''Studio 57'' (also known as ''Heinz Studio 57'') is an American

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a di ...

that was broadcast on the now-defunct

DuMont Television Network The DuMont Television Network (also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont Television, simply DuMont/Du Mont, or (incorrectly) Dumont ) was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of bein ...

from September 1954 to July 1955, and in syndication from 1955 to 1958. " It's a Small World", the

pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other dist ...

of the series '' Leave It to Beaver'', was broadcast on the show on April 23, 1957.

Overview

The program was a filmed anthology television series sponsored by

Heinz 57 Heinz 57 is a synecdoche of the historical advertising slogan "57 Varieties" by the H. J. Heinz Company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It was developed from the marketing campaign that told consumers about the numerous pr ...

and produced by Revue Studios. The program aired on the DuMont network from September 21, 1954, to July 26, 1955,McNeil, Alex (1996). ''Total Television'' (4th ed.), p. 797. New York: Penguin Books. making it "one of the last regularly-scheduled series ever carried on the crumbling DuMont network".Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network Cable and TV Shows, 1946-Present'' (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine. p. 1322. . (Only '' What's the Story'' and

boxing matches Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

aired on DuMont afterwards). ''Studio 57'' aired in first-run syndication from September 1955 to 1958. The series was exported to Australia during the late 1950s under the title ''Whitehall Playhouse''. Since some of the episodes shown there were DuMont-aired episodes, this makes ''Studio 57'' the only DuMont show to be broadcast outside of North America. The series began airing in Australia in late 1956, during the first few months of television in that country, continuing for several years, and eventually including episodes of other American anthology series such as '' The Star and the Story''.

Cast

The series featured many established actors, including Robert Armstrong, Jean Byron, Lon Chaney Jr.,

Andy Clyde Andrew Allan Clyde (March 25, 1892 – May 18, 1967) was a Scottish-born American film and television actor whose career spanned more than four decades. In 1921 he broke into silent films as a Mack Sennett comic, debuting in ''On a Summer ...

, Carolyn Jones, Brian Keith, Charles Coburn, Olive Sturgess, Peter Lawford, Mike Connors,

Jane Darwell Jane Darwell (born Patti Woodard; October 15, 1879 – August 13, 1967) was an American actress of stage, film, and television. With appearances in more than 100 major movies spanning half a century, Darwell is perhaps best remembered for her p ...

, Joanne Dru, Peter Graves, Vivi Janiss, Keenan Wynn,

Keye Luke Keye Luke (, Cantonese: Luk Shek Kee; June 18, 1904 – January 12, 1991) was a Chinese-born American film and television actor, technical advisor and artist and a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild. He was known for playing Lee Chan, t ...

, and DeForest Kelley.

Criticism

Television historians Tim Brooks and

Earle Marsh Earle may refer to: * Earle (given name) * Earle (surname) Places * Earle, Arkansas, a city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, US * Earle, Indiana, an unincorporated town in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, US * Earle, Northumberland, a settlement in Ber ...

describe the scripts for ''Studio 57'' as bland. Ailing DuMont lacked the budgets of CBS or NBC, and hence relied on cost-cutting measures, including hiring then-unknown actors to star in their series such as

Hugh O'Brian Hugh O'Brian (born Hugh Charles Krampe; April 19, 1925 – September 5, 2016) was an American actor and humanitarian, best known for his starring roles in the ABC Western television series '' The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' (1955– ...

and

Natalie Wood Natalie Wood ( Zacharenko; July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was an American actress who began her career in film as a child and successfully transitioned to young adult roles. Wood started acting at age four and was given a co-starring r ...

References

Bibliography

*David Weinstein, ''The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television'' (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004) *Alex McNeil, ''Total Television'', Fourth edition (New York:

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remain ...

, 1964)

External links