen Directors Playhouse welcomes Mr. Tay Garnett, famous for his direction of such comedy hits as A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. For this evening, Mr. Garnett brings us the hilarious story of a young English professor who stumbles unto a fantastic secret written between the lines of Alice in Wonderland. Our story 'The Carroll Formula'. Our star Michael Wilding."
Announcer: "Tonight's Screen Directors Playhouse welcomes the distinguished Hollywood director Mr. John Brahm. For this evening, Mr. Brahm has chosen the story of a beautiful woman's struggle to combat the specter of an ambitious pact. Based on a famous short story by Henry James, our play is called 'The Bitter Waters'. Our stars are George Sanders and Constance Cummings."
Announcer: "Tonight, Screen Directors Playhouse is proud to again welcome the distinguished Academy Award-winning director Frank Borzage. Mr. Borzage brings us an unusual musical treat based on a true story from the life of Enrico Caruso and featuring the actual voice of the immortal singer. Our story is entitled 'The Day I Met Caruso'... and introduces Lotfi Mansouri in the title role."
Announcer: "Next week, Screen Directors Playhouse presents Mr. Allan Dwan, director of such famous hits as Brewster's Millions and Sands of Iwo Jima. Mr. Dwan has chosen an exciting drama of the men who tunnel through treacherous mud and rock in the high pressure atmosphere under our nation's great rivers. Be sure to join us next week when William Bendix stars in 'High Air'."
Announcer: "Tonight, Screen Directors Playhouse presents Mr. Allan Dwan, director of such famous hits as Brewster's Millions and Sands of Iwo Jima. Mr. Dwan brings us an exciting drama that pits father against son in the treacherous high pressure atmosphere of a tunnel construction job. Our story is entitled 'High Air'. Our star William Bendix."
Announcer: "Next week, Screen Directors Playhouse welcomes Academy Award winner Frank Borzage, whose hits include 7th Heaven and A Farewell to Arms. Mr. Borzage has chosen a heartwarming story of a new citizen's awakening to American freedom... entitled 'A Ticket for Thaddeus'. Edmond O'Brien will star in the title role. Be sure to join us."
Warren Mitchell was a British actor, best known for playing bigoted cockney Alf Garnett in television, film and stage productions from the 1960s to the 1990s. He was a BAFTA TV Award winner and twice a Laurence Olivier Award winner.
Nancy Kelly was an American actress in film, theater, and television. A child actress and model, she was a repertory cast member of CBS Radio's The March of Time, and appeared in several films in the late 1920s. She became a leading lady upon returning to the screen in the late 1930s, while still in her teens, and made two dozen movies between 1938 and 1946, including portraying Tyrone Power's love interest in the classic Jesse James (1939), which also featured Henry Fonda, and playing opposite Spencer Tracy in Stanley and Livingstone, later that same year. After turning to the stage in the late 1940s, she had her greatest success in a character role, the distraught mother in The Bad Seed, receiving a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for the 1955 stage production and an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress for the 1956 film adaptation, her last film role. Kelly then worked regularly in television until 1963, then took over the role of Martha in the original Broadway production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for several months. She returned to television for a handful of appearances in the mid-1970s.
The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards.
Frank Borzage was an American film director and actor. He was the first person to win the Academy Award for Best Director for his film 7th Heaven (1927) at the 1st Academy Awards.
William Dieterle was a German-born actor and film director who emigrated to the United States in 1930 to leave a worsening political situation. He worked in Hollywood primarily as a director for much of his career, becoming a United States citizen in 1937. He moved back to Germany in the late 1950s.
William Taylor "Tay" Garnett was an American film director, writer, and producer. He made nearly 50 films in various genres during his 55-year career, The Postman Always Rings Twice and China Seas being two of the most commercially successful. In his later years, he focused mainly on television.
Scott Brady was an American film and television actor best known for his roles in Western films and as a ubiquitous television presence. He played the title role in the television series Shotgun Slade (1959-1961).
A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies is a 1995 British documentary film of 225 minutes in length, presented by Martin Scorsese and produced by the British Film Institute.
An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different cast in each episode, but several series in the past, such as Four Star Playhouse, employed a permanent troupe of character actors who would appear in a different drama each week. Some anthology series, such as Studio One, began on radio and then expanded to television.
Four Star Playhouse is an American anthology series that ran from September 25, 1952, through September 27, 1956.
The Nun's Story is a 1959 American drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Audrey Hepburn, Peter Finch, Edith Evans, and Peggy Ashcroft. The screenplay was written by Robert Anderson, based on the popular 1956 novel of the same name by Kathryn Hulme. The film tells the life of Gabrielle Van Der Mal (Hepburn), a young woman who decides to enter a convent and make the many sacrifices required by her choice.
Goodyear Television Playhouse is an American anthology series that was telecast live on NBC from 1951 to 1957 during the first Golden Age of Television.
Dorothy Spencer, known as Dot Spencer, was an American film editor with 75 feature film credits from a career that spanned more than 50 years. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing on four occasions, she is remembered for editing three of director John Ford's best known movies, including Stagecoach (1939) and My Darling Clementine (1946), which film critic Roger Ebert called "Ford's greatest Western".
Daniel Taradash was an American screenwriter.
Vincent DeVeau, is an American writer and editor living in Dublin, Ireland.
Ray Danton was an American radio, film, stage, and television actor, director, and producer whose most famous roles were in the screen biographies The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960) and The George Raft Story (1962). He was married to actress Julie Adams from 1954 to 1981.
Trade Winds is a 1938 American comedy murder mystery film directed by Tay Garnett written by Dorothy Parker, Alan Campbell, and Frank R. Adams, based on the story by Tay Garnett. The film stars Fredric March and Joan Bennett. It was distributed by United Artists, and released on December 28, 1938.
Suspicion is the title of an American television mystery drama series which aired on the NBC from 1957 through 1958. The executive producer of half of the filmed episodes (10) of Suspicion was film director Alfred Hitchcock.
"Flashing Spikes" is a 1962 television play directed by John Ford and starring James Stewart, with a lengthy surprise appearance by John Wayne, billed in the credits as "Michael Morrison". The hour-long drama revolving around a disgraced ex-baseball player (Stewart) was broadcast as an episode of the anthology series Alcoa Premiere hosted by Fred Astaire.
Lionel Lindon, ASC was an American film cameraman and cinematographer who spent much of his career working for Paramount.
↑ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (7thed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p.895. ISBN0-345-42923-0.
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