| Alt Name: | ABC Theatre ABC Theatre of the Month |
| Genre: | Anthology |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Network: | ABC |
ABC Theater is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC and featured quality dramatic presentations over a period of 12 years. Although some sources indicate the series began in 1974,[1] ABC lists the first production in 1972,[2] with irregular broadcasts until 1984.
Directors for the series of television movies included George Schaefer, Stanley Kramer, Joseph Papp, George Cukor, José Quintero, Daniel Petrie, Randal Kleiser and Delbert Mann.
Writers contributing original material for the series included James Costigan, Alice Childress, Lonne Elder III and Loring Mandel.
In 1973, ABC shared in a joint Peabody Award with NBC and CBS "for their outstanding contributions to entertainment through an exceptional year of televised drama." The award particularly noted the ABC Theater productions of The Glass Menagerie and Pueblo.[3]
| Episode | Airdate | Cast | Major Awards | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| If You Give a Dance, You Gotta Pay the Band | 12/19/1972 | Donna M. Bryan, Georgia Burke, Laurence Fishburne, Moses Gunn, Albert Hall | Fred Coe | Stanley L. Gray | |
| Long Day's Journey Into Night | 03/10/1973 | Laurence Olivier, Emmy for Outstanding Single Performance by a Lead Actor[4] | Peter Wood | Eugene O'Neill | |
| Pueblo | 03/29/1973 | Stanley R. Greenberg | |||
| The Glass Menagerie | 12/16/1973 | Joanna Miles, Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in Drama Michael Moriarty, Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in Drama | Anthony Harvey | Tennessee Williams | |
| F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'The Last of the Belles' | 01/07/1974 | George Schaefer | James Costigan | ||
| 01/28/1974 | Stanley Kramer | Harry Kleiner | |||
| Wedding Band | 04/24/1974 | Joseph Papp | Alice Childress | ||
| The Missiles of October | 12/18/1974 | Anthony Page | |||
| Ceremonies in Dark Old Men | 01/06/1975 | ||||
| 01/12/1975 | Stanley Kramer | Henry Denker | |||
| Love Among the Ruins | 03/06/1975 | James Costigan | |||
| I Will Fight No More Forever | 04/14/1975 | Richard T. Heffron | Theodore Strauss | ||
| A Moon for the Misbegotten | 05/27/1975 | Ed Flanders, Emmy for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Special | |||
| Eleanor and Franklin | 01/11 & 01/12/1976 | Peabody Award[6] Emmy for Outstanding Drama Special Rosemary Murphy, Emmy for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Special Daniel Petrie, Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Special James Costigan, Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Special (Original teleplay) | Daniel Petrie | James Costigan | |
| Green Eyes | 01/03/1977 | Peabody Award[7] Humanitas Prize[8] | John Erman | David Seltzer | |
| 03/13/1977 | Emmy for Outstanding Special (Tie with Sybil) Daniel Petrie, Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Special | Daniel Petrie | James Costigan | ||
| Mary White | 11/18/1977 | Caryl Ledner, Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Special (Adaptation) | Jud Taylor | Caryl Ledner | |
| The Gathering | 12/04/1977 | Emmy for Outstanding Special | Randal Kleiser | James Poe | |
| Breaking Up | 01/02/1978 | Delbert Mann | Loring Mandel | ||
| The Last Tenant | 06/25/1978 | George Rubino, Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Special (Original teleplay) | Jud Taylor | George Rubino | |
| Friendly Fire | 04/22/1979 | Peabody Award[9] Emmy for Outstanding Special Daniel Greene, Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Limited Series or Special | David Greene | Fay Kanin | |
| Attica | 03/02/1980 | Marvin J. Chomsky, Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Limited Series or a Special | Marvin J. Chomsky | James S. Henerson | |
| The Women's Room | 09/14/1980 | Glenn Jordan | Carol Sobieski | ||
| The Shadow Box | 12/28/1980 | Humanitas Prize Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Made For Television[10] | Paul Newman | Michael Cristofer | |
| 05/31/1981 | Richard A. Colla | Ronald Rubin | |||
| The Elephant Man | 01/04/1982 | Penny Fuller, Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special | Jack Hofsiss | Steve Lawson | |
| 03/01/1982 | Humanitas Prize | Donald Wrye | Donald Wrye | ||
| My Body, My Child | 04/12/1982 | ||||
| The Letter | 05/03/1982 | ||||
| Benny's Place | 05/31/1982 | ||||
| Who Will Love My Children? | 02/14/1983 | Ann-Margret, Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television[11] | John Erman | Michael Bortman | |
| The Day After | 11/20/1983 | Nicholas Meyer | Edward Hume | ||
| Heart of Steel | 12/04/1983 | Donald Wrye | Gary DeVore | ||
| Something About Amelia | 01/09/1984 | Emmy for Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special Roxana Zal, Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special William Hanley, Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special | Randa Haines | William Hanley | |
| A Streetcar Named Desire | 03/04/1984 | John Erman | Oscar Saul | ||
| The Dollmaker | 05/13/1984 | Humanitas Prize Jane Fonda, Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Limited Series or a Special | Daniel Petrie | ||
| Heartsounds | 09/30/1984 | Peabody Award[12] | Glenn Jordan | Fay Kanin | |
| Consenting Adult | 02/04/1985 | Gilbert Cates | |||
In 1977, ABC Inc., established the “ABC Theater” Award. The award provided a grant to the National Playwrights Conference of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and a cash award of $10,000 to the winning playwright. The playwright's work was then telecast as an ABC Theater Presentation. Winners of the award have included George Rubino for The Last Tenant, Lee Hunkins for Hollow Image, Preston Ransone for King Crab, J. Rufus Caleb for Benny's Place and Phil Penningroth for Ghost Dancing.