The Catered Affair (Goodyear Television Playhouse)

Last updated
"The Catered Affair"
Goodyear Television Playhouse episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 17
Directed by Robert Mulligan
Written by Paddy Chayefsky
Production codeShowcase Productions
Original air date22 May 1955 (1955-05-22)
Guest appearances
Thelma Ritter
Pat Henning

"The Catered Affair" is a television play episode from the television series Goodyear Television Playhouse . "The Catered Affair" was written by Paddy Chayefsky and was first shown on May 22, 1955. The cast included Pat Henning, Thelma Ritter, and J. Pat O'Malley. [1]

Contents

It was the last original TV play Chayefsky wrote. [2] A subsequent TV play, The Great American Hoax , was based on an early Chayefsky story.

Reception

Chayefsky later called the play "an unfocused piece, in which the first act was farce, and the second was comedy-drama and the third was abruptly drama. There aren't a dozen actresses who could make one piece out of all that; Miss Ritter, of course, did." [3]

The New York Times TV critic later wrote that "the playwright abandoned the stark simplicity that has become his trademark and tried to tell a family story from too many points of view. Parts of his play were rewarding but the whole was disappointing." [4]

Awards

Paddy Chayefsky and Thelma Ritter both received Emmy nominations for their work. Pat Henning won an Emmy for his performance. [5]

Related Research Articles

Marty (<i>The Philco Television Playhouse</i>) 23rd episode of the 5th season of The Philco Television Playhouse

"Marty" is a 1953 television play by Paddy Chayefsky. It was telecast live May 24, 1953, on The Philco Television Playhouse with Rod Steiger in the title role and Nancy Marchand, in her television debut, playing opposite him as Clara. Chayefsky's story of a decent, hard-working Bronx butcher, pining for the company of a woman in his life but despairing of ever finding true love in a relationship, was produced by Fred Coe with associate producer Gordon Duff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eva Marie Saint</span> American actress (born 1924)

Eva Marie Saint is an American retired actress of film, theatre, radio and television. In a career spanning 75 years, she has won an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, alongside nominations for a Golden Globe Award and two British Academy Film Awards. Saint is both the oldest living and earliest surviving Academy Award-winner, and one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thelma Ritter</span> American actress (1902–1969)

Thelma Ritter was an American character actress. Her strong New York City accent, diminutive size, and plain look favored working-class roles, earning her a Tony Award and six Academy award nominations, more than any other actress in the Best Supporting Actress category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Hiller</span> Canadian-American director

Arthur Hiller, was a Canadian television and film director with over 33 films to his credit during a 50-year career. He began his career directing television in Canada and later in the U.S. By the late 1950s he began directing films, most often comedies. He also directed dramas and romantic subjects, such as Love Story (1970), which was nominated for seven Oscars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paddy Chayefsky</span> American playwright, screenwriter and novelist (1923–1981)

Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky was an American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for writing both adapted and original screenplays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diane English</span> American film director

Diane English is an American screenwriter, producer and director. She is best known for creating the television show Murphy Brown which won multiple awards, including 18 Primetime Emmy Awards from 62 nominations. She also wrote and directed the 2008 feature film The Women. She has won numerous awards, including 3 Emmy Awards, and received numerous nominations.

<i>The Bachelor Party</i> 1957 American film

"The Bachelor Party" is a 1953 television play by Paddy Chayefsky which was adapted by Chayefsky for a 1957 film. The play premiered to critical acclaim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Harrington Jr.</span> American actor (1929–2016)

Daniel Patrick Harrington Jr. was an American Emmy Award-winning stage and television actor, best known for his role as building superintendent Dwayne Schneider on the sitcom One Day at a Time (1975–1984). His father Pat Harrington Sr. was also an actor.

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.

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.

<i>The Catered Affair</i> 1956 film by Richard Brooks

The Catered Affair is a 1956 American comedy drama film directed by Richard Brooks and produced by Sam Zimbalist from a screenplay by Gore Vidal, based on a 1955 television play by Paddy Chayefsky. The film stars Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, Debbie Reynolds, Barry Fitzgerald and Rod Taylor. It was Taylor's first film for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer after signing a long-term contract with the studio. The film score was by André Previn and the cinematographer was John Alton.

<i>A Catered Affair</i>

A Catered Affair is a musical with a book by Harvey Fierstein and music and lyrics by John Bucchino. It is based on both the 1956 film The Catered Affair written by Gore Vidal and the original 1955 teleplay by Paddy Chayefsky, set in 1953 in the Bronx. This is the first of Bucchino's scores produced on Broadway.

<i>Marty</i> (film) 1955 American romantic drama film directed by Delbert Mann

Marty is a 1955 American romantic drama film directed by Delbert Mann in his directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Paddy Chayefsky, expanding upon his 1953 teleplay of the same name, which was broadcast on The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse and starred Rod Steiger in the title role.

Robert Achille Schiller was an American screenwriter. He worked extensively with fellow producer/screenwriter Bob Weiskopf on numerous television shows in the United States, including I Love Lucy (1955–1957) and All in the Family (1977–1979) on the CBS network. For the latter series, he received an Emmy Award in 1978 as one of the writers of the episode "Cousin Liz."

Herbert Baker was a songwriter and screenwriter for television and films.

Paul Monash was an American television and film producer and screenwriter.

Daniel Melnick was an American film producer and film studio executive who started working in Hollywood as a teenager in television and then became the producer of such films as All That Jazz, Altered States and Straw Dogs. Melnick's films won more than 20 Academy Awards out of some 80 nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Great American Hoax</span> 17th episode of the 2nd season of The 20th Century Fox Hour

"The Great American Hoax" is a 1957 episode of the TV series The 20th Century Fox Hour.

"Holiday Song" is the second season premiere of the TV anthology series Goodyear Playhouse. It was written by Paddy Chayefsky and helped establish his reputation in TV drama.

"Printer's Measure" is an episode of the TV anthology series The Philco Television Playhouse written by Paddy Chayefsky.

References

  1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0886035/ Internet Movie database [ user-generated source ]
  2. "THE TV SCENE--: Television's Old Grads Hit Top" Smith, Cecil. Los Angeles Times 28 Feb 1958: A8.
  3. PADDY CHAYEFSKY (Feb 16, 1969). "Thelma Ritter 1905–1969". New York Times. p. D13.
  4. JACK GOULD (May 23, 1955). "TV: 'Catered Affair': Chayefsky's Story of Family Life Offered". New York Times. p. 47.
  5. "Pat Henning, Comedian, Dead, Won Emmy for 'Catered Affair: Born Into Circus Family". New York Times. Apr 30, 1973. p. 34.