The 20th Century Fox Hour
| The 20th Century Fox Hour | |
|---|---|
 Ed Wynn and Kathleen Crowley in "The Great American Hoax" | |
| Genre | Anthology |
| Presented by |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 37 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 48–50 minutes |
| Production company | TCF Television Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | October 5, 1955 – June 12, 1957 |
The 20th Century Fox Hour is an American drama anthology series televised in the United States on CBS from 1955 to 1957. Some of the shows in this series were restored, remastered and shown on the Fox Movie Channel in 2002 under the title Hour of Stars (its title when the series was originally syndicated after 1957). The season one episode Overnight Haul, starring Richard Conte and Lizabeth Scott, was released in Australia as a feature film.
Characters and stories
[edit]Presenting both originals and remakes, The 20th Century Fox Hour was telecast on Wednesday nights at 10pm, alternating each week with The U.S. Steel Hour. Many of the programs were shortened versions of classic 20th Century Fox films, remade with a far lower budget than the originals. Films receiving this treatment included The Ox-Bow Incident, The Late George Apley and Miracle on 34th Street. Some were retitled; Man on the Ledge was a remake of Fourteen Hours (1951).
Guest stars
[edit]Guest stars on the series included Bette Davis, Joan Fontaine, Gary Merrill, Thomas Mitchell and Teresa Wright. Steve McQueen made an appearance before he became a major star. Child actor Johnny Washbrook appeared three times on the series while he was also in the lead role of the Western series, My Friend Flicka. Judson Pratt appeared as MacIntyre in the 1956 episode, "The Moneymaker". Child actress Beverly Washburn appeared as Ruthie in "The Hefferan Family" (1956) and as the character Kate as a girl in "Men in Her Life" (1957).
Following his Philco Television Playhouse years, Paddy Chayefsky's The Great American Hoax, starring Ed Wynn, was seen May 15, 1957 during the second season. This script was actually a rewrite of his earlier Fox film, As Young as You Feel (1951) with Monty Woolley and Marilyn Monroe. Lizabeth Scott appeared in the season one episode Overnight Haul. The episode was later released in Australia as a feature film, after her final starring role in 1957's Loving You and many of the films in the series were released in the UK as supporting films in the late 1950s.
Episodes
[edit]Season 1
[edit]| Episode # | Title | Original Airdate | Guest Star |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Cavalcade" | October 5, 1955 | Michael Wilding, Merle Oberon, Carolyn Jones[1] |
| 2 | "Laura" | October 19, 1955 | Dana Wynter, George Sanders, Robert Stack |
| 3 | "The Ox-Bow Incident" | November 2, 1955 | Robert Wagner, Raymond Burr |
| 4 | "The Late George Apley" | November 16, 1955 | Raymond Massey, Joanne Woodward |
| 5 | "Christopher Bean" | November 30, 1955 | Mildred Natwick, Allyn Joslyn |
| 6 | "The Miracle on 34th Street"[2] | December 14, 1955 | Thomas Mitchell, Teresa Wright, Sandy Descher |
| 7 | "Man on the Ledge" | December 28, 1955 | Cameron Mitchell, Richard Collier, Joey Ray |
| 8 | "Yacht on the High Sea" | January 11, 1956 | Gary Merrill, Nina Foch |
| 9 | "One Life" | January 25, 1956 | Dane Clark, Audrey Totter |
| 10 | "Crack-Up" | February 8, 1956 | Bette Davis, Gary Merrill, Virginia Grey, John M. Pickard |
| 11 | "In Times Like These" | February 22, 1956 | Macdonald Carey, Fay Wray |
| 12 | "Deception" | March 7, 1956 | Linda Darnell, Alan Napier |
| 13 | "Gun in His Hand" | April 4, 1956 | Debra Paget, Robert Wagner |
| 14 | "Mr. Belvedere" | April 18, 1956 | Reginald Gardiner, Eddie Bracken, Zasu Pitts |
| 15 | "Broken Arrow" | May 2, 1956 | John Lupton, Roy Roberts |
| 16 | "Overnight Haul" | May 16, 1956 | Lizabeth Scott, Robert Foulk, Forrest Lewis |
| 17 | "The Empty Room" | May 30, 1956 | Alan Napier, Victoria Ward |
| 18 | "The Hefferan Family" | June 6, 1956 | Carolyn Jones, Mark Damon |
Season 2
[edit]| Episode # | Title | Original Airdate | Notable Guest Stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Child of the Regiment" | October 3, 1956 | Louise Arthur, Paul Birch |
| 2 | "Stranger in the Night" | October 17, 1956 | Joan Fontaine, Tom Conway |
| 3 | "The Moneymaker" | October 31, 1956 | James Burke, Judson Pratt, Spring Byington |
| 4 | "Smoke Jumpers" | November 14, 1956 | Robert Armstrong, Robert Bray |
| 5 | "The Last Patriarch" | November 28, 1956 | John Cassavetes, Virginia Leith |
| 6 | "Men Against Speed " | December 12, 1956 | Mona Freeman, Farley Granger |
| 7 | "Operation Cicero" | December 26, 1956 | Ricardo Montalbán, Leon Askin, Romney Brent |
| 8 | "End of a Gun" | January 9, 1957 | John Drew Barrymore, Lyle Bettger |
| 9 | "False Witness" | January 23, 1957 | Fred MacMurray, Claude Akins, Morris Ankrum |
| 10 | "Springfield Incident" | February 6, 1957 | Walter Coy as Stephen A. Douglas, Tom Tryon, Lloyd Corrigan, Alan Hale, Jr. |
| 11 | "Man of the Law" | February 20, 1957 | Denver Pyle, Marsha Hunt |
| 12 | "City in Flames" | March 6, 1957 | Jack Albertson, Anne Jeffreys, Kevin McCarthy |
| 13 | "Deadline Decision" | March 20, 1957 | Charles Bickford, Whit Bissell |
| 14 | "The Still Trumpet" | April 3, 1957 | Douglas Dick, James Griffith |
| 15 | "Men in Her Life" | April 17, 1957 | Parley Baer, Sheila Bromley |
| 16 | "Deep Water" | May 1, 1957 | Richard Arlen, Steve McQueen |
| 17 | "The Great American Hoax" | May 15, 1957 | Ed Wynn, Jerry Paris |
| 18 | "Threat to a Happy Ending" | May 29, 1957 | Mabel Albertson, William Bendix, Jean Byron |
| 19 | "The Marriage Broker" (Series Finale) | June 12, 1957 | Ellen Corby, Parley Baer, Kipp Hamilton |
Production
[edit]Michel Kraike produced the show, and Peter Godfrey directed.[3] General Electric sponsored the program until February 6, 1957, when Revlon became the sponsor.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "GEORGE SANDERS TO BE VIDEO HOST / Cast as Narrator of Filmed Series, 'The Ringmaster.' Built on Circus Stories", The New York Times (September 1, 1955, p.46) Retrieved February 12, 2019
- ^ A film clip "The Miracle on 34th Street" is available for viewing at the Internet Archive
- ^ "The Show-Makers". Motion Picture Daily. January 16, 1956. p. 12. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ "GE's '20th Hour' Axing; Revlon In". Variety. January 23, 1957. p. 20. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows