The Philco Television Playhouse 

This live dramatic series featured original stories and adaptations of novels, plays, et cetera during its eight year run. During the first year, the show was sponsored by the Actor's ... See full summary »

Stars:

Bert Lytell, Jay Jackson, Bob Stanton

Nominated for 7 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Bert Lytell	...	Self - Host / ... 54 episodes, 1948-1955
Jay Jackson	...	Announcer / ... 42 episodes, 1950-1955

Storyline

This live dramatic series featured original stories and adaptations of novels, plays, et cetera during its eight year run. During the first year, the show was sponsored by the Actor's Equity Association, and featured adaptations of Broadway plays and musicals. Bert Lytell, the former President of the Association, acted as host. During the second season, an agreement was made with the Book-of-the-Month Club, and the plays were adaptations of current novels. Starting in the third season, the television plays were adaptations of plays, novels, dramas, et cetera by known and unknown authors. The title of the show was changed to "Repertory Theatre" (1949) for episodes 1.29 to 1.31 and "Arena Theatre" (1949) for episodes 1.32 to 1.38. Effective with episode 1.39, the original title was used. Starting with the fourth season, this show alternated weekly with "The Goodyear Theatre" (1951); starting in the eighth season, this program alternated with "The Goodyear Theatre" (1951) and "The ALCOA ...

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Plot Keywords:

four word title | company sponsor name in title | anthology | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

During the first season, the show had three names: "The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse" for episodes 1.1 through 1.28; "Repertory Theatre" for episodes 1.29 through 1.31; "Arena Theatre" for episodes 1.32 through 1.38; and finally, starting with episode 1.39, the original name, "The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse", was restored.

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Connections

Referenced in Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film (2002)

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Soundtracks

Salute to Industry
By Morris Mamorsky

User Reviews

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 October 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

Arena Theatre

Company Credits

Production Co:

Showcase Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1