Face of a Hero (Playhouse 90)

"Face of a Hero"
Playhouse 90 episode
Jack Lemmon in "Face of a Hero"
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 13
Directed byJohn Frankenheimer
Written byRobert L. Joseph (adaptation), Pierre Boulle (novel)
Original air dateJanuary 1, 1959 (1959-01-01)
Running time1:29:55
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Face of a Hero" is an American television play broadcast on January 1, 1959 as part of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90. John Frankenheimer was the director and John Houseman the producer. The cast included Jack Lemmon and Rip Torn.

Plot

Prosecutor David Poole is pressured to seek the death penalty for a murder committed by Harold Rutland, the son of a wealthy man. Poole knows that the death was an accident because he was present, but out of sight, at the time and saw that the victim was inebriated and fell from the bluff. In his grief, Rutland falsely confesses to murder. Rather than ruin his own reputation by telling what he saw, Poole proceeds with the prosecution and does so with zeal.[1][2]

Cast

The cast included the following:[1][3]

Dana Wynter hosted the broadcast.

Production

The program aired on January 1, 1959, on the CBS television series Playhouse 90. John Houseman was the producer and John Frankenheimer the director. Robert L. Joseph wrote the teleplay based on the novel La Face (1956) by Pierre Boulle.[1][3]

Reception

John P. Shanley of The New York Times called it "a competent dramatization" told in "provocative terms", though the production moved at a pace that "sometimes was too swift." He added that Jack Lemmon gave "a convincing performance".[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Playhouse 90: Face of a Hero". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  2. ^ William Ewald (January 2, 1959). "Playhouse 90 Director Breathes Life Into Play". Register-Guard (UPI story). p. 8A – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Playhouse 90, Season 3". The Classic TV Archive. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  4. ^ John P. Shanley (January 2, 1959). "Intriguing Drama: 'Face of a Hero' Is Told in Provocative Terms in R. L. Joseph's Adaptation". The New York Times. p. 45.