Matinee Theater

Matinee Theater (1955)


  • Genre: Drama
  • First Air Date: 1955-10-31
  • Last Air Date: 1958-06-13
  • Total Seasons: 3
  • Total Episodes: 574
  • Status: Ended
  • Episode Runtime: 60 min.
  • Production Company: NBC
  • Network: NBC
star 3.3/10
From 4 Ratings

Summary

Matinee Theater is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1955 to 1958. The series, which ran daily in the afternoon, was frequently live. It was produced by Albert McCleery, Darrell Ross, George Cahan and Frank Price with executive producer George Lowther. McCleery had previously produced the live series Cameo Theatre which introduced to television the concept of theater-in-the-round, TV plays staged with minimal sets. Jim Buckley of the Pewter Plough Playhouse recalled: When Al McCleery got back to the States, he originated a most ambitious theatrical TV series for NBC called Matinee Theater: to televise five different stage plays per week live, airing around noon in order to promote color TV to the American housewife as she labored over her ironing. Al was the producer. He hired five directors and five art directors. Richard Bennett, one of our first early presidents of the Pewter Plough Corporation, was one of the directors and I was one of the art directors and, as soon as we were through televising one play, we had lunch and then met to plan next week’s show. That was over 50 years ago, and I’m trying to think; I believe the TV art director is his own set decorator —yes, of course! It had to be, since one of McCleery’s chief claims to favor with the producers was his elimination of the setting per se and simply decorating the scene with a minimum of props. It took a bit of ingenuity.

  • Keywords: anthology
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    Matinee Theater Trailer

    Matinee Theater Seasons

    Season 1

    First Air Date: 1955-10-31
    199 Episodes

    Season 2

    First Air Date: 1956-08-27
    240 Episodes

    Season 3

    First Air Date: 1957-10-15
    135 Episodes

    Matinee Theater Episodes

    Title Air Date Duration
    Season 1Episode 1Beyond a Reasonable Doubt60 min
    Season 1Episode 2One for the Road60 min
    Season 1Episode 3The Touchstone60 min
    Season 1Episode 4Wuthering Heights60 min
    Season 1Episode 5The Brass Ring60 min
    Season 1Episode 6Therese.60 min
    Season 1Episode 7O'Toole from Moscow.60 min
    Season 1Episode 8The Return of Socko Renard60 min
    Season 1Episode 9Mr. Krane60 min
    Season 1Episode 10Dracula60 min
    Season 1Episode 11All the Trees In The Field60 min
    Season 1Episode 12The bottom of the river60 min
    Season 1Episode 13Cave-in60 min
    Season 1Episode 14The Brat's House60 min
    Season 1Episode 15Mysterious Mr. Todd60 min
    Season 1Episode 16The Middle Son60 min
    Season 1Episode 17Valentine's Day60 min
    Season 1Episode 18The Last Battlefield60 min
    Season 1Episode 19Tall, dark stranger60 min
    Season 1Episode 20Dinner at Antoine's60 min
    Season 1Episode 21The Mating of Watkins Tottle60 min
    Season 1Episode 22Summer Cannot Last60 min
    Season 1Episode 23The Catbird Seat60 min
    Season 1Episode 24The Shining Palace60 min
    Season 1Episode 25Her Son's Wife60 min
    Season 1Episode 26The Odd Ones60 min
    Season 1Episode 27Silent Partner60 min
    Season 1Episode 28Temptation for a king60 min
    Season 1Episode 29Winter in April60 min
    Season 1Episode 30Fiddlin' man60 min
    Season 1Episode 31Bread Upon The Waters60 min
    Season 1Episode 32The Giant Killer60 min
    Season 1Episode 33The Book of Ruth60 min
    Season 1Episode 34Ask Me No Questions60 min
    Season 1Episode 35The Lark Shall Sing60 min
    Season 1Episode 36In Dread of Winter60 min
    Season 1Episode 37The Century Plant60 min
    Season 1Episode 38The Babylonian Heart60 min
    Season 1Episode 39Whom Death Has Joined Together60 min
    Season 1Episode 40George has a birthday60 min
    Season 1Episode 41Class of '5860 min
    Season 1Episode 42Ivy Curtain60 min
    Season 1Episode 43Alumni reunion60 min
    Season 1Episode 44Horse Power60 min
    Season 1Episode 45Julie60 min
    Season 1Episode 46Prominent Citizens60 min
    Season 2Episode 1A Case of Pure Fiction60 min
    Season 2Episode 2The Master builder60 min
    Season 2Episode 3The Others60 min
    Season 2Episode 4The Remarkable Mr. Jerome60 min
    Season 2Episode 5The Bridge60 min
    Season 2Episode 6The Hickory Limb60 min
    Season 2Episode 7The Vicarious Years60 min
    Season 2Episode 8Thread that runs so true.60 min
    Season 2Episode 9Show of Strength60 min
    Season 2Episode 10The avenging of Anne Leete60 min
    Season 2Episode 11White-Headed Boy60 min
    Season 2Episode 12But when she was bad60 min
    Season 2Episode 13Strong Medicine60 min
    Season 2Episode 14The richest man in the world60 min
    Season 2Episode 15The Fable of Harry60 min
    Season 2Episode 16The rose bush60 min
    Season 3Episode 1End of The Rope60 min
    Season 3Episode 2Rain In the Morning60 min
    Season 3Episode 3From the Desk of Margaret Tydings60 min
    Season 3Episode 4Journey Into Darkness60 min
    Season 3Episode 5The Prophet Hosea60 min
    Season 3Episode 6The 65th Floor60 min
    Season 3Episode 7The Cause60 min
    Season 3Episode 8The Story of Marcia Gordon60 min
    Season 3Episode 9Town in a Turmoil60 min
    Season 3Episode 10Washington Square60 min
    Season 3Episode 11Course for Collision60 min
    Season 3Episode 137It Came from Out of Town60 min
    • John Conte

      as Host
    Production George Lowther Producer
    Production Albert McCleery Producer

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