| Genre: | Anthology drama |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 14 |
| Num Episodes: | 370 |
| Executive Producer: | David Susskind (1954 - 1960) |
| Runtime: | 30 mins. (1950 - 1955) 60 mins. (1955 - 1963) |
| Channel: | NBC (1950 - 1957) CBS (1957 - 1963) |
Armstrong Circle Theatre is an American anthology drama television series which ran from June 6, 1950, to June 25, 1957, on NBC, and from October 2, 1957, to August 28, 1963, on CBS.[1] It alternated weekly with The U.S. Steel Hour. It finished in the Nielsen ratings at number 19 for the 1950–51 season and number 24 for 1951–52.[2] The principal sponsor was Armstrong World Industries.
Between July 8 and September 16, 1959, CBS aired reruns of six documentary dramas originally broadcast during the 1958–1959 season as episodes of Armstrong Circle Theatre under the title Armstrong by Request.[3] Armstrong by Request aired during Armstrong Circle Theatre′s time slot and also alternated with The United States Steel Hour.[3]
The program's first season featured episodes that tried "to please every body in a mass audience, using only highly formularized plays.[4] The next season brought a different approach, with more emphasis on characters than on plot. Edward B. Roberts worked with writers from all over the United States to find scripts. By mid-November 1952, he estimated that he had talked to 3,000 writers and looked at 20,000 scripts. Authors received $750 for each accepted script.[4]
The series featured original dramas by noted writers, although sometimes comedies were shown. Its guidelines specifically called for the avoidance of violence. Originally a half-hour production, in 1955 the show expanded to an hour and began to emphasize dramatized versions of real-life contemporary events (including the sinking of the SS Andrea Doria) and a documentary on the history of Communism in the Soviet Union. Upon moving to CBS, the show emphasized several Cold War topics, including espionage, Radio Free Europe and escapes from East Germany.[5]
David Susskind, producer of the program, called the new episodes "actuals", describing them as "dramatizations based on truth".[6]
The series featured numerous guest stars including:
The series didn't air internationally until June 4, 2007 when Telecapri News aired the first 10 seasons of the show and on Telecapri with the 11th, 12th and 13th season until December 29, 2016 and with repeats both on Telecapri Sport until January 17, 2018 and on the same network until April 12, 2024, all with Italian subtitles in Italy. It is also known as "Teatro di Armstrong".
The success of the Italian broadcast on Telecapri News in the late 2000s and 2010s (followed by Telecapri from 2015 to 2016) led the series to broadcast in Poland, where Polsat JimJam aired only the sixth and ninth season with Polish subtitles and in the United Kingdom on CBS Justice.
It is unknown whether this show will be available to stream on Paramount+.
Currently, the rights to this show are owned by Paramount Global.
| Date | Title | Actor(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 6, 1950 | "The Magnificent Gesture" | Brian Aherne[8] | |
| June 13, 1950 | "The Jackpot" | Stuart Erwin[9] | |
| June 20, 1950 | "The Rose and the Shamrock" | Nina Foch[10] | |
| June 27, 1950 | "The Chair" | Vaughn Taylor, Lucile Watson[11] | |
| July 11, 1950 | "Local Stop" | Vaughn Taylor[12] | |
| August 1, 1950 | "The Big Day" | Neil Hamilton, Louise Larabee, Frank McNellis, Pat Crowley, Sally Moffet, Mimi Strongin, Grace Valentine, Victor Sutherland, Tess Vinton[13] | |
| August 15, 1950 | "Ring Around My Finger" | Patricia Wheel, John Harvey, Joanne Dolan, Lucille Patten, Jack Sherry, Willis Townsend, John Marley, Elaine Williams[14] | |
| August 29, 1950 | "Blaze of Glory" | Judson Pratt, Mary Patton, Reed Brown Jr.[15] | |
| September 26, 1950 | "The Elopement" | Robert Allen, Betty Caulfield[16] | |
| October 3, 1950 | "Roundup" | Zachary Scott[17] | |
| October 10, 1950 | "Give and Take" | Frank Albertson[18] | |
| October 17, 1950 | "It's Only a Game" | Donald Woods[19] | |
| November 7, 1950 | "Person to Person" | Lawrence Hugo, Gloria Stroock[20] | |
| November 14, 1950 | "Best Trip Ever" | Eli Patterson[21] | |
| November 21, 1950 | "The Perfect Type" | Richard Derr, Augusta Dabney[22] | |
| December 5, 1950 | "Happy Ending" | Otto Kruger, Cathleen Cordell, Helen Gillett, Brandon Peters, Mark Roberts, Barbara Cook, Stuart Nedd[23] | |
| April 17, 1951 | "Honor Student" | Donald Buka, Mona Bruns, Raymond Bramley.[24] |
| Date | Title | Actor(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 7, 1952 | "Remembrance Island" | Reimonda Orselli, Jamie Smith, John Compton, Royal Beal, Floyd Buckley, Catherine Proctor[25] | |
| November 11, 1952 | "A Godmother for Amy" | Bunny Lewbel, Stefan Olsen, Evelyn Davis, Dora Sayers, Walter Brooke, Edna Preston, James Reese[26] | |
| November 18, 1952 | "A Volcano Is Dancing in Here" | William Prince, Barbara Baxley, Edgar Stehli, Yvette DuGay[27] | |
| December 16, 1952 | "The Nothing Kid" | Robert Bernard, Bill Hayes, Jack Whiting | |
| December 30, 1952 | "Billy Adams, American" | E. A. Krumachmidt, Richard Wigginton[28] | |
| January 13, 1953 | "Ski Story" | Nina Foch, Robert Shackleton[29] |
| Date | Title | Actor(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 27, 1955 | "Nightmare in Red" | none (documentary)[30] | |
| January 10, 1956 | "Ward Three: Four p.m. to Midnight" | Patricia Collinge, Mary Fickett, Peg Feury, Philip Abbott[31] | |
| September 18, 1956 | "The Second Family" (repeat) | Larry Gates, Harry Townes, Loretta Leversee, Parker Cormack[32] |