Star Stage is a half-hour American television anthology series that began on September 9, 1955, and ended on September 7, 1956.[1]

Betty Grable and Casey Adams in Cleopatra Collins, 1956

It was sponsored on alternate weeks by Chesebrough-Ponds and Campbell Soup Company[2] and hosted by Jeffrey Lynn, who became host on the November 18 telecast.[1] Thirty-nine episodes aired on NBC.[citation needed] Approximately two-thirds of the episodes were done live and the remainder were filmed.[1] Filmed episodes were produced by Revue.[3] Some episodes originated from WRCA-TV in New York City, and others came from KRCA-TV in Los Angeles. When the program debuted, it was carried live on 31 stations and by delayed broadcast on 12.[2]

Guest stars included: Mary Astor, Ralph Bellamy, Polly Bergen,[1] Ward Bond, Eddie Bracken, Rod Cameron, Wendell Corey, Joseph Cotten, Jeanne Crain, Paul Douglas, Dan Duryea, Joan Fontaine, Greer Garson, Betty Grable, Lorne Greene, Dennis Morgan, Sylvia Sidney,[4] Jack Whiting, Cornel Wilde, and Alan Young.

Mort Abrahams was the executive producer, and Charles Russell was the initial producer,[2] In March 1956, S. Mark Smith was named producer.[5] Directors included feature film directors, Robert Stevenson, Sidney Lanfield, Felix E. Feist, and Don Weis.

Episodes

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Partial List of Episodes of Star Stage
Date Title Actor(s)
September 16, 1955 "Cop Without a Badge" Joey Walsh, James Gregory[6]
October 7, 1955 "On Trial" Joseph Cotten[7]
December 25, 1955 "The Knife" Donald Woods, Pud Flanagan, Edward Binns, Barbara Joyce, Anne Hegira[8]
February 24, 1956 "Career" Greer Garson, Patric Knowles, Stephen Bekassy, Richard Erdman, Sarah Selby, Douglas Evans, Mandie Prickett[9]
August 10, 1956 "The Sainted General" Luther Adler[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 959. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
  2. ^ a b c "Friday (9)" (PDF). Ross Reports on Television. September 4, 1955. p. 100. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  3. ^ "TV 'Star Stage' to offer drama". The New York Times. August 25, 1955. p. 47. ProQuest 113279877. Retrieved May 2, 2021 – via ProQuest.
  4. ^ "Debut". Independent. Long Beach Independent. September 9, 1955. p. 30. Retrieved March 27, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  5. ^ "Network People" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 5, 1956. p. 74. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  6. ^ Shanley, J. P. (September 17, 1955). "TV: Break for Teen-ager: School Boy's Story on 'Star Stage'". The New York Times. p. 35. ProQuest 113231193. Retrieved May 2, 2021 – via ProQuest.
  7. ^ "Tonight's Television . . ". The Vancouver Sun. October 7, 1955. p. 33. Retrieved May 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Nancy Gates Is Heroine Of Western". The Des Moines Register. December 25, 1955. p. 10. Retrieved May 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Troyan, Michael (September 16, 2005). A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson. University Press of Kentucky. p. 381. ISBN 978-0-8131-9150-8. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  10. ^ "TV Key Previews". The Capital Times. Wisconsin, Madison. August 10, 1956. p. 21. Retrieved May 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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