Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

*Schlitz Playhouse of Stars*
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
	Dan O'Herlihy and Peggy Creel in "Log the Man Innocent", 1955
Also known as	Schlitz Playhouse
Genre	Anthology
Directed by	Robert Aldrich; John Brahm; David Butler; Robert Florey; Paul Henreid; Arthur Hiller; Delbert Mann; Lewis Milestone; Ray Milland; James Neilson; Christian Nyby; Ted Post; Robert Stevenson; Jacques Tourneur; Don Weis; Richard Whorf
Composers	Melvyn Lenard; Paul Dunlap; Stanley Wilson
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	8
No. of episodes	347
Production
Executive producer	Nat Holt
Producers	William Self; Frank P. Rosenberg; Jules Bricken
Production location	Revue Studios
Cinematography	George T. Clemens; Russell Harlan
Editors	Joseph Gluck; Richard Belding; Sam Gold; George Amy; Robert B. Warwick, Jr.
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	50 mins.
Production companies	Meridian Productions; Revue Studios
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	October 5, 1951 –; March 27, 1959

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to Schlitz Playhouse beginning with the fall 1957 season.

Live to film

Initially, the show was broadcast live, but starting in the summer of 1953, some episodes were filmed in advance. Beginning with the 1956-1957 season, all of the shows were filmed.

Between October 1951 and March 1952, the hour-long show was aired at 9 p.m.^{[clarification needed]} In April 1952, the running time was reduced from an hour to 30 minutes. The series moved to 9:30 p.m. in the 1955 fall season.

Pilots

Three episodes served as pilots for later NBC Western series: The Restless Gun with John Payne (March 29, 1957 pilot) and Tales of Wells Fargo with Dale Robertson (as Jim Hardie; season 6, episode 12 - A Tale of Wells Fargo - aired on December 14, 1956), and the first-run syndication series Shotgun Slade ^[1] with Scott Brady (season eight, episode 14 aired on March 27, 1959). The Restless Gun pilot was based on the radio series The Six Shooter, and Payne's character had the same name, Britt Ponset, as the radio character; that name was changed to Vint Bonner when the actual series began, possibly to prevent confusion with Bret Maverick in Maverick, which debuted in 1957. The same year, Jacques Tourneur directed one episode, "Outlaw's Boots" (25 min), broadcast in December 1957. For the 1958-1959 season, the series alternated weeks with the Lux Playhouse.

An episode of the series also was the pilot for China Smith.^[2]

Guest stars

Guest stars included the child actress Beverly Washburn, later on The New Loretta Young Show, who appeared in "The Closed Door" (1953) and "One Left Over" (1957).

Child actor Michael Winkelman, later of The Real McCoys, also appeared twice, as Joey Harlow in the 1955 episode "Fast Break" and as Jimmy Quinlin in the 1956 segment "Weapon of Courage."

Phyllis Avery appeared six times, including the episodes "The Girl Who Scared Men Off" and "Bluebeard's Seventh Wife".

Walter Coy appeared four times, including the role of Paul Hunter in "Fool Proof" in 1956.

Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr., played Colonel Louis Coca in the episode "Little War at San Dede" (1954).

Dayton Lummis appeared as editor Cartwright in "The Last Pilot Schooner" and as Arthur Healy in "Ambitious Cop" (both 1955). Tyler MacDuff made his television debut in the 1954 episode "At the Natchez Inn".

Nora Marlowe played Katherine in "The Girl in the Grass" (1957), with fellow guest stars Ray Milland and Carolyn Jones.

James Dean made a rare television appearance in "The Unlighted Road" in 1955.

Gene Kelly made his television dramatic debut in "The Life You Save" in 1957.^[3]

Others included Irene Dunne and Helen Hayes in "Not a Chance" (1951, the first episode); John Payne in "The Name is Bellingham" (1951); Rosalind Russell in "Never Wave at a WAC" (1951); Charlton Heston and June Lockhart in "One is a Lonely Number" (1951); Robert Preston and Margaret Sullavan in "The Nymph and the Lamp" (1951); John Payne and Coleen Gray in "Exit" (1951); Anthony Quinn in "Dark Fleece" (1951); Dan Duryea in "P.G." (1952); Vincent Price in "The Human Touch" (1952); Lillian Gish in "The Autobiography of Grandma Moses" (1952); Barbara Britton in "Say Hello to Pamela" (1952); Dolores del Río in "An Old Spanish Custom" (1957), etc. Most had multiple appearances throughout the series.

Awards

In 1958, Paul Monash won an Emmy Award for Best Teleplay Writing - One Hour or Less for the episode "The Lonely Wizard".^[4] In 1954, Billboard ranked it sixth-best filmed network dramatic series; it received 264 votes, compared to 826 votes for list-topping Ford Theater, but well ahead of the series at 10th place, Revlon Mirror Theater, which only got 35 votes.^[5]

Summer reruns

Episodes of the series were rerun during the summer under several titles. In 1958, repeats aired for two months as Adorn Playhouse. In 1960 and 1961, the summer reruns aired as Adventure Theater.^[4]

Episodes

Season 1 (1951-52)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
TBA	1	"Not a Chance"	Frank Telford	Story by : Teleplay by : Thomas W. Phipps	October 5, 1951 (1951-10-05)
TBA	2	"The Name Is Bellingham"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	October 12, 1951 (1951-10-12)
TBA	3	"Never Wave at a WAC"	William H. Brown Jr.	Story by : William Dozier Teleplay by : Don Mankiewicz	October 19, 1951 (1951-10-19)
TBA	4	"Still Life"	Frank Telford	Story by : Noël Coward Teleplay by : Robert Anderson	October 26, 1951 (1951-10-26)
TBA	5	"The Lucky Touch"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	November 2, 1951 (1951-11-02)
TBA	6	"Decision and Daniel Webster"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	November 9, 1951 (1951-11-09)
TBA	7	"The Memories of Aimee Durant"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	November 16, 1951 (1951-11-16)
TBA	8	"One Is a Lonesome Number"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	November 23, 1951 (1951-11-23)
TBA	9	"Two Living and One Dead"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	November 30, 1951 (1951-11-30)
TBA	10	"The Nymph and the Lamp"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	December 7, 1951 (1951-12-07)
TBA	11	"Exit"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	December 14, 1951 (1951-12-14)
TBA	12	"Dark Fleece"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	December 21, 1951 (1951-12-21)
TBA	13	"Girl in a Million"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	December 28, 1951 (1951-12-28)
TBA	14	"Clean Sweep for Lavinia"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	January 4, 1952 (1952-01-04)
TBA	15	"Billy Budd"	Unknown	Story by : Herman Melville Teleplay by : Louis O. Coxe and Robert H. Chapman	January 11, 1952 (1952-01-11)
TBA	16	"The Man That I Marry"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	January 18, 1952 (1952-01-18)
TBA	17	"P.G."	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	January 25, 1952 (1952-01-25)
TBA	18	"Lady with a Will"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	February 1, 1952 (1952-02-01)
TBA	19	"The Daughter"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	February 8, 1952 (1952-02-08)
TBA	20	"Fifty Grand"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	February 15, 1952 (1952-02-15)
TBA	21	"World So Wide"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	February 22, 1952 (1952-02-22)
TBA	22	"Apple of His Eye"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	February 29, 1952 (1952-02-29)
TBA	23	"The Haunted Heart"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	March 7, 1952 (1952-03-07)
TBA	24	"Make Way For Teddy"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	March 14, 1952 (1952-03-14)
TBA	25	"The Human Touch"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	March 21, 1952 (1952-03-21)
TBA	26	"The Autobiography of Grandma Moses"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	March 28, 1952 (1952-03-28)
TBA	27	"Experiment"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	April 4, 1952 (1952-04-04)
TBA	28	"Four's a Family"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	April 11, 1952 (1952-04-11)
TBA	29	"Now's the Time"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	April 18, 1952 (1952-04-18)
TBA	30	"Fear"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	April 25, 1952 (1952-04-25)
TBA	31	"Doctors Should Never Marry"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	May 2, 1952 (1952-05-02)
TBA	32	"Appointment with the Past"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	May 9, 1952 (1952-05-09)
TBA	33	"Autumn in New York"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	May 16, 1952 (1952-05-16)
TBA	34	"Love Came Late"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	May 23, 1952 (1952-05-23)
TBA	35	"A Quarter for Your Troubles"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	May 30, 1952 (1952-05-30)
TBA	36	"Souvenir from Singapore"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	June 6, 1952 (1952-06-06)
TBA	37	"Dress in the Window"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	June 13, 1952 (1952-06-13)
TBA	38	"Say Hello to Pamela"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	June 20, 1952 (1952-06-20)
TBA	39	"The Von Linden File"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	June 27, 1952 (1952-06-27)
TBA	40	"The House of Death"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	July 4, 1952 (1952-07-04)
TBA	41	"A Southern Lady"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	July 11, 1952 (1952-07-11)
TBA	42	"Early Space Conquerors"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	July 18, 1952 (1952-07-18)
TBA	43	"A Man's World"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	July 25, 1952 (1952-07-25)
TBA	44	"Crossroads"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	August 1, 1952 (1952-08-01)
TBA	45	"So Help Me"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	August 8, 1952 (1952-08-08)
TBA	46	"Double Exposure"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	August 15, 1952 (1952-08-15)
TBA	47	"Mr. And Mrs. Trubble or The Tubbles"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	August 22, 1952 (1952-08-22)
TBA	48	"Port of Call"	Unknown	Story by : Teleplay by :	August 29, 1952 (1952-08-29)

Season 2 (1952-53)

Data not available

Season 3 (1953-54)

Data not available

Season 4 (1954-55)

Data not available

Season 5 (1955-56)

Data not available

Season 6 (1956-57)

Data not available

Season 7 (1957-58)

Data not available

Season 8 (1958-59)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
TBA	1	"Portrait of a Legend"	Don Weis	Story by : Milo Wood Teleplay by : Donald S. Sanford	September 12, 1958 (1958-09-12)
TBA	2	"Kinsman"	Jules Bricken	Story by : Teleplay by : Tom Seller	September 19, 1958 (1958-09-19)
TBA	3	"A Thing To Fight For"	John Brahm	Story by : Wyatt Blassingame Teleplay by : Paul Monash	September 26, 1958 (1958-09-26)
TBA	4	"The Hasty Hanging"	John Brahm	Story by : Teleplay by : Charles Larson	October 10, 1958 (1958-10-10)
TBA	5	"The Trouble With Ruth"	John Brahm	Story by : Henry Slesar Teleplay by : Jameson Brewer	October 24, 1958 (1958-10-24)
TBA	6	"False Impression"	Don Medford	Story by : Teleplay by : Jameson Brewer	November 7, 1958 (1958-11-07)
TBA	7	"The Last Edition"	John Brahm	Story by : Teleplay by : Helen Cooper & Irving H. Cooper	November 21, 1958 (1958-11-21)
TBA	8	"Third Son"	Unknown	Story by : Ernest Haycox Teleplay by : Tom Seller	December 5, 1958 (1958-12-05)
TBA	9	"No Answer"	Arthur Hiller	Story by : Theodore Sturgeon Teleplay by : Tom Seller	December 19, 1958 (1958-12-19)
TBA	10	"A Fistful Of Love"	Allen H. Miner	Story by : Teleplay by : Allen H. Miner	January 2, 1959 (1959-01-02)
TBA	11	"You Can’t Win'em All"	David Butler	Story by : Mac Shoub Teleplay by : Charles Larson	January 16, 1959 (1959-01-16)
TBA	12	"And Practically Strangers"	Jules Bricken	Story by : Robert Bristow Teleplay by : Halsey Melone	January 30, 1959 (1959-01-30)
TBA	13	"The Man Who Had No Friends"	Anton M. Leader	Story by : Hugh Pentecost Teleplay by : Tom Seller	February 13, 1959 (1959-02-13)
TBA	14	"On The Brink"	Sidney Lanfield	Story by : James Yaffe Teleplay by : Kathleen Hite	February 27, 1959 (1959-02-27)
TBA	15	"Ivy League"	Richard Whorf	Story by : Jameson Brewer Teleplay by : Everett Freeman	March 13, 1959 (1959-03-13)
TBA	16	"The Salted Mine"	James Nielson	Story by : Teleplay by : Frank Gruber	March 27, 1959 (1959-03-27)
TBA	17	"The Rumor"	Richard Haydn	Story by : Erskine Caldwell Teleplay by : Everett Greenbaum and Fritzell Greenbaum	June 5, 1959 (1959-06-05)
TBA	18	"Hostage"	John Brahm	Story by : Teleplay by : Tom Seller	June 19, 1959 (1959-06-19)
TBA	19	"Cowboy Five Seven"	James Stewart	Story by : Teleplay by : Beirne Lay Jr.	July 17, 1959 (1959-07-17)
TBA	20	"A Ballad to Die By"	Robert M. Leeds	Story by : Roy Chanslor Teleplay by : Otis Carney	July 31, 1959 (1959-07-31)

Production

In April 1957 Schlitz extended its contract with Revue Productions, agreeing to pay approximately $2 million for 40 episodes. The increased budget enabled Revue to seek top-name stars for the series. Jules Bricken and Frank P. Rosenberg were the producers.^[6]

Sale

CBS-TV bought the negative rights to 104 episodes of Schlitz Playhouse of Stars for about $1.2 million in 1957 with RKO Teleradio serving as an intermediary between the network and Meridian Productions. CBS tried to buy the property outright, but Meridian wanted payments spread over 10 years, and the network did not want a long-term commitment. RKO Teleradio solved the problem by accepting the short-term payment from CBS and, in turn, paying 10 percent to Meridian each year for a decade.^[7]

References

^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWfvMQCih-Y Schlitz Playhouse Of Stars S08 E14 The Salted Mine - Pilot for Shotgun Slade
^ "film report" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 28, 1952. p. 79. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
^ "Here Comes Kelly! Back to Our City, Natch". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. February 24, 1957. p. 37. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (31 July 1954). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
^ "$2,000,000 Schlitz Anthology Renewal". Variety. May 1, 1957. p. 2*. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
^ "Inside Stulf-TV Films". Variety. March 13, 1957. p. 34. Retrieved June 23, 2023.