"The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse" (1948) "The Philco Television Playhouse" (original title), TV series 1948-1955

Directors:

Ira Skutch
Fred Coe
(more)

Writers:

Gore Vidal (multiple episodes)
Robert Alan Aurthur (multiple episodes)
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | unknown

Release Date:

3 October 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

This live dramatic series featured original stories and adaptations of novels, plays, etc. during it's eight year run...

Plot Keywords:

Anthology | Four Word Title | Company Sponsor Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win

Cast

Bert Lytell	...	Himself - Host / ... (45 episodes, 1948-1949)
Jay Jackson	...	Announcer / ... (23 episodes, 1950-1953)

Series Directed by
Delbert Mann		(73 episodes, 1949-1955)
Fred Coe		(26 episodes, 1948-1952)
Gordon Duff		(16 episodes, 1950-1952)
Arthur Penn		(12 episodes, 1953-1955)
Vincent J. Donehue		(7 episodes, 1952-1954)
Robert Mulligan		(4 episodes, 1954-1955)
Albert McCleery		(3 episodes, 1949)
Garry Simpson		(3 episodes, 1949)
Jeffrey Hayden		(2 episodes, 1954-1955)
Herbert Hirschman		(unknown episodes)
Ira Skutch		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
David Shaw		(21 episodes, 1949-1955)
Paddy Chayefsky		(13 episodes, 1949-1955)
Joseph Liss		(10 episodes, 1949-1952)
William Kendall Clarke		(9 episodes, 1950-1951)
H.R. Hays		(7 episodes, 1950-1951)
Samuel Taylor		(5 episodes, 1948-1949)
Robert Alan Aurthur		(5 episodes, 1951-1955)
William Shakespeare		(4 episodes, 1949-1953)
Samuel Carter		(4 episodes, 1949)
Sumner Locke Elliott		(4 episodes, 1953-1954)
Horton Foote		(4 episodes, 1953-1954)
J.M. Barrie		(3 episodes, 1948-1949)
Lionel Shapiro		(3 episodes, 1950-1954)
Henry James		(3 episodes, 1950)
Reginald Denham		(2 episodes, 1948-1949)
Elmer Rice		(2 episodes, 1948)
F. Scott Fitzgerald		(2 episodes, 1949-1952)
Jane Austen		(2 episodes, 1949-1950)
Fred Coe		(2 episodes, 1949-1950)
Nelson Bond		(2 episodes, 1949)
Max Wilk		(2 episodes, 1950-1951)
Stephen de Baun		(2 episodes, 1950)
Nelson Olmsted		(2 episodes, 1950)
N. Richard Nash		(2 episodes, 1953-1954)
J.P. Miller		(2 episodes, 1954-1955)
Mann Rubin		(2 episodes, 1954)
F.W. Durkee		(2 episodes, 1955)
Gore Vidal		(2 episodes, 1955)
Bernard Woolfe		(1 episode, 1955)
Robert Anderson		(unknown episodes)
Jane Avery		(unknown episodes)
Alvin Boretz		(unknown episodes)
Vance Bourjaily		(unknown episodes)
Al Getto		(unknown episodes)
Roger O. Hirson		(unknown episodes)
Ernest Kinoy		(unknown episodes)
William Mandrek		(unknown episodes)
Peggy Mann		(unknown episodes)
Agnes Nixon		(unknown episodes)
Jerome Ross		(unknown episodes)
John Vlahos		(unknown episodes)
Richard Wendley		(unknown episodes)
Calder Willingham		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Fred Coe	....	producer (50 episodes, 1948-1954)
Gordon Duff	....	producer / associate producer (7 episodes, 1953-1955)
Robert Alan Aurthur	....	associate producer (2 episodes, 1955)
Bo Goldman	....	associate producer (unknown episodes)
Ira Skutch	....	producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Morris Mamorsky		(45 episodes, 1948-1949)

Series Cinematography by
Al McClellan		(1 episode, 1953)

Series Production Design by
Otis Riggs		(1 episode, 1953)

Series Set Decoration by
Otis Riggs		(1 episode, 1951)

Series Costume Design by
Rose Bogdanoff		(1 episode, 1953)

Series Makeup Department
Dick Smith	....	makeup artist (1 episode, 1949)
Dorothy Nixon	....	make up (1 episode, 1951)

Series Art Department
Tom Jewett	....	scene designer (1 episode, 1952)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Leo Farrenkopf	....	lighting technician (1 episode, 1953)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rose Bogdanoff	....	costumes (1 episode, 1951)

Series Other crew
O. Tamburri	....	technical director (2 episodes, 1951-1952)

Production Companies

• Showcase Productions

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1948-1955) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS) (episode "Marty")

Also Known As:

"The Philco Television Playhouse" - USA (original title)
"Arena Theatre" - USA (new title)
"Repertory Theatre" - USA (new title)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Showcase Productions

Trivia:

During the fourth through seventh seasons (October 1951-August 1955), this show alternated with "Goodyear Theatre" (1957).

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Story of Film: An Odyssey: Episode #1.6" (2011)

Soundtrack:

Salute to Industry

It really was the Golden Age of Television.

As we enter Y2K, it's good to look back on such terrific programs as The Philco Television Playhouse (so named for a time when one sponsor would pick up the whole tab for the series), when the production people strove for excellence, to do the very best they could on the air for their audience, and when actual thought and attention to the on-screen activities was mandatory. (It was for programs such as this that the "TV Dinner" was created, for better or worse. But at least there was something then to attract our continuous attention.) Philco Television Playhouse and the other anthologies of the day were very, very good television, indeed.