''Somerset Maugham TV Theatre'' (originally known as ''Teller of Tales'' for the first three episodes) is an 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 ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

program. The series aired on

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 ...

October 18, 1950 – March 28, 1951, and on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

April 2, 1951 – December 10, 1951, airing 47 episodes.

Premise

The series made its debut on October 18, 1950 on

. The series was a half-hour (later 60 minute)

whose episodes were based on the works and novels of the show's namesake

William Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

. Maugham made special appearances at the beginning and ending of each play always giving the introduction and conclusion to each episode. His segments were filmed, while the dramas themselves were presented live.

Season 2 Changes

Move to NBC

After the series finished its run on CBS after one season on March 28, 1951, the series was moved to

on April 2, 1951. The series would remain for the rest of its run. The series also moved from Wednesday nights to Monday nights and expanded to 60 minutes, alternating weekly with ''

Robert Montgomery Presents ''Robert Montgomery Presents'' is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950, until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its eight-year run, and the title was altered to feature the ...

''. Season two finished its second season on September 3 after airing 16 episodes.

Season 3

The series started its third season on September 17, 1951, continuing to air on Monday nights and for sixty minutes. This season would be the show's final season airing its last episode on December 10, 1951, after airing 7 episodes.

Production notes

The series was directed by directors

Martin Ritt Martin Ritt (March 2, 1914 – December 8, 1990) was an American director and actor who worked in both film and theater, noted for his socially conscious films. Some of the films he directed include ''The Long, Hot Summer'' (1958), '' The Black ...

and David Alexander and produced by John Gibbs, Ann Marlow, and

Daniel Petrie Daniel Mannix Petrie (November 26, 1920 – August 22, 2004) was a Canadian film director, film, television director, television, and stage director who worked in Canada, Hollywood, and the United Kingdom; known for directing grounded human dram ...

. Also, the introductions and epilogues given by Maugham were filmed live from his home in the

French Riviera The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...

and the plays broadcast live from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. During its third season, the show alternated on Monday nights with the successful NBC

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 ...

''.

Broadcast history

*Wednesdays 9–9:30 PM, October 18, 1950 – March 28, 1951, on

. *Mondays 9:30–10:30 PM, April 2, 1951 – June 25, 1951, on

. *Mondays 9:30–10 PM, July 9, 1951 – August 27, 1951, on

. *Mondays 9:30–10:30 PM, September 3, 1951 – December 10, 1951, on

Cast

Actors appearing in the series included: *

Luther Adler Luther Adler (born Lutha Adler; May 4, 1903 – December 8, 1984) was an American actor best known for his work in theatre, but who also worked in film and television. He also directed plays on Broadway. Early life and career Adler was born on ...

Judith Anderson Dame Frances Margaret Anderson, (10 February 18973 January 1992), known professionally as Judith Anderson, was an Australian actress who had a successful career in stage, film and television. A pre-eminent stage actress in her era, she won two ...

Joan Bennett Joan Geraldine Bennett (February 27, 1910 – December 7, 1990) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She came from a show-business family, one of three acting sisters. Beginning her career on the stage, Bennett appeared in more t ...

Lee J. Cobb Lee J. Cobb (born Leo Jacoby; December 8, 1911February 11, 1976) was an American actor, known both for film roles and his work on the Broadway stage. He often played arrogant, intimidating and abrasive characters, but he also acted as respectabl ...

Dane Clark Dane Clark (born Bernard Zanville; February 26, 1912September 11, 1998) was an American character actor who was known for playing, as he labeled himself, "Joe Average." Early life Clark was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Jewish imm ...

Robert Cummings Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings (June 9, 1910 – December 2, 1990) was an American film and television actor who appeared in roles in comedy films such as ''The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941) and ''Princess O'Rourke'' (1943), and in d ...

Mildred Dunnock Mildred Dorothy Dunnock (January 25, 1901 – July 5, 1991) was an American stage and screen actress. She was twice nominated for an Academy Award: first ''Death of a Salesman'' in 1951, then ''Baby Doll'' in 1956. Early life Born in Baltimore, ...

Nina Foch Nina Foch ( ; born Nina Consuelo Maud Fock; April 20, 1924 – December 5, 2008) was a Dutch-born American actress who later became an instructor. Her career spanned six decades, consisting of over 50 feature films and over 100 television appea ...

Bonita Granville Bonita Gloria Granville Wrather (February 2, 1923 – October 11, 1988) was an American actress and producer. The daughter of vaudevillians, Granville began her career on the stage at age three. She initially began as a child actress, making h ...

June Havoc June Havoc (born Ellen Evangeline Hovick; November 8, 1912 – March 28, 2010) was a Canadian American actress, dancer, stage director and memoirist. Havoc was a child vaudeville performer under the tutelage of her mother Rose Thompson Hovick, ...

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

Otto Kruger Otto Kruger (September 6, 1885 – September 6, 1974) was an American actor, originally a Broadway matinee idol, who established a niche as a charming villain in films, such as Hitchcock's ''Saboteur''. He also appeared in CBS's ''Perry Mason'' a ...

Veronica Lake Constance Frances Marie Ockelman (November 14, 1922 – July 7, 1973), known professionally as Veronica Lake, was an American film, stage, and television actress. Lake was best known for her femme fatale roles in film noirs with Alan Ladd ...

Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won many accolades, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 22 nominations, making her the most nomin ...

Murray Matheson Sidney Murray Matheson (1 July 1912 – 25 April 1985) was a U.S.-based Australian actor. He appeared on stage and in films and television programs until 1983. Biography Matheson was born in Casterton, Australia in 1912 where he grew up on a 3 ...

Peggy McCay Margaret Ann "Peggy" McCay (November 3, 1927 – October 7, 2018) was an American actress whose career began in 1949, and includes theatre, television, soap operas, and feature films. McCay may be best known for originating the roles of Vanessa ...

Mildred Natwick Mildred Natwick (June 19, 1905 – October 25, 1994) was an American actress. She won a Primetime Emmy Award and was nominated for an Academy Award and two Tony Awards. Early life Natwick was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of Mildre ...

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...

Joseph Schildkraut Joseph Schildkraut (22 March 1896 – 21 January 1964) was an Austrian-American actor. He won an Oscar for his performance as Captain Alfred Dreyfus in the film ''The Life of Emile Zola'' (1937); later, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for h ...

Martha Scott Martha Ellen Scott (September 22, 1912 – May 28, 2003) was an American actress. She was featured in major films such as Cecil B. DeMille's ''The Ten Commandments'' (1956), and William Wyler's '' Ben-Hur'' (1959), playing the mother of Charlton ...

Beatrice Straight Beatrice Whitney Straight (August 2, 1914 – April 7, 2001) was an American theatre, film and television actress and a member of the prominent Whitney family. She was an Academy Award and Tony Award winner as well as an Emmy Award nominee. ...

Jessica Tandy Jessie Alice Tandy (7 June 1909 – 11 September 1994) was a British-American actress. Tandy appeared in over 100 stage productions and had more than 60 roles in film and TV, receiving an Academy Award, four Tony Awards, a BAFTA, a Golden Glob ...

Episodes

Season 1

*''The Creative Impulse – October 18, 1950'' *''McKintosh – October 25, 1950'' *''Winter Cruise – November 1, 1950'' *''Episode – November 15, 1950'' *"The Unconquered" – November 19, 1950, Rex Williams, Olive Deering *"Lord Mountdrago" – November 22, 1950,

Arnold Moss Arnold Moss (January 28, 1910 – December 15, 1989) was an American character actor. His son was songwriter Jeff Moss. Early years Born in Flatbush, Moss was a third-generation Brooklyn native. He attended Brooklyn's Boys High School. ...

*''The String of Beads – November 29, 1950'' *''Force of Circumstance – December 6, 1950'' *''The Round Dozen – December 13, 1950'' *''Footprints in the Jungle – December 20, 1950'' *''Virtue – December 27, 1950'' *''The Treasure – January 3, 1951'' *''The Man from Glasgow – January 10, 1951'' *''The Vessel of Wrath – January 17, 1951'' *''Honolulu – January 24, 1951'' *''Partners – January 31, 1951'' *''The Romantic Young Lady – February 7, 1951'' *''The Dream – February 14, 1951'' *''The People You Meet – February 21, 1951'' *''The Outstation – February 28, 1951'' *''The Back of Beyond – March 7, 1951'' *''Halfway to Broadway – March 14, 1951'' *''The Luncheon – March 21, 1951'' *''End of Flight – March 28, 1951''

Season 2

*''Of Human Bondage – April 2, 1951'' *''Theatre – April 16, 1951'' *''The Moon and Sixpence – April 30, 1951'' *''The Facts of Life – May 14, 1951'' *''Cakes and Ale – May 28, 1951'' *''The Narrow Corner – June 11, 1951'' *''The Letter – June 25, 1951'' *''The French Governor – July 9, 1951'' *''The Promise – July 16, 1951'' *''In Hiding – July 23, 1951'' *''The Ardent Bigamist – July 30, 1951'' *''Bewitched – August 6, 1951'' *''The Great Man – August 13, 1951'' *''The Yellow Streak – August 20, 1951'' *''A Woman of Fifty – August 27, 1951'' *''Appearances in Reality – September 3, 1951''

Season 3

*''The Mother – September 17, 1951'' *''Grace – October 1, 1951'' *''Masquerade – October 15, 1951'' *''The Fall of Edward Bernard – October 29, 1951'' *''Before the Party – November 12, 1951'' *''Home and Beauty – November 26, 1951'' *"Smith Serves" – December 10, 1951, starring

Eddie Albert Edward Albert Heimberger (April 22, 1906 – May 26, 2005) was an American actor and activist. He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; the first nomination came in 1954 for his performance in ''Roman Holiday'', ...

References

External links

*''{{IMDb title, id=0042144, title=Somerset Maugham TV Theatre'' *
''Somerset Maugham TV Theatre'' at CVTA with episode list
' 1950s American anthology television series 1950 American television series debuts 1951 American television series endings Black-and-white American television shows CBS original programming NBC original programming Adaptations of works by W. Somerset Maugham Television shows filmed in France