| Series: | Playhouse 90 |
| Season: | 2 |
| Episode: | 1 |
| Director: | John Frankenheimer |
| Guests: |
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| Prev: | The Fabulous Irishman |
| Next: | The Dark Side of the Earth |
"The Death of Manolete" was an American television play broadcast live on September 12, 1957, as part of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90. It was the first episode of the second season and featured Jack Palance in the role of Manolete. Producer Martin Manulis later called it "the classic clinker of all time."
The play told the story of the Spanish bullfighter Manolete. Manolete was the idol of Spain and had made four million dollars when he was killed in the bullring at age 30.[1]
The cast included performances by:
Barnaby Conrad approached producer Martin Manulis and director John Frankenheimer proposing to turn his upcoming book The Death of Manolete into a production for Playhouse 90. Manulis and Frankenheimer were both enthusiastic about the idea and decided to open the second season with the project. Unfortunately, Manulis later recalled, it turned out to be "the classic clinker of all time." He cited several reasons for the failure:
Despite the poor quality of the production, it drew attention when "every comic in town" did a parody of the program.[3]
Because of the difficulties with presenting a bullfight on live television, the production relied heavily on film clips of Manolete's performances.
In The New York Times, Jack Gould wrote the production "never deeply involved the viewer or gave a truly illuminating insight into the man." He did praise John Frankenheimer who "technically integrated" the newsreel scenes with the live scenes.[4]
Critic John Crosby called it "large, noisy and disappointing." He also wrote that Suzy Parker could hardly be described as a good actress and "should never open her mouth."[5]
In the New York Daily News, Kay Gardell wrote that "it was more a mood piece than an exciting drama" and "fell short of hitting a bull's-eye." However, she praised Palance's "taut and terrifying" portrayal of Manolete.[6]