The Power and the Glory is a 1961 American TV film based on the 1940 novel The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. It was produced by David Susskind for Talent Associates-Paramount. The production was shot for American TV but also distributed theatrically overseas. [1]
It was Olivier's second performance for American television following an acclaimed production of The Moon and Sixpence which won him an Emmy.
Playwright Dale Wassterman wrote the script in seven days. [2]
David Susskind originally wanted Richard Burton to co star with Olivier. [3] The project was announced in April 1961 and the cast finalised in May. It was going to be CBS's "major dramatic production" for the year. [4] The budget was a reported $500,000. [5]
A Mexican township worth $125,000 was built for the production, which was shot at NBC studios, in two studios (although broadcast by CBS). It was one of the most elaborate productions shot for TV at the time. [6]
Taping started 30 May 1961 over a four-week period between the end of Olivier's run in Becket and his return to England. [7] The budget eventually blew out to $746,000 and the running time was 132 minutes. [8]
The New York Times called it "a proverbial milestone and a major disappointment." [9] The Los Angeles Times said it was "less than it could be". [10]
Franklin James Schaffner was an American film, television, and stage director. He won an Academy Award for Best Director for Patton (1970), and is known for the films Planet of the Apes (1968), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), Papillon (1973), and The Boys from Brazil (1978). He served as president of the Directors Guild of America between 1987 and 1989.
Frederick George Peter Ingle Finch was an English-Australian actor of theatre, film and radio.
Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr. was an American actor, producer, and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best-known for starring in such films as The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), Gunga Din (1939), and The Corsican Brothers (1941). The son of Douglas Fairbanks and stepson of Mary Pickford, his first marriage was to actress Joan Crawford.
Dame Frances Margaret Anderson,, known professionally as Judith Anderson, was an Australian actress who had a successful career in stage, film and television. A pre-eminent stage actress in her era, she won two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award and was also nominated for a Grammy Award and an Academy Award. She is considered one of the 20th century's greatest classical stage actors.
The Power and the Glory is a 1940 novel by British author Graham Greene. The title is an allusion to the doxology often recited at the end of the Lord's Prayer: "For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever, amen." It was initially published in the United States under the title The Labyrinthine Ways.
Edward Small was an American film producer from the late 1920s through 1970, who was enormously prolific over a 50-year career. He is best known for the movies The Count of Monte Cristo (1934), The Man in the Iron Mask (1939), The Corsican Brothers (1941), Brewster's Millions (1945), Raw Deal (1948), Black Magic (1949), Witness for the Prosecution (1957) and Solomon and Sheba (1959).
Surfside 6 is an ABC television series that aired from 1960 to 1962. The show centered on a Miami Beach detective agency set on a houseboat, and featured Troy Donahue as Sandy Winfield II, Van Williams as Kenny Madison, and Lee Patterson as Dave Thorne. Diane McBain co-starred as socialite Daphne Dutton, whose yacht was berthed next to their houseboat. Spanish actress Margarita Sierra also had a supporting role as Cha Cha O'Brien, an entertainer who worked at the Boom Boom Room, a popular Miami Beach hangout at the Fontainebleau Hotel, directly across the street from Surfside 6.
The Young Doctors is a 1961 drama film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Ben Gazzara, Fredric March, Dick Clark, Ina Balin, Eddie Albert, Phyllis Love, Aline MacMahon, George Segal, and Dolph Sweet.
Too Late Blues is a 1961 black-and-white American film directed by John Cassavetes and starring Bobby Darin, Stella Stevens and Everett Chambers. It is the story of jazz musician "Ghost" Wakefield and his relationship with both his fellow band members and his love interest, Jess, a beautiful would-be singer. The film was written by Cassavetes and Richard Carr.
Destry is a Western television series starring John Gavin that originally aired on ABC from February 14 until May 8, 1964. Destry was based on the classic James Stewart Western, Destry Rides Again, and a subsequent remake, Destry, starring Audie Murphy. This series was a midseason replacement for 77 Sunset Strip.
Third Man on the Mountain is a 1959 American family adventure film by Walt Disney Productions, directed by Ken Annakin and starring Michael Rennie, James MacArthur and Janet Munro. Set during the golden age of alpinism, its plot concerns a young Swiss man who conquers the mountain that killed his father. It is based on Banner in the Sky, a James Ramsey Ullman 1955 novel about the first ascent of the Citadel, and was televised under this name.
Mr. Broadway is an American 13-episode CBS adventure and drama television series starring Craig Stevens as New York City public relations specialist Mike Bell. It ran from September 20, 1964 until December 26, 1964.
Miss Susie Slagle's is a 1946 American drama film directed by John Berry. It was based on the popular novel by Augusta Tucker. The film was Berry's directorial debut and first starring role for Joan Caulfield.
Renée Valente Smidt was an American film and television producer, as well as casting executive. Valente produced more than 70 films and television movies, including A Storm in Summer, which earned her a Daytime Emmy Award in 2001. She also received an Emmy nomination 1979 as the producer of the Blind Ambition, a television miniseries which starred Martin Sheen and Rip Torn.
The Scarface Mob is an American feature film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Robert Stack. It consists of the pilot episodes for the TV series The Untouchables (1959) that originally screened as a two-part installment of Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse on April 20 and 27 1959. The episodes were cut together and released theatrically as a stand-alone feature outside America in 1959 and inside the US in 1962.
The Spiral Staircase is a 1961 American television film. It is a television adaptation of Ethel Lina White's novel Some Must Watch which was filmed in 1946 as The Spiral Staircase. It was directed by Boris Sagal.
Medea is a 1959 American TV play. It is based on the adaptation of the play by Euripides. Judith Anderson plays the title role, which she had great success performing on stage ever since 1948.
Time Remembered is a 1961 American television film for the Hallmark Hall of Fame. It was based on the play by Jean Anouilh and directed by George Schaefer.
Without Incident is a 1957 episode of Playhouse 90 starring Errol Flynn.
The Moon and Sixpence was an American television movie broadcast on NBC on October 30, 1959. The production, starring Laurence Olivier, was adapted by S. Lee Pogostin from the novel by Somerset Maugham. The production won multiple Emmy and Sylvania Awards, including awards for Olivier's acting, Pogostin's adaptation, and Robert Mulligan's direction.