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Crossroads (1955 TV series)

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Crossroads
Jean Willes and Dennis Morgan in Crossroads (1955)
GenreAnthology
Directed byJustus Addiss
Nathan Juran
Richard Kinon
Paul Landres
Leslie H. Martinson
Ralph Murphy
Ralph Nelson
George Waggner
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes78
Production
Executive producerHarry Joe Brown
ProducersHarry Joe Brown
Bernard Schubert
EditorsRoy V. Livingston
James E. Smith
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time25 mins.
Production companiesFederal Telefilms
Sterling Films (IV)
Original release
NetworkABC
Syndication
ReleaseOctober 7, 1955 (1955-10-07) –
June 6, 1957 (1957-06-06)

Crossroads is an American television anthology series based on the activities of clergy from different denominations. It aired from October 7, 1955, to September 27, 1957, on ABC.[1] The show was retitled The Way of Life for syndication.

Story technical advisers were credited as Fr. George Barry Ford, USN Captain Maurice M. Witherspoon Presbyterian Minister, Vice-President of the Military Chaplains Association and Rabbi William Franklin Rosenblum. The entire series is preserved at the UCLA Film and Television Archive in Los Angeles, California.[citation needed]

Overview

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All of the series' episodes dramatized clergymen's experiences, including personal and professional problems that they encountered. Many faiths were represented over the course of the series.[2] The episodes, which often had deep spiritual themes, were usually set in the 1950s, but some were framed for an earlier era.[citation needed]

Chevrolet sponsored Crossroads.[3][4] Bernard L. Schubert was the producer-packager, and Harry Joe Brown was the series maker. Episodes were filmed at Samuel Goldwyn Studios.[5]

Guest stars

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The series featured numerous guest stars, many of whom appeared in several episodes throughout the series' run. James Dean appeared in a 1955 episode, "Broadway Trust", along with Lloyd Bridges and Mary Treen. The episode aired five weeks after Dean died in an automobile crash in September 1955.

Victor Jory was cast in the 1957 episode "Lone Star Preacher", a dramatization of the Texas Baptist pastor George Washington Truett, with Barbara Eiler as his wife, Jo Truett.

Other guest stars include:

Broadcast history

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Crossroads was broadcast on ABC on Fridays from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time from October 1955 through September 1957.[2] In its first season on ABC, Crossroads followed the long-running sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet on the Friday evening schedule.[citation needed] It was scheduled opposite Our Miss Brooks on CBS and The Life of Riley on NBC. The trade publication Billboard reported in July 1956 that the Nielsen report for June 1956 showed Crossroads between those competitors in both rating and share of audience.[3]

Sample episodes:

  • "A Bell for O'Donnell" – A reverend (Edmund Lowe) learns a lesson in forgiveness when he is swindled by a fast-talking con man.
  • "Call for Help" – A priest (Richard Carlson) works with troubled youths when a gang fight leads to a fatal shooting.
  • "Cleanup" – A pastor (Vincent Price) exhorts his parishioners to take back their city from the gangsters and corrupt politicians who have taken it over.
  • "Dig or Die, Brother Hyde" – A new preacher (Hugh Marlowe) on the harsh Dakota frontier is severely tested.
  • "God of Kandikur" - January 25, 1957[7]
  • "God's Healing" – Vincent Price plays a Pennsylvania Priest named Alfred Price, who heals an old woman's embittered heart.
  • "The Good Thief" – A US Army chaplain (James Whitmore) is tortured by Red Chinese captors for ministering to his fellow prisoners of war.
  • "The Judge" – May 18, 1956 - Brian Donlevy does double duty in a lawless town as a preacher and a judge.[7]
  • "Mother O'Brien" – A police detective is torn between family and duty when his younger brother is involved in a petty crime.
  • "Mr. Liberty Bell" - November 18, 1955[7]
  • "Our First Christmas Tree" - December 21, 1956 - Puritanical parents oppose an immigrant minister's plan to put a Christmas tree in their church.[8]

References

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  1. ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 188. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. ^ a b c d Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 303. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Web Winners: Crossroads — ABC-TV". Billboard. July 21, 1956. p. 16. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  4. ^ "Automotive & Accessory Sponsors". Billboard. November 18, 1957. p. 9. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  5. ^ "Schubert's Coast Huddles". Variety. March 7, 1956. p. 39. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  6. ^ Claesson, Samuel (2023). Top Models. Sequoia Press. p. 54. ISBN 9798889921806.
  7. ^ a b c d Sculthorpe, Derek (December 21, 2016). Brian Donlevy, the Good Bad Guy: A Bio-Filmography. McFarland. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-4766-6657-0. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  8. ^ Terrace, Vincent (January 27, 2023). Holiday Specials on Television, 1939-2021. McFarland. p. 174. ISBN 978-1-4766-4813-2. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
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