''Adventure Theater'' is a dramatic anthology series that aired on NBC from June 16, 1956, through September 1, 1956. The series was produced in England in 1953, but was never broadcast there as a series. It was also known as ''Calling Scotland Yard''.

Series structure

Actor

Paul Douglas Paul Howard Douglas (March 26, 1892 – September 24, 1976) was an American politician and Georgist economist. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. Senator from Illinois for eighteen years, from 1949 to 1967. During his Senat ...

was the program's host and introduced each of the two-act plays that composed the series. Each introduction involved a memento or souvenir that he had brought back from England. The story about the object led into that week's episode.

Cast

With the exception of Douglas, all of the featured cast members were British actors and included

Hugh Latimer Hugh Latimer ( – 16 October 1555) was a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, and Bishop of Worcester during the Reformation, and later Church of England chaplain to King Edward VI. In 1555 under the Catholic Queen Mary I he was burned at the ...

Laurence Naismith Laurence Naismith (born Lawrence Johnson; 14 December 1908 – 5 June 1992) was an English actor. He made numerous film and television appearances, including starring roles in the musical films '' Scrooge'' (1970) and the children's ghost fil ...

, Anthony Nicholls,

Derek Blomfield Derek Blomfield (31 August 1920 – 23 July 1964) was a British actor who appeared in a number of stage, film and television productions between 1935 and his death in 1964. Career He trained at LAMDA and made his first stage appearance a ...

Jack Watling Jack Stanley Watling (13 January 1923 – 22 May 2001) was an English actor. Life and career The son of a travelling scrap metal dealer, Watling trained at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts as a child; and made his stage debut in ''Where ...

Maurice Denham William Maurice Denham OBE (23 December 1909 – 24 July 2002) was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 films and television programmes in his long career. Family Denham was born on 23 December 1909 in Beckenham, Kent, the son ...

Robert Raglan Robert Raglan (7 April 1909 – 18 July 1985) was a British actor best known for his semi-regular role in ''Dad's Army'' as Colonel Pritchard. He also starred in a number of other television series and films such as ''Fabian of the Yard'' (1954 ...

Hazel Court Hazel Court (10 February 1926 – 15 April 2008) was an English actress. She is known for her roles in British and American horror films during the 1950s and early 1960s, including Terence Fisher's ''The Curse of Frankenstein'' (1957) and ...

Derek Bond Derek William Douglas Bond MC (26 January 1920 – 15 October 2006) was a British actor. He was President of the trade union Equity from 1984 to 1986. Life and career Bond was born on 26 January 1920 in Glasgow, Scotland. He attended Haberd ...

and Kay Walsh.

Broadcast history

Episodes

Some of the episodes were re-titled for broadcast in the United States. #"The Missing Passenger" (also known as "Ladies of Leisure") #"Falstaff's Fur Coat" #"The Thief of London" #"Thirty Days to Die" #"The Wedding Gift" (also known as "Present for a Bride") #"The Final Twist" #"The Javanese Dagger" #"The Ripper Strikes" #"The Wilful Widow" #"The Stranger on the Sea" #"The Corpse of Pleasant Avenue" #"The Man Who Stayed Alive" #"The Sable Scarf"

Film adaptations

Two films were made from the series for release in UK theaters in 1954, each comprising three episodes from the series, linked by

Gilbert Harding Gilbert Charles Harding (5 June 1907 – 16 November 1960) was a British journalist and radio and television personality. His many careers included schoolmaster, journalist, policeman, disc jockey, actor, interviewer and television presenter. He ...

''Gilbert Harding Speaking of Murder''

Featuring the episodes: *"The Missing Passenger" *"Falstaff's Fur Coat", starring H. Marion Crawford *"Thirty Days to Die"

''Tale of Three Women''

''The Wedding Gift''

A man marries off his girlfriend to a wealthy diamond merchant then murders him.

=Cast

= *

as Trude *

as Max * David Horne as Hines * Oliver Johnston as Butler

''The Thief of London''

A professional pickpocket makes his gift pay.

=Cast

= *

as Dick * Gene Anderson as Pamela *

Peter Gawthorne Peter Gawthorne (1 September 1884 – 17 March 1962) was an Anglo-Irish actor, probably best known for his roles in the films of Will Hay and other popular British comedians of the 1930s and 1940s. Gawthorne was one of Britain's most called-upo ...

as Sir Frederick *Helene Cordet as Maria *

Michael Ripper Michael George Ripper (27 January 1913 – 28 June 2000) was an English character actor. He began his film career in quota quickies in the 1930s and until the late 1950s was virtually unknown; he was seldom credited. Along with Michael Gough ...

as Simpkins

''The Final Twist''

A jeweller robs himself and commits murder.

=Cast

= *

Karel Stepanek Karel may refer to: People * Karel (given name) * Karel (surname) * Charles Karel Bouley, talk radio personality known on air as Karel * Christiaan Karel Appel, Dutch painter Business * Karel Electronics, a Turkish electronics manufacturer * Gr ...

as Alfred Dykemann *Catherine Finn as Joanna, his dyke *Philip Leaver as Groote *

Patricia Owens Patricia Molly Owens (January 17, 1925 – August 31, 2000) was a Canadian-born American actress, working in Hollywood. She appeared in about 40 films and 10 television episodes in a career lasting from 1943 to 1968. Early work Owens moved ...

as Mary * Gordon McLeon as Counsel *Robert Perceval as Inspector Clarke *

Digby Wolfe James Digby Wolfe (4 June 19292 May 2012) was a British actor. After a successful career in the UK and Australia, his later career was based in the US. Early life James Digby Wolfe was born to a father who was an international banker and a m ...

as Brightwell

References

External links

*
''Adventure Theater''
at CTVA {{The Danzigers 1956 American television series debuts 1956 American television series endings 1950s American anthology television series 1950s American drama television series Black-and-white American television shows NBC original programming English-language television shows