''Telephone Time'' is an American anthology

drama series In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

that aired on CBS in 1956, and on ABC from 1957 to 1958. The series features plays by John Nesbitt who hosted the first season.

Frank C. Baxter Francis Condie Baxter (May 4, 1896 – January 18, 1982) was an American scholar and television personality. An authority on Shakespeare with a doctorate in literature from Cambridge University, he was a highly popular professor of English Litera ...

hosted the 1957 and 1958 seasons. The program was directed by

Arthur Hiller Arthur Hiller, (November 22, 1923 – August 17, 2016) was a Canadian-American television and film director with over 33 films to his credit during a 50-year career. He began his career directing television in Canada and later in the U.S. By t ...

Robert Florey Robert Florey (14 September 1900 – 16 May 1979) was a French-American director, screenwriter, film journalist and actor. Born as Robert Fuchs in Paris, he became an orphan at an early age and was then raised in Switzerland. In 1920 he worked a ...

, and

Lewis Allen (director) Lewis Allen (25 December 1905 – 3 May 2000) was a British-born director whose credits included classic television series and a diverse range of films. Allen worked mainly in the United States, working on Broadway and directing 18 feature film ...

. A total of 81 episodes aired from April 1956 to March 1957 on CBS, and from April 1957 to April 1958 on ABC.

Overview

The program showcased the talents of actors and actresses such as

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her p ...

Florenz Ames Florenz may refer to: * Florenz Regalado (born 1928), Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines * Florenz Ziegfeld (1867–1932), American Broadway impresario * Karl-Heinz Florenz (born 1947), German Member of the European Parliame ...

Greer Garson Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson (29 September 1904 – 6 April 1996) was an English-American actress and singer. She was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer who became popular during the Second World War for her portrayal of strong women on the h ...

, Dennis Morgan,

Joseph Cotten Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr. (May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American film, stage, radio and television actor. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original stage productions of '' The Philadelphia Story'' and '' Sa ...

Claudette Colbert Claudette Colbert ( ; born Émilie Claudette Chauchoin; September 13, 1903July 30, 1996) was an American actress. Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the late 1920s and progressed to films with the advent of talking pictur ...

, Michael Landon,

Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won List of awards and nominations received by Cloris Leachman, many accolades, including eight Primetime ...

, Johnny Crawford, Katherine Warren, Joel Grey,

Fay Wray Vina Fay Wray (September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004) was a Canadian/American actress best known for starring as Ann Darrow in the 1933 film ''King Kong''. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray attained international r ...

, Thomas Mitchell,

Vivi Janiss Vivi may refer to: People * Vivi Bach (1939–2013), Danish actress and singer * Vivi Fernandez (born 1977), Brazilian model * Vivi Flindt (born 1943), Danish ballerina * Vivi Friedman (1967–2012), Finnish film director * Vivi Gioi (1917–1975 ...

, Wright King, Strother Martin, Lon Chaney, Jr.,

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established ...

John Carradine John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later ...

, Helen Wallace, and Michael Winkelman. Famed circus performer Emmett Kelly made his dramatic debut in the presentation ''Captain from Kopenick''. Famed radio star

Michael Raffetto Michael Raffetto (born Elwyn Creighton Raffetto; December 31, 1899 – May 31, 1990) was an American radio actor who starred as Paul Barbour (1932–1956) in the NBC Radio series ''One Man's Family'' and as Jack Packard in ''I Love a My ...

appeared in the "Vicksburg, 5:35 PM" episode as Joe Palermo (1956).

Award nomination

John Nesbitt was nominated for an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

in 1957 for Best Teleplay Writing - Half Hour or Less.

Episodes

* 1.01 The Golden Junkman * 1.02 Man With A Beard * 1.03 Captain From Kopenick * 1.04 Borders Away * 1.05 The Mystery Of Caspar Hauser * 1.06 The Stepmother * 1.07 Time Bomb * 1.08 Emperor Norton's Bridge * 1.09 The Man Who Believed In Fairy Tales * 1.10 Harry In Search Of Himself * 1.11 Felix The Fourth * 1.12 Smith Of Ecuador * 1.13 The Gingerbread Man * 1.14 Joyful Lunatic * 1.15 The Key * 1.16 Grandpa Changes The World * 1.17 Again The Stars * 2.01 Keeley's Wonderful Machine * 2.02 I Am Not Alone * 2.03 Mr. And Mrs. Browning * 2.04 Vicksburg, 5:35 Pm * 2.05 The Churchill Club * 2.06 She Sette Her Little Foote * 2.07 Hatfield, The Rainmaker * 2.08 She Also Ran * 2.09 Knockout * 2.10 Chico And The Archbishop * 2.11 Raccoon Hunt * 2.12 Fortunatus * 2.13 Scio, Ohio * 2.14 The Sergeant Boyd Story * 2.15 The Mountain That Moved * 2.16 Passport To Life * 2.17 The Jumping Parson * 2.18 Parents Of A Stranger * 2.19 The Consort * 2.20 The Man Who Discovered O. Henry * 2.21 The Greatest Man In The World * 2.22 The Unsinkable Molly Brown * 2.23 The Intruder * 2.24 Fight For The Title * 2.25 Escape * 2.26 Castle Dangerous * 2.27 Bullet Lou Kirn * 2.28 Elfego Baca * 2.29 Rabbi On Wheels * 2.30 The Diamond Peer * 2.31 Stranded * 2.32 Plot To Save A Boy * 2.33 Line Chief * 2.34 Pit-a-pit And The Dragon * 2.35 The Koshetz Story * 3.01 Revenge * 3.02 Here Lies Francois Gold * 3.03 Campaign For Marriage * 3.04 The Gadfly * 3.05 Hole In The Wall * 3.06 The Man The Navy Couldn't Sink * 3.07 Under Seventeen * 3.08 The Other Van Gogh * 3.09 Arithmetic Sailor * 3.10 I Get Along Without You Very Well * 3.11 Alice's Wedding Gown * 3.12 The Rescue * 3.13 Novel Appeal * 3.14 Sam Houston's Decision * 3.15 The Frying Pan * 3.16 A Picture Of The Magi * 3.17 Death Of A Nobody * 3.18 Abby, Julia And The Seven Pet Cows * 3.19 Cavalry Surgeon * 3.20 A Stubborn Fool * 3.21 Flight For Life * 3.22 The Immortal Eye * 3.23 Recipe For Success * 3.24 The Checkered Flag * 3.25 The Vestris * 3.26 War Against War * 3.27 The Quality Of Mercy * 3.28 Man Of Principle * 3.29 Trail Blazer

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0048903, Telephone Time
''Telephone Time (TV series)'' at CVTA with episode list

Video of public domain episode ''I Am Not Alone'' on the Internet Archive

Video of public domain episode ''Recipe for Success'' on the Internet Archive
1950s American anthology television series 1956 American television series debuts 1958 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming 1950s American drama television series Black-and-white American television shows CBS original programming English-language television shows Television series based on plays