John Conte
as Host
0%
0/574
Matinee Theater
1955
•
5.3
•
Drama
•
60m
US
• English
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.
Cast
Episodes
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Beginning Now
E1 60mNo image
Make Believe Mother
E2 60mA man who left his wife and infant son turns up years later. He drops in for a visit at the home of his now-married son and grandchildren. His sudden appearance and penchant for gambling wreak havoc in his son's home.
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The Persistent Image
E3 60mA once successful writer, who now verges on the alcoholic, makes one last attempt to sell his latest work. When this fails, he must decide which is more important, personal integrity or money.
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I'm Straight with the World
E4 60mThis is the tragic love story of a man and woman who fall in love as youngsters, but each married another.
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Progress and Minnie Sweeney
E5 60mA young intern tries to convince his fiance she shouldn't have the responsibility of supporting her divorced sister and the sister's child.
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The House on Wildwood Lane
E6 60mNo image
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
E7 60mNo image
One for the Road
E8 60mNo image
An Apple for Miss Myrtle
E9 60mNo image
The Man Without a Country
E10 60mNo image
Jigsaw
E11 60mAn elderly father is being pressured by his family to sell his orange groves to a real estate developer. He resists but starts to reconsider when he considers that his tomboy grandaughter could use the money to develope her singing career.
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She's the One with the Funny Face
E12 60mNo image
All the Hoffmeyers in the World
E13 60mDuring all the years of their married life, Helen has been bullied by her husband Phil--about the neglected house, her ill health and the care of their son. Lately, Phil has been seeing much of Ruth, their next-door-neighbor, whose husband Matt, according to Phil, is ""an unambitious cop."" A terrible accident reveals Phil as he really is.
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The Aspern Papers
E14 60mIn a Korean battle five Americans become detached from their company. They take over a hut in which they find and capture two North Korean soldiers, and an orphaned youngster. The boy soon becomes their mascot.
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Roman Fever
E15 60mA shy school principal and a rising young attorney are both in love with the same woman. A man who looks a great deal like Abraham Lincoln arrives in town as a summer boarder and becomes involved in the situation.
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Midsummer
E16 60mNo image
The Lady Chooses
E17 60mThe daughter and sister of a pretty widown decide to play Cupid. Both want to marry her off to a likely suitor. - Tv Guide
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The Courtship of Miles Standish
E18 60mA Polish merchant learns that his teen-age son and daughter have been won over to communism. He laboriously arranges an escape from the country, with his rebellious son virtually his prisoner. Even in Sweden their trouble continues, as the son informs on a priest who has aided their escape. - Tv Guide
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Dispossessed
E19 60mNo image
One for the Road
E20 60mA beautiful young socialite is found murdered.
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The Touchstone
E21 60mA middle-aged bachelor thus far has avoided matrimony. His friends, knowing he is in need of money, arrange a meeting with a prospective bride who might be willing to support a husband.
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Wuthering Heights
E22 60mA mother discovers she is falling in love with the man her daughter has married.
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The Brass Ring
E23 60mA meek little file clerk turns into a veritable tiger when his boss hires an efficiency expert. His file system has worked for 30 years. and he's not going to change it for an efficiency expert.
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Jason
E24 60mA husband has definite ideas about bringing up his children. He feels his way of life on an isolated island is better than letting his offspring be subjected to education and other ""cruelties"" of civilization.
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Arrowsmith
E25 60mThree generations come together to celebrate the grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. During the evening the newly wedded granddaughter insists on modeling her grandmother's wedding gown.
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Passing Strange
E26 60mA woman art instructor entering her 30s falls in love with a pupil younger than she. Her overbearing brother tries to convince the woman that the artist is only using her to further his career.
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For These Services
E27 60mFollowing the death of her husband, a widow insists on keeping his tailor shop open even though business is falling off. A long-time friend, who has been in love with her for many years, tries to convince the grief-stricken widow she is making a mistake by treating the shop as a shrine to her husband's memory.
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Cordially - With Bombs
E28 60mNo image
The White Oaks
E29 60mAn elderly man of letters supports his orphaned teen-age granddaughter. When he hires a young male secretary, the girl believes she has fallen in love. -Tv Guide
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O'Toole from Moscow
E30 60mNo image
The Milwaukee Rocket
E31 60mA young couple moves into the ground floor apartment of a mansion owned by an elderly woman. The husband at first resents the fact that the old lady imposes on his wife to do household chores. Then they learn they have been made sole heirs in her will. -Tv Guide
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This One is Different
E32 60mA man is determined to prevent his teen-age daughter from leaving home and entering a convent - Tv Guide
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Sins of the Fathers
E33 60mThis is the well-known story of Biblical times about Ruth, whose devotion to her mother-in-law tkes her into a new land among strangers.
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See You on Sunday
E34 60mWhen a confirmed bachelor who owns a restaurant tries to sell his special recipe for a salad dressing, he gets involved with a beautiful girl FBI agent.
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Coming of Age
E35 60mA young English couple decide that they will live with the groom's aged mother after the wedding. When the bride puts up her house for sale, her five brothers and sisters, whom she has not seen for years, descend upon her from all corners of the British Isles to try to prevent the sale.
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Technique
E36 60mA governess, in love with the father of her charge, is dismayed when she learns the widower is unaware of her feelings and plans to marry another woman. In her bitter disappointment, the governess turns the young boy against his prospective stepmother in an effort to prevent the marriage from taking place.
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Gallin: All-American
E37 60mThe idyllic existence of an American college professor, who has moved with his second wife and two children to Mexico, is menaced by the sudden appearance of his first wife, who is determined to win him back.
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Santa is No Saint
E38 60mThe fifth wealthiest woman in the world hires detectives to trail her fifth husband and ensure his faithfulness. The husband decides to regain his freedom by arranging his own ""death.""-Tv Guide
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The Unwelcomed
E39 60mNo image
The Red Sanders Story
E40 60mNo image
Class of '58
E41 60mNo image
Horns of the Dilemma
E42 60mNo image
Little Girls Grow Up
E43 60mA young man is trying to keep up pretenses even though the business he inherited from his father is failing. He is furious when a practical joker at the alumni reunion asks him if he needs a job. -NBC
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The Shot
E44 60mNo image
Mr. Krane
E45 60mNo image
Yesterday is Gone
E46 60mA wealthy industrialist offers to revive the dwindling industry in a small town. In his ruthless business dealings he threatens to ruin the town banker. The other prominent citizens are forced to choose between the banker and the industry the town needs so badly.- TV GUIDE
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Double Door
E47 60mNo image
The Happy Rest
E48 60mNo image
The Gate
E49 60mNo image
One Left Over
E50 60mNo image
All the Trees in the Field
E51 60mNo image
The Century Plant
E52 60mNo image
Friday the 13th
E53 60mNo image
The Old Maid
E54 60mNo image
Mother Was a Bachelor
E55 60mNo image
The Bottom of the River
E56 60mNo image
The Carefree Tree
E57 60mNo image
Interlude
E58 60mNo image
The Big Box
E59 60mNo image
Sincerely Yours, Charlie Fisher
E60 60mNo image
Doc
E61 60mNo image
The Amateur
E62 60mNo image
Light and Shadow
E63 60mNo image
Romney
E64 60mNo image
O Promise Me
E65 60mNo image
Hold My Hand and Run
E66 60mNo image
Dark Possession
E67 60mNo image
The Diamond
E68 60mNo image
Susan and God
E69 60mNo image
As Young As You Feel
E70 60mNo image
The White Knight
E71 60mNo image
The Anxious Years
E72 60mNo image
The Heart of Mary Lincoln
E73 60mNo image
The Middle Son
E74 60mNo image
Valentine's Day
E75 60mNo image
Summer Cannot Last
E76 60mNo image
The Last Battlefield
E77 60mNo image
The Catbird Seat
E78 60mNo image
Dream House
E79 60mNo image
The Runaways
E80 60mNo image
The Ledger
E81 60mNo image
When the Bough Breaks
E82 60mNo image
I Want to March
E83 60mNo image
Skylark
E84 60mNo image
Tall, Dark Stranger
E85 60mNo image
Anything But Love
E86 60mNo image
Robin Daw
E87 60mNo image
Letter to a Stranger
E88 60mNo image
Dinner at Antoine's
E89 60mNo image
The Mating of Watkins Tottle
E90 60mNo image
Her Son's Wife
E91 60mNo image
The Shining Palace
E92 60mNo image
The Odd Ones
E93 60mNo image
A Cowboy for Chris
E94 60mNo image
The Rocking Chair
E95 60mNo image
The Big Guy
E96 60mNo image
Statute of Limitations
E97 60mNo image
The Baron and the Banshees
E98 60mNo image
Notebook Warrior
E99 60mNo image
Temptation for a King
E100 60mNo image
The White Knight
E101 60mNo image
The Anxious Years
E102 60mNo image
M is for the Many
E103 60mNo image
Silent Partner
E104 60mNo image
Winter in April
E105 60mNo image
Bread Upon the Waters
E106 60mNo image
The Giant Killer
E107 60mNo image
The Book of Ruth
E108 60mNo image
Singer in the Valley
E109 60mNo image
The Heart of a Husband
E110 60mNo image
From the Desk of Margaret Tydings
E111 60mNo image
But You Look Like Sisters
E112 60mNo image
The House of Seven Gables
E113 60mNo image
Fiddlin' Man
E114 60mNo image
The Hollow Woman
E115 60mNo image
People in Glass
E116 60mNo image
One of the Family
E117 60mNo image
Young Hands, Young Feet
E118 60mNo image
The Lark Shall Sing
E119 60mNo image
In Dread of Winter
E120 60mNo image
The Babylonian Heart
E121 60mNo image
Ask Me No Questions
E122 60mNo image
Whom Death Has Joined Together
E123 60mNo image
The Wedding
E124 60mNo image
The Reckoning
E125 60mNo image
A Woman Named Ruby
E126 60mNo image
The Bright Boy
E127 60mNo image
The Carefree Tree
E128 60mNo image
Graybeards and Witches
E129 60mNo image
The Legend of Jenny Lind
E130 60mNo image
Daughter of the Seventh Day
E131 60mNo image
Night Must Fall
E132 60mNo image
The 25th Hour
E133 60mNo image
A Man and His Maid
E134 60mNo image
Perspective
E135 60mNo image
The Catamaran
E136 60mNo image
Johnny Came Marching Home
E137 60mNo image
A Family Affair
E138 60mNo image
Blind Date
E139 60mNo image
To Have and to Hold
E140 60mNo image
Edwina Black
E141 60mNo image
The Spare Room
E142 60mNo image
The Bottle Imp
E143 60mNo image
Brief Music
E144 60mNo image
The Girl from Boro Park
E145 60mNo image
To Whom It May Concern
E146 60mNo image
Bachelor Buttons
E147 60mNo image
The Children of Papa Juan
E148 60mNo image
Herself Alone
E149 60mNo image
Three for the Money
E150 60mNo image
Taxi to the Moon
E151 60mNo image
The Goodtime Boys
E152 60mNo image
The American
E153 60mNo image
Cause for Suspicion
E154 60mNo image
Fight the Whole World
E155 60mNo image
Autumn Crocus
E156 60mNo image
George Has a Birthday
E157 60mNo image
The Serpent's Tooth
E158 60mNo image
Crime at Blossom's
E159 60mNo image
The Luck of Amos Currie
E160 60mNo image
Alison's House
E161 60mNo image
Safe Place
E162 60mNo image
The Guest Cottage
E163 60mNo image
Forsaking All Others
E164 60mNo image
Love, Honor and O'Day
E165 60mNo image
The Damask Cheek
E166 60mNo image
Moon Over
E167 60mNo image
But Fear Itself
E168 60mNo image
The Birthday Present
E169 60mNo image
The Ghost of Greenwich Village
E170 60mA college boy accidentally kills a girl who is trying to blackmail him.
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The Young and the Damned
E171 60mNo image
There's Always Juliet
E172 60mNo image
Seasoned Timber
E173 60mNo image
The Declaration
E174 60mNo image
High Places
E175 60mNo image
Black Chiffon
E176 60mNo image
Class of '58
E177 60mNo image
Marriage by the Millions
E178 60mNo image
Backfire
E179 60mNo image
The Bishop Misbehaves
E180 60mNo image
Remittance
E181 60mNo image
Beg, Borrow or Steal
E182 60mNo image
Summer Pavilion
E183 60mNo image
The Feast
E184 60mNo image
A Full, Rich Life
E185 60mNo image
The Reverberator
E186 60mNo image
Woman at the Window
E187 60mNo image
Another Sky
E188 60mNo image
Letter of Introduction
E189 60mAn American divorcee, transplanted to Paris, receives a letter stating that she is about to be visited by a young man who doesn't know she is his mother.
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Home at Seven
E190 60mNo image
The Cypress Tree
E191 60mNo image
Belong to Me
E192 60mNo image
Pygmalion Jones
E193 60mNo image
Gretel
E194 60mNo image
Some Man Will Want You
E195 60mNo image
The Fall of the House of Usher
E196 60mNo image
Cupid Rode a Horse
E197 60mNo image
The Old Payola
E198 60mNo image
