Matinee Theater 68 years old

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.

Credits

Cast

Name Character
Richard Jaeckel He was 29 , 70 years old when he died
Angie Dickinson She was 24 , now 92 years old
Lawrence Dobkin He was 36 , 83 years old when he died
K. T. Stevens She was 36 , 74 years old when she died
Joe De Santis He was 46 , 80 years old when he died
Richard Anderson He was 29 , 91 years old when he died
Dennis Hopper He was 19 , 74 years old when he died
Geraldine Page She was 30 , 62 years old when she died
Rita Moreno She was 23 , now 92 years old
Wendy Hiller She was 43 , 90 years old when she died
Betty Lynn She was 29 , now 97 years old
Richard Crenna He was 28 , 76 years old when he died
Werner Klemperer He was 35 , 80 years old when he died
Roger Moore He was 28 , 89 years old when he died
Akim Tamiroff He was 56 , 72 years old when he died
Vincent Price He was 44 , 82 years old when he died
Agnes Moorehead She was 54 , 73 years old when she died
Paul Maxwell He was 33 , 70 years old when he died
Jack Nicholson He was 18 , now 86 years old as Musician's Son
DeForest Kelley He was 35 , 79 years old when he died
John Carradine He was 49 , 82 years old when he died
Cloris Leachman She was 29 , now 97 years old
Earl Holliman He was 27 , now 95 years old
Regis Toomey He was 57 , 93 years old when he died
Marie Windsor She was 35 , 80 years old when she died
Sidney Blackmer He was 60 , 78 years old when he died
Leif Erickson He was 44 , 74 years old when he died
Cathy Downs She was 31 , 52 years old when she died
Jim Backus He was 42 , 76 years old when he died
Nina Foch She was 31 , 84 years old when she died
Peter Graves He was 29 , 83 years old when he died
Edward Binns He was 39 , 74 years old when he died
Vanessa Brown She was 27 , 71 years old when she died
Naomi Stevens She was 29 , 92 years old when she died
Miriam Hopkins She was 53 , 69 years old when she died
Hayden Rorke He was 45 , 76 years old when he died
Dean Stockwell He was 19 , now 88 years old
Michael Landon He was 19 , 54 years old when he died
Darryl Hickman He was 24 , now 92 years old
Bradford Dillman He was 25 , 87 years old when he died
Natalie Trundy She was 15 , 79 years old when she died
Ellen Corby She was 44 , 87 years old when she died
Shelley Fabares She was 11 , now 80 years old
Cedric Hardwicke He was 62 , 71 years old when he died
Lois Smith She was 24 , now 93 years old
Roddy McDowall He was 27 , 70 years old when he died
William Hopper He was 40 , 55 years old when he died
Maidie Norman She was 43 , 85 years old when she died
Victor Jory He was 52 , 79 years old when he died
Harry Carey, Jr. He was 34 , 91 years old when he died

Crew

Name Job title
Frank D. Gilroy Writing He was 30 , 89 years old when he died Writer
Boris Sagal Directing He was 32 , 57 years old when he died Director
Helene Hanff Writing She was 39 , 80 years old when she died Writer
Walter Grauman Directing He was 33 , 93 years old when he died Director
Dale Wasserman Writing He was 40 , 94 years old when he died Writer
Dennis Patrick Directing He was 37 , 84 years old when he died Director
Matinee Theater (68 years)

Ended

  • First Air Date: 1955-10-31
  • Runtime: [60] minutes
  • Number of Episodes: 574