The Thundering Wave

"**The Thundering Wave**"
"The Thundering Wave"
Playhouse 90 episodes
	Joan Bennett, Susan Oliver, and Franchot Tone in "The Thundering Wave"
Episode nos.	Season 2; Episodes 14
Directed by	John Frankenheimer
Written by	Robert Alan Aurthur
Original air date	December 12, 1957
Guest appearances
	James Mason as Sidney Lowe; Franchot Tone as Allen Grant; Joan Bennett as Vickie Maxwell;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Galvanized Yankee"	Next →; "For I Have Loved Strangers"

Last updated November 27, 2025

"The Thundering Wave" was an American television play broadcast on December 12, 1957, as part of the second season of the CBS television series Playhouse 90 . John Frankenheimer directed. James Mason, Franchot Tone, and Joan Bennett starred.

Plot

A separated couple are asked to perform together in a play. They disagree as to whether their daughter should be married.

Cast

The following performers received screen credit for their performances:^[1]^[2]

James Mason - Sidney Lowe
Franchot Tone - Allen Grant
Joan Bennett - Vickie Maxwell
Pamela Mason - Marcia Lowe
Susan Oliver - Louise Grant
Jack Klugman - Lew Downs

Production

John Frankenheimer was the director and Robert Alan Aurthur the writer. It was originally broadcast on December 12, 1957.^[2]^[1] It was part of the second season of Playhouse 90 , an anthology television series that was voted "the greatest television series of all time" in a 1970 poll of television editors.^[3]

References

1 2 3 4 "Playhouse 90, Season 2". Classic TV Archive. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
1 2 3 4 "Playhouse 90: The Thundering Wave". The Paley Center. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
↑ Martin, Douglas (October 2, 2007). "Martin Manulis, TV Pioneer, Dies at 92". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2009.

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[CTVA-1] 1 2 3 4 "Playhouse 90, Season 2". Classic TV Archive. Retrieved February 24, 2021.

[Paley-2] 1 2 3 4 "Playhouse 90: The Thundering Wave". The Paley Center. Retrieved February 24, 2021.

[3] Martin, Douglas (October 2, 2007). "Martin Manulis, TV Pioneer, Dies at 92". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2009.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Playhouse 90
People	John Frankenheimer Martin Manulis Franklin J. Schaffner Rod Serling
Season 1	"Forbidden Area" "Requiem for a Heavyweight" "Sizeman and Son" "Rendezvous in Black" "The Country Husband" "The Big Slide" "Heritage of Anger" "Eloise" "Confession" "Made in Heaven" "Sincerely, Willis Wade" "The Family Nobody Wanted" "Massacre at Sand Creek" "Snowshoes: A Comedy of People and Horses" "The Ninth Day" "So Soon to Die" "The Star Wagon" "The Greer Case" "The Miracle Worker" "The Comedian" "The Coat of White" "The Blackwell Story" "Invitation to a Gunfighter" "The Last Tycoon" "The Hostess with the Mostes'" "Charley's Aunt" "Clipper Ship" "If You Know Elizabeth" "Three Men on a Horse" "Four Women in Black" "Child of Trouble" "Homeward Borne" "Helen Morgan" "Winter Dreams" "Circle of the Day" "Without Incident" "Clash by Night" "Ain't No Time for Glory" "The Fabulous Irishman"
Season 2	"The Death of Manolete" "The Dark Side of the Earth" "Topaze" "A Sound of Different Drummers" "The Playroom" "Around the World in 90 Minutes" "The Mystery of Thirteen" "The Edge of Innocence" "The Clouded Image" "The Jet Propelled Couch" "The Troublemakers" "Panic Button" "Galvanized Yankee" "The Thundering Wave" "For I Have Loved Strangers" "The Lone Woman" "Reunion" "The Last Man" "The 80 Yard Run" "Before I Die" "The Gentleman From Seventh Avenue" "The Violent Heart" "No Time at All" "Point of No Return" "Portrait of a Murderer" "The Last Clear Chance" "The Male Animal" "The Right Hand Man" "Turn Left at Mount Everest" "The Dungeon" "Verdict of Three" "Rumors of Evening" "Not the Glory" "Nightmare at Ground Zero" "Bomber's Moon" "Natchez" "The Innocent Sleep" "A Town Has Turned to Dust" "The Great Gatsby" "A Bitter Heritage"
Season 3	"The Plot to Kill Stalin" "Days of Wine and Roses" "The Time of Your Life" "The Long March" "Shadows Tremble" "Word From a Sealed-Off Box" "Heart of Darkness" "Old Man" "The Return of Ansel Gibbs" "Free Weekend" "Seven Against the Wall" "The Nutcracker" "Face of a Hero" "The Wings of the Dove" "The Blue Men" "The Velvet Alley" "A Quiet Game of Cards" "Child of Our Time" "The Second Man" "The Raider" "The Dingaling Girl" "Made in Japan" "For Whom the Bell Tolls: Part 1" "For Whom the Bell Tolls: Part 2" "A Trip to Paradise" "In Lonely Expectation" "The Day Before Atlanta" "Judgment at Nuremberg" "A Corner of the Garden" "Dark December" "Diary of a Nurse" "A Marriage of Strangers" "Out of Dust" "The Rank and File" "The Killers of Mussolini" "Project Immortality" "Dark as the Night" "The Second Happiest Day"
Season 4	"Target for Three" "The Sounds of Eden" "Misalliance" "The Hidden Image" "The Grey Nurse Said Nothing" "The Tunnel" "The Silver Whistle" "John Brown's Raid" "A Dream of Treason" "To the Sound of Trumpets" "The Cruel Day" "Tomorrow" "The Hiding Place" "Alas, Babylon" "Journey to the Day" "The Shape of the River" "In the Presence of Mine Enemies"
Revivals	CBS Playhouse CBS Playhouse 90

The Thundering Wave

Contents

Plot

Cast

Production

References