The Shape of the River

15th episode of the 4th season of Playhouse 90
"The Shape of the River"
Playhouse 90 episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 15
Directed byBoris Sagal
Written byHorton Foote
Featured musicJerry Goldsmith
Original air dateMay 2, 1960 (1960-05-02)
Guest appearances
  • Franchot Tone as Samuel Clemens
  • Leif Erickson as William Dean Howells
  • Katharine Bard as Livy Clemens
  • Shirley Knight as Susy Clemens
  • Jane McArthur as Jane Clemens
Episode chronology
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"The Shape of the River" was an American television play broadcast on May 2, 1960, as part of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90. It was the 15th episode of the fourth season of Playhouse 90.

Plot

The play examines the life of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) from 1895, shortly before he departed on a European speaking tour, to 1905. During these years, Twain fell deeply into debt, and wife suffered a nervous breakdown and died. Daughter Susy became insane and died of spinal meningitis, and daughter Jane had a heart attack and drowned in a bathtub.

Production

Fred Coe was the producer. Boris Sagal was the director, and Horton Foote wrote the teleplay. Foote had studied Twain's works since childhood and conducted extensive research before writing the screenplay.[1]

The cast included Franchot Tone as Samuel Clemens, Leif Erickson as William Dean Howells, Katharine Bard as Livy Clemens, Shirley Knight as Susy Clemens, and Jane McArthur as Jane Clemens.[1]

Reception

Fred Danzig of the UPI praised the performances of Bard and Tone.[2]

Cynthia Lowry of the Associated Press called it "a poignant and in some ways slow-moving play."[3]

Critic Paul King praised Tone's performance as "masterful" and the best of his career, though he found other performances mediocre and the production "disturbingly erratic".[4]

References

  1. ^ a b "Twain Portrait On Playhouse 90". The Honolulu Advertiser. May 15, 1960 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Television in Review". The Coshocton (OH) Tribune. May 3, 1960.
  3. ^ "Cynthia Finds Two Specials Rewarding TV". Corsicana Daily Sun. May 3, 1960. p. 14.
  4. ^ Paul King (May 3, 1960). "The Glass Eye". The Vancouver Sun.
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