| Alcoa Theatre | |
|---|---|
DeForest Kelley on Alcoa Theatre June 13, 1960 |
|
| Genre | Anthology |
| Written by | Bob Barbash Frederick Brady Fred Freiberger Leonard Freeman Fred F. Finklehoffe Christopher Knopf Ruth McKenney Stirling Silliphant George F. Slavin |
| Directed by | Robert Florey Alvin Ganzer Don McDougall Robert Ellis Miller Don Taylor Don Weis |
| Theme music composer | Johnny Williams |
| Composer(s) | George Duning (2.4) Harry Sukman (3.17) John Williams (1.4, 2.1) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 77 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Vincent M. Fennelly Fred F. Finklehoffe Winston O'Keefe William Sackheim |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | October 7, 1957 – September 19, 1960 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The Alcoa Hour |
Alcoa Theatre is a half-hour anthology series telecast on NBC at 9:30 pm on alternate Monday nights from October 7, 1957 to September 16, 1960.[1] The program also aired under the title Turn of Fate, with the stories depicting the difficulties faced by individuals who are suddenly thrust into unexpected and perilous dangers.[2] Alcoa Theatre was syndicated together with Goodyear Theatre as Award Theatre.
In 1955, The Alcoa Hour premiered in a one-hour format aired on Sunday nights, but it was reduced to 30 minutes, retitled Alcoa Theatre, and moved to Monday evening in 1957. The show employed an alternating rotating company of actors: David Niven, Robert Ryan, Jane Powell, Jack Lemmon and Charles Boyer.[1] Each appeared in dramatic and light comedic roles through the first season.
Contents |
The series continued to feature the talents of veteran and emerging actors over the ensuing years, including Cliff Robertson, John Cassavetes, Brandon De Wilde, Cornel Wilde, Agnes Moorehead, Jack Carson, Walter Slezak and Gary Merrill. Child actor Flip Mark made his television debut as Robbie Adams in the 1959 episode "Another Day Another Dollar". Tyler MacDuff, a guest star on various television Westerns, appeared as Rod Tilton in the 1962 episode "Blues for a Hanging".[3]
Gian-Carlo Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors remains one of the Alcoa Theatre's best-known presentations.
"333 Montgomery" (June 13, 1960) starred DeForest Kelley in the pilot episode of an unsold series written by Gene Roddenberry. It was based on the book Never Plead Guilty by San Francisco criminal lawyer Jake Ehrlich. Kelley acted in three separate pilots for Columbia, and the studio decided to try him in a lead and sent him to meet Roddenberry. Kelley and Roddenberry went to San Francisco to meet Ehrlich, who chose him for the lead. This event was crucial to Kelley's career because it introduced him to Roddenberry, later resulting in his Star Trek role.
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Recipient | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Nominated | Emmy Award | Best Writing of a Single Program of a Dramatic Series - Less Than One Hour | Christopher Knopf | "The Loudmouth" |
| Nominated | Emmy Award | Best Single Performance by an Actor | Mickey Rooney | "Eddie" | |
| Won | Emmy Award | Best Writing of a Single Program of a Dramatic Series - Less Than One Hour | Alfred Brenner and Ken Hughes | "Eddie" | |
| Won | Emmy Award | Best Dramatic Series - Less Than One Hour | |||
| Won | Emmy Award | Best Direction of a Single Program of a Dramatic Series - Less Than One Hour | Jack Smight | "Eddie" |
|
||||||||