"The Time of Your Life" is a 1958 live television version of William Saroyan's play starring

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

, directed by Tom Donovan, and adapted by A. J. Russell. The telecast was shown on October 9, 1958 and was the third episode of the third season of the

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 ...

'' Playhouse 90''. The supporting cast features

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). Du ...

, Dick York, Betsy Palmer, Bert Freed,

Gloria Vanderbilt Gloria Laura Vanderbilt (February 20, 1924 – June 17, 2019) was an American artist, author, actress, fashion designer, heiress, and socialite. During the 1930s, she was the subject of a high-profile child custody trial in which her moth ...

and Dina Merrill. "Playhouse 90: 'The Time of Your Life' (TV)"
paleycenter.org, accessed December 23, 2015

Plot

The film follows the adventures of a group of regulars at Nick's 'Pacific Street Saloon, Restaurant and Entertainment Palace' in San Francisco. A sign outside tells people to come in as they are. At the center is the wealthy Joe, who has given up working to hold court at Nick's bar. He desires to live "a civilized life" without hurting anyone and believes the real truth in people is found in their dreams of themselves, not the hard facts of their actual existence.

Cast

as Joe *

as Nick * Dick York as Tom * Betsy Palmer as Kitty Duval * Bert Freed as Blick *

as Elsie * Dina Merrill as Mary * Bobby Van as Harry * Carlos Montalban as The Arab * James Barton as Kit Carson (Reprising his role from the Cagney film) * Terry Carter as Wesley *Lynne Forrester as Friend * Steve Franken as Willie *Billy M. Greene as The Drunk *Ray McHugh as The Newsboy *Jeri Archer as Killer

Production

Development

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

starring

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

had been released a decade earlier.

References

External links

* 1958 American television episodes 1958 television plays Playhouse 90 (season 3) episodes {{US-tv-episode-stub