Actors Studio (TV series)

This article is about the television series. For the professional association, see Actors Studio. For the Bravo cable TV series which began in 1994, see Inside the Actors Studio.
Actors Studio
Also known asThe Play's the Thing
GenreDrama
Directed byRalph Warren (1948)
David Pressman (1948–50)
Fred Carr (1949)
Alex Segal (1949–50)
Yul Brynner (1949–50)
Presented byMarc Connelly
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes65
Production
ProducersDonald Davis (1949–50)
Hume Cronyn
Production companyActors Studio
Original release
NetworkABC (September 26, 1948 – October 26, 1949)
CBS (November 1, 1949 – June 23, 1950)
ReleaseSeptember 26, 1948 (1948-09-26) –
June 23, 1950 (1950-06-23)
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Actors Studio is an American television series that was hosted by Marc Connelly. It originally aired on ABC from September 26, 1948 to October 26, 1949 and then on CBS from November 1, 1949, to June 23, 1950. It was one of the first series to be picked up by a network after being cancelled by another network.[1] CBS departed from its own precedent when it took the World Video-owned series. Until then it had not shown any sustaining programs that were not owned (at least partially) by CBS.[2]

The series showcased short pieces of adapted, classic and original drama, performed and produced live each week from New York.[3] Among some of the known authors were William Saroyan, James Thurber, Ring Lardner, Edgar Allan Poe, Irwin Shaw and Budd Schulberg. Featured actors included Martin Balsam, Richard Boone, Marlon Brando, Hume Cronyn, Julie Harris, Jean Muir and Jessica Tandy. Recurring performers included Jocelyn Brando, Tom Ewell, Steven Hill, Kim Hunter and Cloris Leachman.

In February 1950, the series moved to Friday nights and was expanded to one hour, alternating every other week with broadcasts of Ford Theatre. In March, the name of the show was changed to The Play's the Thing.[4]

The series received a Peabody Award in 1949, being cited for its "outstanding contribution to the art of television".[5] Henry S. White of World Video Inc. produced the series, and Donald Davis was the director.[6] It originated from WCBS-TV.[7]

The series had no sponsors, which led to a reduction in funds available for purchasing rights to properties for adaptation. The result of that change was a shift from "well-known one-act plays" to short stories".[8]

  1. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007 (Volume 1). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3305-6.
  2. ^ "CBS Surprises, Goes Outside For 'Studio'". Billboard. November 5, 1949. p. 7. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  3. ^ 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. 14. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  4. ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (24 June 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  5. ^ "Radio and Television: Peabody Awards Presented at Hotel Roosevelt -- Two Video Shows Are Honored". The New York Times. April 22, 1949. p. 46. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  6. ^ "Radio and Television: C. B. S. Video Network to Offer Tuesdays 'Actor's Studio,' Dropped by A. B. C.". The New York Times. October 29, 1949. p. 28. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  7. ^ "Dramatic Shows". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. November 27, 1949. p. 5. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  8. ^ Hawes, William (November 16, 2015). Live Television Drama, 1946-1951. McFarland. pp. 34–35. ISBN 978-1-4766-0849-5. Retrieved June 7, 2022.