To the Sound of Trumpets

"**To the Sound of Trumpets**"
"To the Sound of Trumpets"
Playhouse 90 episode
Episode no.	Season 4; Episode 9
Directed by	Buzz Kulik
Written by	John Gay
Featured music	Jerry Goldsmith
Original air date	February 9, 1960
Guest appearances
	Stephen Boyd as Capt. Leslie Cronyn; Dolores Hart as Janet Marshall; Judith Anderson as Madame Duvier; Boris Karloff as Guibert; Sam Jaffe as Schiller; Robert Coote as Sgt. Beggs;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "A Dream of Treason"	Next →; "The Cruel Day"

Last updated April 06, 2024

"To the Sound of Trumpets" was an American television play broadcast on February 9, 1960, as part of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90 . It was the ninth episode of the fourth season of Playhouse 90 and the 126th episode overall.

Plot

The plot is a tragic love story set during World War I. British Army officer Capt. Leslie Cronyn deserts his unit after becoming disillusioned with the war. He meets American nurse Janet Marshall who holds a romantic view of the war as a glorious contest. The two fall in love and he finds new meaning in life, but complications arise, including Marshall's husband serving at the front and Cronyn's efforts to elude the military police and flee from France.

Production

Robert Stevens was the director. David Davidson wrote the teleplay based on Maurice Edelman's novel of the same title.

The cast included Stephen Boyd as Capt. Leslie Cronyn, Dolores Hart as Janet Marshall, Judith Anderson as Madame Duvier (Marshall's superior), Boris Karloff as Guibert (an expert at smuggling deserters out of France), and Sam Jaffe as Schiller (a German grocer in France).^[1]

To the Sound of Trumpets aired on a Tuesday evening, the first installment of Playhouse 90 after it ceased airing on a regular basis in its traditional time slot on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m.

Reviews

Fred Danzig of the UPI wrote that it was "filled with clinkers in acting, plot and technical details" and was often repetitious, yet it provided "some curiously gripping, moving moments" focusing on one man's responsibility to his fellow man.^[2] Danzig found Hart's performance to be "consistently excellent". On the other hand, he wrote that Karloff's performance appeared to be a satire of old Boris Karloff movies.^[2]

Cynthia Lowry of the Associated Press found it entertaining and wrote that Playhouse 90, even in its new time slot, "remains one of television's enduring delights."^[3]

Another reviewer wrote that the production "has a tendency to ramble, but it contains some strong scenes and the message, which, while not new, bears repetition."^[1]

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References

1 2 The TV Critic (February 9, 1960). "Is War Glorious -- or Only Horrible? Tragic Love Story Seeks the Answer". The Atlanta Constitution– via Newspapers.com.
1 2 ""Sound Of Trumpets" Has Gripping Moments". Evening Times (UPI story). February 10, 1960. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ Cynthia Lowry (February 10, 1960). "Playhouse 90 Continues As TV Delight". Evening Times (AP story). p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.

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[AC-1] 1 2 The TV Critic (February 9, 1960). "Is War Glorious -- or Only Horrible? Tragic Love Story Seeks the Answer". The Atlanta Constitution– via Newspapers.com.

[FD-2] 1 2 ""Sound Of Trumpets" Has Gripping Moments". Evening Times (UPI story). February 10, 1960. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] Cynthia Lowry (February 10, 1960). "Playhouse 90 Continues As TV Delight". Evening Times (AP story). p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.

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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" "So Soon To Die" "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" "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" "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