"Forbidden Area" was an American

television play A television play is a television programming genre which is a drama performance broadcast from a multi-camera television studio, usually live in the early days of television but later recorded to tape. This is in contrast to a television movi ...

broadcast live on October 4, 1956, as part of the CBS television series, ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology series, anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology dr ...

''. It was the premiere episode of the series. The play concerns efforts to thwart a massive, Christmastime nuclear attack from a fleet of Russian submarines located off the coast of the United States.

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ' ...

wrote the screenplay, and John Frankenheimer directed.

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten C ...

, Tab Hunter, Diana Lynn, and Charles Bickford starred.

Plot

Stanley Smith, a Soviet agent and explosives expert (played by Tab Hunter), prepares at "Little Chicago" outside Moscow for an undercover assignment. He is then transported by submarine to the coast of Florida and secures himself a post in the Air Force, serving at a kitchen on an air base in Florida. At the "Forbidden Area" within the Pentagon, the "intentions of the enemy group" plans to defend a Soviet nuclear attack. The group includes Clark Simmons, the senior member (played by

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 ...

), Col. Jesse Price (played by

), the newest member, and Katharine Hume, the secretary (played by Diana Lynn). Price discloses plans for a new program of automatic retaliation using ICBMs with pre-set targeting. Intelligence reports suggest there may be a submarine-based Soviet nuclear attack. Five American B-99 long-range bombers disappear suddenly from radar. General Keaton (played by Charles Bickford) leads the investigation, and a survivor mumbles about coffee. The planes were destroyed because Smith concealed pressure bombs, set to explode at 25,000 feet, in coffee thermoses used by the airmen on the B-99s. Smith murders a cook (played by

Jackie Coogan John Leslie Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) was an American actor and comedian who began his film career as a child actor in silent films. Charlie Chaplin's film classic ''The Kid'' (1921) made him one of the first child stars in the ...

) after the cook notices his Russian tooth filling. Price believes the enemy seeks to have the B-99s grounded in order to open a window to attack while the American retaliatory ability is ineffective. He concludes the Soviet attack is coming on Christmas Eve. Simmons rejects Price's prediction as a fairy tale. A fleet of 600 Soviet submarines approaches as America is "busy with its Christmas trees." Hume professes her love for Price and urges him to flee with her. Price instead flies to Florida to brief Gen. Keaton. Keaton reverses the grounding the B-99s and pilots one of the planes as the crew searches for the pressure bomb. Price becomes suspicious when Smith seeks to retrieve a coffee thermos from the control tower. He confronts Smith and learns that the canisters also explode when opened. Price warns Keaton, who is about to open a thermos, that it contains a bomb. Smith is given truth serum, and American air and naval forces destroy the Soviet submarines as they approach the coast. The President addresses the country and reports that the country's bombers are approaching the Soviet Union. The Soviet Presidium resigns, and the new Soviet Premier agrees to withdraw its naval forces and ground its air forces. Keaton urges the President to continue with the retaliatory strike, but the President orders the return of the American bombers.

Cast

The following performers received screen credit for their performances: *

as Col. Jesse Price * Tab Hunter as Stanley Smith * Diana Lynn as Catherine Hume *

as Clark Simmons *

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 ...

as Rear Admiral Batt * Charles Bickford as General Keaton *

as The Cook * Tyler McVey as Brig. Gen. Cragey * David Lewis as Felix Fromberg * John Gallaudet as Gen. Cummings * Eddie Ryder as Joe * Harold Dyrenforth as Capt. Schiller * Howard Price as Clint * Richard Gaines as Admiral * Thomas Palmer as Senator * Arthur Batanides as Fensky * William Schallert as Commentator * Robin Morse as Bartender * Don Donaldson as Operations Officer * Don Lutz as Control Operator * Jason Wingreen as The Captain * Gil Frye as Radar Man * Marland Messner as The Survivor *

Joel Fluellen Joel Fluellen (December 1, 1907 – February 2, 1990) was an actor and an activist for the rights of African Americans. He appeared in the films ''The Jackie Robinson Story'', '' Perils of the Jungle'', ''Duffy of San Quentin'', ''Sitting Bull' ...

as Mechanic

Jack Palance Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk ( uk, Володимир Палагню́к); February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American actor known for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, all fo ...

served as the show's host.

Production

In May 1956,

Martin Manulis Martin Ellyot Manulis (May 30, 1915 – September 28, 2007) was an American television, film, and theatre producer. Manulis was best known for his work in the 1950s producing the CBS Television programs ''Suspense'', '' Studio One Summer Theatre' ...

, producer of a new CBS series, ''

'', announced he had acquired television rights to

Pat Frank Harry Hart "Pat" Frank (May 5, 1908 – October 12, 1964) was an American writer, newspaperman, and government consultant. Frank's best known work is the 1959 ''Alas, Babylon'', and '' Forbidden Area''. Biography Frank was born in Chicago ...

's novel '' Forbidden Area''. CBS later announced that ''Forbidden Area'', with the story adaptation for television by

, would air as the premiere installment of ''Playhouse 90''. Manulis had previously produced the '' Climax!'' series and brought director John Frankenheimer with him from that series. Frankenheimer was tabbed to direct ''Forbidden Area''. Manulis also assembled an all-star cast for ''Forbidden Area'', including

, Tab Hunter, and

. He noted that Hunter, who usually played a hero, was cast against type playing a villain. Rehearsals began during the week of September 16. The aspect of ''Forbidden Area'' that fascinated Manulis was the idea that the Russians had developed an American town in the heart of Russia where future spies were immersed in American culture, speaking only English, and following baseball. Manulis hired teen idol Hunter to play a young Russian training in the spy village. The production was staged on October 4, 1956, at

CBS Television City Television City, alternatively CBS Television City, is an American television studio complex located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of Fairfax Avenue. Designed by architect William Pereira and Ch ...

in Los Angeles. The program opened with host

announcing that it was "opening night" as television took a "giant step" with an important new series of 90-minute dramas performed each week. ''Forbidden Area'' was the first installment in the four-year run of the series. ''Playhouse 90'' was voted "the greatest television series of all time" in a 1970 poll of television editors.

Reception

In ''The New York Times'', Jack Gould wrote that the production "ran the gamut of hokum" and employed "every cliche in the book of elementary video dramaturgy." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' called it a "superb production ... brilliantly produced" in which Hunter was "splendid." John Crosby of the ''New York Herald Tribune'' wrote that the production, depicting Russia on the march with planes and submarines, "all groaning with hydrogen bombs, intent on knocking out this country", had its moments "as a thriller." Crosby also praised John Frankenheimer's skill in jumping back and forth between the Pentagon and the saboteurs. However, he found that the script was "slipshod" and that the production suffered from "grave weaknesses" as a drama. Hunter said, "I got good notices for my performance but critics were lukewarm overall. It was the following week's installment... ''

Requiem for a Heavyweight "Requiem for a Heavyweight" is a teleplay written by Rod Serling and produced for the live television show ''Playhouse 90'' on 11 October 1956. Six years later, it was adapted as a 1962 feature film starring Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey R ...

'' that scored the knockout".

References

External links

{{John Frankenheimer 1956 American television episodes Playhouse 90 (season 1) episodes 1956 television plays