Goodyear Television Playhouse is an American anthology series that was telecast live on NBC from 1951 to 1957 during the first Golden Age of Television.
| Goodyear Television Playhouse | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Goodyear Playhouse |
| Genre | Anthology |
| Directed by | Sidney Lumet Delbert Mann Vincent J. Donehue Robert Mulligan Arthur Penn Daniel Petrie Jack Smight |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 143 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Robert Alan Aurthur Fred Coe Gordon Duff David Susskind |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 48–50 minutes |
| Production company | Showcase Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | October 14, 1951 – September 29, 1957 |
| Related | |
| Philco Television Playhouse The Alcoa Hour | |
Goodyear alternated sponsorship with Philco, and the Philco Television Playhouse was seen on alternate weeks. In October 1955, Alcoa took over alternating sponsorship from Philco, the title was shortened to The Goodyear Playhouse and it aired on alternate weeks with The Alcoa Hour.
Producer Fred Coe nurtured and encouraged a group of young, mostly unknown writers that included Robert Alan Aurthur, George Baxt, Paddy Chayefsky, Horton Foote, Howard Richardson, Tad Mosel and Gore Vidal. Notable productions included Vidal's Visit to a Small Planet (1955), Richardson's Ark of Safety and Chayefsky's The Catered Affair.
From 1957 to 1960, it became a taped, half-hour series titled Goodyear Theater, seen on Mondays at 9:30 p.m.
Goodyear Television Playhouse finished #16 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1951–1952 season, #15 for 1952–1953 and #22 for 1953–1954.[1]
Episodes
editSeason 1 (1951–52)
edit| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "October Story" | October 14, 1951 | |
|
A chance human interest interview reveals a girl has created a television that would only cost a few dollars. NBC executives become interested and hire a young man to help the girl complete her plans at her home. | ||||
| 2 | 2 | "The Copper" | October 28, 1951 | |
|
A wimpy, accident prone little man aspires to marry a tough police sergeant's daughter, and becomes a rookie cop. He's given an undercover assignment, posing as a convict in a prison to learn more about his inmates. | ||||
| 3 | 3 | "Flight to Freedom" | November 11, 1951 | |
| 4 | 4 | "The Eleventh Ward" | November 25, 1951 | |
| 5 | 5 | "Money to Burn" | December 9, 1951 | |
| 6 | 6 | "I Was Stalin's Prisoner" | December 23, 1951 | |
| 7 | 7 | "A Softness in the Wind" | January 6, 1952 | |
| 8 | 8 | "Raymond Schindler, Case One" | January 20, 1952 | |
| 9 | 9 | "Tour of Duty" | February 3, 1952 | |
| 10 | 10 | "Crown of Shadows" | February 17, 1952 | |
| 11 | 11 | "Treasure Chest" | March 2, 1952 | |
| 12 | 12 | "Three Letters" | March 16, 1952 | |
| 13 | 13 | "Tigers Don't Sing" | March 30, 1952 | |
| 14 | 14 | "The Madea Cup" | April 13, 1952 | |
| 15 | 15 | "The Travellers" | April 27, 1952 | |
| 16 | 16 | "The Twenty-Third Mission" | May 11, 1952 | |
| 17 | 17 | "The Lantern Copy" | May 25, 1952 | |
| 18 | 18 | "Four Meetings" | June 8, 1952 | |
| 19 | 19 | "It's a Small World" | June 22, 1952 | |
| 20 | 20 | "Leaf Out of a Book" | July 6, 1952 | |
| 21 | 21 | "The Trial of Steve Kent" | July 20, 1952 | |
| 22 | 22 | "The Duty Drawer" | August 3, 1952 | |
| 23 | 23 | "The Witness" | August 17, 1952 | |
| 24 | 24 | "Roman Fever" | August 31, 1952 | |
Season 2 (1952–53)
edit| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1 | "Holiday Song" | September 14, 1952 |
| 26 | 2 | "The Room" | September 28, 1952 |
| 27 | 3 | "O Romany" | October 12, 1952 |
| 28 | 4 | "Better Than Walking" | October 26, 1952 |
| 29 | 5 | "The Darkness Below" | November 9, 1952 |
| 30 | 6 | "The Old Beginning" | November 23, 1952 |
| 31 | 7 | "The Search" | December 7, 1952 |
| 31 | 8 | "Mr. Quimby's Christmas Hats" | December 21, 1952 |
| 32 | 9 | "A Medal in the Family" | February 1, 1953 |
| 33 | 10 | "Wings On My Feet" | February 22, 1953 |
| 34 | 11 | "The Rumor" | March 8, 1953 |
| 35 | 12 | "The Gesture" | March 15, 1953 |
| 36 | 13 | "Wish on the Moon" | March 29, 1953 |
| 37 | 14 | "The Long Way Home" | April 19, 1953 |
| 38 | 15 | "Printer's Measure" | April 26, 1953 |
| 39 | 16 | "The Accident" | May 3, 1953 |
| 40 | 17 | "The Oil Well" | May 17, 1953 |
| 41 | 18 | "Before I Wake" | May 31, 1953 |
| 42 | 19 | "Her Prince Charming" | June 14, 1953 |
| 43 | 20 | "Catching A Falling Star" | June 28, 1953 |
| 44 | 21 | "Nothing to Sneeze At" | July 12, 1953 |
| 45 | 22 | "The Young and the Fair" | July 26, 1953 |
| 46 | 23 | "Ernie Barger Is Fifty" | August 9, 1953 |
| 47 | 24 | "Hollywood Tandem" | August 23, 1953 |
Season 3 (1953–54)
edit| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | 1 | "Other People's Houses" | August 30, 1953 |
| 49 | 2 | "The Happy Rest" | October 4, 1953 |
| 50 | 3 | "The Heaven" | November 1, 1953 |
| 51 | 4 | "John Turner" | November 15, 1953 |
| 52 | 5 | "Madame Aphrodite" | December 6, 1953 |
| 53 | 6 | "Wings Over Barriers" | December 20, 1953 |
| 54 | 7 | "Moment of Panic" | January 3, 1954 |
| 55 | 8 | "Here's Father" | January 17, 1954 |
| 56 | 9 | "Brownstone" | January 31, 1954 |
| 57 | 10 | "The Game of Hide and Seek" | February 7, 1954 |
| 58 | 11 | "The Huntress" | February 14, 1954 |
| 59 | 12 | "Buy Me Blue Ribbons" | February 28, 1954 |
| 60 | 13 | "The Inward Eye" | March 14, 1954 |
| 61 | 14 | "Native Dancer" | March 28, 1954 |
| 62 | 15 | "Spring Reunion" | April 11, 1954 |
| 63 | 16 | "Old Tasselfoot" | April 25, 1954 |
| 64 | 17 | "And Crown Thy Good" | May 16, 1954 |
| 65 | 18 | "The Lawn Party" | May 23, 1954 |
| 66 | 19 | "Write Me Out Forever" | June 20, 1954 |
| 67 | 20 | "Suitable for Farming" | July 4, 1954 |
| 68 | 21 | "Dear Harriet Heart-Throb" | July 18, 1954 |
| 69 | 22 | "The Arena" | August 1, 1954 |
| 70 | 23 | "Recoil" | August 15, 1954 |
| 71 | 24 | "Star in the Summer Night" | August 22, 1954 |
| 72 | 25 | "The Power of Suggestion" | August 29, 1954 |
| 73 | 26 | "The Big Man on Campus" | September 12, 1954 |
Season 4 (1954–55)
edit| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | 1 | "Guilty is the Stranger" | September 26, 1954 |
| 75 | 2 | "The Personal Touch" | October 10, 1954 |
| 76 | 3 | "Flight Report" | November 7, 1954 |
| 77 | 4 | "Thunder of Silence" | November 21, 1954 |
| 78 | 5 | "Last Boat from Messina" | December 5, 1954 |
| 79 | 6 | "Class of '58" | December 19, 1954 |
| 80 | 7 | "A Case of Pure Fiction" | January 2, 1955 |
| 81 | 8 | "Doing Her Bit" | January 16, 1955 |
| 82 | 9 | "The Way Things Happen" | January 30, 1955 |
| 83 | 10 | "The Rabbit Trap" | February 13, 1955 |
| 84 | 11 | "Backfire" | February 27, 1955 |
| 85 | 12 | "My Lost Saints" | March 13, 1955 |
| 86 | 13 | "The Chivington Raid" | March 27, 1955 |
| 87 | 14 | "Beloved Stranger" | April 10, 1955 |
| 88 | 15 | "Do it Yourself" | April 24, 1955 |
| 89 | 16 | "Visit to a Small Planet" | May 8, 1955 |
| 90 | 17 | "The Catered Affair" | May 22, 1955 |
| 91 | 18 | "Mr. Dorothy Allen" | June 5, 1955 |
| 92 | 19 | "End of the Mission" | June 19, 1955 |
| 93 | 20 | "Tangled Web" | July 3, 1955 |
| 94 | 21 | "Man on Spikes" | July 17, 1955 |
| 95 | 22 | "The Prize Winner" | July 31, 1955 |
| 96 | 23 | "The Takers" | August 14, 1955 |
Season 5 (1955–56)
edit| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 97 | 1 | "Suit Yourself" | September 11, 1955 |
| 98 | 2 | "The Merry-Go-Round" | September 25, 1955 |
| 99 | 3 | "The Expendable House" | October 9, 1955 |
| 100 | 4 | "A Patch of Faith" | TBD |
| 101 | 5 | "The Mechanical Heart" | November 6, 1955 |
| 102 | 6 | "One Mummy to Many" | November 20, 1955 |
| 103 | 7 | "The Trees" | December 4, 1955 |
| 104 | 8 | "TBD" | TBD |
| 105 | 9 | "Rise Up and Walk" | January 1, 1956 |
| 106 | 10 | "This Land is Mine" | January 15, 1956 |
| 107 | 11 | "Starlet" | January 29, 1956 |
| 108 | 12 | "Kyria Katina" | February 12, 1956 |
| 109 | 13 | "The Terrorists" | February 26, 1956 |
| 110 | 14 | "Conspiracy of Hearts" | March 11, 1956 |
| 111 | 15 | "Joey" | March 25, 1956 |
| 112 | 16 | "Footlight Frenzy" | April 8, 1956 |
| 113 | 17 | "Career Girl" | April 22, 1956 |
| 114 | 18 | "The Sentry" | May 6, 1956 |
| 115 | 19 | "In the Days of Our Youth" | May 20, 1956 |
| 116 | 20 | "The Primary Colors" | June 3, 1956 |
| 117 | 21 | "The Pipes of Pan" | June 17, 1956 |
| 118 | 22 | "The Film Maker" | July 1, 1956 |
| 119 | 23 | "Country Fair Time" | July 15, 1956 |
| 120 | 24 | "Pencil Sketch" | July 29, 1956 |
| 121 | 25 | "Proud Passage" | August 12, 1956 |
| 122 | 26 | "Grow Up" | August 26, 1956 |
| 123 | 27 | "Ark of Safety" | September 9, 1956 |
Notable guest stars
edit- Philip Abbott[2]
- Eddie Albert
- Don Ameche
- Jean-Pierre Aumont
- Ed Begly
- Ralph Bellamy
- William Bendix
- Shelley Berman
- Theodore Bikel
- Claire Bloom
- Beulah Bondi
- Ernest Borgnine
- Eddie Bracken
- Lloyd Bridges
- Pat Carroll (actress)
- John Cassavetes
- Lee J. Cobb
- Hume Cronyn
- Don DeFore
- Melvyn Douglas
- Mildred Dunnock
- Bill Erwin
- Gracie Fields
- Geraldine Fitzgerald
- John Forsythe
- Anthony Franciosa
- Eva Gabor
- Larry Hagman
- Margaret Hamilton
- Julie Harris
- Eileen Heckart[3]
- Judy Holliday
- Celeste Holm
- Grace Kelly
- Phyllis Kirk
- Jack Klugman
- Veronica Lake
- Viveca Lindfors
- June Lockhart
- Jack Lord
- Kathleen Maguire[2]
- E.G. Marshall
- Nan Martin
- Raymond Massey
- Walter Matthau
- Roddy McDowell
- Steve McQueen
- Sal Mineo
- Mildred Natwick
- Patricia Neal
- Paul Newman
- Leslie Nielsen
- Anthony Perkins
- Robert Preston (actor)
- Tony Randall
- Thelma Ritter
- Jason Robards
- Gena Rowlands
- Eva Marie Saint
- Martha Scott
- William Shatner
- Lilia Skala
- Kim Stanley
- Maureen Stapleton
- Rod Steiger
- Susan Strasberg
- Elaine Stritch
- Jessica Tandy
- Eli Wallach
- Tuesday Weld
- Joanne Woodward
- Dick York
Production
editGoodyear Television Playhouse was a production of Showcase Productions, Incorporated".[4] Herbert Brodkin was the producer. During his 12-week vacation in 1956, associate producer Philip Barry Jr. produced the series.[5] Other producers included Gordon Duff. Directors included Arthur Penn..[3]
Critical response
editA review in The New York Times praised Heckart's performance in "My Lost Saints" (1955), saying, "Miss Heckart's brilliant work overshadowed the deficiencies in script construction."[3] The review said that the episode might not have exceeded soap-opera status had it not been for Heckart's acting, but she created "a moving and entirely believable characterization" of a housekeeper who faced a crisis.[3] It concluded, "She raised what was basically an ordinary drama to a level of distinction."[3]
References
edit- ^ "TV Ratings". Classic TV Hits. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- ^ a b Adams, Val (August 18, 1955). "Mutual Extends Pact to Winchell: Contract for Commentator to Appear Only on Radio Awaits His Signature". The New York Times. p. 47. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Shanley, J. P. (March 16, 1955). "TV: Eileen Heckart: Appears in 'My Lost Saints' on N. B. C.". The New York Times. p. 48. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ Adams, Val (May 31, 1956). "Showcase to Sign Segal to TV Pact: Agreement for His Exclusive Services Would Provide for at Least Five Programs". The New York Times. p. 49. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ "Barry to serve as TV prdducer". The New York Times. May 30, 1956. p. 39. Retrieved April 30, 2023.