Academy Theatre

Not to be confused with Academy Theater.
Academy Theatre
GenreDrama
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerF. Curtis Canfield
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseJuly 25 (1949-07-25) –
September 12, 1949 (1949-09-12)

Academy Theatre is an American drama anthology television series that aired on NBC from July 25, 1949, to September 12, 1949.[1] It ran for eight weeks as the summer replacement for Chevrolet on Broadway.[2]

Format

The series utilized a different cast each week who appeared in short works by established playwrights. The plays were broadcast live from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday nights.[2]

Selected episodes

Title Playwright Original airdate Cast
The Stolen Prince Dan Totheroh August 1, 1949 Shirley Dale, Ian MacDonald
Drums of Oude Austin Strong August 8, 1949 Richard Newton, Emily Lawrence, Peter Pagan[3]
In the Shadow of the Glen J.M. Synge August 15, 1949 Anne Jackson, Barry McCullen, Peter Wynn, Paul Anderson[4]
Summer Comes to the Diamond O Robert Finch August 29, 1949 Jack Davis
Aria da Capo Edna St. Vincent Millay September 5, 1949 Michael Higgins

Development

In April 1949, Charles R. Denny, NBC executive vice-president and a graduate of Amherst College, arranged for a production of Julius Caesar to be broadcast to 14 cities nationwide. The play was performed by the Amherst College Masquers and directed by F. Curtis Canfield, a professor at Amherst and director of Amherst's Kirby Theatre. The broadcast marked the first time that an entire play by Shakespeare aired on television.[5]

During the following summer, Canfield (who would later become the first dean of the Yale School of Drama), again collaborated with NBC to bring a series of one-act plays to the network. Academy Theatre was the result.[6]

During a sabbatical as an NBC producer, Canfield convinced the network to create Masterpiece Playhouse, one-hour productions of seven classic plays including Hedda Gabler, Uncle Vanya, and Othello. Broadcast in 1950, each play was produced for the "heavy-budget" sum of $10,000.[7]

Production

Canfield was the producer, and Mark Hawley was the director.[8]

Critical response

After two episodes of the show had been broadcast, a reviewer wrote in The New York Times that broadcasting of Academy Theatre "is certainly a move by which both the industry and the audience will be served."[8] Adams commended the initial presentation, The Stolen Prince, despite pointing out its flaws, because "many viewers in the television audience might now have some conception of Chinese drama".[8] Adams said that the second episode, Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers, "had a refreshing charm seldom achieved by a television production."[8]

A review of "The Drums of Oude" in the trade publication Variety described the episode as "pretty academic", adding, "There was hardly a trace of real emotion or suspense in this drama ...".[9] The review placed most of the blame on "an uninspiring script" laden with stereotypes.[9] Additionally, the review concluded, "... the staging was inept and the cast phony and stiff."[9]

References

  1. ^ 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. 12. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. ^ a b 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. 9. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  3. ^ Hawes, William (November 16, 2015). Live Television Drama, 1946-1951. McFarland. p. 257. ISBN 978-1-4766-0849-5. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  4. ^ Stretch, Bud (August 15, 1949). "Air Waves". Courier-Post. New Jersey, Camden. p. 14. Retrieved August 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Shakespeare at Amherst Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  6. ^ Canfield papers Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  7. ^ "Noble experiment". (September 4, 1950). Time. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
  8. ^ a b c d Adams, Val (August 7, 1949). "Television in Review: NBC Offers Two Series of Drama Shows, 'Academy Theatre' and 'Lights Out'". The New York Times. p. X 7. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c "Tele Followup". Variety. August 10, 1949. p. 40. Retrieved August 6, 2023.


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