''Crossroads'' is an

American television Television is one of the major mass media outlets in the United States. , household ownership of television sets in the country is 96.7%, with approximately 114,200,000 American households owning at least one television set as of August 2013. ...

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a differ ...

based on the activities of

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

from different denominations. It aired from October 1955 to June 1956 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' second season aired from October 1956 to June 1957 in syndication. It was retitled The Way of Life during syndication. Story

technical adviser In film production, a technical advisor is someone who advises the director on the convincing portrayal of a subject. The advisor's expertise adds realism both to the acting and to the setting of a movie. Nipo T. Strongheart Nipo T. Stronghear ...

s were credited as Fr.

George Barry Ford George Barry Ford (October 28, 1885 – August 1, 1978) was an American Roman Catholic priest, advocate of civil rights, and the chaplain who, along with Fr. Moore, led Thomas Merton to the Roman Catholic Church. He was twice silenced by Cardina ...

, USN Captain Maurice M. Witherspoon Presbyterian Minister, Vice-President of the Military Chaplains Association and Rabbi William Franklin Rosenblum. The entire series is preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive in Los Angeles, California.

Overview

The episodes, which often had deep spiritual themes, were usually set in the 1950s, but some were framed for an earlier era. The series featured numerous guest stars, many of whom appeared in several episodes throughout the series' run.

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, ''Rebel Without a Cause' ...

appeared in a 1955 episode, "Broadway Trust", along with Lloyd Bridges and Mary Treen. The episode aired five weeks after Dean died in an automobile crash in September 1955.

Victor Jory Victor Jory (November 23, 1902 – February 12, 1982) was a Canadian-American actor of stage, film, and television. He initially played romantic leads, but later was mostly cast in villainous or sinister roles, such as Oberon in ''A Midsummer N ...

was cast in the 1957 episode "Lone Star Preacher", a dramatization of the

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

pastor

George Washington Truett George Washington Truett, also known as George W. Truett (May 6, 1867 – July 7, 1944), was an American clergyman who was the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, from 1897 until 1944, and the president of the Southern Bap ...

, with Barbara Eiler as his wife, Jo Truett. Other guest stars include: * Suzanne Alexander * Hugh Beaumont *

Noah Beery, Jr. Noah Lindsey Beery (August 10, 1913 – November 1, 1994) was an American actor often specializing in warm, friendly character roles similar to many portrayed by his Oscar-winning uncle, Wallace Beery. Unlike his more famous uncle, however, Be ...

* Edgar Buchanan * Chuck Connors *

Jeanne Cooper Wilma Jeanne Cooper (October 25, 1928 – May 8, 2013) was an American actress, best known for her role as Katherine Chancellor on the CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'' (1973–2013). At the time of her death, she was eighth on the ...

Johnny Crawford John Ernest Crawford (March 26, 1946 – April 29, 2021) was an American actor, singer, and musician. He first performed before a national audience as a Mouseketeer. At age 12, Crawford rose to prominence playing Mark McCain in the series ' ...

* Donald Crisp * Richard Deacon * Don DeFore *

Elinor Donahue Elinor Donahue (born Mary Eleanor Donahue, April 19, 1937) is an American actress, best known today for playing the role of Betty Anderson, the eldest child of Jim and Margaret Anderson on the 1950s American sitcom ''Father Knows Best''. Early ...

Brian Donlevy Waldo Brian Donlevy (February 9, 1901 – April 6, 1972) was an American actor, noted for playing dangerous tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. He usually appeared in supporting roles. Among his best-known films are ''Beau Geste'' (193 ...

Howard Duff Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...

* Barbara Eden *

Stuart Erwin Stuart Erwin (February 14, 1903 – December 21, 1967) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. Early years Erwin was born in Squaw Valley, Fresno County, California. He attended Porterville High School and the University of ...

* Yvonne Lime Fedderson *

Arthur Franz Arthur Sofield Franz (February 29, 1920 – June 17, 2006) was an American actor whose most notable feature film role was as Lieutenant, Junior Grade, H. Paynter Jr. in ''The Caine Mutiny (film), The Caine Mutiny'' (1954). Early life Franz ...

* Virginia Gregg * Barbara Hale * Taylor Holmes * Vivi Janiss * Russell Johnson *

Michael Landon Michael Landon (born Eugene Maurice Orowitz; October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991) was an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in ''Bonanza'' (1959–1973), Charles Ingalls in ''Little House on the Pr ...

* Gene Lockhart * Jimmy Lydon * Barton MacLane * Hugh Marlowe * Strother Martin * Kevin McCarthy * Charles McGraw * Eve Miller * Martin Milner * Gerald Mohr *

J. Carrol Naish Joseph Patrick Carrol Naish (January 21, 1896 – January 24, 1973) was an American actor. He appeared in over 200 credits during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Naish received two Oscar nominations for his supporting roles in the films '' Sahara ...

* Jeanette Nolan *

Susan Oliver Susan is a feminine given name, from Persian "Susan" (lily flower), from Egyptian '' sšn'' and Coptic ''shoshen'' meaning "lotus flower", from Hebrew ''Shoshana'' meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose" and a flower in general), ...

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 ...

* Jerry Paris * Leo Penn *

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

Roy Roberts Roy Roberts (born Roy Barnes Jones, March 19, 1906 – May 28, 1975) was an American character actor. Over his more than 40-year career, he appeared in more than nine hundred productions on stage and screen. Life and career Born in Tampa ...

* Lyle Talbot * Regis Toomey * Lee Van Cleef * Bobs Watson * Will J. White *

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 Aca ...

* Grant Withers

Broadcast history

In its first season on ABC, ''Crossroads'' followed the long-running sitcom ''

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television, where it ...

'' on the Friday evening schedule. It was scheduled opposite '' Our Miss Brooks'' on CBS and '' The Life of Riley'' on NBC. ABC canceled ''Crossroads'' after one season. The series was then picked up for a second season, airing in syndication from October 1956 to June 1957, for a total of 78 episodes. Sample episodes: * "A Bell for O'Donnell" – A reverend ( Edmund Lowe) learns a lesson in forgiveness when he is swindled by a fast-talking con man. * "Call for Help" – A priest ( Richard Carlson) works with troubled youths when a gang fight leads to a fatal shooting. * "Cleanup" – A pastor (

) exhorts his parishioners to take back their city from the gangsters and corrupt politicians who have taken it over. * "Dig or Die, Brother Hyde" – A new preacher ( Hugh Marlowe) on the harsh Dakota frontier is severely tested. * "God's Healing" –

plays a Pennsylvania Priest named Alfred Price, who heals an old woman's embittered heart. * "The Good Thief" – A US Army chaplain (

) is tortured by Red Chinese captors for ministering to his fellow prisoners of war. * "The Judge" –

does double duty in a lawless town as a preacher and a judge. * "Mother O'Brien" – A police detective is torn between family and duty when his younger brother is involved in a petty crime.

References

External links

*
''Crossroads'' at CVTA, with episode list
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crossroads (1955 Tv Series) 1955 American television series debuts 1957 American television series endings 1950s American anthology television series American Broadcasting Company original programming 1950s American drama television series Black-and-white American television shows English-language television shows First-run syndicated television programs in the United States American television series revived after cancellation American religious television series

Overview

Broadcast history

See also

References

External links