Actors Studio (TV series)

*Actors Studio*
Actors Studio
Also known as	The Play's the Thing
Genre	Drama
Directed by	Ralph Warren (1948); David Pressman (1948–50); Fred Carr (1949); Alex Segal (1949–50); Yul Brynner (1949–50)
Presented by	Marc Connelly
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	65
Production
Producers	Donald Davis (1949–50); Hume Cronyn
Production company	Actors Studio
Original release
Network	ABC (September 26, 1948 – October 26, 1949); CBS (November 1, 1949 – June 23, 1950)
Release	September 26, 1948 –; June 23, 1950

Actors Studio is an American TV show which aired for 65 episodes, from September 26, 1948, to October 26, 1949 on the fledgling ABC Television Network; then from November 1, 1949, to June 23, 1950, on CBS Television.^[1] (It was one of the first series to be picked up by a network after being cancelled by another network).^[2] It was hosted by Marc Connelly.

The series showcased short pieces of adapted, classic and original drama, performed and produced live each week. Among some of the known authors were William Saroyan, James Thurber, Ring Lardner, Edgar Allan Poe, Irwin Shaw and Budd Schulberg. Featured actors included Martin Balsam, Richard Boone, Marlon Brando, Hume Cronyn, Julie Harris, Jean Muir and Jessica Tandy. Recurring performers included Jocelyn Brando, Tom Ewell, Steven Hill, Kim Hunter and Cloris Leachman.

In February 1950, the series moved to Friday nights and was expanded to one hour, alternating every other week with broadcasts of Ford Theatre. In March, the name of the show was changed to The Play's the Thing.^[3]

The series received a Peabody Award in 1948 for pioneering in the field of televised drama.^{[citation needed]}

Broadcast history

NOTE: The most frequent time slot for the series in bold text.

Sunday evenings from 8:30–9:00 PM from September 26, 1948 – March 13, 1949, on ABC.
Thursday evenings from 8:30–9:00 PM from March 24 – April 28, 1949, on ABC.
Thursday evenings from 9:30–10:00 PM from May 5–26, 1949 on ABC.
Wednesday evenings from 8:00–8:30 PM from September 28 – October 26, 1949, on ABC.
Tuesday evenings from 9:00–9:30 PM from November 1, 1949 – January 31, 1950, on CBS.
Friday evenings from 9:00–10:00 PM from February 3–17, 1950 on CBS.
Friday evenings from 9:00–9:30 from March 3 – April 28, 1950; May 26 – June 23, 1950, on CBS.
Sunday evenings for one episode which aired May 21, 1950.^{[citation needed]}

Episodes

Series Overview

Season	Episodes	Season Premiere	Season Finale
1	35	September 26, 1948 (1948-09-26)	May 26, 1949 (1949-05-26)
2	30	September 28, 1949 (1949-09-28)	June 23, 1950 (1950-06-23)

Season 1 (1948-49)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date
1	1	"Portrait of a Madonna"	September 26, 1948 (1948-09-26)
2	2	"Night Club"	October 3, 1948 (1948-10-03)
3	3	"The Giant's Stair"	October 10, 1948 (1948-10-10)
4	4	"The Thousand Dollar Bill"	October 17, 1948 (1948-10-17)
5	5	"The Catbird Seat"	October 24, 1948 (1948-10-24)
6	6	"The Inexperienced Ghost"	October 31, 1948 (1948-10-31)
7	7	"Ropes"	November 7, 1948 (1948-11-07)
8	8	"Esther"	November 14, 1948 (1948-11-14)
9	9	"Goodnight, Miss Lizzie Borden"	November 21, 1948 (1948-11-21)
10	10	"Ten Percent"	November 28, 1948 (1948-11-28)
11	11	"The Night the Ghost Got In"	December 5, 1948 (1948-12-05)
12	12	"The Widow of Wasdale Head"	December 12, 1948 (1948-12-12)
13	13	"The Man Who Lost Christmas"	December 19, 1948 (1948-12-19)
14	14	"To the Lovely Margaret"	December 26, 1948 (1948-12-26)
15	15	"A Day in Town"	January 2, 1949 (1949-01-02)
16	16	"I'm No Hero"	January 9, 1949 (1949-01-09)
17	17	"The Little Wife"	January 16, 1949 (1949-01-16)
18	18	"The Lady on 142"	January 23, 1949 (1949-01-23)
19	19	"A Trip to Czardis"	January 30, 1949 (1949-01-30)
20	20	"Jim Pemberton and His Boy Trigger"	February 6, 1949 (1949-02-06)
21	21	"Zone of Quiet"	February 13, 1949 (1949-02-13)
22	22	"The Tell-Tale Heart"	February 20, 1949 (1949-02-20)
23	23	"Greasy Luck"	February 27, 1949 (1949-02-27)
24	24	"Joe McSween's Atomic Machine"	March 6, 1949 (1949-03-06)
25	25	"Dead Man"	March 13, 1949 (1949-03-13)
26	26	"Concerning a Woman of Sin"	March 24, 1949 (1949-03-24)
27	27	"Three O'Clock"	March 31, 1949 (1949-03-31)
28	28	"A Reputation"	April 7, 1949 (1949-04-07)
29	29	"I Can't Breathe"	April 14, 1949 (1949-04-14)
30	30	"From Paradise to Butte"	April 21, 1949 (1949-04-21)
31	31	"Here Comes Spring"	April 28, 1949 (1949-04-28)
32	32	"Somebody Has to Be Nobody"	May 5, 1949 (1949-05-05)
33	33	"Salt of the Earth"	May 12, 1949 (1949-05-12)
34	34	"Spreading the Word"	May 19, 1949 (1949-05-19)
35	35	"You're Breaking My Heart"	May 26, 1949 (1949-05-26)

Season 2 (1949-50)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date
36	1	"The Canterville Ghost"	September 28, 1949 (1949-09-28)
37	2	"Terror in the Streets"	October 5, 1949 (1949-10-05)
38	3	"It's a Free Country"	October 12, 1949 (1949-10-12)
39	4	"We'll Never Have a Nickel"	October 19, 1949 (1949-10-19)
40	5	"Clarissa"	October 26, 1949 (1949-10-26)
41	6	"The Return to Kansas City"	November 1, 1949 (1949-11-01)
42	7	"O'Halloran's Luck"	November 8, 1949 (1949-11-08)
43	8	"The Frame-Up"	November 15, 1949 (1949-11-15)
44	9	"The Three Strangers"	November 22, 1949 (1949-11-22)
45	10	"The Thousand Dollar Bill (restaged)"	November 29, 1949 (1949-11-29)
46	11	"The Man with the Heart in the Highlands"	December 6, 1949 (1949-12-06)
47	12	"The Midway"	December 13, 1949 (1949-12-13)
48	13	"A Child Is Born"	December 20, 1949 (1949-12-20)
49	14	"County Full of Swedes"	December 27, 1949 (1949-12-27)
50	15	"Hannah"	January 3, 1950 (1950-01-03)
51	16	"An Ingenue of the Sierras"	January 10, 1950 (1950-01-10)
52	17	"The Little Wife"	January 17, 1950 (1950-01-17)
53	18	"The Timid Guy"	January 24, 1950 (1950-01-24)
54	19	"Joe McSween's Atomic Machine (restaged)"	January 31, 1950 (1950-01-31)
55	20	"Telas, the King"	February 3, 1950 (1950-02-03)
56	21	"Mr. Mummy's Suspicion"	February 17, 1950 (1950-02-17)
57	22	"The Apple Tree"	March 3, 1950 (1950-03-03)
58	23	"The Pink Hussar"	March 17, 1950 (1950-03-17)
59	24	"The Salt of the Earth (restaged)"	March 31, 1950 (1950-03-31)
60	25	"Sanctuary in Paris"	April 14, 1950 (1950-04-14)
61	26	"Screwball"	April 28, 1950 (1950-04-28)
62	27	"Alison's House"	May 21, 1950 (1950-05-21)
63	28	"The Token"	May 26, 1950 (1950-05-26)
64	29	"The Swan"	June 9, 1950 (1950-06-09)
65	30	"The Good Companions"	June 23, 1950 (1950-06-23)

References

^ McNeil, Alex (1996), Total Television, Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-024916-8
^ Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007 (Volume 1). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3305-6.
^ Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.

External links

[1] McNeil, Alex (1996), Total Television, Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-024916-8

[2] Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007 (Volume 1). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3305-6.

[3] Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.

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