Philco TV Playhouse

Philco TV Playhouse

Series Description

The Philco TV Playhouse was an anthology drama series that featured both original scripts and adaptations of novels, Broadway plays, and musicals.

Cast

Bert Lytell .... Host (First Season)
Jay Jackson .... Announcer
Durward Kirby .... Announcer (1953)

Trivia

As with many series of the day, "The Philco TV Playhouse" was named after its sole sponsor who payed for the entire production costs. Philco (The Philadelphia Electric Company) was the major manufacturer of radios and televisions in the 1940s and into the 1950s. Philco also was the employer of "Philo Taylor Farnsworth", the inventor of the Cathode Ray Tube (picture tube) and the first person to build a totally electronic television. (There were electro-mechanical precursors to the modern television). Philco also built the land-based worldwide tracking system for Nasa's Mercury Space Program and supplied most of the radios in Ford automobiles in the 1960s and beyond. They also built the super-computer that powered the U.S. Aerospace command center in Cheyenne Mountain, Wyoming from the early 1960s until 1980.

In the first season, The Philco TV Playhouse was "co-sponsored" (without any monetary compensation) by the "Actor's Equity Association". Bert Lytell, as a former President of that association, acted as the host. All of the first season's episodes were adaptations of Broadway plays or musicals.

In the second season, the producers reached an agreement with the "Book-of-the-Month Club" to adapt current novels for television.

After the second season concluded, episodes featured an assortment of adaptations from plays and novels. The producers sought out the finest scripts they could find and many formerly unknown authors got their big break on the "Philco TV Playhouse".

The series' producers seemed to have a problem deciding on a name for the show during the first season. It was called, "The Philco TV Playhouse" for the first 28 episodes. For the next three episodes, the series was called, "Repertory Theatre". Episodes 32 through 38 were titled, "Arena Theatre". And finally, by episode number 39, the series title returned to and remained, "The Philco TV Playhouse".

Beginning in the fourth season, the show shared its time slot with the "Goodyear Theatre". For the eighth and final season, they both shared the slot with "The Alcoa Hour".

The best-known episode was Chayefsky's "Marty" starring Rod Steiger. That show later would become an Academy-Award-winning film for Ernest Borgnine!"

The Philco TV Playhouse was nominated for 8 Emmys but never won.

Episodes List With Original Air Dates

Season 1

  1. Dinner at Eight (10/3/1948)
  2. Rebecca (10/10/1948)
  3. Counsellor-at-Law (10/17/1948)
  4. Angel in the Wings (10/24/1948)
  5. Street Scene (10/31/1948)
  6. This Thing Called Love (11/7/1948)
  7. Camille (11/14/1948)
  8. An Inspector Calls (11/21/1948)
  9. I Like It Here (11/28/1948)
  10. Suspect (12/5/1948)
  11. Parlor Story (12/12/1948)
  12. A Christmas Carol (12/19/1948)
  13. The Old Lady Shows Her Medals (12/26/1948)
  14. Ramshackle Inn (1/2/1949)
  15. Cyrano de Bergerac (1/9/1949)
  16. Papa Is All (1/16/1949)
  17. Pride and Prejudice (1/23/1949)
  18. Dark Hammock (1/30/1949)
  19. The Late Christopher Bean (2/6/1949)
  20. The Story of Mary Surratt (2/13/1949)
  21. Twelfth Night (2/20/1949)
  22. St. Helena (2/27/1949)
  23. The Druid Circle (3/6/1949)
  24. Quality Street (3/13/1949)
  25. Dinner at Antoine's (3/20/1949)
  26. Becky Sharpe (3/27/1949)
  27. And Never Been Kissed (4/3/1949)
  28. What Makes Sammy Run? (4/10/1949)
  29. Mr. Mergenthwicker's Lobblies (4/17/1949)
  30. Burlesque (4/24/1949)
  31. Macbeth (5/1/1949)
  32. Romeo and Juliet (5/15/1949)
  33. This Time, Next Year (6/5/1949)
  34. It Pays to Advertise (6/12/1949)
  35. Summer Formal (6/19/1949)
  36. Jenny Kissed Me (6/26/1949)
  37. Dark of the Moon (7/3/1949)
  38. For Love or Money (7/10/1949)
  39. The Five Lives of Richard Gordon (7/17/1949)
  40. You Touched Me! (7/24/1949)
  41. The Fourth Wall (7/31/1949)
  42. Enter Madame (8/7/1949)
  43. A Murder Has Been Arranged (8/14/1949)
  44. Pretty Little Parlor (8/21/1949)
  45. Three Cornered Moon (8/28/1949)
Season 2
  1. What Every Woman Knows (9/4/1949)
  2. Pride's Castle (9/11/1949)
  3. The Little Sister (9/18/1949)
  4. The Lonely (9/25/1949)
  5. The Queen Bee (10/2/1949)
  6. Something's Got to Give (10/9/1949)
  7. The Last Tycoon (10/16/1949)
  8. Because of the Lockwoods (10/23/1949)
  9. Damion's Daughter (10/30/1949)
  10. The House of Seven Gables (11/6/1949)
  11. The Promise (11/13/1949)
  12. Medical Meeting (11/20/1949)
  13. The Wonderful Mrs. Ingram (11/27/1949)
  14. Mist on the Waters (12/4/1949)
  15. The Beautiful Bequest (12/11/1949)
  16. The Strange Christmas Dinner (12/18/1949)
  17. In Beauty Like the Night (12/25/1949)
  18. Little Boy Lost (1/1/1950)
  19. Bethel Merriday (1/8/1950)
  20. Murder at the Stork Club (1/15/1950)
  21. The Marriages (1/22/1950)
  22. Uncle Dynamite (1/29/1950)
  23. The Sudden Guest (2/5/1950)
  24. Ann Rutledge (2/12/1950)
  25. A Letter to Mr. Priest (2/19/1950)
  26. Hometown (2/26/1950)
  27. The Life of Vincent Van Gogh (3/5/1950)
  28. The Uncertain Molly Collicutt (3/12/1950)
  29. The Trial of Steven Kent (3/19/1950)
  30. The Second Oldest Profession (3/26/1950)
  31. Nocturne (4/2/1950)
  32. Dirty Eddie (4/9/1950)
  33. The End is Known (4/16/1950)
  34. The Man in the Black Hat (4/23/1950)
  35. The American (4/30/1950)
  36. The Feast (5/7/1950)
  37. The Charmed Circle (5/21/1950)
  38. Semmelweis (5/28/1950)
  39. Sense and Sensibility (6/4/1950)
  40. The Bump on Brannigan's Head (6/11/1950)
  41. Anything Can Happen (6/18/1950)
  42. Hear My Heart Speak (6/25/1950)
  43. The Reluctant Landlord (7/2/1950)
  44. The Tentacles (7/9/1950)
Season 3
  1. High Tor (9/10/1950)
  2. The Long Run (9/17/1950)
  3. Dear Guest and Ghost (9/24/1950)
  4. The Touch of a Stranger (10/1/1950)
  5. The Vine That Grew on Fiftieth Street (10/8/1950)
  6. A Husband for Mama (10/15/1950)
  7. Portrait in Smoke (10/22/1950)
  8. The Gambler (10/29/1950)
  9. The Power Devil (11/5/1950)
  10. The Man Who Got Away With It (11/12/1950)
  11. I'm Still Alive (11/19/1950)
  12. Torch for a Dark Journey (11/26/1950)
  13. Wacky, the Small Boy (12/3/1950)
  14. Bonanza (12/10/1950)
  15. Decoy (12/17/1950)
  16. The Pupil (12/24/1950)
  17. Leaf out of a Book (12/31/1950)
  18. The Symbol: Jefferson Davis (1/7/1951)
  19. The Lost Diplomat (1/14/1951)
  20. Confession (1/21/1951)
  21. The Great Escape (1/28/1951)
  22. A Matter of Life and Death (2/4/1951)
  23. Kitty Doone (2/11/1951)
  24. Let Them Be Sea Captains (2/18/1951)
  25. The Man Who Bought a Town (2/25/1951)
  26. No Medals on Pop (3/11/1951)
  27. The Dark Corridor (3/18/1951)
  28. Bulletin 120 (3/25/1951)
  29. Parnassus on Wheels (4/1/1951)
  30. Routine Assignment (4/8/1951)
  31. Hour of Destiny (4/15/1951)
  32. The Birth of the Movies (4/22/1951)
  33. Mr. Arcularis (4/29/1951)
  34. A Secret Island (5/6/1951)
  35. The Visitors (5/13/1951)
  36. Justice and Mr. Pleznik (5/20/1951)
  37. Rescue (5/27/1951)
  38. The Adventures of Hiram Holliday (6/3/1951)
  39. The Fast Dollar (6/10/1951)
  40. Operation: Airlift (6/17/1951)
  41. Dr. Hudson's Secret Journal (6/24/1951)
  42. The Plot (7/1/1951)
  43. Case History (7/8/1951)
  44. I Want to March (7/15/1951)
  45. Pretend I Am A Stranger (7/22/1951)
  46. Television Story (7/29/1951)
  47. The Return (8/5/1951)
  48. Ephraim Tutt's Clean Hands (8/12/1951)
  49. Come Alive (8/19/1951)
  50. Night at the Vulcan (8/26/1951)
  51. This Time Next Year (9/2/1951)
  52. Women of Intrigue (9/9/1951)
  53. The Wayward Season (9/16/1951)
  54. The Spur (9/23/1951)
  55. By-Line for Murder (9/30/1951)
  56. A Requiem for a Model (10/7/1951)
Season 4
  1. Marcia Akers (10/21/1951)
  2. The Education of a Fullback (11/4/1951)
  3. A Little Night Music (11/18/1951)
  4. Incident at Golden's Creek (12/2/1951)
  5. Perspective (12/16/1951)
  6. The Sisters (12/30/1951)
  7. Without Fear or Favor (1/13/1952)
  8. Segment (1/27/1952)
  9. Rich Boy (2/10/1952)
  10. Tender Age (2/24/1952)
  11. Dusty Portrait (3/9/1952)
  12. The Best Laid Schemes (3/23/1952)
  13. The Room Next Door (4/5/1952)
  14. The Basket Weaver (4/19/1952)
  15. We Were Children (5/4/1952)
  16. A Cowboy for Chris (5/18/1952)
  17. A Man's Game (6/1/1952)
  18. Flight into Darkness (6/15/1952)
  19. The Monument (6/29/1952)
  20. A Letter to Mr. Priest (7/13/1952)
  21. Brat Farrar (7/27/1952)
  22. The Five Fathers of Pepi (8/10/1952)
  23. Three Sundays (8/24/1952)
  24. The Last Hour (9/7/1952)
Season 5
  1. The Thin Air (9/21/1952)
  2. The Black Sheep (10/5/1952)
  3. Uncertain Heritage (10/19/1952)
  4. The Winter of the Dog (11/2/1952)
  5. Parole Chief (11/16/1952)
  6. The Gift (11/30/1952)
  7. Tempest of Tick Creek (12/14/1952)
  8. Magic Morning (12/28/1952)
  9. Double Jeopardy (1/4/1953)
  10. Pride's Way (1/11/1953)
  11. Two for One (1/18/1953)
  12. Elegy (1/25/1953)
  13. The Reluctant Citizen (2/8/1953)
  14. Mr. Pettengill Here (2/15/1953)
  15. The Trip to Bountiful (3/1/1953)
  16. The Velvet Mitten (3/22/1953)
  17. A Young Lady of Property (4/5/1953)
  18. The Recluse (4/19/1953)
  19. A Little Something in Reserve (5/10/1953)
  20. The Oil Well (5/17/1953)
  21. The Way of the Eagle (6/7/1953)
  22. Expectant Relations (6/21/1953)
  23. The House in Athens (7/5/1953)
  24. The Big Deal (7/19/1953)
  25. The Cipher (8/2/1953)
  26. The Rainmaker (8/16/1953)
  27. Othello (9/6/1953)
  28. The Baby (9/13/1953)
  29. Holiday Song (9/20/1953)
Season 6
  1. 0 for 37 (9/27/1953)
  2. The Bachelor Party (10/11/1953)
  3. The Girl With the Stopwatch (10/25/1953)
  4. The Train to Trouble (11/8/1953)
  5. Up Above the World So High (11/22/1953)
  6. The Sixth Year (11/29/1953)
  7. The Midnight Caller (12/13/1953)
  8. The Glorification of Al Toolum (12/27/1953)
  9. The Hangman in the Fog (1/10/1954)
  10. Smoke Screen (1/24/1954)
  11. A Game of Hide and Seek (2/7/1954)
  12. Statute of Limitations (2/21/1954)
  13. The Dancers (3/7/1954)
  14. The Broken Fist (3/21/1954)
  15. The Mother (4/4/1954)
  16. The King and Mrs. Candle (4/18/1954)
  17. The Joker (5/2/1954)
  18. And Crown Thy Good (5/16/1954)
  19. The Shadow of Willie Greer (5/30/1954)
  20. Adapt or Die (6/13/1954)
  21. Friday the Thirteenth (6/27/1954)
  22. Man Drowning (7/11/1954)
  23. The Catamaran (7/25/1954)
  24. The Man in the Middle of the Ocean (8/8/1954)
  25. Star in the Summer Night (8/22/1954)
  26. Run Like a Thief (9/5/1954)
Season 7
  1. Middle of the Night (9/19/1954)
  2. Time Bomb (10/3/1954)
  3. Man on the Mountain (10/17/1954)
  4. Time of Delivery (10/31/1954)
  5. Crime Without Motive (11/14/1954)
  6. Beg, Borrow or Steal (11/28/1954)
  7. Catch My Boy on Sunday (12/12/1954)
  8. Run, Girl, Run (12/26/1954)
  9. Walk Into the Night (1/9/1955)
  10. Anatomy of Fear (1/23/1955)
  11. A Sense of Justice (2/6/1955)
  12. The Assassin (2/20/1955)
  13. Play Me Hearts and Flowers (3/6/1955)
  14. Shadow of the Champ (3/20/1955)
  15. Watch Me Die (4/3/1955)
  16. The Bold and the Brave (4/17/1955)
  17. Letter of Recommendation (5/1/1955)
  18. The Pardon-Me Boy (5/15/1955)
  19. The Ghost Writer (5/29/1955)
  20. Total Recall (6/12/1955)
  21. Black Frost (6/26/1955)
  22. Incident in July (7/10/1955)
  23. The Death of Billy the Kid (7/24/1955)
  24. A Room in Paris (8/7/1955)
  25. Gretel (8/21/1955)
Season 8
  1. The Miss America Story (9/4/1955)
  2. The Outsiders (9/18/1955)
  3. A Man is Ten Feet Tall (10/2/1955)
  4. A Business Proposition (10/23/1955)
  5. The Mechanical Heart (11/6/1955)
  6. One Mummy Too Many (11/20/1955)
  7. The Trees (12/4/1955)
  8. Christmas 'Til Closing (12/18/1955)
  9. Rise Up and Walk (1/1/1956)
  10. This Land Is Mine (1/15/1956)
  11. The Starlet (1/29/1956)
  12. Kyria Katina (2/12/1956)

Find Thousands of
Your Favorite Shows
At Our
Home Page

Thank you for visiting our Philco TV Playhouse page!

Copyright © 1997-Present CrazyAboutTV.com
All rights reserved