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Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

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Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Dan O'Herlihy and Peggy Creel in "Log the Man Innocent", 1955
Also known asSchlitz Playhouse
GenreAnthology
Directed byRobert Aldrich
John Brahm
David Butler
Robert Florey
Paul Henreid
Arthur Hiller
Delbert Mann
Lewis Milestone
Ray Milland
James Neilson
Christian Nyby
Ted Post
Robert Stevenson
Jacques Tourneur
Don Weis
Richard Whorf
ComposersMelvyn Lenard
Paul Dunlap
Stanley Wilson
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons8
No. of episodes347
Production
Executive producerNat Holt
ProducersWilliam Self
Frank P. Rosenberg
Jules Bricken
Production locationRevue Studios
CinematographyGeorge T. Clemens
Russell Harlan
EditorsJoseph Gluck
Richard Belding
Sam Gold
George Amy
Robert B. Warwick, Jr.
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time50 mins.
Production companiesMeridian Productions
Revue Studios
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseOctober 5, 1951 (1951-10-05) –
March 27, 1959 (1959-03-27)

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to Schlitz Playhouse beginning with the fall 1957 season.

Live to film

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Initially, the show was broadcast live, but starting in the summer of 1953, some episodes were filmed in advance. Beginning with the 1956-1957 season, all of the shows were filmed.

Between October 1951 and March 1952, the hour-long show was aired at 9 p.m.[clarification needed] In April 1952, the running time was reduced from an hour to 30 minutes. The series moved to 9:30 p.m. in the 1955 fall season.

Pilots

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Three episodes served as pilots for later NBC Western series: The Restless Gun with John Payne (March 29, 1957 pilot) and Tales of Wells Fargo with Dale Robertson (as Jim Hardie; season 6, episode 12 - A Tale of Wells Fargo - aired on December 14, 1956), and the first-run syndication series Shotgun Slade [1] with Scott Brady (season eight, episode 14 aired on March 27, 1959). The Restless Gun pilot was based on the radio series The Six Shooter, and Payne's character had the same name, Britt Ponset, as the radio character; that name was changed to Vint Bonner when the actual series began, possibly to prevent confusion with Bret Maverick in Maverick, which debuted in 1957. The same year, Jacques Tourneur directed one episode, "Outlaw's Boots" (25 min), broadcast in December 1957. For the 1958-1959 season, the series alternated weeks with the Lux Playhouse.

An episode of the series also was the pilot for China Smith.[2]

Guest stars

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James Dean in
"The Unlighted Road" (1955)

Guest stars included the child actress Beverly Washburn, later on The New Loretta Young Show, who appeared in "The Closed Door" (1953) and "One Left Over" (1957).

Child actor Michael Winkelman, later of The Real McCoys, also appeared twice, as Joey Harlow in the 1955 episode "Fast Break" and as Jimmy Quinlin in the 1956 segment "Weapon of Courage."

Phyllis Avery appeared six times, including the episodes "The Girl Who Scared Men Off" and "Bluebeard's Seventh Wife".

Walter Coy appeared four times, including the role of Paul Hunter in "Fool Proof" in 1956.

Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr., played Colonel Louis Coca in the episode "Little War at San Dede" (1954).

Dayton Lummis appeared as editor Cartwright in "The Last Pilot Schooner" and as Arthur Healy in "Ambitious Cop" (both 1955). Tyler MacDuff made his television debut in the 1954 episode "At the Natchez Inn".

Nora Marlowe played Katherine in "The Girl in the Grass" (1957), with fellow guest stars Ray Milland and Carolyn Jones.

James Dean made a rare television appearance in "The Unlighted Road" in 1955.

Gene Kelly made his television dramatic debut in "The Life You Save" in 1957.[3]

Others included Irene Dunne and Helen Hayes in "Not a Chance" (1951, the first episode); John Payne in "The Name is Bellingham" (1951); Rosalind Russell in "Never Wave at a WAC" (1951); Charlton Heston and June Lockhart in "One is a Lonely Number" (1951); Robert Preston and Margaret Sullavan in "The Nymph and the Lamp" (1951); John Payne and Coleen Gray in "Exit" (1951); Anthony Quinn in "Dark Fleece" (1951); Dan Duryea in "P.G." (1952); Vincent Price in "The Human Touch" (1952); Lillian Gish in "The Autobiography of Grandma Moses" (1952); Barbara Britton in "Say Hello to Pamela" (1952); Dolores del Río in "An Old Spanish Custom" (1957), etc. Most had multiple appearances throughout the series.

Awards

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In 1958, Paul Monash won an Emmy Award for Best Teleplay Writing - One Hour or Less for the episode "The Lonely Wizard".[4] In 1954, Billboard ranked it sixth-best filmed network dramatic series; it received 264 votes, compared to 826 votes for list-topping Ford Theater, but well ahead of the series at 10th place, Revlon Mirror Theater, which only got 35 votes.[5]

Summer reruns

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Episodes of the series were rerun during the summer under several titles. In 1958, repeats aired for two months as Adorn Playhouse. In 1960 and 1961, the summer reruns aired as Adventure Theater.[4]

Episodes

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Season 1 (1951-52)

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No.
overall 		No. in
season 		Title Directed by Written by Original air date
TBA1"Not a Chance"Frank TelfordStory by :
Teleplay by : Thomas W. Phipps		October 5, 1951 (1951-10-05)
TBA2"The Name Is Bellingham"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		October 12, 1951 (1951-10-12)
TBA3"Never Wave at a WAC"William H. Brown Jr.Story by : William Dozier
Teleplay by : Don Mankiewicz		October 19, 1951 (1951-10-19)
TBA4"Still Life"Frank TelfordStory by : Noël Coward
Teleplay by : Robert Anderson		October 26, 1951 (1951-10-26)
TBA5"The Lucky Touch"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		November 2, 1951 (1951-11-02)
TBA6"Decision and Daniel Webster"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		November 9, 1951 (1951-11-09)
TBA7"The Memories of Aimee Durant"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		November 16, 1951 (1951-11-16)
TBA8"One Is a Lonesome Number"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		November 23, 1951 (1951-11-23)
TBA9"Two Living and One Dead"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		November 30, 1951 (1951-11-30)
TBA10"The Nymph and the Lamp"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		December 7, 1951 (1951-12-07)
TBA11"Exit"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		December 14, 1951 (1951-12-14)
TBA12"Dark Fleece"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		December 21, 1951 (1951-12-21)
TBA13"Girl in a Million"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		December 28, 1951 (1951-12-28)
TBA14"Clean Sweep for Lavinia"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		January 4, 1952 (1952-01-04)
TBA15"Billy Budd"UnknownStory by : Herman Melville
Teleplay by : Louis O. Coxe and Robert H. Chapman		January 11, 1952 (1952-01-11)
TBA16"The Man That I Marry"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		January 18, 1952 (1952-01-18)
TBA17"P.G."UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		January 25, 1952 (1952-01-25)
TBA18"Lady with a Will"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		February 1, 1952 (1952-02-01)
TBA19"The Daughter"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		February 8, 1952 (1952-02-08)
TBA20"Fifty Grand"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		February 15, 1952 (1952-02-15)
TBA21"World So Wide"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		February 22, 1952 (1952-02-22)
TBA22"Apple of His Eye"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		February 29, 1952 (1952-02-29)
TBA23"The Haunted Heart"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		March 7, 1952 (1952-03-07)
TBA24"Make Way For Teddy"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		March 14, 1952 (1952-03-14)
TBA25"The Human Touch"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		March 21, 1952 (1952-03-21)
TBA26"The Autobiography of Grandma Moses"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		March 28, 1952 (1952-03-28)
TBA27"Experiment"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		April 4, 1952 (1952-04-04)
TBA28"Four's a Family"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		April 11, 1952 (1952-04-11)
TBA29"Now's the Time"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		April 18, 1952 (1952-04-18)
TBA30"Fear"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		April 25, 1952 (1952-04-25)
TBA31"Doctors Should Never Marry"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		May 2, 1952 (1952-05-02)
TBA32"Appointment with the Past"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		May 9, 1952 (1952-05-09)
TBA33"Autumn in New York"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		May 16, 1952 (1952-05-16)
TBA34"Love Came Late"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		May 23, 1952 (1952-05-23)
TBA35"A Quarter for Your Troubles"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		May 30, 1952 (1952-05-30)
TBA36"Souvenir from Singapore"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		June 6, 1952 (1952-06-06)
TBA37"Dress in the Window"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		June 13, 1952 (1952-06-13)
TBA38"Say Hello to Pamela"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		June 20, 1952 (1952-06-20)
TBA39"The Von Linden File"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		June 27, 1952 (1952-06-27)
TBA40"The House of Death"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		July 4, 1952 (1952-07-04)
TBA41"A Southern Lady"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		July 11, 1952 (1952-07-11)
TBA42"Early Space Conquerors"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		July 18, 1952 (1952-07-18)
TBA43"A Man's World"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		July 25, 1952 (1952-07-25)
TBA44"Crossroads"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		August 1, 1952 (1952-08-01)
TBA45"So Help Me"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		August 8, 1952 (1952-08-08)
TBA46"Double Exposure"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		August 15, 1952 (1952-08-15)
TBA47"Mr. And Mrs. Trubble or The Tubbles"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		August 22, 1952 (1952-08-22)
TBA48"Port of Call"UnknownStory by :
Teleplay by :		August 29, 1952 (1952-08-29)

Season 2 (1952-53)

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Data not available

Season 3 (1953-54)

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Data not available

Season 4 (1954-55)

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Data not available

Season 5 (1955-56)

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Data not available

Season 6 (1956-57)

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Data not available

Season 7 (1957-58)

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Data not available

Season 8 (1958-59)

[edit]
No.
overall 		No. in
season 		Title Directed by Written by Original air date
TBA1"Portrait of a Legend"Don WeisStory by : Milo Wood
Teleplay by : Donald S. Sanford		September 12, 1958 (1958-09-12)
TBA2"Kinsman"Jules BrickenStory by :
Teleplay by : Tom Seller		September 19, 1958 (1958-09-19)
TBA3"A Thing To Fight For"John BrahmStory by : Wyatt Blassingame
Teleplay by : Paul Monash		September 26, 1958 (1958-09-26)
TBA4"The Hasty Hanging"John BrahmStory by :
Teleplay by : Charles Larson		October 10, 1958 (1958-10-10)
TBA5"The Trouble With Ruth"John BrahmStory by : Henry Slesar
Teleplay by : Jameson Brewer		October 24, 1958 (1958-10-24)
TBA6"False Impression"Don MedfordStory by :
Teleplay by : Jameson Brewer		November 7, 1958 (1958-11-07)
TBA7"The Last Edition"John BrahmStory by :
Teleplay by : Helen Cooper & Irving H. Cooper		November 21, 1958 (1958-11-21)
TBA8"Third Son"UnknownStory by : Ernest Haycox
Teleplay by : Tom Seller		December 5, 1958 (1958-12-05)
TBA9"No Answer"Arthur HillerStory by : Theodore Sturgeon
Teleplay by : Tom Seller		December 19, 1958 (1958-12-19)
TBA10"A Fistful Of Love"Allen H. MinerStory by :
Teleplay by : Allen H. Miner		January 2, 1959 (1959-01-02)
TBA11"You Can’t Win'em All"David ButlerStory by : Mac Shoub
Teleplay by : Charles Larson		January 16, 1959 (1959-01-16)
TBA12"And Practically Strangers"Jules BrickenStory by : Robert Bristow
Teleplay by : Halsey Melone		January 30, 1959 (1959-01-30)
TBA13"The Man Who Had No Friends"Anton M. LeaderStory by : Hugh Pentecost
Teleplay by : Tom Seller		February 13, 1959 (1959-02-13)
TBA14"On The Brink"Sidney LanfieldStory by : James Yaffe
Teleplay by : Kathleen Hite		February 27, 1959 (1959-02-27)
TBA15"Ivy League"Richard WhorfStory by : Jameson Brewer
Teleplay by : Everett Freeman		March 13, 1959 (1959-03-13)
TBA16"The Salted Mine"James NielsonStory by :
Teleplay by : Frank Gruber		March 27, 1959 (1959-03-27)
TBA17"The Rumor"Richard HaydnStory by : Erskine Caldwell
Teleplay by : Everett Greenbaum and Fritzell Greenbaum		June 5, 1959 (1959-06-05)
TBA18"Hostage"John BrahmStory by :
Teleplay by : Tom Seller		June 19, 1959 (1959-06-19)
TBA19"Cowboy Five Seven"James StewartStory by :
Teleplay by : Beirne Lay Jr.		July 17, 1959 (1959-07-17)
TBA20"A Ballad to Die By"Robert M. LeedsStory by : Roy Chanslor
Teleplay by : Otis Carney		July 31, 1959 (1959-07-31)

Production

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In April 1957 Schlitz extended its contract with Revue Productions, agreeing to pay approximately $2 million for 40 episodes. The increased budget enabled Revue to seek top-name stars for the series. Jules Bricken and Frank P. Rosenberg were the producers.[6]

Sale

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CBS-TV bought the negative rights to 104 episodes of Schlitz Playhouse of Stars for about $1.2 million in 1957 with RKO Teleradio serving as an intermediary between the network and Meridian Productions. CBS tried to buy the property outright, but Meridian wanted payments spread over 10 years, and the network did not want a long-term commitment. RKO Teleradio solved the problem by accepting the short-term payment from CBS and, in turn, paying 10 percent to Meridian each year for a decade.[7]

References

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  1. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWfvMQCih-Y Schlitz Playhouse Of Stars S08 E14 The Salted Mine - Pilot for Shotgun Slade
  2. ^ "film report" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 28, 1952. p. 79. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  3. ^ "Here Comes Kelly! Back to Our City, Natch". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. February 24, 1957. p. 37. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  4. ^ a b 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.
  5. ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (31 July 1954). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ "$2,000,000 Schlitz Anthology Renewal". Variety. May 1, 1957. p. 2*. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  7. ^ "Inside Stulf-TV Films". Variety. March 13, 1957. p. 34. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
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