"The Velvet Alley" 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 on January 22, 1959 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 ...

''.

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 ' ...

was the writer and Franklin Schaffner the director. The cast included Art Carney and Leslie Nielsen.

Plot

A freelance writer in New York sells a script to ''Playhouse 90'' and moves to Los Angeles. He becomes a success financially but neglects his wife and ends up being divorced and losing the respect of his father.

Cast

The cast included the following: * Art Carney as Ernie Pandish * Leslie Nielsen as Eddie Kirkley *

Katharine Bard Katharine Bard (October 19, 1916 – July 28, 1983) was an American actress. She appeared in the films '' The Decks Ran Red'', '' The Interns'', ''Johnny Cool'', ''Inside Daisy Clover'' and ''How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life''. She appea ...

as Pat Pandish *

Jack Klugman Jack Klugman (April 27, 1922 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He began his career in 1950 and started television and film work with roles in ''12 Angry Men'' (1957) and '' Cry Terror!'' (1958). D ...

as Max Salter *

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 ...

as Mrs. Kirkley *

George Voskovec Jiří Voskovec (), born Jiří Wachsmann and known in the United States as George Voskovec (June 19, 1905 – July 1, 1981) was a Czech actor, writer, dramatist, and director who became an American citizen in 1955. Throughout much of his career ...

as Steve Pandish *

Alexander Scourby Alexander Scourby (; November 13, 1913 – February 22, 1985) was an American film, television, and voice actor known for his deep and resonant voice and Mid-Atlantic accent. He is best known for his film role as the ruthless mob boss Mike ...

as Harvey Diedrich * David White as Freddie Henderson * Micky Braddock, aka

Micky Dolenz George Michael Dolenz Jr. (born March 8, 1945) is an American actor, musician, TV producer and businessman. He is best known as the drummer and one of three primary vocalists for the pop-rock band the Monkees (1966–1970, and multiple reunions ...

, as Melvin * Eddie Ryder as Julius * Martha Wentworth as Mrs. Cowznoski * John Conwell as Kirkley's associate * Dianne Cannon as Gloria *

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as ' ...

as the Actor

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 ...

hosted the broadcast.

Production

The program aired on January 1, 1959, on the CBS television series ''Playhouse 90''.

wrote the teleplay. Franklin Schaffner was the director and

Herbert Brodkin Herbert Brodkin (November 9, 1912 – October 29, 1990) was an American producer and director of film and television. Brodkin was best known as the producer of the television shows '' Playhouse 90'', '' The Defenders'', the miniseries ''Holo ...

the producer.

Reception

Jack Gould of ''The New York Times'' wrote that it lacked the searching insight of some of Serling's works, "but it was still a ninety-minute play of fairly consistent interest and the uncompromising final curtain carried its own power." Gould also praised Jack Klugman for an "exceptionally good" performance as the writer's agent.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Velvet Alley 1959 American television episodes Playhouse 90 season 3 episodes 1959 television plays