Star Stage

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Betty Grable and Casey Adams in Cleopatra Collins, 1956 Betty Grable Casey Adams Cleopatra Collins Star Stage 1956.jpg
Betty Grable and Casey Adams in Cleopatra Collins, 1956

Star Stage is a half-hour American television anthology series that began on September 9, 1955, and ended on September 7, 1956. [1]

Contents

It was sponsored on alternate weeks by Chesebrough-Ponds and Campbell Soup Company [2] and hosted by Jeffrey Lynn, who became host on the November 18 telecast. [1] Thirty-nine episodes aired on NBC.[ citation needed ] Approximately two-thirds of the episodes were done live and the remainder were filmed. [1] Filmed episodes were produced by Revue. [3] Some episodes originated from WRCA-TV in New York City, and others came from KRCA-TV in Los Angeles. When the program debuted, it was carried live on 31 stations and by delayed broadcast on 12. [2]

Guest stars included: Mary Astor, Ralph Bellamy, Polly Bergen, [1] Ward Bond, Eddie Bracken, Rod Cameron, Wendell Corey, Joseph Cotten, Jeanne Crain, Paul Douglas, Dan Duryea, Joan Fontaine, Greer Garson, Betty Grable, Lorne Greene, Dennis Morgan, Sylvia Sidney, [4] Jack Whiting, Cornel Wilde, and Alan Young.

Mort Abrahams was the executive producer, and Charles Russell was the initial producer, [2] In March 1956, S. Mark Smith was named producer. [5] Directors included feature film directors, Robert Stevenson, Sidney Lanfield, Felix E. Feist, and Don Weis.

The episode "Killer on Horseback" (February 3, 1956). starring Cameron, was the pilot for the TV series State Trooper . [6]

Episodes

Partial List of Episodes of Star Stage
DateTitleActor(s)
September 16, 1955"Cop Without a Badge"Joey Walsh, James Gregory [7]
October 7, 1955"On Trial" Joseph Cotten [8]
December 25, 1955"The Knife" Donald Woods, Pud Flanagan, Edward Binns, Barbara Joyce, Anne Hegira [9]
January 27, 1956"Screen Credit" Cornel Wilde, Carolyn Jones, Jim Backus, Hal Peary, Allen Jenkins [10]
February 24, 1956"Career" Greer Garson, Patric Knowles, Stephen Bekassy, Richard Erdman, Sarah Selby, Douglas Evans, Mandie Prickett [11]
August 10, 1956"The Sainted General" Luther Adler [12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 959. ISBN   0-345-42923-0.
  2. 1 2 3 "Friday (9)" (PDF). Ross Reports on Television. September 4, 1955. p. 100. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  3. "TV 'Star Stage' to offer drama". The New York Times. August 25, 1955. p. 47. ProQuest   113279877 . Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  4. "Debut". Independent. Long Beach Independent. September 9, 1955. p. 30. Retrieved March 27, 2015 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  5. "Network People" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 5, 1956. p. 74. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  6. Aaker, Everett (October 17, 2024). Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters: All Regular Cast Members in American Crime and Mystery Series, 1948-1959. McFarland. pp. 109–110. ISBN   978-1-4766-0636-1 . Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  7. Shanley, J. P. (September 17, 1955). "TV: Break for Teen-ager: School Boy's Story on 'Star Stage'". The New York Times. p. 35. ProQuest   113231193 . Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  8. "Tonight's Television . . ". The Vancouver Sun. October 7, 1955. p. 33. Retrieved May 3, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Nancy Gates Is Heroine Of Western". The Des Moines Register. December 25, 1955. p. 10. Retrieved May 3, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Programs, Personalities". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. January 22, 1956. p. 5 H. Retrieved January 25, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  11. Troyan, Michael (September 16, 2005). A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson. University Press of Kentucky. p. 381. ISBN   978-0-8131-9150-8 . Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  12. "TV Key Previews". The Capital Times. Wisconsin, Madison. August 10, 1956. p. 21. Retrieved May 2, 2021 via Newspapers.com.