''Buick-Electra Playhouse'' is a 90-minute dramatic anthology series produced by and aired 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 19, 1959, until May 19, 1960. It was sponsored by

Buick Buick () is a division (business), division of the Automotive industry in the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobil ...

. Four episodes, all based on

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

's works, were broadcast. "The Killers" was broadcast on November 19, 1959, starring

Dean Stockwell Robert Dean Stockwell (March 5, 1936 – November 7, 2021) was an American actor with a film and television career that spanned seven decades. As a child actor under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he appeared in '' Anchors Aweigh'' (1945), '' ...

Dane Clark Dane Clark (born Bernhardt Zanvilevitz; February 26, 1912September 11, 1998) was an American character actor who was known for playing, as he labeled himself, "Joe Average." Early life Clark was born Bernhardt Zanvilevitz (later Bernard Zanvill ...

Robert Middleton Robert Middleton (born Samuel Abraham Messer; May 13, 1911 – June 14, 1977) was an American film and television actor known for his large size, beetle-like brows, and deep, booming voice (for which he was known as "Big Bob Middleton"), usua ...

Ray Walston Herman Ray Walston (November 2, 1914 – January 1, 2001) was an American actor. He started his career on Broadway theatre, Broadway earning the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Mr. Applegate in ''Damn Yankees'' (1956 ...

, Diane Baker and

Ingemar Johansson Jens Ingemar "Ingo" Johansson (; 22 September 1932 – 30 January 2009) was a Swedish professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1963. He held the world heavyweight title from 1959 to 1960, and was the fifth heavyweight champion born outside ...

. The supporting cast included Fred Scollay and Deborah Moldow. A review of the episode in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' complimented the work of the actors but said, "The adaptation was not successful." The review pointed out the difficulty of developing "a brief but moving narrative" to fill 90 minutes of television time, noting that "most of the incidents that were added to the basic plot were generally ineffective", while "the most absorbing moments ... were those that were pure Hemingway." Other episodes, their dates, and actors were: *"The Fifth Column" - January 29, 1960 -

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

Maximilian Schell Maximilian Schell (8 December 1930 – 1 February 2014) was a Swiss actor. Born in First Austrian Republic, Austria, his parents were involved in the arts and he grew up surrounded by performance and literature. While he was still a child, his fa ...

Sally Ann Howes Sally Ann Howes (20 July 1930 – 19 December 2021) was an English actress and singer. Her career on screen, stage and television spanned six decades. She is best known for the role of Truly Scrumptious in the 1968 musical film ''Chitty Chitt ...

Sydney Pollack Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Pollack is known for directing commercially and critically acclaimed studio films. Over his forty year career he received numerous accolades ...

*"The Snows of Kilimanjaro" - March 25, 1960 -

Robert Ryan Robert Bushnell Ryan (November 11, 1909 – July 11, 1973) was an American actor and activist. Known for his portrayals of hardened cops and ruthless villains, Ryan performed for over three decades. He was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...

Ann Todd Dorothy Ann Todd (24 January 1907 – 6 May 1993) was an English film, television and stage actress who achieved international fame when she starred in '' The Seventh Veil'' (1945). From 1949 to 1957 she was married to David Lean who directed ...

Janice Rule Mary Janice Rule (August 15, 1931 – October 17, 2003) was an American actress and psychotherapist, earning her PhD while still acting, then acting occasionally while working in her new profession. Early life Rule was born in Norwood, Ohio, to ...

*"The Gambler, The Nun, and the Radio" - May 19, 1960 The executive producer was A.E. Hotchner, the producer was Gordon Duff, and the directors were

John Frankenheimer John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films. Among his credits are ''Birdman of Alcatraz (film), Birdman of Alcatraz'', ''The Manc ...

, Tom Donovan, James Clarke, and

Albert Marre Albert Marre (September 20, 1924 – September 4, 2012) was an American stage director and producer. He directed the stage musical '' Man of La Mancha'' in 1965, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical. Biography Early lif ...

. Notable guest stars included

Eleanor Parker Eleanor Jean Parker (June 26, 1922 – December 9, 2013) was an American actress. She was nominated for three Academy Awards for her roles in the films ''Caged (1950 film), Caged'' (1950), ''Detective Story (1951 film), Detective Story'' (1951 ...

and

Diane Baker Diane Carol Baker (born February 25, 1938) is an American actress, producer and educator whose career spanned over 50 years. Early life Baker was born February 25, 1938 at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Californi ...

. The title sequences of each episode included a bust of Hemingway that was commissioned by CBS. Sculptor

Robert Berks Robert Berks (April 26, 1922 – May 16, 2011) was an American sculptor, industrial designer and planner. He created hundreds of bronze sculptures and monuments including the Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial, and the Albert Einstein Memorial in Wa ...

read Hemingway's works and studied films and still photos of the author for two weeks in preparation for creating the bust. A potter in New England used clays imported from around the world to make the clay that Berks molded in his New York studio.

References

External links

*
''Buick-Electra Playhouse'' at CVTA
1959 American television series debuts 1960 American television series endings 1950s American anthology television series 1960s American anthology television series CBS television dramas {{US-drama-tv-prog-stub