''Actors Studio'' is an American television series that was hosted by

Marc Connelly Marcus Cook Connelly (December 13, 1890 – December 21, 1980) was an American playwright, director, producer, performer, and lyricist. He was a key member of the Algonquin Round Table, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1930. Biogra ...

. It originally aired on ABC from September 26, 1948 to October 26, 1949 and then on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

from November 1, 1949, to June 23, 1950. It was one of the first series to be picked up by a network after being cancelled by another network. CBS departed from its own precedent when it took the World Video-owned series. Until then it had not shown any sustaining programs that were not owned (at least partially) by CBS. The series showcased short pieces of adapted, classic and original drama, performed and produced live each week from New York. Among some of the known authors were

William Saroyan William Saroyan (; August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writer. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film ''The ...

James Thurber James Grover Thurber (December 8, 1894 – November 2, 1961) was an American cartoonist, writer, humorist, journalist, and playwright. He was best known for his gag cartoon, cartoons and short stories, published mainly in ''The New Yorker'' an ...

, Ring Lardner,

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

Irwin Shaw Irwin Shaw (February 27, 1913 – May 16, 1984) was an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short-story author whose written works have sold more than 14 million copies. He is best known for two of his novels: '' The Young Lions'' (1 ...

and

Budd Schulberg Budd Schulberg (born Seymour Wilson Schulberg; March 27, 1914 – August 5, 2009) was an American screenwriter, television producer, novelist and sports writer. He was known for his novels '' What Makes Sammy Run?'' (1941) and ''The Harder They ...

. Featured actors included

Martin Balsam Martin Henry Balsam (November 4, 1919 – February 13, 1996) was an American actor. He had a prolific career in character roles in film, in theatre, and on television. An early member of the Actors Studio, he began his career on the New ...

Richard Boone Richard Allen Boone (June 18, 1917 – January 10, 1981) was an American actor who starred in over 50 films and was notable for his roles in Westerns, including his starring role in the television series ''Have Gun – Will Travel''. Early lif ...

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

Hume Cronyn Hume Blake Cronyn Jr. (July 18, 1911 – June 15, 2003) was a Canadian-American actor, screenwriter and playwright. He appeared in many stage productions, television and film roles throughout his career, and garnered numerous accolades, includ ...

, Julie Harris, Jean Muir and

Jessica Tandy Jessie Alice Tandy (7 June 1909 – 11 September 1994) was a British actress. An icon in the film industry, she appeared in over 100 stage productions and had more than 60 roles in film and TV, receiving an Academy Award, four Tony Awards, a BAF ...

. Recurring performers included Jocelyn Brando, Tom Ewell,

Steven Hill Steven Hill (born Solomon Krakovsky; ; February 24, 1922 – August 23, 2016) was an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as district attorney Adam Schiff (Law & Order), Adam Schiff on the NBC television drama series ''Law & ...

Kim Hunter Kim Hunter (born Janet Cole; November 12, 1922 – September 11, 2002) was an American theatre, film, and television actress. She achieved prominence for portraying Stella Kowalski in the original production of Tennessee Williams' ''A Streetcar ...

and

Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She received many accolades including 22 Primetime Emmy nominations and won eight, tying Julia Louis-Dreyfus ...

. In February 1950, the series moved to Friday nights and was expanded to one hour, alternating every other week with broadcasts of ''

Ford Theatre ''Ford Theatre'', spelled ''Ford Theater'' for the original radio version and known, in full, as ''The Ford Television Theatre'' for the TV version, is a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 195 ...

''. In March, the name of the show was changed to ''The Play's the Thing''. The series received a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

in 1949, being cited for its "outstanding contribution to the art of television". Henry S. White of World Video Inc. produced the series, and Donald Davis was the director. It originated from

WCBS-TV WCBS-TV (channel 2), branded CBS New York, is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside Riverhead, New York–lic ...

. The series had no sponsors, which led to a reduction in funds available for purchasing rights to properties for adaptation. The result of that change was a shift from "well-known one-act plays" to short stories".

Critical reception

A review of the January 9, 1949, episode in the trade publication ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said that "I'm No Hero" was "better-than-average . . . but still shows a need for even better material." While complimenting the direction, production, and settings, the review blamed the plot and some of the acting as the reasons that the story "never quite came alive." ''Variety'' also reviewed the January 23, 1949, episode, "The Lady in 142", saying that James Thurber's story "was given firstrate (sic) styling with cast, settings and direction merging into an amusing flight of fancy."

Broadcast history

NOTE: The most frequent time slot for the series in bold text. * Sunday evenings from 8:30–9:00 PM from September 26, 1948 – March 13, 1949, on ABC. * Thursday evenings from 8:30–9:00 PM from March 24 – April 28, 1949, on ABC. * Thursday evenings from 9:30–10:00 PM from May 5–26, 1949 on ABC. * Wednesday evenings from 8:00–8:30 PM from September 28 – October 26, 1949, on ABC. * Tuesday evenings from 9:00–9:30 PM from November 1, 1949 – January 31, 1950, on

. * Friday evenings from 9:00–10:00 PM from February 3–17, 1950 on

. * Friday evenings from 9:00–9:30 from March 3 – April 28, 1950; May 26 – June 23, 1950, on

. * Sunday evenings for one episode which aired May 21, 1950.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (1948–49)

Season 2 (1949–50)

References

External links

''Actors Studio'' at CVTA
* {{IMDb title, id=0040021, title=Actors Studio 1940s American anthology television series 1950s American anthology television series 1948 American television series debuts 1950 American television series endings 1940s American drama television series 1950s American drama television series Black-and-white American television shows American English-language television shows Peabody Award–winning television programs American Broadcasting Company television dramas CBS television dramas