CBS Playhouse is an American anthology drama television series that aired on CBS from 1967 to 1970. Airing twelve plays over the course of its run, the series won ten Primetime Emmy Awards and featured many noteworthy actors and playwrights.

CBS Playhouse
GenreAnthology drama
Written byRon Cowen
Robert J. Crean
Earl Hamner
Loring Mandel
J.P. Miller
Tad Mosel
Ronald Ribman
Reginald Rose
Ellen M. Violet
Directed byPaul Bogart
Richard Butler
WIlliam A. Graham
David Greene
Delbert Mann
George Schaefer
Theme music composerAaron Copland
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producerBarbara Schultz
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time90 minutes
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseJanuary 29, 1967 (1967-01-29) –
February 10, 1970 (1970-02-10)

History

edit

The CBS Playhouse series was announced in 1966, with CBS announcing a $500,000 outlay for new scripts to film. CBS was specifically looking to "encourage authors to write original and significant dramas for television," and offered $25,000 per optioned script.[1] This occurred shortly after ABC announced its dramatic arts program ABC Stage 67,[citation needed] along with many CBS dramas.

Playhouse ultimately commissioned thirteen playwrights to write scripts for the series.[2] The first program aired in 1967, called The Final War of Olly Winter starring Ivan Dixon and written by noted playwright Ronald Ribman. According to CBS, over 30 million people watched the broadcast, making it a popular hit for the time.[3]

Twelve broadcasts ultimately occurred before production stopped due to lack of sponsorship funding.[4] CBS would later revive the genre in CBS Playhouse 90, which would refer back to both CBS Playhouse and the early drama series Playhouse 90 that broadcast in the late 1950s.[citation needed]

Episodes

edit

CBS broadcast twelve teleplays over the three television seasons between 1967 and 1970.[citation needed]

Season 1 (1967-1968)

edit
No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"The Final War of Olly Winter"Paul BogartRonald RibmanJanuary 29, 1967 (1967-01-29)
Olly Winter, an African-American Master Sergeant in the Vietnam War, is walking back to allied-controlled land following a battle with the Viet Cong. Along the way, he meets up with a Vietnamese girl, an orphaned infant, and a dog.
22"Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night"George SchaeferLoring MandelOctober 17, 1967 (1967-10-17)
The title of the episode is taken from the first line of a Dylan Thomas poem, which tells the story of a carpenter who has built his own home, but is now too old and infirm to live on his own, and is sent to live in an old age home against his desires.
33"Dear Friends"Paul BogartReginald RoseDecember 6, 1967 (1967-12-06)
The episode was a two-part installment about a married couple looking at divorce, and the attempts of their friends to try to repair their marriage becoming a look at the relationships that they themselves have.
44"My Father and My Mother"George SchaeferRobert J. CreanFebruary 13, 1968 (1968-02-13)
A New York editor struggling as a husband and parent looks back and learns of the difficulties his own parents faced in life.
55"Secrets"Paul BogartTad MoselMay 5, 1968 (1968-05-05)
A wife believes her husband is hiding something from her and the secrets between the two threaten to split them apart.

Season 2 (1968-1969)

edit
No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
61"The People Next Door"David GreeneJ. P. MillerOctober 15, 1968 (1968-10-15)
A family deals with the daughter's use of LSD.
72"Saturday Adoption"Delbert MannRon CowenDecember 4, 1968 (1968-12-04)
A young white man about to enter law school meets a young black man, Macy, when he volunteers to tutor urban youths.
83"The Experiment"Robert ButlerEllen M. ViolettFebruary 25, 1969 (1969-02-25)
A young scientist who puts aside his liberal principles to work for a cutting-edge chemical company.
94"Shadow Game"Paul BogartLoring MandelMay 7, 1969 (1969-05-07)
Employees of a major firm are trapped in their office building during the Northeast blackout of 1965.

Season 3 (1969-1970)

edit
No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
101"Appalachian Autumn"William A. GrahamEarl Hamner, Jr.October 7, 1969 (1969-10-07)
A VISTA worker attempts to assist the people of the fictional poor coal mining town of Harper's Gap of West Virginia.
112"Sadbird'"Paul Bogart
William A. Graham
George BellakDecember 1, 1969 (1969-12-01)
A young man finds his own in the toy business after years of rejecting the corporate lifestyle.
123"The Day Before Sunday"Paul BogartRobert J. CreanFebruary 10, 1970 (1970-02-10)
An unmarried middle-aged woman meets a divorced man on her plane as she flies to attend her niece's graduation.

Episode status

edit

The broadcasts have been preserved in a variety of archives, with all twelve broadcasts archived between the Paley Center for Media, the UCLA film archive, and the Peabody Awards Collection.[citation needed]

Awards

edit

The CBS Playhouse series of broadcasts were nominated for a number of awards over the course of its run. In total, the dramatic series was nominated for twenty-eight Primetime Emmy Awards, including ten wins, and seven Directors Guild of America awards, including three wins.[5] CBS Playhouse was also honored with a Peabody Award in 1967.[6]

References

edit
  1. ^ New York Times: C.B.S. SEEKS OUT ORIGINAL DRAMAS. June 22, 1966.
  2. ^ New York Times: Where's CBS Playhouse? October 23, 1966.
  3. ^ Advertisement from early 1967 as seen in many national newspapers.[citation needed]
  4. ^ New York Times: TV Drama Faces Cutback in Fall. May 22, 1970
  5. ^ Emmys.com: CBS Playhouse
  6. ^ Profile for CBS Playhouse from PeabodyAwards.com (accessed 11/8/2014)
edit