Robert Montgomery Presents
Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox television
Robert Montgomery Presents is an American drama television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950, until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its eight-year run, and the title was altered to feature the sponsor, usually Lucky Strike cigarettes, for example, Robert Montgomery Presents Your Lucky Strike Theater, ....The Johnson's Wax Program, and so on.
Evolution
Initially offering hour-long dramas adapted from successful Hollywood films, the series was hosted and produced by Robert Montgomery. His presence lent a degree of respectability to the new medium of television, and he was able to persuade many of his Hollywood associates to appear.Template:Citation needed Montgomery introduced each episode and also acted in many episodes.
The program was noted for the high level of production values and the consistent attempt to present quality entertainment within the constraints of a live presentation. A drama built around the Hindenburg disaster, including interviews with survivors of the actual event, was one example of the ambitious nature of the program. In the 1950–51 season, the series finished #11 in the Nielsen ratings, followed by finishing #26 in 1951–52.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Productions
The debut episode was W. Somerset Maugham's The Letter, starring Madeleine Carroll in her television debut.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The broadcast raised concern with regard to how television rights to a story related to film rights to the same story. Warner Bros. produced the film The Letter (1940), and after the TV broadcast studio executives considered suing NBC and others connected with the program for copyright infringement.<ref name=v>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
During its first season, the movie adaptations included Rebecca, The Egg and I, Dark Victory and Montgomery's Ride the Pink Horse. Over the following seasons it adapted highly respected works but also showcased new writers and original dramas written expressly for the series. On Christmas Eve 1956, in a departure from its usual non-musical format, the series telecast Gian-Carlo Menotti's opera Amahl and the Night Visitors, which had already become an annual television event.
From 1952, a repertory cast appeared on the show along with guest artists (and featured during the series' Summer Theater seasons as well). Montgomery's daughter, Elizabeth Montgomery, made her acting debut as a repertory player in 1951 and remained with the show until 1956. Cliff Robertson also made his acting debut as part of the same group in 1954.
The announcer was Nelson Case.<ref>Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1952). The 1952 Radio Annual. Radio Daily Corp. P. 934.</ref>
On November 20, 1950, the program presented "The Canterville Ghost", starring Cecil Parker and Margaret O'Brien.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Guest stars
Notable guest stars included: Template:Div col
- Luther Adler
- Brian Aherne
- Eddie Albert
- Robert Alda
- Mary Astor
- Jean-Pierre Aumont
- Jim Backus
- Fay Bainter
- Barbara Bel Geddes
- Constance Bennett
- Edna Best
- Claire Bloom
- Lee Bowman
- Ray Boyle
- Lloyd Bridges
- Sally Brophy<ref name="ATG&B">Talent ShowSheet May 25-31, 1953: Monday May 25. Ross Reports. May 24, 1953. p. 7. Retrieved June 10, 2024.</ref>
- Vanessa Brown
- James Cagney
- Madeleine Carroll
- John Cassavetes
- Gage Clarke (as Gage Clark)<ref name="ATG&B"/>
- Claudette Colbert
- Jackie Cooper
- Aneta Corsaut
- Kathleen Crowley
- Robert Culp
- Robert Cummings
- James Dean
- Gloria DeHaven
- Charles Drake<ref name="8-4-56">"Mon. 9:30 P.M.; Robert Montgomery Presents". The Times-Tribune. August 4, 1956. p. 5-A. Retrieved June 10, 2024.</ref>
- Joanne Dru
- James Dunn
- June Duprez
- Bill Erwin
- Tom Ewell
- Peter Falk
- Mary Fickett<ref name="8-4-56"/>
- Betty Field
- Geraldine Fitzgerald
- John Forsythe
- Peggy Ann Garner
- Dorothy Gish
- Lillian Gish
- Thomas Gomez
- Farley Granger
- Signe Hasso
- Hurd Hatfield
- June Havoc
- Helen Hayes
- Van Heflin
- Wanda Hendrix
- Charlton Heston
- Kim Hunter
- Diana Hyland
- Louis Jourdan
- Boris Karloff
- Grace Kelly
- Phyllis Kirk
- Elsa Lanchester
- Angela Lansbury
- Piper Laurie
- Anna Lee
- Jack Lemmon
- Audra Lindley
- June Lockhart
- Paul Lukas
- Diana Lynn
- Jeffrey Lynn
- Raymond Massey
- Osa Massen<ref name="RRreLoH">"Talent ShowSheet February 22-28, 1954; Monday February 22". Ross Reports. February 21, 1954. p. C. Retrieved June 10, 2024.</ref>
- Carole Mathews
- Walter Matthau
- Roddy McDowall
- Darren McGavin
- Dorothy McGuire
- Burgess Meredith
- Jan Miner<ref name="8-4-56"/>
- Elizabeth Montgomery
- Roger Moore
- Chester Morris
- John Newland<ref name="RRreLoH"/>
- Leslie Nielsen
- David Niven
- Margaret O'Brien
- Una O'Connor
- Gale Page
- Geraldine Page
- Vincent Price
- Ella Raines
- Lydia Reed
- Lee Remick
- Gena Rowlands
- Ann Rutherford
- Eva Marie Saint<ref name="ATG&B"/>
- Reinhold Schünzel
- Martha Scott
- Zachary Scott
- Anne Seymour<ref name="RRreLoH"/>
- Jane Seymour<ref name="RRreLoH"/>
- Alexis Smith
- Kent Smith
- Lois Smith<ref>"Today's Tops in TV". The San Francisco Examiner. December 26, 1955. p. 23. Retrieved June 10, 2024.</ref>
- Brett Somers
- Jean Stapleton
- Inger Stevens
- Grant Sullivan
- E.W. Swackhamer (as E.L. Swackhammer)<ref name="ATG&B"/>
- Joan Taylor<ref name="ATG&B"/>
- Franchot Tone
- Natalie Trundy (As Natalie Trunde)<ref name="ATG&B"/>
- Jo Van Fleet
- Mary K. Wells<ref name="8-4-56"/>
- Estelle Winwood
- Joanne Woodward
- Teresa Wright
- Jane Wyatt
- Gig Young
- Frank Wilson
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Nominated | Emmy Award | Best Dramatic Show |
| 1953 | Won | Best Dramatic Program | |
| 1954 | Nominated | Best Dramatic Show |
References
External links
- [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0042141
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- Pages with broken file links
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- 1950 American television series debuts
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- 1950s American drama television series
- Black-and-white American television shows
- American English-language television shows
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