Gulf Playhouse

Gulf Playhouse
GenreDramatic anthology
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseOctober 3, 1952 (1952-10-03) –
September 11, 1953 (1953-09-11)

Gulf Playhouse, also known as Gulf Playhouse: 1st Person and First Person Playhouse is an American anthology series that aired on Friday nights from 1952 to 1953 on NBC.[1] Originally a standard live dramatic anthology series, it was later redeveloped as a summer replacement series whose anthology stories were now told as seen through the "eye" of the camera.[2] The actors in each episode would talk to the camera as if it were a person, animal or object.[1]

Gulf Playhouse debuted on October 3, 1952,[2] replacing We the People.[3] It initially ran on NBC opposite My Friend Irma. When it was canceled, Gulf replaced it with The Life of Riley.[4] The revised version, Gulf Playhouse: 1st Person, was the summer replacement for Riley in 1953.[1]

The series ran for twenty-four episodes with stars that included Rod Steiger, Tony Randall, Kim Stanley, Eddie Bracken, Ward Bond, Wendell Corey, Felicia Montealegre Bernstein, and Kim Hunter. The show's sponsor was Gulf Oil, and it was produced and directed by Frank Telford. Among its other directors was Arthur Penn.[5] and Wes McKee. Bill Hoffman edited the scripts. Many of the writers were relatively unknown at the time. They included Carey Wilber, Frank D. Gilroy, Abby Mann, and Norman Lessing.[4]

Episodes

Selected Episodes of Gulf Playhouse
Date Title Actor(s)
October 3, 1952 "Double By-Line" Dennis O'Keefe, Nina Foch[2]
October 10, 1952 "Squawks Mcgrew" Ward Bond, Karl Lukas, and Arthur O'Connell.[6]
October 17, 1952 "The Rose" Gene Lockhart, Mildred Dunnock, Jonathan Marlowe, Conrad Janis, Joseph Buloff, Alan Hewitt, Betty Lynn, Margaret Hamilton, Eddie Bruce[7]
October 24, 1952 "Necktie Party" Jack Palance, John Howard, James Westerfield, Biff McGuire, Bernard Kates, Don Briggs, Bill Erwin, August Merighi[8]
October 31, 1952 "Mr. Nothing" Thomas Mitchell, Everett Sloane, Kevin McCarthy Dorothy Peterson, Sorrel Booke[9]
November 7, 1952 "A Question Of Rank" Eddie Bracken, Hanley Stafford, Beverly Whitnehy, George Mathews, Winston Ross[10]
November 14, 1952 "The Duel" Wendell Corey, Fred Worlock, Fred Stewart, Henry Jones, Ellen Demming[11]
November 21, 1952 "The Whale on the Beach" Hoagy Carmichael[12]
July 14, 1953 "The Tears of My Sister" Angela Adamides, Catharine Doucet, Frank Overton[5]
July 31, 1953 "One Night Stand" James Dunn, Conrad Janis[5]
August 21, 1953 "Crip" Evelyn Varden, Leo Penn[5]
September 4, 1953 "Prophet in His Land" Buster Crabbe, Tony Randall[5]
September 11, 1953 "A Gift from Cotton Mather" Joseph Anthony, Mildred Dunnock, Kim Hunter[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c Tim Brooks; Earle Marsh (2003). "Gulf Playhouse, 1st Person (Dramatic Anthology)". The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (Eighth ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. p. 493. ISBN 978-0-345-45542-0.
  2. ^ a b c Hawes, William (2001). Filmed Television Drama, 1952-1958. McFarland. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-7864-1132-0. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  3. ^ "This Week (Cont'd)". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. September 28, 1952. p. 5. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Gould, Jack (December 21, 1952). "The Gulf Playhouse". The New York Times. p. X 11. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Wood, Robin; Lippe, Richard (2014). Arthur Penn: New Edition. Wayne State University Press. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-8143-3927-5. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  6. ^ "Gulf Playhouse". Ross Reports. October 12, 1952. p. 7. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  7. ^ "Gulf Playhouse". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. October 19, 1952. p. 7. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  8. ^ "Friday October 24". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. October 26, 1952. p. 6. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  9. ^ "Gulf Playhouse". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. October 26, 1952. p. 10. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  10. ^ "Gulf Playhouse". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. November 2, 1952. p. 9. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  11. ^ "Gulf Playhouse". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. November 16, 1952. p. 6. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  12. ^ "Gulf Playhouse". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. November 16, 1952. p. 10. Retrieved April 4, 2022.