''Magnavox Theatre'' is an American television anthology of comedies and dramas that aired seven hour-long episodes on CBS in 1950, alternating weekly with '' Ford Theatre''. All were live except episode six (''The Three Musketeers''), which according to CBS, was the first hour-long film made in Hollywood for television. The film was made by Hal Roach Studios Inc., which also made "The Battle of Pilgrim Hill", which was scheduled to be broadcast on December 8, 1950. Like its alternate-week counterpart, ''Magnavox Theatre'' offered the promise of adaptations of classic literature, novels, and short stories in addition to original dramas. The program was produced by Garth Montgomery. The series was directed by

Budd Boetticher Oscar "Budd" Boetticher Jr. ( ; July 29, 1916 – November 29, 2001) was an American film director. He is best remembered for a series of low-budget Westerns he made in the late 1950s starring Randolph Scott. Early life Boetticher was born in ...

and

Richard L. Bare Richard Leland Bare (August 12, 1913 – March 28, 2015) was an American director, producer, and screenwriter of Hollywood movies, television shows and short films. Career Born in Turlock, California, he attended USC School of Cinematic Arts ...

. Among its guest stars were

Kim Stanley Kim Stanley (born Patricia Kimberley Reid; February 11, 1925 – August 20, 2001) was an American actress, primarily in television and theatre, but with occasional film performances. She began her acting career in theatre, and subsequently at ...

, Robert Clarke, Leslie Nielsen,

Marjorie Lord Marjorie Lord (née Wollenberg; July 26, 1918 – November 28, 2015) was an American television and film actress. She played Kathy "Clancy" O'Hara Williams, opposite Danny Thomas's character on ''The Danny Thomas Show'' (also known as ''Make ...

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 ...

, Cecil Kellaway, and

Edward Everett Horton Edward Everett Horton Jr. (March 18, 1886 – September 29, 1970) was an American character actor. He had a long career in film, theater, radio, television, and voice work for animated cartoons. Early life Horton was born in Kings County ...

. A review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' cited much negative and little positive about the program's second episode, "In the Fog". It ended with an overall opinion of the first two episodes: "A show of this type is supposed to have a little 'oomph.' All that can be said so far is 'humph.'"

Partial list of episodes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Magnavox Theatre 1950s American anthology television series 1950 American television series debuts 1950 American television series endings CBS original programming American live television series Black-and-white American television shows