Matinee Theater

60 min 5.3/10

Season 1 • Episode 32 — This One is Different

Matinee Theater is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1955 to 1958. The series, which ran daily in the afternoon, was frequently live. It was produced by Albert McCleery, Darrell Ross, George Cahan and Frank Price with executive producer George Lowther. McCleery had previously produced the live series Cameo Theatre which introduced to television the concept of theater-in-the-round, TV plays staged with minimal sets. Jim Buckley of the Pewter Plough Playhouse recalled: When Al McCleery got back to the States, he originated a most ambitious theatrical TV series for NBC called Matinee Theater: to televise five different stage plays per week live, airing around noon in order to promote color TV to the American housewife as she labored over her ironing. Al was the producer. He hired five directors and five art directors. Richard Bennett, one of our first early presidents of the Pewter Plough Corporation, was one of the directors and I was one of the art directors and, as soon as we were through televising one play, we had lunch and then met to plan next week’s show. That was over 50 years ago, and I’m trying to think; I believe the TV art director is his own set decorator —yes, of course! It had to be, since one of McCleery’s chief claims to favor with the producers was his elimination of the setting per se and simply decorating the scene with a minimum of props. It took a bit of ingenuity.

John Conte

Seasons & Episodes

1Beginning Now2Make Believe Mother3The Persistent Image4I'm Straight with the World5Progress and Minnie Sweeney6The House on Wildwood Lane7Beyond a Reasonable Doubt8One for the Road9An Apple for Miss Myrtle10The Man Without a Country11Jigsaw12She's the One with the Funny Face13All the Hoffmeyers in the World14The Aspern Papers15Roman Fever16Midsummer17The Lady Chooses18The Courtship of Miles Standish19Dispossessed20One for the Road21The Touchstone22Wuthering Heights23The Brass Ring24Jason25Arrowsmith26Passing Strange27For These Services28Cordially - With Bombs29The White Oaks30O'Toole from Moscow31The Milwaukee Rocket32This One is Different33Sins of the Fathers34See You on Sunday35Coming of Age36Technique37Gallin: All-American38Santa is No Saint39The Unwelcomed40The Red Sanders Story41Class of '5842Horns of the Dilemma43Little Girls Grow Up44The Shot45Mr. Krane46Yesterday is Gone47Double Door48The Happy Rest49The Gate50One Left Over51All the Trees in the Field52The Century Plant53Friday the 13th54The Old Maid55Mother Was a Bachelor56The Bottom of the River57The Carefree Tree58Interlude59The Big Box60Sincerely Yours, Charlie Fisher61Doc62The Amateur63Light and Shadow64Romney65O Promise Me66Hold My Hand and Run67Dark Possession68The Diamond69Susan and God70As Young As You Feel71The White Knight72The Anxious Years73The Heart of Mary Lincoln74The Middle Son75Valentine's Day76Summer Cannot Last77The Last Battlefield78The Catbird Seat79Dream House80The Runaways81The Ledger82When the Bough Breaks83I Want to March84Skylark85Tall, Dark Stranger86Anything But Love87Robin Daw88Letter to a Stranger89Dinner at Antoine's90The Mating of Watkins Tottle91Her Son's Wife92The Shining Palace93The Odd Ones94A Cowboy for Chris95The Rocking Chair96The Big Guy97Statute of Limitations98The Baron and the Banshees99Notebook Warrior100Temptation for a King101The White Knight102The Anxious Years103M is for the Many104Silent Partner105Winter in April106Bread Upon the Waters107The Giant Killer108The Book of Ruth109Singer in the Valley110The Heart of a Husband111From the Desk of Margaret Tydings112But You Look Like Sisters113The House of Seven Gables114Fiddlin' Man115The Hollow Woman116People in Glass117One of the Family118Young Hands, Young Feet119The Lark Shall Sing120In Dread of Winter121The Babylonian Heart122Ask Me No Questions123Whom Death Has Joined Together124The Wedding125The Reckoning126A Woman Named Ruby127The Bright Boy128The Carefree Tree129Graybeards and Witches130The Legend of Jenny Lind131Daughter of the Seventh Day132Night Must Fall133The 25th Hour134A Man and His Maid135Perspective136The Catamaran137Johnny Came Marching Home138A Family Affair139Blind Date140To Have and to Hold141Edwina Black142The Spare Room143The Bottle Imp144Brief Music145The Girl from Boro Park146To Whom It May Concern147Bachelor Buttons148The Children of Papa Juan149Herself Alone150Three for the Money151Taxi to the Moon152The Goodtime Boys153The American154Cause for Suspicion155Fight the Whole World156Autumn Crocus157George Has a Birthday158The Serpent's Tooth159Crime at Blossom's160The Luck of Amos Currie161Alison's House162Safe Place163The Guest Cottage164Forsaking All Others165Love, Honor and O'Day166The Damask Cheek167Moon Over168But Fear Itself169The Birthday Present170The Ghost of Greenwich Village171The Young and the Damned172There's Always Juliet173Seasoned Timber174The Declaration175High Places176Black Chiffon177Class of '58178Marriage by the Millions179Backfire180The Bishop Misbehaves181Remittance182Beg, Borrow or Steal183Summer Pavilion184The Feast185A Full, Rich Life186The Reverberator187Woman at the Window188Another Sky189Letter of Introduction190Home at Seven191The Cypress Tree192Belong to Me193Pygmalion Jones194Gretel195Some Man Will Want You196The Fall of the House of Usher197Cupid Rode a Horse198The Old Payola199The Perfect Alibi

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