Sincerely, Willis Wayde (Playhouse 90)

"Sincerely, Willis Wayde"
Playhouse 90 episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 11
Directed byVincent J. Donehue
Written byFrank Gilroy (TV adaptation), John P. Marquand (novel)
Original air dateDecember 13, 1956 (1956-12-13)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Sincerely, Willis Wayde" was an American television play broadcast on December 13, 1956, as part of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90. It was the 11th episode of the first season of Playhouse 90.

Plot

An ambitious and ruthless young man utilizes duplicity to climb from poverty to wealth and power. Wayde becomes the protege of a mill operator, Henry Harcourt, and courts his daughter, Bess Harcourt.

Cast

Production

John P. Marquand's novel, Sincerely, Willis Wade, chronicling the rise of its ambitious and ruthless protagonist from boyhood to the presidency of a great industrial corporation, was released in early 1955.[1]

CBS acquired the television rights to Marquand's novel in June 1956. Frank D. Gilroy was hired to adapt the story for television, and Martin Manulis was the producer.[2] Vincent J. Donehue was the director.[3]

Manulis tried to sign Van Heflin for the title role,[2] but Peter Lawford ultimately cast in the role. Sarah Churchill, the daughter of Winston Churchill, played the role Bess Harcourt.[4] Rudy Vallee had been signed to play the part of Roger Harcourt,[5] but he withdrew in the days prior to the broadcast.[6]

The program was first broadcast on the CBS television series Playhouse 90 from 9:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 13, 1956.[7]

Reception

In The New York Times, J.P. Shanley called it "gratifying television" and "a drama of unusual substance". The Times also praised Donehue's intelligent direction and the performances of Lawford, Churchill, and Bickford.[3]

In The Boston Globe, Mary Cremmen wrote that Lawford "decidedly arrived" as he "commanded the role of the clever, conniving son of a millhand."[8]

Another critic praised the expressiveness of "Lawford's eyes -- the viewer could read joy, hate and coolness in them."[9]

References

  1. ^ Orville Prescott (February 25, 1955). "Books of The Times". The New York Times. p. 19.
  2. ^ a b Oscar Godbout (June 4, 1956). "Video Rights to 'Sincerely, Willis Wayde,' Novel by Marquand, Acquired by C.B.S." The New York Times. p. 53.
  3. ^ a b J.P.S. (December 14, 1956). "TV Review: Peter Lawford Stars as Willis Wayde". The New York Times. p. 59.
  4. ^ Gene Inge (December 8, 1956). ""Sincerely, Willis Wayde" on Playhouse 90". Daily News-Post. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Rudy Vallee Joins All-Star Cast of "Sincerely, Willis Wayde"". The Keplen Journal. December 6, 1956 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "News Around the Dials". New York Daily News. December 7, 1956 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "What's Doing". The News and Observer. December 12, 1956 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "TV Notebook". The Boston Globe. December 14, 1956.
  9. ^ "Clearing the Air". Moline Daily Dispatch. December 15, 1956. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.