Adventure Theater

American TV dramatic anthology series
Adventure Theater
Also known asCalling Scotland Yard
GenreDrama
Directed byPaul Dickson
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producersEdward J. Danziger
Harry Lee Danziger
Production companiesDanziger Productions, Ltd.
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseJune 16 (1956-06-16) –
September 1, 1956 (1956-09-01)

Adventure Theater is a dramatic anthology series that aired on NBC from June 16, 1956, through September 1, 1956.[1] The series was produced in England in 1953, but was never broadcast there as a series.[2] It was also known as Calling Scotland Yard.

Series structure

Actor Paul Douglas was the program's host[1] and introduced each of the two-act plays that composed the series. Each introduction involved a memento or souvenir that he had brought back from England. The story about the object led into that week's episode.

Cast

With the exception of Douglas, all of the featured cast members were British actors and included Hugh Latimer, Laurence Naismith, Anthony Nicholls, Derek Blomfield, Jack Watling, Maurice Denham, Robert Raglan, Hazel Court, Derek Bond and Kay Walsh.

Broadcast history

Sponsored by the American Tobacco Company and Hudnut,[3] the series was broadcast in 1956 on Saturday evenings as a summer replacement for Your Hit Parade.[1] The series returned in 1957 with repeats of the original 13 episodes.[4]

Episodes

Some of the episodes were re-titled for broadcast in the United States.

  1. "The Missing Passenger" (also known as "Ladies of Leisure")
  2. "Falstaff's Fur Coat"
  3. "The Thief of London"
  4. "Thirty Days to Die"
  5. "The Wedding Gift" (also known as "Present for a Bride")
  6. "The Final Twist"
  7. "The Javanese Dagger"
  8. "The Ripper Strikes"
  9. "The Wilful Widow"
  10. "The Stranger on the Sea"
  11. "The Corpse of Pleasant Avenue"
  12. "The Man Who Stayed Alive"
  13. "The Sable Scarf"

Film adaptations

Tale of Three Women
Directed byPaul Dickson
Thelma Connell
Produced byEdward J. Danziger
Harry Lee Danziger
StarringGilbert Harding
Production
company
Danziger Productions
Release date
1954
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Two films were made from the series for release in UK theaters in 1954, each comprising three episodes from the series, linked by Gilbert Harding.

Gilbert Harding Speaking of Murder

Featuring the episodes:

Tale of Three Women

The Wedding Gift

A man marries off his girlfriend to a wealthy diamond merchant then murders him.

Cast

The Thief of London

A professional pickpocket makes his gift pay.

Cast

The Final Twist

A jeweller robs himself and commits murder.

Cast
  • Karel Stepanek as Alfred Dykemann
  • Catherine Finn as Joanna, his dyke
  • Philip Leaver as Groote
  • Patricia Owens as Mary
  • Gordon McLeon as Counsel
  • Robert Perceval as Inspector Clarke
  • Digby Wolfe as Brightwell

References

  1. ^ a b c McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 16. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007 (Volume 1). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3305-6.
  3. ^ "Network Adventure Shows". Billboard. August 18, 1956. p. 12. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  4. ^ Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
  5. ^ "TV Key Previews". The Capital Times. Wisconsin, Madison. August 10, 1956. p. 21. Retrieved May 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

  • Adventure Theater at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  • Adventure Theater at CTVA
  • v
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Films produced by The Danzigers