Matinee Theater is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1955 to 1958. The series, which ran daily in the afternoon, was frequently live. It was produced by Albert McCleery, Darrell Ross, George Cahan and Frank Price with executive producer George Lowther. McCleery had previously produced the live series Cameo Theatre which introduced to television the concept of theater-in-the-round, TV plays staged with minimal sets. Jim Buckley of the Pewter Plough Playhouse recalled: When Al McCleery got back to the States, he originated a most ambitious theatrical TV series for NBC called Matinee Theater: to televise five different stage plays per week live, airing around noon in order to promote color TV to the American housewife as she labored over her ironing. Al was the producer. He hired five directors and five art directors. Richard Bennett, one of our first early presidents of the Pewter Plough Corporation, was one of the directors and I was one of the art directors and, as soon as we were through televising one play, we had lunch and then met to plan next week’s show. That was over 50 years ago, and I’m trying to think; I believe the TV art director is his own set decorator —yes, of course! It had to be, since one of McCleery’s chief claims to favor with the producers was his elimination of the setting per se and simply decorating the scene with a minimum of props. It took a bit of ingenuity.
Beginning now
Make believe mother
The persistent image
I'm straight with the world
Progress and minnie sweeney
The house on wildwood lane
Beyond a reasonable doubt
One for the road
An apple for miss myrtle
The man without a country
Jigsaw
She's the one with the funny face
All the hoffmeyers in the world
The aspern papers
Roman fever
Midsummer
The lady chooses
The courtship of miles standish
Dispossessed
One for the road
The touchstone
Wuthering heights
The brass ring
Jason
Arrowsmith
Passing strange
For these services
Cordially - with bombs
The white oaks
O'toole from moscow
The milwaukee rocket
This one is different
Sins of the fathers
See you on sunday
Coming of age
Technique
Gallin: all-american
Santa is no saint
The unwelcomed
The red sanders story
Class of '58
Horns of the dilemma
Little girls grow up
The shot
Mr. krane
Yesterday is gone
Double door
The happy rest
The gate
One left over
All the trees in the field
The century plant
Friday the 13th
The old maid
Mother was a bachelor
The bottom of the river
The carefree tree
Interlude
The big box
Sincerely yours, charlie fisher
Doc
The amateur
Light and shadow
Romney
O promise me
Hold my hand and run
Dark possession
The diamond
Susan and god
As young as you feel
The white knight
The anxious years
The heart of mary lincoln
The middle son
Valentine's day
Summer cannot last
The last battlefield
The catbird seat
Dream house
The runaways
The ledger
When the bough breaks
I want to march
Skylark
Tall, dark stranger
Anything but love
Robin daw
Letter to a stranger
Dinner at antoine's
The mating of watkins tottle
Her son's wife
The shining palace
The odd ones
A cowboy for chris
The rocking chair
The big guy
Statute of limitations
The baron and the banshees
Notebook warrior
Temptation for a king
The white knight
The anxious years
M is for the many
Silent partner
Winter in april
Bread upon the waters
The giant killer
The book of ruth
Singer in the valley
The heart of a husband
From the desk of margaret tydings
But you look like sisters
The house of seven gables
Fiddlin' man
The hollow woman
People in glass
One of the family
Young hands, young feet
The lark shall sing
In dread of winter
The babylonian heart
Ask me no questions
Whom death has joined together
The wedding
The reckoning
A woman named ruby
The bright boy
The carefree tree
Graybeards and witches
The legend of jenny lind
Daughter of the seventh day
Night must fall
The 25th hour
A man and his maid
Perspective
The catamaran
Johnny came marching home
A family affair
Blind date
To have and to hold
Edwina black
The spare room
The bottle imp
Brief music
The girl from boro park
To whom it may concern
Bachelor buttons
The children of papa juan
Herself alone
Three for the money
Taxi to the moon
The goodtime boys
The american
Cause for suspicion
Fight the whole world
Autumn crocus
George has a birthday
The serpent's tooth
Crime at blossom's
The luck of amos currie
Alison's house
Safe place
The guest cottage
Forsaking all others
Love, honor and o'day
The damask cheek
Moon over
But fear itself
The birthday present
The ghost of greenwich village
The young and the damned
There's always juliet
Seasoned timber
The declaration
High places
Black chiffon
Class of '58
Marriage by the millions
Backfire
The bishop misbehaves
Remittance
Beg, borrow or steal
Summer pavilion
The feast
A full, rich life
The reverberator
Woman at the window
Another sky
Letter of introduction
Home at seven
The cypress tree
Belong to me
Pygmalion jones
Gretel
Some man will want you
The fall of the house of usher
Cupid rode a horse
The old payola
The perfect alibi
The house off fifth avenue
Yankee doodler
The pink hippopotamus
September tide
Are you listening?
Ladies' maid bell
100 red convertibles
The ivy curtain
The gramercy ghost
Lovers
Reach for the stars
I like it here
A question of balance
The marriage royal
Mad money
A letter from johnny brock
Uncle harry
At mrs. leland's
The house next door
Alumni reunion
Sound of fear
Late date
Pride and prejudice
Pearls of sheba
The stamp caddy
The egotist
The family man
Sight unseen
The eye of the storm
The man in the seven league boots
The woman across the hall
And then there were three
Shake the stars down
Horse power
Without sanction
The outing
Thank you, edmondo
The tell-tale heart
Strangers on a honeymoon
A dram of poison
The shining hour
Love, marriage and five thousand dollars
Step into darkness
Candle in the dark
Savrola
Table set at night
Madame de treymes
The people vs. john tarr
The location of roycemore college
Dracula
Julie
The empty nest
Spare your pity
The last leaf
Therese
Julie
Refugee
Jenny kissed me
Miracle at carville
The upper hand
Love is a locksmith
Captain brassbound's conversion
The wisp end
Prominent citizens
Head of the family
Password
Late love
Eugenie grandet
Cold christmas
Little women
For sweetheart, wife or mother
Smilin' through
Strong medicine
Everything's relative
Miss morissa
The scandalous priest
Dark victory
The lonely look
The sudden truth
The man in the half-moon
The hex
If this be error
On the trail of the kingsfield
Here we are
Arms and the man
Home is the hunted
Madam ada
Night train
This language
The 13th crypt
Mr. pirn passes by
Anything for a laugh
Realms of gold
Deacon of oak ridge
Accent on youth
Three kids
Frankenstein
The most dangerous man
One
The importance of being earnest
The brat's house
Mr. todd
A case of pure fiction
The master builder
The others
The remarkable mr. jerome
Bobbie
The hickory limb
The bridge
The serpent's tooth
Voyage to mandok
The day before the wedding
Queen of spades
Shadow and substance
You touched me
The hemlock cup
Papa's wife
The prizewinner
Dr. jekyll and mr. hyde
Yesterday's magic
Tongue of silver
Peaceable kingdom
The 19th hole
Wedding in the family
The ways of courage
Journey into darkness
Barricade at the big black
The vicarious years
The first year
End of the rope
We won't be any trouble
The daughter of mata hari
Talk you of killing
The pursuit of happiness
Wuthering heights [restaged]
Long distance
The point of cleaning
The sport
The flashing stream
Thread that runs so true
Jamie picks a wife
Blind man's bluff
The story of joseph
Pushover
Ashes in the wind
A hat, a coat, a glove
The professional
Guardians of the temple
The short safari of b'wana ben
Church on monday
The gioconda smile
Show of strength
Make believe affair
Hymn to the dedicated
Thursday's child
Big-hearted herbert
The embattled maiden
The middle-aged freshman
Best friend in town
Jane eyre
Starmaster
Aftermath
Guest at the embassy
Second-hand lover
The avenging of anne leete
The lonesome husband
Puzzle in the stars
The gwendolyn harleth story
The girls named almaya
The dream that was fixed
A growing wonder
Bachelor father
The golden door
Rain in the morning
Eye of the storm
Rich man, poor man
The party dress
White-headed boy
Liza
Pigeons and people
Things hoped for
Mr. wendigo
Stopover
A light in the sky
The charmer
The brief candle
Too much johnson
Money in the bank
Trouble traine
The last voyage
The price of scandal
But when she was bad
The fable of harry
Portrait in mini
The cask of amontillado
The richest man in the world
The last hour
The first captain
Shuttered hearts
One for all
Call it a day
Ann veronica
Boys will be men
The forbidden search
The fawn with crooked teeth
The rose bush
Finley's fan club
Laugh a little tear
The invisible man
Where angels fear
First love
The last survivors
Time for action
Haven's end
Heed the falling sparrow
The president's child bride
Now or never
Awakening
Angel face
The star sapphire
Women have ways
Jewel boy
Molly morgan
Woman alone
Among strangers
The adjustable mr. willing
Freedom comes later
In the fog
Son of 37 fathers
Hand me down
Emma
Personal equation
Night cry
The mysterious disappearance
The impersonal touch
The story of sarah
The waiting swan
One mummy too many
Hearthstones
The reluctant heiress
Father come home
Villa of the angels
A tone of time
Almost any man will do
Sing for me
Run for the money
Lest we forget
The glass hill
Out of the frying pan
The last stop
The weak and the strong
Nine-finger jack
Elementals
Plummer in paradise
Something about a dollar
Return in winter
Grandmama and grandfather
Aesop and rhodope
All over the world
The ransom of sigmund freud
Iris
Remember me kindly
The embassy house
Witness to murder
The johnson house
Cadenza
Green shores
A question of balance
Daniel webster and the sea serpent
The conversation tables
Out of my darkness
The man that corrupted hadleyburg
The broom and the groom
A cloud for jeni
The consul
The old friend
Give me a wand
The sure thing
Dark of the moon
The giver and the gift
No time for comedy
Gentleman of fortune
The gentleman caller
Tender leaves
In 25 words or less
Sara crewe
Amahl and the night visitors
The little minister
Daughter of kings
The survival kit
The house with the golden street
The europeans
The collected letters of mr. sage
Two-picture deal
The great obstacle courtship
A chance to die
Home on the range
The makropoulos secret
More than a man
Something stolen, something new
Thunderbolt
Daisy mayne
The man who wanted to hate
The golden fleecing
Forever and ever
Decision
Solider's boy
The man with pointed toes
Love out of town
Cave-in
The iceman
The long, long laugh
Man without a country
The odd ones
Monsieur beaucaire
Life upon the wicked stage
Without fear or favor
The third person
Eden end
The 10th muse
Goodbye on thursday
Heart's desire
Marriage of convenience
The suicide club
The 65th floor
The hickory heart
The devil's violin
Wednesday's child
Vigilante
The prophet hosea
Mrs. moonlight
With love we live
You and i
Career angel
Contingent fire
Anxious night
On approval
Dandy dick
Hush, mahala, hush
O'rourke's house
The alleyway
The vagabond
The silver spider
Design for glory
The inspector general
The two mrs. carrolls
The velvet glove
Death takes a holiday
Man of the house
A case of fear
Walk in the sky
The canterville ghost
Found money
Washington whispers money
A boy grows up
Phony venus
Some blessed people
The quiet street
The quest of quesnay
Angel street
The cause
Much ado about nothing, part 1
Much ado about nothing, part 2
Day of discoveries
The young and the fair
The riddle of mary murray
Button button
The end of the season
Look out for john tucker
The road to recovery
The nightbird's crying
The story of marcia gordon
Town in turmoil
Washington square
Course for collision
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