''Philip Morris Playhouse'' is a 30-minute old-time radio dramatic

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 dif ...

.Terrace, Vincent (1981), ''Radio's Golden Years: The Encyclopedia of Radio Programs 1930–1960''. A.S. Barnes & Company, Inc. . P. 214. The program " nerally ... featured straight and crime drama," radio historian John Dunning wrote. He noted that one of the directors was

William Spier William Hannan Spier (October 16, 1906 – May 30, 1973) was an American writer, producer, and director for television and radio. He is best known for his radio work, notably ''Suspense'' and ''The Adventures of Sam Spade''. Early life Wil ...

, who "had directed '' Suspense'' in its salad days and brought to ''The Philip Morris Playhouse'' the same slick production" that was used in ''Suspense''.Dunning, John. (1976). ''Tune in Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, 1925–1976''. Prentice-Hall, Inc. . Pp. 482-483. ''Philip Morris Playhouse'' was broadcast 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 ...

June 30, 1939 – February 18, 1944, then returned to the air (again on CBS) November 5, 1948 – July 29, 1949. The 1948 edition replaced a giveaway show, ''Everybody Wins''. Its third and final incarnation on radio was a bit more complicated, as explained on The Digital Deli Too website:

The emerging popularity of between three and five other popular playhouse formats of the early 1950s persuaded Philip Morris to resurrect its ''Philip Morris Playhouse'' a third time as ''Phillip Morris Playhouse On Broadway'', beginning with its initial CBS run on March 15, 1951. Emphasizing
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
productions, the subsequent series ran over CBS for twenty-six installments, only to jump to
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
on September 11, 1951. The series ran on NBC for the remainder of 1951, jumping back to CBS on January 13, 1952. CBS aired the remainder of the canon through September 2, 1953.

In 1951, a trade publication reported that the program's annual budget was $1 million.

Background and format

''Philip Morris Playhouse'' evolved from an earlier radio program, ''Johnny Presents'', which featured both music and a dramatic segment in each episode. That program's name referred to

Johnny Roventini Johnny Roventini, also known as John Louis Roventini and popularly as Johnny Philip Morris, (August 15, 1910 – November 30, 1998) was an American actor. Less than four feet tall as a fully developed adult, Roventini was working as a Bellho ...

(sometimes known as "Little Johnny"), a dwarf bellhop who made famous the advertising slogan "Call for Philip Morris." In 1939, the segments were separated to create two programs, a musical show featuring Johnny Green on NBC and the drama-oriented ''Philip Morris Playhouse'' on CBS. A newspaper article published when the show resumed in 1948 summarized its format as it replaced a giveaway show, saying, "Instead of a carload full of prizes, the listeners will get big-name Hollywood and Broadway stars in a weekly series based mostly on original scripts of a crime-mystery nature with a strong psychological element." The program did not have a regular cast, relying instead on guest actors and actresses from week to week. In the words of a 1949 article in Sponsor magazine, "''Playhouse'' uses name stars." Those featured during its time on the air compose a virtual Who's Who of entertainment. Sylvia Sidney, Claude Rains, Eddie Cantor,

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several prominent films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's '' L ...

Burgess Meredith Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed theater, film, and television. Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" and "on ...

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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 ...

Franchot Tone Stanislaus Pascal Franchot Tone (February 27, 1905 – September 18, 1968) was an American actor, producer, and director of stage, film and television. He was a leading man in the 1930s and early 1940s, and at the height of his career was known ...

, Raymond Massey,

Pat O'Brien Pat O'Brien may refer to: Politicians * Pat O'Brien (Canadian politician) (born 1948), member of the Canadian House of Commons *Pat O'Brien (Irish politician) (c. 1847–1917), Irish Nationalist MP in the United Kingdom Parliament Others *Pat O'Br ...

Brian Donlevy Waldo Brian Donlevy (February 9, 1901 – April 6, 1972) was an American actor, noted for playing dangerous tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. He usually appeared in supporting roles. Among his best-known films are '' Beau Geste'' (19 ...

and George Raft are but a sample of the overall list. With stars changing from week to week, responsibility for the quality and success of ''Philip Morris Playhouse'' lay largely in the hands of its director. For most of the program's run, that director was William Spier, who a 1949 magazine article said "is generally rated radio's top-notch creator of suspense-type dramas." Spier's dedication to quality was such that he took a recorder along on a vacation in Europe. After he returned, a magazine article reported, "He's come back with a batch of authentic sound effects for future use, among them the chimes of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the roar of n English

Channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...

storm and the characteristic sounds of European trains."

Sponsor

As the title indicates, ''Philip Morris Playhouse'' was sponsored by Philip Morris, a cigarette company. The company was active in old-time radio, with one source reporting, "Philip Morris and Company was ... one of the most prolific sponsors of Radio throughout the Golden Age," sponsoring more than 40 programs over the years. Having the company's name in the title essentially provided free advertising; every time the program's name appeared somewhere, it was more publicity for the Philip Morris company as well. The arrangement also had other effects, however. One history of old-time radio commented: "When a nationally known company sponsored a show, they were not only paying the bills, they were putting their image and reputation on the line. Especially if the show bore the name of the company.... So if there was any hanky-panky going on with the stars or with anyone connected with the show, it was a direct reflection of the prestige and image of the sponsoring product. Not only that – it hurt sales." Mott, Robert L. (2000). ''Radio Live! Television Live!: Those Golden Days when Horses were Coconuts''. McFarland & Company, Ind. . pp. 22–23.

Philip Morris Intercollegiate Acting Competition

In the 1950s, ''Philip Morris Playhouse On Broadway'' offered an unusual opportunity for college students. For three seasons, the Philip Morris Intercollegiate Acting Competition gave each winning student a role in one episode and $250 for the performance. Additionally, at the end of each season, one overall winner was selected. He or she received $2,000 and an opportunity to perform in a stage production. One website reported, "Reaching out to college campuses across the nation, ''Philip Morris Playhouse On Broadway'' afforded a total of forty-two aspiring thespians the chance to perform opposite some of the finest Film and Stage performers of the era."

Robert Culp Robert Martin Culp (August 16, 1930 – March 24, 2010) was an American actor widely known for his work in television. Culp earned an international reputation for his role as Kelly Robinson on ''I Spy'' (1965–1968), the espionage television se ...

and

James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy ...

were two of the competition's winners. The competition was promoted via advertisements in newspapers on college campuses. In a typical ad, part of the text read,

ATTENTION ALL COLLEGE STUDENTS. Every Tuesday Evening over NBC, PHILIP MORRIS PLAYHOUSE presents an Outstanding College Student Featured with Famous Hollywood Stars in the PHILLIP MORRIS Intercollegiate Acting Competition.

TV version

A short-lived television version of ''Philip Morris Playhouse'' ran on CBS from October 8, 1953, until March 4, 1954.

Kent Smith Frank Kent Smith (March 19, 1907 – April 23, 1985) was an American actor who had a lengthy career in film, theatre and television. Early years Smith was the son of Mr. and Mrs. James E. Smith. He was born in New York City and was educated ...

was the host for the program, which one reference source said "was hastily ordered by sponsor Philip Morris after its first offering in that time slot, ''Pentagon Confidential'', was blasted by the critics." McNeil, Alex (1996). ''Total Television''. Penguin Books USA, Inc. . P. 659. Broadcast live from New York, the episodes' genres varied from comedy to melodrama. Stars included

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'', ...

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 ...

, Franchot Tone and

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

.Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1979). ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows: 1946-Present''. Ballantine Books. . P. 494.

Joseph Papp Joseph Papp (born Joseph Papirofsky; June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an American theatrical producer and director. He established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in Lower Manhattan. There Papp created ...

served as director for the series as he had more TV experience than any of the directors from the radio version.

Episodes

Selected episodes are listed below.

1941

1942

References

External links

Eight episodes of ''Philip Morris Playhouse'' are available for streaming from Archive.org.

* ttp://www.otrsite.com/logs/logp1026.htm Program log for ''Philip Morris Playhouse'' from Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs {{Philip Morris International 1939 radio programme debuts 1953 radio programme endings 1930s American radio programs 1940s American radio programs 1950s American radio programs 1948 American television series debuts 1949 American television series endings 1951 American television series debuts 1953 American television series endings American radio dramas CBS Radio programs CBS original programming NBC original programming