Actress Jessica Tandy in episode
#1, "Portrait of a Madonna".

Series Description

Actors Studio was a drama/anthology series that aired on ABC for its first season and on CBS for its second and final season. Each episode provided viewers with an exciting story that included screenplay adaptations of classic literature or new stories by writers that were at the top of their fields. Actors Studio was one of the first few series that allowed the "common man" to appreciate fine theatrical performances with top performers that were previously only available in expensive theaters and predominantly in large cities.

Actors Studio Cast

Marc Connelly .... Host

Actors Studio Trivia:

The Actors Studio episodes were 30 minutes in length until February of 1950 when the series was extended to one hour in length. At the same time it went from weekly shows to bi-weekly by alternating with episodes of the "Ford Theatre". A month later, in March of 1950, the name of the series was changed to "The Play's the Thing". Actors Studio was broadcast live!

The series got its name from and was produced by the Actors Studio, Inc. which was a non-profit organization in support of actors and actresses.

Actors Studio was considered a first-rate production by audiences and critics alike. It almost immediately received a Peabody Award for "uninhibited and brilliant pioneering in the field of televised drama"!

Scripts were often adapted from famous novels by renowned writers including James Thurber, Edgar Allen Poe, Irwin Shaw, and others. Many of the world's greatest actors wanted to be a part of Actors Studio! A very young Marlin Brando appeared for the first time on television in a January 1949 episode of Actors Studio!