Footlights Theater

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.[2] 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.[1]

Partial list of episodes

[edit]

1952

[edit]
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

[edit]
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

[edit]

References

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