"Topaze" 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 September 26, 1957, as part of the second season 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 ...

''. Ellis St. Joseph wrote the teleplay based on

Marcel Pagnol Marcel Paul Pagnol (; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionable ...

's 1928 play, '' Topaze''.

Vincent J. Donehue Vincent Julian Donehue (September 22, 1915 – January 17, 1966) was an American director noted mainly for his theater work, with occasional film and television credits. Biography Vincent Donehue was born in Whitehall (town), New York, Whiteha ...

directed,

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' ...

was the producer, and Robert Drasnin composed the music. Sterling Hayden was the host, and

Ernie Kovacs Ernest Edward Kovacs (January 23, 1919 – January 13, 1962) was a Hungarian-American comedian, actor, and writer. Kovacs's visually experimental and often spontaneous comedic style influenced numerous television comedy programs for years afte ...

and Carl Reiner starred. The program's commercial sponsors were the American Gas Association, Theradan anti-dandruff shampoo, Marlboro cigarettes, and Ipana toothpaste.

Plot

Topaze, an idealistic teacher in a small French school, is fired for refusing to adjust the grades of the son of an influential and corrupt politician. The politician then hires Topaze as the head of a dummy corporation, serving as bagman and money launderer. After realizing that he has been taken advantage of, Topaze embraces the corruption to achieve his own fortune.

Cast

The following performers received screen credit for their performances: *

- Topaze * Carl Reiner - Regis * Richard Haydn - Muche * Sheree North - Suzy * Stephen Wooton - Young Castel-Benac *

Roxanne Arlen Roxanne Arlen (January 10, 1931 – February 22, 1989) was an American film and stage actress and model active in the 1950s and 1960s. Filmography Feature films *''The Loved One'' (1965) as Wispering Glades hostess *'' A House Is Not a Home'' (1 ...

- Germaine * Moira Turner - Ernestine * William Roerick - the Count

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Topaze 1957 television plays 1957 American television episodes Playhouse 90 (season 2) episodes Adaptations of works by Marcel Pagnol