'' Alcoa Premiere'' (also known as ''Premiere, Presented by Fred Astaire'') is an American anthology

drama series In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-ge ...

that aired from October 1961 to July 1963 on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

. The series was hosted by

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

, who also starred in several of the episodes.

Overview

Each episode presented a new story, with no overriding theme to the series as a whole. While some episodes were light entertainment, and at least one variety show was aired, the dramatic episodes often offered powerful stories on painful or controversial subjects as opposed to classic drama. The series showcased writers such as

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery fictio ...

Howard Rodman Howard A. Rodman is a screenwriter, author and professor. He is the former President of the Writers Guild of America, West, professor and former chair of the writing division at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, alumnus of Telluride Associatio ...

Ernest Kinoy Ernest Kinoy (April 1, 1925 – November 10, 2014) was an American writer, screenwriter and playwright. Early life Kinoy was born in New York City on April 1, 1925; his parents, Albert and Sarah Kinoy (formerly Forstadt), were both high-school ...

, Donald S. Sanford,

Alfred Bester Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 – September 30, 1987) was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books. He is best remembered for his science fiction, incl ...

, and Gene L. Coon, amongst others. The program also featured actors such as James Stewart, John Wayne, Charlton Heston,

James Whitmore James Allen Whitmore Jr. (October 1, 1921 – February 6, 2009) was an American actor. He received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Theatre World Award, and a Tony Award, plus two Ac ...

Maureen O'Sullivan Maureen O'Sullivan (17 May 1911 – 23 June 1998) was an Irish-American actress, who played Jane in the ''Tarzan'' series of films during the era of Johnny Weissmuller. She performed with such actors as Laurence Olivier, Greta Garbo, William ...

, Arthur Kennedy and Ray Milland. Both Stewart and Wayne appeared in an episode directed by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

. The premiere telecast was "People Need People" about the rehabilitation of psychologically disturbed war veterans starring

Lee Marvin Lee Marvin (born Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr.; February 19, 1924August 29, 1987) was an American film and television actor. Known for his bass voice and premature white hair, he is best remembered for playing hardboiled "tough guy" characters. Alt ...

and Arthur Kennedy and directed by Alex Segal. Several ''Alcoa Premiere'' episodes were actually pilots for TV shows, often produced by other hands and picked up as anthology episodes by Alcoa. Most of these pilots went no further than their appearance on ''Alcoa Premiere'', but two series ('' Channing'' and ''

McHale's Navy ''McHale's Navy'' is an American sitcom starring Ernest Borgnine that aired 138 half-hour episodes over four seasons, from October 11, 1962, to April 12, 1966, on the ABC television network. The series was filmed in black and white and originate ...

'') were developed from the pilot films shown on this anthology series. One first-season episode ("The Jail") had been produced with the intention of airing as an episode of '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', but was shown on ''Alcoa Premiere'' instead. The episode was written by

and produced by the AHP crew, with Hitchcock credited as executive producer of the aired episode.

Broadcast history

During its first season, the show was broadcast on Tuesday evenings at 10:00 pm. The show moved to Thursday evenings at the same time for its second season.

Awards

The anthology was nominated for 14 Emmy Awards during its two-year run.O'Neil, Thomas (2000). ''The Emmys'' (3rd ed.). New York: Berkley Publishing Group. .

Episodes

Season 1 (1961–62)

Season 2 (1962–63)

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0054513
''Alcoa Premiere'' at CVTA with episode link
1961 American television series debuts 1963 American television series endings 1960s American anthology television series American Broadcasting Company original programming 1960s American drama television series Black-and-white American television shows English-language television shows Television series by Universal Television Alcoa