NBC OPERA THEATRE (1949-1964) – Believe it or not, television networks used to regularly broadcast presentations of operas. Gradually, declining public interest drove operas off the networks and onto educational television.
The NBC Network actually funded an entire opera company to produce classic AND new operas from 1949-1964. That opera company toured the country breaking in their productions before being aired on the network, then sometimes doing a run on Broadway.
The NBC Opera mounted America’s very first made-for-television opera – the Christmas-themed Amahl and the Night Visitors – and broadcast it on Christmas Eve 1951. The one-act work filled a one-hour time slot with roughly five minutes of commercials.
Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog may remember that I’m an opera geek, and the thought of television periodically airing both new and established operas is something I could only dream of today.
A SAMPLING OF NOTEWORTHY OPERAS PRESENTED
THE OLD MAID AND THE THIEF – This very first production from NBC Opera Theatre was broadcast on March 16th, 1949. The comic opera dealt with a beggar sheltered in a well to do family’s home. He is mistaken for a thief and coddled by the women of the house.
DOWN IN THE VALLEY – A Kurt Weil opera that aired on January 14th, 1950. Sort of a “jukebox opera” in the style of later jukebox musicals, this work structured an operatic story around the song Down in the Valley and several others for the tale of a man named Brack Weaver, who risked hanging over his love for Jennie Parsons.
*** The rest of 1950 the program presented classic operas like Die Fledermaus, Tales of Hoffmann (one of my favorite operas), Hansel & Gretel and others.
GIANNI SHICCI – Broadcast on February 11th, 1951, NBC’s production of this dark comic opera was controversial for being presented in the English language instead of the original Italian. New York Times music critic Howard Taubman wrote in defense of the decision.
PAGLIACCI – This absolute “must-do” opera aired on October 4th, 1951.
THE QUEEN OF SPADES – Tschaikovsky’s opera about gambling, murder, and the ghost of a countess. Aired January 3rd, 1952.
BILLY BUDD – The Benjamin Britten opera from 1951 was broadcast on October 19th, 1952. Obviously it’s based on Herman Melville’s novel.
TROUBLE IN TAHITI – Leonard Bernstein’s jazz-opera mixture about a troubled marriage and a movie titled Trouble in Tahiti. Aired November 16th, 1952.
THE MARRIAGE – Like Amahl and the Night Visitors, this work by Bohuslav Martinu was commissioned specifically for NBC Opera Theater. The Marriage aired February 7th, 1953 and dealt with marriage brokering in turn of the century St Petersburg, Russia.
SALOME – John Cassavetes performed in this classic Strauss opera that was broadcast on May 8th, 1954.
THE ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAGLIO – Talk about “subverting audience expectations”! NBC presented a Mozart opera on Halloween of 1954 and it WASN’T the traditional Halloween Mozart selection Don Giovanni!
TOSCA – Leontyne Price starred as Floria Tosca in this January 23rd of 1955 airing of the Puccini opera.
GRIFFELKIN – Another work commissioned specifically for NBC Opera Theatre. The title character is a 10-year-old devil sent to Earth for one day to practice his deviltry. Griffelkin winds up being too good-natured and is “punished” by being robbed of his horns and tail and forced to live as a human from then on. Debuted November 6th, 1955.
THE TRIAL AT ROUEN – Yet another original opera for NBC’s production company. This opera is about Joan of Arc’s trial which ended with her being burned at the stake. Aired April 8th, 1956.
WAR AND PEACE – From January 13th, 1957. An opera version of the Tolstoy novel set during the Napoleonic Wars.
DIALOGUE OF THE CARMELITES – Set during the French Revolution, this opera dramatizes the martyrdom on the guillotine of a handful of Carmelite nuns and the aristocratic Blanche de la Force, who learns to share their faith and their fate. Aired December 8th, 1957.
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA – Best known today as “the opera that Michael Corleone’s son is performing in at the end of Godfather Part III.” The Easter Sunday tale of young lovers Santuzza and Turiddu in a Sicilian village. Broadcast date: January 31st, 1960.
DESERET – Another original opera for NBC, this aired on January 1st, 1961. A fictional tale of Brigham Young, a potential 25th bride for him named Ann Louisa Brice and her true love, Union Army Captain James Dee.
LABYRINTH – NBC Opera Company struck again with this original opera about a honeymooning couple who become separated in their hotel and the subsequent surreal goings-on. Aired March 3rd, 1963.
LUCIA DI LAMMERMORE – The final opera presented on this series. It’s Donizetti’s tale of romantic intrigues regarding misunderstandings, false accusations and suicide. Broadcast date: January 19th, 1964.
FOR MORE FORGOTTEN TELEVISION CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/category/forgotten-television/
BONUS: How much of an opera geek am I? Enough of one that I laid out how I would adapt various novels and films into operas, like the 1930 sci-fi novel Gladiator HERE, the 1966 Spaghetti Western Django HERE, the 1870 novel Venus in Furs HERE and a cycle of four operas based on Dune and Dune Messiah HERE.
Balladeer's Blog 
Very nice and interesting, thank you!
Glad to do it! Thank you!
I used to see operas on I think A&E back in the 90’s. Sunday mornings. I specifically remember seeing ‘Carmen’ and ‘Pagliacci’. That was before A&E switched to reality/schlock. PBS broadcast Wagner’s ‘Ring Cycle’ over three nights and I watched as much of that as I was able.
Great! I like hearing from people who have gotten into opera!
I’ve never heard of a jukebox opera before, like “Down in the Valley.” Cool; I guess you learn something every day! 💜😊
Thank you! I’m always happy to spread the word!