This is a chronological listing of the titles that were showcased on the first three seasons of NBC Saturday Night at the Movies.
Season 1
The first 30-week season (1961–1962) consisted of post-1948 titles from 20th Century Fox. Those films in the wide-screen CinemaScope format were re-sized for the small screen. Content wise, very little editing was done since, for the most part, the films met broadcast standards of the time. So there were several weeks that the films ran far beyond the scheduled 11pm end time.***
| Episode #
|
Airdate
|
Movie Title and Year
|
Main Cast
|
Network TV Run Time
|
| 1
|
9/23/1961
|
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
|
Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall
|
2 hours
|
| 2
|
9/30/1961
|
The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952)
|
Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, Ava Gardner
|
2 hours, 20 minutes
|
| 3
|
10/07/1961
|
Titanic (1953)
|
Clifton Webb, Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Wagner
|
2 hours
|
| 4
|
10/14/1961
|
Garden of Evil (1954)
|
Gary Cooper, Susan Hayward, Richard Widmark
|
2 hours
|
| 5
|
10/21/1961
|
The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951)
|
James Mason, Cedric Hardwicke, Jessica Tandy
|
2 hours
|
| 6
|
10/28/1961
|
There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
|
Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor, Marilyn Monroe
|
2 hours, 25 minutes
|
| 7
|
11/04/1961
|
Soldier of Fortune (1955)
|
Clark Gable, Susan Hayward, Michael Rennie
|
2 hours
|
| 8
|
11/11/1961
|
Halls of Montezuma (1951)
|
Richard Widmark, Jack Palance, Robert Wagner
|
2 hours, 20 minutes
|
| 9
|
11/18/1961
|
Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)
|
Victor Mature, Susan Hayward, Michael Rennie
|
2 hours
|
| 10
|
11/25/1961
|
Dreamboat (1952)
|
Clifton Webb, Ginger Rogers, Anne Francis
|
2 hours
|
| 11
|
12/02/1961
|
Broken Arrow (1950)
|
James Stewart, Jeff Chandler, Debra Paget
|
2 hours
|
| 12
|
12/09/1961
|
Man on a Tightrope (1953)
|
Fredric March, Terry Moore, Gloria Grahame
|
2 hours
|
| 13
|
12/16/1961
|
Destination Gobi (1953)
|
Richard Widmark, Don Taylor, Max Showalter
|
2 hours
|
| 14
|
12/23/1961
|
O. Henry's Full House (1952)
|
John Steinbeck, Marilyn Monroe, Richard Widmark
|
2 hours, 25 minutes
|
| 15
|
12/30/1961
|
On the Riviera (1951)
|
Danny Kaye, Gene Tierney, Corinne Calvet
|
2 hours
|
| 16
|
1/06/1962
|
What Price Glory (1952)
|
James Cagney, Corinne Calvet, Robert Wagner
|
2 hours, 15 minutes
|
| 17
|
1/13/1962
|
People Will Talk (1951)
|
Cary Grant, Jeanne Crain, Hume Cronyn
|
2 hours, 15 minutes
|
| 18
|
1/20/1962
|
5 Fingers (1952)
|
James Mason, Danielle Darrieux, Michael Rennie
|
2 hours, 15 minutes
|
| 19
|
1/27/1962
|
Cheaper by the Dozen (the 1950 version)
|
Clifton Webb, Jeanne Crain, Myrna Loy
|
2 hours
|
| 20
|
2/03/1962
|
The Frogmen (1951)
|
Richard Widmark, Dana Andrews, Robert Wagner
|
2 hours
|
| 21
|
2/10/1962
|
With A Song In My Heart (1952)
|
Susan Hayward, Rory Calhoun, Robert Wagner
|
2 hours, 20 minutes
|
| 22
|
2/17/1962
|
Monkey Business (1952 film)
|
Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Marilyn Monroe
|
2 hours
|
| 23
|
2/24/1962
|
Stars and Stripes Forever (1952)
|
Clifton Webb, Debra Paget, Robert Wagner
|
2 hours
|
| 24
|
3/03/1962
|
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951 film)
|
Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Sam Jaffe
|
2 hours
|
| 25
|
3/10/1962
|
The Black Rose (1950)
|
Tyrone Power, Orson Welles, Michael Rennie
|
2 hours, 15 minutes
|
| 26
|
3/17/1962
|
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
|
Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, Gary Merrill
|
2 hours
|
| 27
|
3/24/1962
|
No Highway in the Sky (1951)
|
James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, Glynis Johns
|
2 hours
|
| 28
|
3/31/1962
|
Bird of Paradise (1951)
|
Debra Paget, Louis Jourdan, Jack Elam
|
2 hours
|
| 29
|
4/07/1962
|
It Happens Every Spring (1949)
|
Ray Milland, Jean Peters, Ed Begley
|
2 hours
|
| 30
|
4/14/1962
|
Diplomatic Courier (1952)
|
Tyrone Power, Patricia Neal, Karl Malden
|
2 hours
|
Season 2
The second season (1962–1963) began on September 22, 1962, just as the first season started off, with Marilyn Monroe, this time with the television debut of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The broadcast had become a special tribute to Monroe, who had died just a month earlier. It was also a second season of 30 titles from 20th Century Fox.
| Episode #
|
Airdate
|
Movie Title and Year
|
Main Cast
|
Network TV Run Time
|
| 31
|
9/22/1962
|
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
|
Jane Russell, Marilyn Monroe, Charles Coburn
|
2 hours
|
| 32
|
9/29/1962
|
Broken Lance (1954)
|
Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner, Richard Widmark
|
2 hours
|
| 33
|
10/06/1962
|
The Egyptian (1954)
|
Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Gene Tierney, Edmund Purdom
|
2 hours, 45 minutes
|
| 34
|
10/13/1962
|
Three Coins In The Fountain (1954)
|
Clifton Webb, Dorothy McGuire, Louis Jourdan
|
2 hours
|
| 35
|
10/20/1962
|
River of No Return (1954)
|
Robert Mitchum, Marilyn Monroe, Rory Calhoun
|
2 hours
|
| 36
|
10/27/1962
|
Mister Scoutmaster (1953)
|
Clifton Webb, Edmund Gwenn, Frances Dee
|
2 hours
|
| 37
|
11/03/1962
|
Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953)
|
Robert Wagner, Terry Moore, Richard Boone
|
2 hours
|
| 38
|
11/10/1962
|
The Desert Rats (1953)
|
Richard Burton, James Mason, Robert Newton
|
2 hours
|
| 39
|
11/17/1962
|
White Witch Doctor (1953)
|
Susan Hayward, Robert Mitchum, Walter Slezak
|
2 hours
|
| 40
|
11/24/1962
|
Sailor of the King (1953)
|
Jeffrey Hunter, Michael Rennie, Wendy Hiller
|
2 hours
|
| 41
|
12/01/1962
|
Night People (1954)
|
Gregory Peck, Broderick Crawford, Buddy Ebsen
|
2 hours
|
| 42
|
12/08/1962
|
No Down Payment (1957)
|
Joanne Woodward, Tony Randall, Jeffrey Hunter
|
2 hours, 5 minutes
|
| 43
|
12/15/1962
|
Désirée (1954)
|
Marlon Brando, Merle Oberon, Michael Rennie
|
2 hours, 10 minutes
|
| 44
|
12/22/1962
|
Red Skies of Montana (1952)
|
Richard Widmark, Jeffrey Hunter, Richard Boone
|
2 hours
|
| 45*
|
12/29/1962
|
Rawhide (1951 film, no relation to the hit TV series)
|
Tyrone Power, Susan Hayward, Jack Elam
|
2 hours
|
| 46
|
1/5/1963
|
Decision Before Dawn (1952)
|
Richard Basehart, Gary Merrill, Hildegard Neff
|
2 hours, 25 minutes
|
| 47
|
1/12/1963
|
The Sun Also Rises (1957)
|
Tyrone Power, Ava Gardner, Errol Flynn
|
2 hours, 35 minutes
|
| 48
|
1/19/1963
|
Woman's World (1954)
|
Van Heflin, Lauren Bacall, Clifton Webb
|
2 hours
|
| 49
|
1/26/1963
|
Deadline - U.S.A. (1952)
|
Humphrey Bogart, Kim Hunter, Ed Begley
|
2 hours
|
| 50
|
2/2/1963
|
Niagara (1953)
|
Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotten, Jean Peters
|
2 hours
|
| 51
|
2/9/1963
|
Kangaroo (1952)
|
Maureen O'Hara, Peter Lawford, Richard Boone
|
2 hours
|
| 52
|
2/16/1963
|
The Long Hot Summer (1958)
|
Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Orson Welles
|
2 hours, 15 minutes
|
| 53
|
2/23/1963
|
The President's Lady (1953)
|
Susan Hayward, Charlton Heston, John McIntire
|
2 hours
|
| 54
|
3/2/1963
|
The Roots of Heaven (1958)
|
Errol Flynn, Juliette Greco, Eddie Albert
|
2 hours, 25 minutes
|
| 55
|
3/9/1963
|
In Love and War (1958)
|
Robert Wagner, Hope Lange, Jeffrey Hunter
|
2 hours, 10 minutes
|
| 56
|
3/16/1963
|
A Certain Smile (1958)
|
Rossano Brazzi, Joan Fontaine, Johnny Mathis
|
2 hours, 5 minutes
|
| 57
|
3/23/1963
|
Fraulein (1958)
|
Dana Wynter, Mel Ferrer, Theodore Bikel
|
2 hours
|
| 58
|
3/30/1963
|
Ten North Frederick (1958)
|
Gary Cooper, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Stuart Whitman
|
2 hours
|
| 59
|
4/6/1963
|
Night and the City (1950)
|
Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, Herbert Lom
|
2 hours
|
| 60
|
4/13/1963
|
I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (1951)
|
Susan Hayward, Rory Calhoun, Gene Lockhart
|
2 hours
|
- To avoid confusion with the TV series Rawhide, 20th Century Fox renamed the film, Desperate Siege for television.
Season 3
The third season (1963-1964) began on September 21, 1963. For the third season in a row, the network opened its Saturday night movie series with a Marilyn Monroe film, 1955's The Seven Year Itch. By this time, NBC had added a second movie night, Monday, to its prime-time schedule. A new package of films were acquired at a cost of $14 million to the network consisting of 42 titles from 20th Century Fox, as well as 35 post 1950 films from MGM to fill both nights. For the most part, heavy dramatic films, such as The Diary of Anne Frank (1959 film) were chosen for season three of Saturday Night At The Movies, while lighter fare, such as comedies and musicals were reserved for the new Monday Night series. [1]
| Episode #
|
Airdate
|
Movie Title and Year
|
Main Cast
|
Network TV Run Time
|
| 61
|
9/21/1963
|
The Seven Year Itch (1955)
|
Marilyn Monroe, Tom Ewell, Evelyn Keyes
|
2 hours, 5 minutes
|
| 62
|
9/28/1963
|
The Journey (1959)
(First post-1950 MGM film to air on network TV)
|
Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr, Jason Robards
|
2 hours, 25 minutes
|
| 63
|
10/5/1963
|
Ask Any Girl (1959)
|
David Niven, Shirley MacLaine, Gig Young
|
2 hours
|
| 64
|
10/12/1963
|
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
|
Sterling Hayden, Jean Hagen, Sam Jaffe
|
2 hours, 15 minutes
|
| 65
|
10/19/1963
|
The Tall Men (1955)
|
Clark Gable, Jane Russell, Cameron Mitchell
|
2 hours, 25 minutes
|
| 66
|
10/26/1963
|
Something of Value (1957)
|
Rock Hudson, Dana Wynter, Sidney Poitier
|
2 hours, 15 minutes
|
| 67
|
11/2/1963
|
Let's Make Love (1960)
|
Marilyn Monroe, Yves Montand, Tony Randall
|
2 hours, 20 minutes
|
| 68
|
11/9/1963
|
The Diary of Anne Frank (1959 film)
|
Millie Perkins, Joseph Schildkraut, Shelley Winters, Ed Wynn
|
3 hours, 20 minutes
|
| 69
|
11/16/1963
|
Untamed (1955)
|
Tyrone Power, Susan Hayward, Richard Egan
|
2 hours, 10 minutes
|
| N/A
|
11/23/1963
|
Pre-empted due to continuing coverage of the John F. Kennedy Assassination
|
| 70
|
11/30/1963
|
Count Your Blessings (1959)
|
Deborah Kerr, Rossano Brazzi, Maurice Chevalier
|
2 hours
|
| 71
|
12/7/1963
|
The Left Hand of God (1955)
|
Humphrey Bogart, Gene Tierney, Lee J. Cobb
|
2 hours
|
| 72
|
12/14/1963
|
The Opposite Sex (1956)
|
June Allyson, Joan Collins, Leslie Nielsen
|
2 hours, 20 minutes
|
| 73
|
12/21/1963
|
A Man Called Peter (1955)
|
Richard Todd, Jean Peters, Les Tremayne
|
2 hours, 20 minutes
|
| 74
|
12/28/1963
|
The Secret Partner (1961)
|
Stewart Granger, Haya Harareet, Bernard Lee
|
2 hours
|
| 75
|
1/4/1964
|
Daddy Long Legs (1955)
|
Fred Astaire, Leslie Caron, Fred Clark
|
2 hours, 25 minutes
|
| 76
|
1/11/1964
|
Imitation General (1958)
(Rescheduled from 11/23/1963)
|
Glenn Ford, Taina Elg, Red Buttons
|
2 hours
|
| 77
|
1/18/1964
|
The Naked Spur (1953)
|
James Stewart, Janet Leigh, Robert Ryan
|
2 hours
|
| 78
|
1/25/1964
|
Until They Sail (1957)
|
Jean Simmons, Paul Newman, Joan Fontaine
|
2 hours
|
| 79
|
2/1/1964
|
Lust for Life (1956)
|
Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, Pamela Brown
|
2 hours, 25 minutes
|
| 80
|
2/8/1964
|
The Band Wagon (1953)
|
Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Oscar Levant
|
2 hours, 10 minutes
|
| 81
|
2/15/1964
|
Edge of the City (1957)
|
John Cassavetes, Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee
|
2 hours
|
| 82
|
2/22/1964
|
The Story of Three Loves (1953)
|
Pier Angeli, Ethel Barrymore, Kirk Douglas
|
2 hours, 25 minutes
|
| 83
|
2/29/1964
|
Violent Saturday (1955)
|
Victor Mature, Sylvia Sidney, Lee Marvin
|
2 hours
|
| 84
|
3/7/1964
|
Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958)
|
Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Jack Carson
|
2 hours, 5 minutes
|
| 85
|
3/14/1964
|
Black Widow (1954)
|
Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney
|
2 hours
|
| 86
|
3/21/1964
|
Man on Fire (1957)
|
Bing Crosby, Inger Stevens, E. G. Marshall
|
2 hours
|
| 87
|
3/28/1964
|
Wild River (1960)
|
Montgomery Clift, Lee Remick, Albert Salmi
|
2 hours, 10 minutes
|
| 88
|
4/4/1964
|
Fourteen Hours (1951)
|
Richard Basehart, Barbara Bel Geddes, Paul Douglas
|
2 hours
|
| 89
|
4/11/1964
|
The Vintage (1957)
|
Pier Angeli, Mel Ferrer, Theodore Bikel
|
2 hours
|
| 90
|
4/18/1964
|
The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955)
|
Ray Milland, Joan Collins, Farley Granger
|
2 hours, 10 minutes
|
In later seasons, films from other studios, such as Annie Get Your Gun (MGM, 1950), Sunset Boulevard (Paramount, 1950), and Sorry, Wrong Number (Paramount, 1948), would occasionally be shown. All three made their television debuts on Saturday Night at the Movies.
[1] UPI Interview with Don Bays, in charge of movies at NBC. Western Kansas Press, Great Bend, April, 27, 1963
- The list of films in the "episode guide" come from the TV Listings page of the Lima News, Lima Ohio.
