Footlights Theater Explained

Footlights Theater is a 30-minute American television anthology series that aired on CBS on Fridays in the summers of 1952 and 1953[1] as a replacement for Our Miss Brooks.[2]

The program was broadcast on Friday nights from July 4, 1952, to September 26, 1952, and from July 3, 1953, to September 25, 1953. A total of 22 episodes were produced live in New York City and were directed by Fletcher Markle and Robert Stevenson. Some of its scripts were original and some were adapted from novels. The first season in 1952 was broadcast live, while the second season in 1953 was filmed rather than broadcast live.

Partial list of episodes

1952

Date Title Star(s)
August 15, 1952 "The Big Hello" Cesar Romero, Jeanne Cagney, Raymond Burr, Kathryn Card[3]
August 22, 1952 "The Man Who Had Nothing to Lose" Porter Hall, Neville Brand, Elisabeth Risdon, Alan Bridge[4]
August 29, 1952 "Mechanic on Duty" Gale Storm, Gene Raymond, Clem Bevans, Russell Hicks, Erville Alderson[5]
September 5, 1952 "A Man's First Debt" Lloyd Bridges, Eduardo Ciannelli, Maria Palmer, Jeffrey Silver, Richard Barron, John Frazer[6]
September 12, 1952 "The Other Jesse Grant" Gladys George, Elisabeth Risdon, Katherine Warren, Kenneth Patterson, Ted Osborn, Myra Marsh, Cecil Elliot[7]
September 19, 1952 "The Hot Welcome" Gale Storm, Richard Denning, Elizabeth Patterson, Tony Caruso[8]
September 26, 1952 "T K O" Regis Toomey, Richard Jaeckel, Jack Bernardi, John Gallaudet, Natalie Schaefer, Jeffrey Silver, Mary Jane Saunders, Carey Loftin, Sarah Spencer[9]

1953

Date Title Star(s)
July 11, 1953 "Change of Heart" Barbara Hale, Stephen McNally[10]
July 18, 1953 "National Honeymoon" Diana Lynn, Dick Haymes[11]
August 8, 1953 "They Also Serve" John Hodiak, Maureen O'Sullivan[12]
September 26, 1953 "Double Exposure" George Brent, Dan Duryea, Marvin Kaplan[13]

Notable guest stars

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Brooks . Tim . Marsh . Earle F. . The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present . June 24, 2009 . Random House Publishing Group . 978-0-307-48320-1 . 488 . August 6, 2023 . en.
  2. Book: McNeil. Alex. Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present . 1996. Penguin Books USA, Inc.. New York, New York. 0-14-02-4916-8. 295. 4th.
  3. August 10, 1952 . 8 . Friday August 15 . Ross Reports . April 11, 2022 .
  4. August 17, 1952 . 8 . Friday August 22 . Ross Reports . August 6, 2023.
  5. August 24, 1952 . 10 . Friday, August 29 . Ross Reports . August 6, 2023 .
  6. August 31, 1952 . 11 . Friday September 5 . Ross Reports . August 6, 2023.
  7. September 7, 1952 . 10 . Friday September 12 . Ross Reports . August 6, 2023.
  8. September 14, 1952 . 10 . Friday September 19 . Ross Reports . August 6, 2023.
  9. September 21, 1952 . 12 . Friday September 26 (Cont'd) . Ross Reports . August 6, 2023 .
  10. July 11, 1953 . 11 . July 11 . TV-Radio Life . August 7, 2023.
  11. July 18, 1953 . 11 . July 18 . TV-Radio Life . August 7, 2023.
  12. August 8, 1953 . 11 . August 8 . TV-Radio Life . August 7, 2023 .
  13. September 26, 1953 . 11 . September 26 . TV-Radio Life . August 7, 2023 .
  14. News: Sunday, Aug. 2 . August 6, 2023 . St. Louis Globe-Democrat . August 2, 1953 . 56.