THE UNITED STATES STEEL HOUR (1953-1963) – Some of the finest hour-long dramas aired on American television during the 1950s and 1960s were produced for The U.S. Steel Hour. Over time the anthology program added a few comedies and children’s projects, but it made its reputation on the strength of its dramas.
1953-1954 Season
P.O.W. (Oct 27th, 1953) – David Davidson wrote and Alex Segal directed this tale of the tortuous brainwashing techniques that the Communist Chinese and their North Korean allies inflicted on Prisoners of War during the Korean War. In a way the 1950s Manchurian Candidate film trivialized the ordeals that service members were subjected to that the reality seems to have faded into the background, replaced by pop culture melodrama.
Adding to the power of this presentation was the fact that it came out shortly after the Korean War ended. The general public was shocked that China and North Korea would dehumanize and experiment on POWs like this. The cast of P.O.W. included Brian Keith, Richard Kiley, Phyllis Kirk and Anne Seymour.
HOPE FOR A HARVEST (Nov 10th) – Alex Segal directed again as Norman Lessing adapted this story from Sophie Treadwell’s 1941 play of the same title. A charismatic matriarchal woman returns to California after 20 years in Europe. She is revolted by how defeatist, and listless her family members have become during her absence.
She stiffens the spine of her cousin Elliott, restores his religious faith and spurs him into action to save the farm; she convinces Elliott’s daughter to get out of an ugly romance; and moderates a bitter ethnic clash in the community. Sophie Treadwell herself was in the cast along with Robert Preston and Faye Emerson.
TIN WEDDING (Nov 24th) – Written by Judson O’Donnell and Hagar Wilde. At times tense and at times darkly comedic, Tin Wedding depicts an unmarried busybody unleashing a family storm by telling her sister that she is being cheated on by her husband. The cast included Eddie Albert, Audrey Crystal and Phyllis Thaxter.
THE MAN IN POSSESSION (Dec 8th) – Rex Harrison, Lilli Palmer and Betty Sinclair starred in this H.M. Harwood story directed by Alex Segal. Complications arise when a family rogue turned deputy falls in love with the socialite lady of the house he is assigned to safeguard.
VANISHING POINT (Dec 22nd) – A.E. Hotchner and Norman Lessing wrote this episode. The head of the Paris Missing Persons Bureau disappears. His ambitious assistant, who covets the man’s position, investigates and comes to ponder if he really wants to find the man. Starring Peter Lorre, Viveca Lindfors and Claude Dauphin.
HEDDA GABLER (Jan 5th, 1954) – An adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s 1891 stage play. Beautiful and jaded Hedda Gabler (Tallulah Bankhead) plays emotional games with those around her, ruining the lives of her husband whom she does not love and of her former lover and his new romance. Also starring John Baragrey, Luther Adler and Marie Corell.
THE RISE OF CARTHAGE (Jan 19th) – A ruthless, autocratic businessman is drawn to a desert town called Carthage to gauge its investment potential. The simple, moral citizens of the town strike a chord with the man, who is enlightened and adjusts his values. Written by Arthur Arent, Raphael Hayes and Larry Williams. The cast included Paul Douglas, Nina Foch and Psychotronic favorite Mike Kellin.
PAPA IS ALL (Feb 2nd) – During the 1940s, two Pennsylvania Dutch Mennonite children feel torn between their family’s traditional lifestyle and their desire to become part of the modern world. Written by Erik Barnouw and Patterson Greene. Betsy Palmer, Walter Slezak and Jessie Royce Landis star.
HIGHWAY (Feb 16th) – Earl “The Waltons” Hamner and Sophie Treadwell wrote this ambitious and ahead-of-its-time look at the various peoples and cultures interacting in Texas. Sixteen White, Native American and Hispanic characters are featured pursuing their separate financial, family and romantic interests. The cast included Kevin McCarthy, Diana Lynn, George Mathews, Peg Hillias and Jerome Kilty.
MORNING STAR (Mar 2nd) – This episode is set in New York’s Lower East Side from 1911-1931 and focuses on the lives of a widow and her family members as they endure the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, World War One and the Great Depression. Written by Arthur Arent and Sylvia Regan. Starring Gertrude Berg, Marilyn Erskine, Patricia Breslin, Fred Sadoff, Jo Van Fleet and David Winters.
WELCOME HOME (Mar 16th) – Before she was the maid Hazel on the eponymous sitcom, Shirley Booth played the maid Jenny in this story. Jenny has worked for the Austin Family for 25 years, often being more of a parent to the children than Mrs. Austin (Helen Hayes). With the children all married and leaving the nest, Mrs. Austin and her husband (Charles Ruggles) offer to provide for Jenny during retirement, but the maid longs to be active and needed again. Flora Campbell, William Hansen and Jean Dixon also star.
THE LAST NOTCH (Mar 30th) – Frank Gilroy wrote and Alex Segal directed this tale of an old west storekeeper who is really a former gunfighter trying to live in peace and quiet now. A brutal gang of outlaws ride into town and unleash a reign of terror that slowly drive the man to unleash the violence he is capable of. Starring Royal Dano, Kevin Coughlin, Richard Long, John Hamilton, Richard Jaeckel, Jeff Morrow and Louisa Horton.
LATE DATE (Apr 13th) – Written by William Kendall Clark and directed by James Sheldon. A grandmother tries to inflict her generational attitudes and values on her grandchildren. Walter Matthau, Patty McCormack, Barbara Baxley and Margaret Hamilton starred.
THE RISE AND FALL OF SILAS LAPHAM (Apr 27th) – PAUL NEWMAN had a supporting role in this episode written by William Dean Howells and Robert Wallsten. Self-made man Silas Lapham (Thomas Mitchell) tries to get his daughter accepted into Boston High Society but the family’s hardscrabble rise to success is looked down on by Boston snobs. Also starring Dorothy Gish, Colin Keith-Johnston and Patricia Wheel.
THE END OF PAUL DANE (May 11th) – The story of a psychiatrist and the contrasting problems of a pair of his patients. Written by Virginia Mazer & Morton Wishengrad and starring Robert Preston, Teresa Wright and Warren Stevens.
THE GREAT CHAIR (May 25th) – Gary Merrill, William Redfield, Lori March and Malcolm Lee Beggs star in this Erik Barnouw and Leo Lieberman story. A young new college president struggles to emerge from the shadow of his dazzling predecessor and be recognized on his own terms.
GOOD FOR YOU (Jun 8th) – A comedy about a psychiatrist who intentionally gives opposite advice to the man and the woman in a young romantic couple who come to him for help regarding their relationship. Jack Klugman, Orson Bean, Diana Lynn and Barbara Nichols star. Written by Robert Emmett.
FEARFUL DECISION (Jun 22nd) – Cyril Hume and Richard Maibaum were the writers. Alex Segal directed. The stars were Ralph Bellamy, Edward Binns, Meg Mundy and Frank Overton. David Durfee’s young son is kidnapped, but he refuses to pay the ransom demanded by the abductors despite all the public pressure on him to do so.
HAVEN’S END (Jul 6th) – I have not been able to find the plot of this particular episode. Any new information would be appreciated. The cast includes Royal Beal, Betsy Palmer and Dana Wynter.
A GARDEN IN THE SEA (Jul 20th) – An adaptation of the Henry James story about a would-be biographer trying to obtain the correspondence between poet Algernon Charles Swinnburne and the woman who inspired his work. Dorothy McGuire, Mildred Natwick and Anne Meacham star.
OBERSTRASSE 49 (Aug 3rd) – Details are hard to come by regarding this episode. It seems to be some sort of Cold War story involving two British Foreign Office employees in Vienna. Dan O’Herlihy, Murray Matheson and Margaret Philips are the stars.
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