Academy Theatre
GenreDrama
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerF. Curtis Canfield
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseJuly 25 (1949-07-25) –
September 12, 1949 (1949-09-12)

Academy Theatre is an American drama anthology television series that aired on NBC from July 25, 1949, to September 12, 1949.[1] It ran for eight weeks as the summer replacement for Chevrolet on Broadway.[2]

Format

The series utilized a different cast each week who appeared in short works by established playwrights. The plays were broadcast live from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday nights.[2]

Selected episodes

TitlePlaywrightOriginal airdateCast
The Stolen PrinceDan TotherohAugust 1, 1949Shirley Dale, Ian MacDonald
Drums of OudeAustin StrongAugust 8, 1949Richard Newton, Emily Lawrence, Peter Pagan[3]
In the Shadow of the GlenJ.M. SyngeAugust 15, 1949Anne Jackson, Barry McCullen, Peter Wynn, Paul Anderson[4]
Summer Comes to the Diamond ORobert FinchAugust 29, 1949Jack Davis
Aria da CapoEdna St. Vincent MillaySeptember 5, 1949Michael Higgins

Development

In April 1949, Charles R. Denny, NBC executive vice-president and a graduate of Amherst College, arranged for a production of Julius Caesar to be broadcast to 14 cities nationwide. The play was performed by the Amherst College Masquers and directed by F. Curtis Canfield, a professor at Amherst and director of Amherst's Kirby Theatre. The broadcast marked the first time that an entire play by Shakespeare aired on television.[5]

During the following summer, Canfield (who would later become the first dean of the Yale School of Drama), again collaborated with NBC to bring a series of one-act plays to the network. Academy Theatre was the result.[6]

During a sabbatical as an NBC producer, Canfield convinced the network to create Masterpiece Playhouse, one-hour productions of seven classic plays including Hedda Gabler, Uncle Vanya, and Othello. Broadcast in 1950, each play was produced for the "heavy-budget" sum of $10,000.[7]

Production

Canfield was the producer, and Mark Hawley was the director.[8]

Critical response

After two episodes of the show had been broadcast, a reviewer wrote in The New York Times that broadcasting of Academy Theatre "is certainly a move by which both the industry and the audience will be served."[8] Adams commended the initial presentation, The Stolen Prince, despite pointing out its flaws, because "many viewers in the television audience might now have some conception of Chinese drama".[8] Adams said that the second episode, Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers, "had a refreshing charm seldom achieved by a television production."[8]

A review of "The Drums of Oude" in the trade publication Variety described the episode as "pretty academic", adding, "There was hardly a trace of real emotion or suspense in this drama ...".[9] The review placed most of the blame on "an uninspiring script" laden with stereotypes.[9] Additionally, the review concluded, "... the staging was inept and the cast phony and stiff."[9]

References

  1. ↑ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 12. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. 1 2 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  3. ↑ Hawes, William (November 16, 2015). Live Television Drama, 1946-1951. McFarland. p. 257. ISBN 978-1-4766-0849-5. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  4. ↑ Stretch, Bud (August 15, 1949). "Air Waves". Courier-Post. New Jersey, Camden. p. 14. Retrieved August 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Shakespeare at Amherst Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  6. ↑ Canfield papers Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  7. ↑ "Noble experiment". (September 4, 1950). Time. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Adams, Val (August 7, 1949). "Television in Review: NBC Offers Two Series of Drama Shows, 'Academy Theatre' and 'Lights Out'". The New York Times. p. X 7. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 "Tele Followup". Variety. August 10, 1949. p. 40. Retrieved August 6, 2023.


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