Alcoa Theatre Explained

Genre:Anthology
Director:Robert Florey
Alvin Ganzer
Tay Garnett
Byron Haskin
Paul Henreid
Don McDougall
Robert Ellis Miller
Don Siegel
David Swift
Don Taylor
Don Weis
Paul Wendkos
Starring:David Niven
Robert Ryan
Jane Powell
Jack Lemmon
Charles Boyer
Theme Music Composer:George Duning
Johnny Williams
Composer:George Duning (2.4)
Harry Sukman (3.17)
John Williams (1.4, 2.1)
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:3
Num Episodes:114
Editor:Cole Trapnell
Producer:Vincent M. Fennelly
Fred F. Finklehoffe
Winston O'Keefe
William Sackheim
Camera:Single-camera
Runtime:24-25 minutes
Company:Four Star Television (1957-1958)
Screen Gems (1958-1960)[1]
Channel:NBC
Related:The Alcoa Hour
Alcoa Premiere

Alcoa Theatre is a half-hour American anthology series sponsored by the Alcoa Corporation and telecast on NBC at 9:30 pm on Monday nights from September 30, 1957 to May 23, 1960.[2] For its first four months on the air, the title Turn of Fate was used as an umbrella title for Alcoa Theatre and its alternate-week counterpart, Goodyear Theatre.[3]

In 1955, The Alcoa Hour premiered in a one-hour format aired on Sunday nights, but it was reduced to 30 minutes, retitled Alcoa Theatre, and moved to Monday evening in 1957. The show employed an alternating rotating company of actors: David Niven, Robert Ryan, Jane Powell, Jack Lemmon and Charles Boyer during its initial season. They did not return in 1958, "and the program became a true anthology once again".

Overview

The series continued to feature the talents of veteran and emerging actors over the ensuing years, including Cliff Robertson, John Cassavetes, Brandon deWilde, Cornel Wilde, Agnes Moorehead, Jack Carson, Walter Slezak and Gary Merrill. Child actor Flip Mark made his television debut as Robbie Adams in the 1959 episode "Another Day Another Dollar".

"333 Montgomery" (June 13, 1960) starred DeForest Kelley in the pilot episode of an unsold series written by Gene Roddenberry. It was based on the book Never Plead Guilty by San Francisco criminal lawyer Jake Ehrlich. Kelley acted in three separate pilots for Columbia, and the studio decided to try him in a lead and sent him to meet Roddenberry. Kelley and Roddenberry went to San Francisco to meet Ehrlich, who chose him for the lead.

Jack Lemmon, William Talman and Joan Blackman starred in "The Victim," a suspense episode involving a disappearing woman.

Awards and nominations

YearResultAwardCategoryRecipientEpisode
1959 Nominated Best Writing of a Single Program of a Dramatic Series - Less Than One Hour Christopher Knopf "The Loudmouth"
Nominated Emmy Award Best Single Performance by an Actor "Eddie"
Won Emmy Award Best Writing of a Single Program of a Dramatic Series - Less Than One Hour "Eddie"
Won Emmy Award Best Dramatic Series - Less Than One Hour
Won Emmy Award Best Direction of a Single Program of a Dramatic Series - Less Than One Hour "Eddie"

Episodes

Series overview

Season Episodes Season Premiere Season Finale
139
237
337

Season 3 (1959-60)

Additional episodes in this season:

Production

Alcoa Theatre was produced on film.[3] By Four Star Films Incorporated at RKO-Pathe Studio in Culver City, California. Robert Fellows was the producer.[7]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Hyatt, Wesley. McFarland. 978-1-4766-0874-7. 136–140. Emmy Award Winning Nighttime Television Shows, 1948-2004. The Alcoa-Goodyear Theatre. 2015-09-11.
  2. Book: Englund, Klaudia. Television Series and Specials Scripts, 1946-1992: A Catalog of the American Radio Archives Collection. McFarland. 2009. 9780786454372. 11.
  3. Book: The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present . Tim . Brooks . Tim Brooks (historian) . Earle . Marsh . 2007 . 9 . 28 . . New York . 978-0-345-49773-4 . 2024-07-10 .
  4. January 11, 1960 . 2-B . Monday January 11 . Ross Reports . October 4, 2023 .
  5. March 7, 1960 . 10-B . Monday March 7 (Cont'd) . Ross Reports . October 4, 2023 .
  6. March 4, 1960 . 14-B . Monday April 4 (Cont'd) . Ross Reports . October 4, 2023 .
  7. September 30, 1957 . 74 . This Week (Cont'd) . Ross Reports . October 4, 2023 .