Hallmark Hall of Fame

This article is about the television program. For the radio program that once had the same name, see Hallmark Playhouse.
Hallmark Hall of Fame
GenreAnthology
Written byRobert Hartung
Jean Holloway
Helene Hanff
Gian Carlo Menotti
Directed byGeorge Schaefer
William Corrigan
Albert McCleery
Kirk Browning
Fielder Cook
Jeannot Szwarc
John Erman
ComposersGian Carlo Menotti
Bernard Green
Richard Addinsell
Jerry Goldsmith
Bruce Broughton
Morton Stevens
John Kander
Ed Shearmur
Marvin Hamlisch
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons69
No. of episodes260 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersGeorge Schaefer
Brent Shields
ProducersMaurice Evans
Samuel Chotzinoff
Phil C. Samuel
Robert Hartung
CinematographyFreddie Young
EditorsHenry Batista
Robert L. Swanson
Sam Gold (editor)
Richard K. Brockway
Running time30–150 minutes
Production companiesHallmark Hall of Fame Productions (1951–2016)
Crown Media Productions (2016–present)
Original release
Network
ReleaseDecember 24, 1951 (1951-12-24) –
present
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)
A production of Dial M for Murder, L–R: John Williams, Maurice Evans, and Rosemary Harris (1958)
A production of The Tempest, L–R: Lee Remick, Maurice Evans, Roddy McDowall and William Bassett (1960)

Hallmark Hall of Fame, originally called Hallmark Television Playhouse, is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City–based greeting card company. It is the longest-running prime-time series in the history of television; it began airing in 1951 and aired on network television until 2014, with episodes largely limited to one film in a span of several months[1] since the 1980s. Since 1954, all of its productions have been broadcast in color. It was one of the first video productions to telecast in color,[2] a rarity in the 1950s. Many television films have been shown on the program since its debut, though the program began with live telecasts of dramas and then changed to videotaped productions before finally changing to filmed ones.

The series has received eighty-one Emmy Awards,[3] dozens [specify] of Christopher and Peabody Awards,[4] nine Golden Globes,[3] and Humanitas Prizes.[4] Once a common practice during the formative years of American television, it is one of the last remaining television programs where the title includes the name of its sponsor. Unlike other long-running TV series still on the air, it differs in that it broadcasts only occasionally and not on a weekly broadcast programming schedule.

The Hall of Fame films are made with production values and a budget that is comparable to that of a feature film.[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference mch was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Hallmark of Firsts". Broadcasting & Cable. February 18, 2001. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  3. ^ a b de Moraes, Lisa (February 9, 2016). "Crown Media Holdings Takes Over 'Hallmark Hall of Fame' Franchise". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on February 7, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Goodale, Gloria (February 2, 2001). "A 'drive-in' 50th for Hallmark series". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  5. ^ Pierce, Scott (February 3, 2001). "Hallmark celebrates its 50th anniversary". Deseret News. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2018.