Gruen Playhouse
Also known asGruen Guild Playhouse
StarringRaymond Burr
Bruce Cabot
Dane Clark
Ann Dvorak
Buddy Ebsen
Bonita Granville
Peter Graves (actor)
Carolyn Jones
Shirley Jones
Cameron Mitchell (actor)
Vincent Price
Marjorie Reynolds
Ann Rutherford
Ruth Warrick
Country of originUSA
Production
ProducerLeon Fromkess
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkABC (1951)
DuMont (1952)
ReleaseSeptember 27 (1951-09-27) (ABC)
January 17, 1952 (1952-01-17) (DuMont) –
December 20, 1951 (1951-12-20) (ABC)
August 7, 1952 (1952-08-07) (DuMont)

Gruen Playhouse is an American dramatic anthology series that was known as Gruen Guild Playhouse when it debuted on ABC on September 27, 1951.[1] "Guild" was dropped from the title when it was shown on the DuMont Television Network from January 17, 1952, until July 3, 1952.[2]

Sponsored by the Gruen Watch Company,[3] the series aired on ABC on Thursdays at 9:30pm ET, and on DuMont on Thursdays at 9pm ET.[2] From January to March 1952, Gruen Playhouse alternated with Shadow of the Cloak on DuMont.

The 30-minute dramas featured actors such as Carolyn Jones (in her TV debut), Raymond Burr (in his TV debut),[4] and Bonita Granville. An early episode was written by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.

Other actors who appeared on the series included Buddy Ebsen,[5] Elisabeth Fraser, Bobby Jordan, and Patrick O'Neal.[2]

Episodes

Partial List of Episodes of Gruen Playhouse
DateEpisodeActor(s)
April 24, 1952"The Tiger"Burr, Ludwig Donath[6]
May 15, 1952"Al Haddon's Lamp"Robert Hutton, Ebsen.[7]
August 12, 1952"Emergency"Hutton, Dorothy Patrick, John Hoyt[8]
September 9, 1952"The Leather Coat"Randy Stuart, Burr[9]
September 23, 1952"Face Value"Burr, Gabriel Curtis, Suzanne Dalbert[10]

Status

Two DuMont episodes are held in the collection of the UCLA Film and Television Archive, along with a single ABC episode. Another episode, Joe Santa Claus, aired December 20, 1951, starring Maria Palmer, Ray Montgomery (actor), and Houseley Stevenson first appeared in a DVD release from Mill Street Entertainment in 2010 called Holiday TV Classics. It is also available on the IMDb and Tubi sites for viewing.

Production

MCA was the program packager, and Gruen Playhouse was a product of Revue Productions.[1] Leon Fromkess was the producer.[11] Alex Gruenberg, Richard Irving, and Norman Lloyd were directors. When the program was on Dumont it originated on film from WABD-TV.[1]

Critical response

A review of the episode "The Leather Coat" in the trade publication Variety called Burr's portrayal of the villain "a topnotch performance" and said that Stuart and bill Phipps delivered "sensitive portrayals" of a young couple under duress.[12] The review also commended the direction, script, and production of the episode.[12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Gruen Playhouse". Ross Reports. May 1952. p. 6. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 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. 566. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  3. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 420. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  4. ↑ "Milestones: April 24". The Ottawa Citizen. April 24, 1999. p. 14. Retrieved November 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Arts festival looks to coincide with opening of museum". The Roanoke Times. April 13, 2008. p. 53. Retrieved November 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Drama". Newsday (Suffolk Edition). New York, Melville. April 24, 1952. p. 43. Retrieved November 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Television Highlights Tonight". Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. May 15, 1952. p. 31. Retrieved November 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Tuesday August 12". Ross Reports. August 11, 1952. p. 6. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Tuesday September 9". Ross Reports. September 7, 1952. p. 9. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Tuesday September 23". Ross Reports. September 21, 1952. p. 10. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  11. ↑ 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. 345. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  12. 1 2 "Gruen Playhouse". Variety. September 24, 1952. p. 24. Retrieved November 10, 2023.

Bibliography

  • David Weinstein, The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004) ISBN 1-59213-245-6
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