"Our Town" is a 1955 episode of the American

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

series '' Producers' Showcase'' directed by Delbert Mann and starring

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

and Eva Marie Saint. Sinatra plays the stage manager and Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint portray the teenagers who fall in love and get married. The episode is a musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder's 1938 play '' Our Town'', with songs by

Jimmy van Heusen James Van Heusen (born Edward Chester Babcock; January 26, 1913 – February 6, 1990) was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Life and care ...

and Sammy Cahn, mostly sung by Sinatra the stage manager between and during scenes from the play, and including a duet with Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint. The 90-minute show was Sinatra's only performance in a dramatic role specifically for television until '' Contract on Cherry Street'' in 1977.Tom Santopietro, ''Sinatra in Hollywood'' (

Macmillan MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to: People * McMillan (surname) * Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan * Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician * James MacMillan, Scottish composer * William Duncan MacMillan ...

, 2009), , pp. 183ff.
Excerpts available
at Google Books.

Production

Frank Sinatra wears a suit and tie during the live broadcast, and intermittently dons a cocked fedora during the show. This is the only time Paul Newman and Sinatra headlined together in a narrative production. Newman and Eva Marie Saint would subsequently lead the cast of '' Exodus'' together in 1960. All episodes of ''Producers' Showcase'' were broadcast in full color although only black and white kinescopes remain for most of the shows, including "Our Town" as well as a 90-minute version of '" The Petrified Forest" starring

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

, Henry Fonda and

Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary Aw ...

Reception

The show was praised by television critics, although several writers have questioned Sinatra's suitability for the role of the Stage Manager. Thornton Wilder reportedly disliked the production.Peter J. Levinson, ''September in the Rain: The Life of Nelson Riddle'' ( Taylor Trade, 2005), , pp. 121-124
Excerpts available
at Google Books.

Cast

as Stage Manager *

as George Gibbs * Eva Marie Saint as Emily Webb * Shelley Fabares as Rebecca Gibbs * Sylvia Field as Mrs. Gibbs * Paul Hartman as Mr. Webb *

Peg Hillias Margaret "Peg" Hillias (June 24, 1906 – March 18, 1960) was an American actress of stage, film and television. Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Hillias first acted as a student at Northeast High School. She also acted at the Kansas City Theater a ...

as Mrs. Webb *

Harvey B. Dunn Harvey B. Dunn (August 19, 1894 – February 21, 1968) was an American television and film actor. Dunn was best known for his appearances in several 1950s B movies including three Ed Wood films, ''Bride of the Monster'' (1955), ''Night of ...

* Charlotte Knight *

David Saber David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

* Ernest Truex as Dr. Gibbs *

Carol Veazie Carol may refer to: People with the name *Carol (given name) *Henri Carol (1910–1984), French composer and organist * Martine Carol (1920–1967), French film actress * Sue Carol (1906–1982), American actress and talent agent, wife of actor A ...

as Mrs. Soames * Anthony Sydes

Soundtrack

This television production marked the beginning of the lengthy and successful collaboration between Cahn and Van Heusen. Among their songs for the production was " Love and Marriage", later known as the theme song to the TV show '' Married... with Children''. Sinatra's version of the song from the program became a chart success, as did another version quickly recorded by Dinah Shore.Murray Forman, ''One Night on TV Is Worth Weeks at the Paramount: Popular Music on Early Television'' ( Duke University Press, 2012), , p. 113.
Excerpts available
at Google Books. The show was also

Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many world-famous vocalists at Capitol Records ...

's first time to take charge as conductor of an entire television production.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Our Town 1955 American television episodes Television anthology episodes Musical television episodes Television episodes directed by Delbert Mann