Actors Studio

Actors Studio is an American TV show which aired for 65 episodes, from September 26, 1948 to October 26 on the fledgling ABC Television Network; then from November 1, 1949 to June 23, 1950 on CBS Television. It was hosted by Mark Connelly. The series showcased short pieces of adapted, classic and original drama, performed and produced live each week. Among some of the known authors were William Saroyan, James Thurber, Ring Lardner, Edgar Allan Poe, Irwin Shaw and Budd Schulberg. Featured actors included Martin Balsam, Richard Boone, Marlon Brando, Hume Cronyn, Julie Harris, Jean Muir and Jessica Tandy. Recurring performers included Jocelyn Brando, Tom Ewell, Steven Hill, Kim Hunter and Cloris Leachman. In February 1950, the series moved to Friday nights and was expanded to one hour, alternating every other week with broadcasts of Ford Theatre. In March, the name of the show was changed to The Play's the Thing. The series received a Peabody Award in 1948 for pioneering in the field of televised drama.

Drama

Seasons

1. Portrait of a Madonna

Air Date: 1948-09-26

2. Night Club

Air Date: 1948-10-03

3. The Giant's Stair

Air Date: 1948-10-10

4. The Thousand Dollar Bill

Air Date: 1948-10-17

5. The Catbird Seat

Air Date: 1948-10-24

6. The Inexperienced Ghost

Air Date: 1948-10-31

7. Ropes

Air Date: 1948-11-07

8. Esther

Air Date: 1948-11-14

9. Good Bye, Miss Lizzie Borden

Air Date: 1948-11-21

10. Ten Percent

Air Date: 1948-11-28

11. The Night the Ghost Got In

Air Date: 1948-12-05

12. The Widow of Wasdale Head

Air Date: 1948-12-12

13. The Man Who Lost Christmas

Air Date: 1948-12-19

14. To the Lovely Margaret

Air Date: 1948-12-26

15. A Day in Town

Air Date: 1949-01-02

16. I'm No Hero

Air Date: 1949-01-09

17. The Little Wife

Air Date: 1949-01-16

18. The Lady on 142

Air Date: 1949-01-23

19. A Trip to Czardis

Air Date: 1949-01-30

20. Jim Pemberton and His Boy Trigger

Air Date: 1949-02-06

21. Zone of Quiet

Air Date: 1949-02-13

22. The Tell-Tale Heart

Air Date: 1949-02-20

23. Greasy Luck

Air Date: 1949-02-27

24. Joe McSween's Atomic Machine

Air Date: 1949-03-06

Joe McSween is a factory worker who builds a machine in his basement. The machine doesn't do anythingâ€”it just runs. Naturally, everyone thinks that it's an atomic machine, and the government gets involved.

25. Dead Man

Air Date: 1949-03-13

26. Concerning a Woman of Sin

Air Date: 1949-03-24

27. Three O'Clock

Air Date: 1949-03-31

28. A Reputation

Air Date: 1949-04-07

29. I Can't Breathe

Air Date: 1949-04-14

30. From Paradise to Butte

Air Date: 1949-04-21

31. Here Comes Spring

Air Date: 1949-04-28

32. Somebody Has to Be Nobody

Air Date: 1949-05-05

33. Salt of the Earth

Air Date: 1949-05-12

34. Spreading the News

Air Date: 1949-05-19

35. You're Breaking My Heart

Air Date: 1949-05-26

1. The Canterville Ghost

Air Date: 1949-09-28

2. Terror in the Streets

Air Date: 1949-10-05

3. It's a Free Country

Air Date: 1949-10-12

4. We'll Never Have a Nickel

Air Date: 1949-10-19

5. Clarissa

Air Date: 1949-10-26

6. The Return to Kansas City

Air Date: 1949-11-01

7. O'Halloran's Luck

Air Date: 1949-11-08

8. The Frame-Up

Air Date: 1949-11-15

9. The Three Strangers

Air Date: 1949-11-22

10. The Thousand Dollar Bill [restaged]

Air Date: 1949-11-29

11. The Man with the Heart in the Highlands

Air Date: 1949-12-06

12. The Midway

Air Date: 1949-12-13

13. A Child Is Born

Air Date: 1949-12-20

14. Counry Full of Sweden

Air Date: 1949-12-27

15. Hannah

Air Date: 1950-01-03

16. An Ingenue of the Sierras

Air Date: 1950-01-10

17. The Little Wife [restaged]

Air Date: 1950-01-17

18. The Timid Guy

Air Date: 1950-01-24

19. Joe McSween's Atomic Machine [restaged]

Air Date: 1950-01-31

20. Telas, the King

Air Date: 1950-02-03

21. Mr. Mummery's Suspicion

Air Date: 1950-02-17

22. The Apple Tree

Air Date: 1950-03-03

23. The Pink Hussar

Air Date: 1950-03-17

24. The Salt of the Earth

Air Date: 1950-03-31

25. Sanctuary in Paris

Air Date: 1950-04-14

26. Screwball

Air Date: 1950-04-28

27. Alison's House

Air Date: 1950-05-12

28. The Token

Air Date: 1950-05-26

29. The Swan

Air Date: 1950-06-09

30. The Good Companions

Air Date: 1950-06-23

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Rating

6.5/10

Release Date

1948-09-26

Episodes

65 (2 seasons)

Status

Ended

Cast

Marc Connelly

Self - Host