The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre

The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre is an American anthology series that aired live on NBC Mondays at 8 pm EST from September 27, 1948 to June 26, 1950.[1] The program presented both news headlines and live dramatic performances of either original plays or works adapted for television from the stage. Sometimes the show was referred to as Chevrolet on Broadway or The Broadway Playhouse; particularly when the program was presenting an adapted stage work from New York City's theatre scene.[1]

The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
Also known asChevrolet on Broadway
The Broadway Playhouse
GenreAnthology
Written byTad Mosel
Emlyn Williams
Ernest Kinoy
Directed byBarry Bernard
Garry Simpson
Gordon Duff (director)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes82
Production
EditorVic McLeod
Running time25 minutes
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseSeptember 27, 1948 (1948-09-27) –
June 26, 1950 (1950-06-26)

The sponsor was Chevrolet, an automobile division of General Motors.[2] Beginning with the January 4, 1949, episode, the Chevrolet Central Office of General Motors was the sponsor, replacing Chevrolet dealers' groups.[3]

Production

Vic McLeod produced the program.[4] Barry Bernard and Garry Simpson were the directors. The program originated from WNBT.[5]

Effective January 24, 1949, the program was moved to the 8:30-9 p.m. Eastern Time slot on Mondays. That change allowed it to be shown live in the Midwest, via use of coaxial cable, rather than just in the East as had been the case in its previous time slot (30 minutes earlier on Mondays). The change meant that it was shown simultaneously on 12 NBC stations.[6]

Critical reception

A review of the January 31, 1949, broadcast in the trade publication Variety called the episode "a neat comedy playlet" that featured "sharp lines snappily rendered by two vet thespers".[7] It also complimented the way the one-act play was adapted for television.[7]

Episode status

One episode from October 1949 is stored at the Library of Congress, along with three other episodes from that year, plus an episode from 1950. There are five kinescope recordings of 1948 programs also archived at Library of Congress, and an interview with one of the people involved in the production appears on the Archives of American Television Web Site. However, these aging 69+ year old kinescope film prints have yet to be transferred to modern media to ensure the survival of the episodes.

Episodes
Partial List of Episodes of The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
DateEpisode TitleActors
November 22, 1948"The Flattering Word"ZaSu Pitts[8]
January 31, 1949"All's Fair"Mary Boland, Roland Young, Patricia Kirkland, Kevin McCarthy[7]
November 21, 1949"Hart to Heart"Donald Curtis, Miriam Hopkins, Charles Martin[9]
December 19, 1949"The Priceless Gift"Lee Tracy, Mary Patton, Maurice Franklin, Harry Hugenot[10]
December 26, 1949"I Cover Times Square"Harold Huber, Jean Carson, Adrienne Bayon[11]
February 20, 1950"Once to Every Boy"Carmen Mathews, Billy James, Howard Smith[12]
May 29, 1950"Letter to Edith"Nelson Olmstead, Alfreda Wallace[13]
June 26, 1950"The Veranda"Hiram Sherman, Nydia Westman[14]

Guest stars

Jonathan Harris's TV debut came on The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre in the 1949 episode "His Name Is Jason".[15]

Other actors who appeared in the series included:

See also

References
  1. Earle Marsh, Tim Brooks (1979). "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, 1946-present". Ballantine Books. p. 145. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
  2. Zimmers, Tighe E. (May 7, 2021). That's Entertainment: A Biography of Broadway Composer Arthur Schwartz. McFarland. p. 212. ISBN 978-1-4766-7881-8. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  3. Small, Florence (January 3, 1949). "TV Commercials: Chevrolet Assn. Humanizes Service". Broadcasting. p. 3. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  4. McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 822. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  5. "This Week ---- Debuts, Highlights, Changes". Ross Reports. September 18, 1949. p. 1. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  6. "Chevvy (sic) Show Moves Up For Wider Coverage". Variety. January 26, 1949. p. 31. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  7. "Tele Follow-up Comment". Variety. February 2, 1949. p. 28. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  8. Stumpf, Charles (April 13, 2010). ZaSu Pitts: The Life and Career. McFarland. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-7864-6023-6.
  9. Ellenberger, Allan R. (January 12, 2018). Miriam Hopkins: Life and Films of a Hollywood Rebel. University Press of Kentucky. p. 291. ISBN 978-0-8131-7432-7. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  10. "Monday, December 19". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. December 18, 1949. p. 5. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  11. "Monday, December 26". Ross Reports. December 25, 1949. p. 4. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  12. "Monday, February 20". Ross Reports. February 18, 1950. p. 4.
  13. "Television Highlights of the Week". The Boston Globe. May 28, 1590. p. 30-A. Retrieved May 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Television Highlights of the Week". The Boston Globe. June 25, 1950. p. 4-A. Retrieved May 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Gaughan, Gavin (December 17, 2002). "Jonathan Harris". The Guardian. England, London. p. 16. Retrieved April 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. Deane, Pamala S. (October 1, 2014). James Edwards: African American Hollywood Icon. McFarland. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-7864-5816-5. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  17. Irvin, Richard (September 11, 2017). Film Stars' Television Projects: Pilots and Series of 50+ Movie Greats, 1948-1985. McFarland. p. 153. ISBN 978-1-4766-2843-1. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
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