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The Campbell Playhouse (TV series)

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This article is about the NBC television series. For the CBS radio series of the same name, see The Campbell Playhouse (radio series).
The Campbell Playhouse
Also known asCampbell Soundstage
TV Soundstage
Directed byGarry Simpson
Alex Segal
Marc Daniels
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes51
Production
Executive producerMartin Horrell
ProducerMartin Horrell
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseJune 6, 1952 (1952-06-06) –
May 28, 1954 (1954-05-28)

The Campbell Playhouse (also known as Campbell Soundstage, TV Soundstage, and Campbell Summer Soundstage, (summer hiatus only, see below)) was an American anthology series and television drama that originally aired on NBC from June 6, 1952 to May 28, 1954.[citation needed]

The series was sponsored by the Campbell Soup Company.

Radio series

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Main article: The Campbell Playhouse (radio series)

The television series was based on the 1938–1940 radio series of the same name. The radio version was originally aired on CBS as The Mercury Theatre on the Air beginning July 11, 1938. The series made its last broadcast under that title on December 4, 1938. After that, the Campbell Soup Company sponsored the radio drama and renamed it The Campbell Playhouse. The Campbell Playhouse made its radio debut on December 9, 1938.[1]

Orson Welles served as the host of the program.

The series offered 60-minute adaptations of famous novels and plays and, on certain occasions, adaptations of popular motion pictures of the time.[2]

The radio program ended on March 31, 1940.[3]

Television series

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Campbell Playhouse

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The television version of Campbell Playhouse premiered on NBC on June 6, 1952, on Fridays from 9:30 to 10 p.m. Eastern Time as the summer replacement for The Aldrich Family.Filmed episodes included:[4]

Campbell Soundstage

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On July 10, 1953,[citation needed] the series (retitled Campbell Soundstage) returned as a permanent replacement series.[4] (The Aldrich Family went off the air on May 28, 1953.[citation needed]) The series ended its run on May 28, 1954.[citation needed] It was broadcast live from New York and featured stories with surprise endings.[4].

The April 23, 1954, episode was "The Almighty Dollar" with Mildred Dunnock, Henry Hull, Mildred Natwick, and Parker Fennelly.[5]

Other actors who starred in episodes included:

Campbell Summer Soundstage

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On June 4, 1954, the name of the series was changed to Campbell Summer Soundstage, with filmed episodes, some of which were reruns of episodes of Ford Theatre.[4]

It was a short-lived revival of the television series. The series aired reruns of anthology series such as ABC's Gruen Playhouse, (later known as Gruen Guild Theatre), and DuMont's Dramatic Shorts.[citation needed]

Production notes

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The series was originally filmed live until its second season when it was released on film.

Directors

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Producers

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  • Martin Horrell (also served as executive producer)
  • Marc Daniels (also served as associate producer)


Broadcast history

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The Campbell Playhouse aired on Fridays at 9:30–10:00 pm for its entire run. Campbell Summer Soundstage aired at that time as well.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ "The Mercury Theatre of the Air". mercurytheatre.info. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  2. ^ "My old time radio shows Campbell Playhouse". myoldradio.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  3. ^ "Campbell Playhouse". Orson Welles. 17 October 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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. 155. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
  5. ^ "TV Key". Brooklyn Eagle. April 23, 1954. p. 19. Retrieved December 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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