Rumors of Evening (Playhouse 90)

"**Rumors of Evening**"
"Rumors of Evening"
Playhouse 90 episodes
	Newspaper ad for "Rumors of Evening"
Episode nos.	Season 2; Episodes 32
Directed by	John Frankenheimer
Written by	F.W. Durkee (writer), Leslie Stevens (adaptation)
Original air date	May 1, 1958
Running time	1:22
Guest appearances
	Barbara Bel Geddes as Sidney Cantrell; John Kerr as Capt. Neil Dameron; Robert Loggia as Major Woulman;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Verdict of Three"	Next →; "Not the Glory"

"Rumors of Evening" is an American television play broadcast on May 1, 1958, as part of the second season of the CBS television series Playhouse 90. John Frankenheimer directed. Barbara Bel Geddes, John Kerr, and Robert Loggia starred, and The Kingston Trio also appeared as Bob, Dave, and Nick.

Plot

A married American bomber pilot, Capt. Neil Dameron, is stationed at an air base in England during World War II. He falls in love with an English entertainer, Sidney Cantrell, and they find "a few moments of happiness in the midst of the grimness of war."^[3] In order to avoid being returned to the United States, and hoping to see the woman again, he volunteers for a dangerous mission.^[1]

Cast

The following performers received screen credit for their performances:^[2]

Barbara Bel Geddes - Sidney Cantrell
John Kerr - Capt. Neil Dameron
Robert Loggia - Major Woulman
Robert F. Simon - General Strayer
Pat Hitchcock - Irma Jean
The Kingston Trio - Bob, Dave and Nick
Ron Soble
Mimi Gibson
Leonard Davison

Production

Martin Manulis was the producer, and John Frankenheimer directed. Leslie Stevens wrote the adaptation based on a story by F.W. Durkee Jr.^[1] It was originally scheduled to be broadcast live from Television City in Hollywood on April 10, 1958, but it was postponed due to a strike against CBS by its cameramen and technicians.^[4]^[5] It was ultimately broadcast on May 1, 1958, and later rerun on July 30, 1959.^[2]^[1]^[6] It was part of the second season of Playhouse 90, an anthology television series that was voted "the greatest television series of all time" in a 1970 poll of television editors.^[7]

The Kingston Trio performed in the background, including the songs "Scarlet Ribbons" and "When the Saints Go Marching In".^[1]

Reception

William Ewald, television critic for the United Press praised the performances of Barbara Bel Geddes and Robert Loggia. He also found the love scenes to be "as alive as any I've ever seen on TV".^[8] However, he found the overall production to be formulaic: "Some superb acting and a slick production, but all of it stuck on a vehicle cut out of a familiar pattern that managed only to jog along when it should have soared."^[8]

Jack O'Brian of the International News Service praised the "stickout" performance of Robert Loggia and predicted that stardom as likely; he was lukewarm about the overall production, calling it "a fair play with fine performances."^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Playhouse 90, Season 2". Classic TV Archive. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Playhouse 90: Rumors of Evening". The Paley Center. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
^ "Miss Bel Geddes In War Love Story". Port Huron Times Herald. April 5, 1958. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Playhouse 90 Reschedules War Romance". Port Huron Times Herald. April 26, 1958. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "untitled". The San Bernardino Sun. April 10, 1958. p. D7 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Playhouse 90 Reschedules War Romance". The Sacramento Bee. April 26, 1958 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Martin, Douglas (October 2, 2007). "Martin Manulis, TV Pioneer, Dies at 92". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
^ ^a ^b William Ewald (May 2, 1958). "'Rumors Of Evening' Cut To TV Formula". Tucson Citizen. United Press. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Jack O'Brian (May 2, 1958). "'90' Performances Fine". The South Bend Tribune. p. 47 – via Newspapers.com.

[CTVA-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Playhouse 90, Season 2". Classic TV Archive. Retrieved February 24, 2021.

[Paley-2] "Playhouse 90: Rumors of Evening". The Paley Center. Retrieved February 24, 2021.

[3] "Miss Bel Geddes In War Love Story". Port Huron Times Herald. April 5, 1958. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "Playhouse 90 Reschedules War Romance". Port Huron Times Herald. April 26, 1958. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] "untitled". The San Bernardino Sun. April 10, 1958. p. D7 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] "Playhouse 90 Reschedules War Romance". The Sacramento Bee. April 26, 1958 – via Newspapers.com.

[7] Martin, Douglas (October 2, 2007). "Martin Manulis, TV Pioneer, Dies at 92". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2009.

[TC-8] William Ewald (May 2, 1958). "'Rumors Of Evening' Cut To TV Formula". Tucson Citizen. United Press. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.

[9] Jack O'Brian (May 2, 1958). "'90' Performances Fine". The South Bend Tribune. p. 47 – 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" "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