Yes, “the Broadway of TV” is back for this look at the program’s third season.
STANDOUT EPISODES:
THE MEANEST MAN IN THE WORLD – Directed by the one and only Sidney Lumet, this episode dealt with a mean-spirited father trying to force his kind-hearted son to treat people as horribly as he himself does. It all culminates in mean ol’ dad wanting his son to join him in foreclosing on an elderly widow and a deserted orphan on Christmas Eve. Starring Betsy Palmer, Wally Cox, Richard Hilton and Josephine Hull.
THE SEVENTH VEIL – A psychiatrist (Ben Astar) tries to determine which of the men in the life of his patient Francesca (Diana Lynn) is so abusive that he has caused her nervous breakdown. Also starring Dan O’Herlihy, Conrad Janis, Richard Abbott and Cindy Cameron.
COUNTERFEIT – BORIS KARLOFF stars as George Redford, a seemingly mild-mannered British man who raises tomatoes. Actually, he is really a brilliant counterfeiter whose work is so terrific that it takes years for the authorities to catch on. Edna Best and John McGiver also star.
A WIND FROM THE SOUTH – Julie Harris starred as Shevawn in this drama set in Ireland. She portrays a lonely dreamer who works at an inn owned by her boisterous brother. Her mental escape into whimsy keeps her going. One day she meets inn guest Robert (Donald Woods), a failed poet who earns a living writing advertising copy. He, too, is a dreamer and the pair fall in love, but he has a secret that will destroy the romance. MERV F*CKING GRIFFIN sings (no, not I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts) A Soft Day live for the play.
SHOOT IT AGAIN – A romantic comedy starring Teresa Brewer, who sings her theme song Music, Music, Music. Teresa implores Cupid to shoot his arrows again and again as his matches misfire.
INCIDENT IN AN ALLEY – Rod Serling wrote this drama about the fallout from a cop accidentally shooting a teenager running from the scene of a prank. Starring Farley Granger and Edward Binns.
THE GREAT ADVENTURE – HUME CRONYN and JESSICA TANDY star in this light comedy about a famous artist (Cronyn) who escapes his public when his valet is mistaken for him and buried with honors after he dies. He marries a widow (Jessica Tandy) using the late valet’s identity but an investigator (Richard Long) figures out what really happened.
MOMENT OF COURAGE – A former press agent converts a town out west into a Pioneer Days tourist attraction. A criminal blends in with all the cosplaying cowboys and cowgirls and pulls off a theft and a murder. Macdonald Caeey, Kim Hunter and Don Murray star.
THIRTY YEAR MAN – Comedy-drama about a man who leaves the army after 30 years in the service. He faces a lot of challenges in adjusting to life as a civilian. Starring Pat O’Brien, Jocelyn Brando and Heywood Hale Broun.
THE FUNNY HEART – A dark comedy about backstabbing in show business. Imogene Coca stars as a fading comedienne who gets a role starring in a tv sitcom. Her husband (Wally Cox) will write and produce. Jack Klugman portrays a sleazy director who makes Coca insecure about her talent, her husband’s professional loyalty and the future of her career.
HONEST IN THE RAIN – Ethel Merman plays a woman with a gambling addiction. She loses all the money she and her boyfriend have been saving up to get married and start a new life. Also starring Edward Binns, Vaughn Taylor, Joy Hodges and Billy M. Greene.
Balladeer's Blog 