The Best of Broadway explained
The Best of Broadway is a 60-minute live television anthology series that aired on CBS Television on Wednesdays at 10p.m. Eastern Standard Time from September 15, 1954, to May 4, 1955, for a total of nine episodes. Each show was broadcast live in color from New York City, was an adaptation of a famous Broadway play, and included commercials for Westinghouse featuring Betty Furness. Using a "giant new studio,"[2] plays were presented in front of a studio audience, which contributed a Broadway-like element.[1]
Production
This series ran every fourth week, with Pabst Blue Ribbon Bouts being aired the other three weeks.[2]
The series originated from CBS Television Studio 72 at WCBS-TV. Martin Manulis was the initial producer, and Paul Nickell was the director. David Brookman was in charge of the music.[3] In February 1955, Felix Jackson became the producer when Manulis began producing Climax!.[4]
Episodes
| Play | Author(s) | Broadcast Date | Stars |
|---|
| 1 | The Royal Family | George S. Kaufman, Edna Ferber | September 15, 1954 | Charles Coburn, Claudette Colbert, Helen Hayes, Fredric March, Nancy Olson[5] |
| 2 | The Man Who Came to Dinner | George S. Kaufman, Moss Hart | October 13, 1954 | Joan Bennett, Margaret Hamilton, Buster Keaton, Bert Lahr, Merle Oberon, ZaSu Pitts, Monty Woolley |
| 3 | Panama Hattie | Cole Porter, Herbert Fields, B. G. DeSylva | November 10, 1954 | Art Carney, Ethel Merman |
| 4 | The Philadelphia Story | Philip Barry | December 8, 1954 | Mary Astor, Herbert Marshall, Dorothy McGuire |
| 5 | Arsenic and Old Lace | Joseph Kesselring | January 5, 1955 | Billie Burke, Helen Hayes, Edward Everett Horton, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre |
| 6 | The Show-Off | George Kelly | February 2, 1955 | Carleton Carpenter, Jackie Gleason, Thelma Ritter, Cathy O'Donnell, Alice Ghostley, Russell Collins[6] |
| 7 | The Guardsman | Ferenc Molnár | March 2, 1955 | Claudette Colbert, Margaret Hamilton, Franchot Tone |
| 8 | Stage Door | George S. Kaufman, Edna Ferber (adapted by Gore Vidal) | April 6, 1955 | Rhonda Fleming, Elsa Lanchester, Diana Lynn, Victor Moore[7] |
| 9 | Broadway | George Abbott, Philip Dunning | May 4, 1955 | Joseph Cotten, Piper Laurie, Gene Nelson, Akim Tamiroff, Keenan Wynn |
|
Critical response
A review of "The Show-Off" in the trade publication Variety said that the episode was "pretty feeble stuff" but that Gleason's performance kept it from being "a trying experience, indeed."[6]
See also
- 1954-55 United States network television schedule
External links
Notes and References
- Book: Hawes . William . Filmed Television Drama, 1952–1958 . 2001. McFarland . 9780786411320 . 22–23 . 27 March 2019 . en.
- Book: Brooks. Tim. Marsh. Earle. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present. 1999. The Ballentine Publishing Group. New York. 0-345-42923-0. 89. 7th. registration.
- News: Wednesday (15) . May 5, 2021 . Ross Reports on Television . September 12, 1954 . 152.
- News: Other Network Changes & Additions . May 5, 2021 . Ross Reports on Television . February 6, 1955 . 17.
- "Television in Review: Color Drama," The New York Times 17 Sept. 1954.
- February 9, 1955 . 37 . The Show Off . Variety . August 12, 2023 .
- Shanley, J. P. "Television: 'Stage Door,'" The New York Times 8 Apr. 1955.
