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Television series
ABC Theater Also known as ABC Theatre ABC Theatre of the Month Genre Anthology Original language English Network ABC Release December 19, 1972
ABC Theater is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC and featured quality dramatic presentations over a period of 12 years. Although some sources indicate the series began in 1974,[ 1] ABC lists the first production in 1972,[ 2] with irregular broadcasts until 1984.
Directors for the series of television movies included George Schaefer , Stanley Kramer , Joseph Papp , George Cukor , José Quintero , Daniel Petrie , Randal Kleiser and Delbert Mann .
Writers contributing original material for the series included James Costigan , Alice Childress , Lonne Elder III and Loring Mandel .
In 1973, ABC shared in a joint Peabody Award with NBC and CBS "for their outstanding contributions to entertainment through an exceptional year of televised drama." The award particularly noted the ABC Theater productions of The Glass Menagerie and Pueblo .[ 3]
Selected episodes
Episode
Airdate
Cast
Major Awards
Director
Writer
If You Give a Dance You Gotta Pay the Band
12/19/1972
Donna M. Bryan, Georgia Burke, Laurence Fishburne , Moses Gunn , Albert Hall
Fred Coe
Stanley Grey
Long Day's Journey Into Night
3/10/1973
Laurence Olivier , Constance Cummings , Denis Quilley
Laurence Olivier, Emmy for Outstanding Single Performance by a Lead Actor [ 4]
Peter Wood
Eugene O'Neill
Pueblo
3/29/1973
Hal Holbrook , Ronny Cox , Andrew Duggan , Stephen Elliott
Hal Holbrook, Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Drama [ 4]
Anthony Page
Stanley R. Greenberg
The Glass Menagerie
12/16/1973
Katharine Hepburn , Sam Waterston , Joanna Miles , Michael Moriarty
Joanna Miles, Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in Drama [ 4] Michael Moriarty, Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in Drama [ 4]
F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'The Last of the Belles'
1/7/1974
Richard Chamberlain , Blythe Danner , Susan Sarandon
Judgment: The Trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
1/28/1974
Allan Arbus , Herschel Bernardi , Barbara Colby
Stanley Kramer
Harry Kleiner
Wedding Band
4/24/1974
Ruby Dee , J.D. Cannon , Eileen Heckart
The Missiles of October
12/18/1974
William Devane , Martin Sheen , Howard Da Silva , Ralph Bellamy
Ceremonies in Dark Old Men
1/6/1975
J. Eric Bell, Godfrey Cambridge , Rosalind Cash , Robert Hooks , Glynn Turman
Judgment: The Court Martial of Lieutenant William Calley
1/12/1975
Tony Musante , Richard Basehart , Harrison Ford
Love Among the Ruins
3/6/1975
Katharine Hepburn , Laurence Olivier , Colin Blakely
Peabody Award[ 5] Katharine Hepburn, Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Special [ 4] Laurence Olivier, Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Special [ 4] George Cukor , Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Special [ 4] James Costigan , Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Special (Original teleplay) [ 4]
George Cukor
James Costigan
I Will Fight No More Forever
4/14/1975
James Whitmore , Sam Elliott , Ned Romero
A Moon for the Misbegotten
5/27/1975
Jason Robards , Colleen Dewhurst , Ed Flanders
Ed Flanders, Emmy for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Special [ 4]
Eleanor and Franklin
1/11 & 1/12/1976
Jane Alexander , Edward Herrmann , Rosemary Murphy
Peabody Award[ 6] Emmy for Outstanding Drama Special [ 4] Rosemary Murphy, Emmy for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Special [ 4] Daniel Petrie , Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Special [ 4] James Costigan , Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Special (Original teleplay) [ 4]
Green Eyes
1/3/1977
Paul Winfield , Rita Tushingham , Jonathan Goldsmith
Peabody Award[ 7] Humanitas Prize [ 8]
Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years
3/13/1977
Jane Alexander , Edward Herrmann , Priscilla Pointer , Blair Brown
Emmy for Outstanding Special (Tie with Sybil) [ 4] Daniel Petrie , Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Special [ 4]
Mary White
11/18/1977
Ed Flanders , Fionnula Flanagan , Tim Matheson , Kathleen Beller
Caryl Ledner, Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Special (Adaptation) [ 4]
The Gathering
12/4/1977
Edward Asner , Maureen Stapleton
Emmy for Outstanding Special [ 4]
Breaking Up
1/2/1978
Lee Remick , Granville Van Dusen
The Last Tenant
6/25/1978
Tony Lo Bianco , Lee Strasberg , Christine Lahti
George Rubino, Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Special (Original teleplay) [ 4]
Friendly Fire
4/22/1979
Carol Burnett , Ned Beatty , Sam Waterston , Timothy Hutton
Peabody Award[ 9] Emmy for Outstanding Special [ 4] Daniel Greene, Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Limited Series or Special [ 4]
Attica
3/2/1980
Charles Durning , Morgan Freeman , George Grizzard
Marvin J. Chomsky , Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Limited Series or a Special [ 4]
The Women's Room
9/14/1980
Lee Remick , Ted Danson , Colleen Dewhurst , Patty Duke
The Shadow Box
12/28/1980
Joanne Woodward , Christopher Plummer , Valerie Harper , James Broderick
Humanitas Prize[ 8] Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Made For Television [ 10]
Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy 'Satchel' Paige
5/31/1981
Louis Gossett Jr. , Beverly Todd , Cleavon Little
The Elephant Man
1/4/1982
Philip Anglim , Kevin Conway , Penny Fuller
Penny Fuller, Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special
Divorce Wars: A Love Story
3/1/1982
Tom Selleck , Jane Curtin , Candice Azzara
Humanitas Prize[ 8]
My Body, My Child
4/12/1982
Vanessa Redgrave , Jack Albertson , Joseph Campanella , Stephen Elliott
The Letter
5/3/1982
Lee Remick , Ronald Pickup , Jack Thompson
Benny's Place
5/31/1982
Louis Gossett, Jr. , Cicely Tyson , Terry Alexander
Who Will Love My Children?
2/14/1983
Ann-Margret , Frederic Forrest , Donald Moffat
Ann-Margret, Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television [ 11]
The Day After
11/20/1983
Jason Robards , JoBeth Williams , John Lithgow , Amy Madigan
Heart of Steel
12/4/1983
Peter Strauss , Pamela Reed , John Doucette
Something About Amelia
1/9/1984
Ted Danson , Glenn Close , Roxana Zal
Emmy for Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special [ 4] Roxana Zal, Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special William Hanley , Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special [ 4]
A Streetcar Named Desire
3/4/1984
Ann-Margret , Treat Williams , Beverly D'Angelo
The Dollmaker
5/13/1984
Jane Fonda , Levon Helm , Amanda Plummer
Humanitas Prize[ 8] Jane Fonda, Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Limited Series or a Special
Heartsounds
9/30/1984
James Garner , Mary Tyler Moore , Sam Wanamaker
Peabody Award[ 12]
Consenting Adult
1985
Martin Sheen
ABC Theater Award
In 1977, ABC Inc., established the “ABC Theater” Award. The award provided a grant to the National Playwrights Conference of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and a cash award of $10,000 to the winning playwright. The playwright's work was then telecast as an ABC Theater Presentation. Winners of the award have included George Rubino for The Last Tenant , Lee Hunkins for Hollow Image , Preston Ransone for King Crab , J. Rufus Caleb for Benny’s Place and Phil Penningroth for Ghost Dancing .
References