''Ford Theatre'', spelled ''Ford Theater'' for the original radio version and known, in full, as ''The Ford Television Theatre'' for the TV version, is a radio and television
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 dif ...
broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s. At various times the television series appeared on all three major television networks, while the radio version was broadcast on two separate networks and on two separate coasts. ''Ford Theatre'' was named for its sponsor, the
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
, which had an earlier success with its concert music series, ''
The Ford Sunday Evening Hour'' (1934–42).
Radio
''Ford Theater'' as a radio series lasted for only two seasons. Its first season was broadcast from New York City on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
with such actors as
Ed Begley
Edward James Begley Sr. (March 25, 1901 – April 28, 1970) was an American actor of theatre, radio, film, and television. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film ''Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1962) and ...
,
Shirley Booth,
Gary Merrill
Gary Fred Merrill (August 2, 1915 – March 5, 1990) was an American film and television actor whose credits included more than 50 feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of television guest appearances. He starr ...
,
Everett Sloane and
Vicki Vola
Victoria Vola (August 27, 1916 – July 21, 1985) was an American actress. She was best known for her portrayal of Edith Miller on both the radio and television runs of ''Mr. District Attorney''.
Early years
Vola was born in Denver, Colorado. L ...
. This season ran from October 5, 1947, to June 27, 1948. Due to poor ratings, Ford moved the show to
Hollywood and
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
for the second season, where top Hollywood actors headed the casts. This season, which lasted from October 8, 1948, to July 1, 1949, received much higher ratings. However, with television rising in popularity, Ford decided to end its radio show and focus solely on television.
Howard Lindsay
Howard Lindsay, born Herman Nelke, (March 29, 1889 – February 11, 1968) was an American playwright, librettist, director, actor and theatrical producer. He is best known for his writing work as part of the collaboration of Lindsay and Crouse ...
became the program's master of ceremonies on October 5, 1947.
Television
The first ''Ford Theatre'' on U.S. television appeared on October 17, 1948, near the beginning of regularly scheduled
prime time network programming. It was an hour-long drama, broadcast live, as was most television of the era. This series used primarily
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
actors. The program began as a monthly series, switching to biweekly a year later, in alternation on Friday nights at 9:00 pm
Eastern time
The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small por ...
with the ''
54th Street Revue
''54th Street Revue'' is an American variety television program that was broadcast on CBS from May 5, 1949, through March 25, 1950. The program was a "showcase for up-and-coming professionals", originating from a theater on 54th Street in New York ...
.'' During this period, programming included adaptations of ''
Little Women,'' with
June Lockhart
June Lockhart (born June 25, 1925) is an American actress, beginning a film career in 1930s & 1940s in such films at ''A Christmas Carol'' and '' Meet Me in St. Louis''. She primarily acted in 1950s and 1960s television, and with performances on ...
and
Kim Hunter, and ''One Sunday Afternoon,'' with
Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed theater, film, and television.
Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" and "on ...
and
Hume Cronyn
Hume Blake Cronyn Jr. OC (July 18, 1911 – June 15, 2003) was a Canadian-American actor and writer.
Early life
Cronyn, one of five children, was born in London, Ontario, Canada. His father, Hume Blake Cronyn, Sr., was a businessman and ...
. During the following season, the final season for the program on CBS, the alternation in the same time slot was with ''Magnavox Theater.'' Garth Montgomery was the producer, with Carl Beier as associate producer. Franklin Schaffner was the director.
A half-hour filmed ''Ford Theatre'' returned to the airwaves on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
for the
1951–52 season on Thursday nights at 9:30 pm Eastern. At this time, production was moved from New York to
Hollywood, and featured actors based there rather than on Broadway. Some of these programs were comedies instead of dramas. Performers appearing during this era included
Frank Bank
Frank Bank (April 12, 1942 – April 13, 2013) was an American actor, particularly known for his role as Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford on the 1957–1963 situation comedy television series '' Leave It to Beaver''.
Bank was cast in fifty episodes ...
,
Scott Brady
Scott Brady (born Gerard Kenneth Tierney; September 13, 1924 – April 16, 1985) was an American film and television actor best known for his roles in Western films and as a ubiquitous television presence. He played the title role in the televi ...
,
Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert ( ; born Émilie Claudette Chauchoin; September 13, 1903July 30, 1996) was an American actress. Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the late 1920s and progressed to films with the advent of talking pictures ...
,
Charles Coburn
Charles Douville Coburn (June 19, 1877 – August 30, 1961) was an American actor and theatrical producer. He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award three times – in ''The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941), '' The More the M ...
,
Ed Hinton,
Vivi Janiss
Vivi may refer to:
People
* Vivi Bach (1939–2013), Danish actress and singer
* Vivi Fernandez (born 1977), Brazilian model
* Vivi Flindt (born 1943), Danish ballerina
* Vivi Friedman (1967–2012), Finnish film director
* Vivi Gioi (1917–1975 ...
,
Peter Lawford
Peter Sydney Ernest Lawford ( Aylen; 7 September 1923 – 24 December 1984) was an English-American actor.Obituary '' Variety'', 26 December 1984.
He was a member of the " Rat Pack" and the brother-in-law of US president John F. Kennedy and se ...
,
Sam Levene
Sam Levene (born Scholem Lewin; August 28, 1905 – December 28, 1980) was a Russian Empire-born American Broadway, film, radio, and television actor and director. In a career spanning over five decades, he appeared in over 50 comedy and dr ...
,
Ida Lupino
Ida Lupino (4 February 1918Recorded in ''Births Mar 1918'' Camberwell Vol. 1d, p. 1019 (Free BMD). Transcribed as "Lupine" in the official births index – 3 August 1995) was an English-American actress, singer, director, writer, and producer. T ...
,
Thomas Mitchell,
Dennis Morgan,
Karen Sharpe
Karen Kay Sharpe (born September 20, 1934) is an American film and television actress. She is known for playing Laura Thomas in the American western television series ''Johnny Ringo''.
Life and career
Sharpe was born in San Antonio, Texas, th ...
,
Ann Sheridan,
Barry Sullivan Barry Sullivan may refer to:
*Barry Sullivan (American actor) (1912–1994), US film and Broadway actor
*Barry Sullivan (stage actor) (1821–1891), Irish born stage actor active in Britain and Australia
*Barry Sullivan (lawyer), Chicago lawyer and ...
, and
Beverly Washburn
Beverly Washburn (born November 25, 1943) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the Walt Disney drama ''Old Yeller'' (1957) and the American General Pictures horror '' Spider Baby'' (1967).
Early years
Washburn was born in L ...
. Also appearing for the first time together were
Ronald Reagan and
Nancy Davis
Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress and First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was the second wife of president Ronald Reagan.
Reagan was born in New ...
, in an episode entitled "First Born," which first aired on February 3, 1953. In October 1954, ''Ford Theatre'' became the first network television series to be filmed regularly in color. During this period, ''Ford Theatre'' finished in the
Nielsen ratings at number 30 for the 1952–1953 season, number seven in 1953–1954, number 9 in 1954–1955, and number 13 in 1955–1956.
After four seasons on NBC, the program was shown for a final season 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 ...
during the
1956–57 season. The time slot was changed to Wednesdays at 9:30 pm. The last prime time broadcast of ''Ford Theatre'' was on July 10, 1957.
From 9:00 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturdays during the summer of 1958, NBC broadcast the anthology series ''Opening Night'', which consisted entirely of reruns of episodes of ''Ford Theatre'' from the 1956–1957 season.
[Brooks and Marsh (1995), p. 779.] First aired on June 14, 1958, ''Opening Night'' was broadcast every other week, alternating in its time slot with ''
Club Oasis with Spike Jones''.
[ Its final episode aired on September 8, 1958.][
In 1954,'' Billboard'' voted ''Ford Theatre'' the best filmed network television drama series.]
Episodes
Season 1 (1948–49)
Season 2 (1949–50)
Season 3 (1950–51)
Season 4 (1952–53)
Season 5 (1953–54)
Season 6 (1954–55)
Season 7 (1955–56)
Season 8 (1956–57)
See also
*''Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
''
*''Author's Playhouse
''Author's Playhouse'' is an anthology radio drama series created by Wynn Wright, that aired on Mutual in 1940–1941,Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . p. 31. ...
''
*'' The Campbell Playhouse''
*''Cavalcade of America
''Cavalcade of America'' is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented musicals, such as an adaptation of ''Show Boat'', and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially ...
''
*'' The CBS Radio Workshop''
*''The Cresta Blanca Hollywood Players
''The Cresta Blanca Hollywood Players'' (often referred to as just ''Hollywood Players'') was a dramatic anthologyReinehr, Robert C. and Swartz, Jon D. (2008). ''The A to Z of Old-Time Radio''. Scarecrow Press, Inc. . p. 126. series on radio in t ...
''
*'' Curtain Time''
*''General Electric Theater
''General Electric Theater'' was an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.
Radio
After an audition show ...
''
*''Lux Radio Theatre
''Lux Radio Theatre'', sometimes spelled ''Lux Radio Theater'', a classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company ...
''
*''The Mercury Theatre on the Air
''The Mercury Theatre on the Air'' is a radio series of live radio dramas created and hosted by Orson Welles. The weekly hour-long show presented classic literary works performed by Welles's celebrated Mercury Theatre repertory company, with mus ...
''
*''The MGM Theater of the Air
''The MGM Theater of the Air'' is a one-hour radio dramatic anthology in the United States. It was broadcast on WMGM in New York City and syndicated to other stations via electrical transcription October 14, 1949 – December 7, 1951. It was carr ...
''
*''Screen Directors Playhouse
''Screen Directors Playhouse'' (sometimes written as ''Screen Directors' Playhouse'') is an American radio and television anthology series which brought leading Hollywood actors to the NBC microphones beginning in 1949. The radio program broadcas ...
''
*''The Screen Guild Theater
''The Screen Guild Theater'' is a radio anthology series broadcast from 1939 until 1952 during the Golden Age of Radio. Leading Hollywood stars performed adaptations of popular motion pictures. Originating on CBS Radio, it aired under several dif ...
''
*'' Stars over Hollywood''
*'' Suspense''
*''The United States Steel Hour
''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation (U. S ...
''
* For other TV series sponsored by Ford Motor Company, see Ford Festival
''Ford Festival'', also known as ''Ford Festival Time'' or ''The James Melton Show'', is an hour-long television show, sponsored by Ford Motor Company, hosted by James Melton, and broadcast on NBC Television beginning on April 5, 1951. The final ...
, Ford Startime
''Startime'' is an anthology television series, anthology show of drama, comedy, and variety, and was one of the first American television shows broadcast in color television, color. The program was aired Tuesday nights in the United States on th ...
, The Ford Show
''The Ford Show'' (also known as ''The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford'' and ''The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show'') is an American variety program, starring singer and folk humorist Tennessee Ernie Ford, which aired on NBC on Thursday eveni ...
, and Ford Star Jubilee
''Ford Star Jubilee'' is an American anthology series that originally aired monthly on Saturday nights on CBS at 9:00 P.M., E.S.T. from the fall of 1955 to the fall of 1956 (With a summer hiatus). The series was approximately 90 minutes long, broa ...
References
Further reading
*Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, ''''
Audio Classics Archive Radio Logs: ''The Ford Theater''
External links
– the radio series
*
*
Listen to
*{{InternetArchiveOTR, id=FordTheater, title=Ford Theater
Watch
Episodes of the television version of ''Ford Theatre'' from the Internet Archive
1948 American television series debuts
1957 American television series endings
1940s American radio programs
1940s American anthology television series
1950s American anthology television series
American Broadcasting Company original programming
American live television series
Black-and-white American television shows
CBS original programming
English-language television shows
NBC original programming
Television series by Screen Gems
Television series by Sony Pictures Television
Ford Motor Company
NBC radio programs
CBS Radio programs
Anthology radio series