CTVA US Anthology - "Armstrong Circle Theatre" (NBC 1950-57)(CBS 1957-63)

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US Anthology series (chronological order)US Anthology series (alphabetical order)  

Armstrong Circle Theatre (1950-63)

Sponsors -  (Flooring)
Episode Guide compiled by The Classic TV Archive

https://ctva.biz/index.htm

with contributions by:

Tom Alger, Sal Crisanti, Rina Fox,

references:

Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)

Internet Movie Database (https://us.imdb.com)

UCLA Film and Television Archive / TIME Magazine

 

Armstrong Circle Theatre (season 1) (NBC) (Summer 1950)
Armstrong Circle Theatre (season 2) (NBC) (1950-1951)
Armstrong Circle Theatre (season 3) (NBC) (1951-1952)
Armstrong Circle Theatre (season 4) (NBC) (1952-1953)
Armstrong Circle Theatre (season 5) (NBC) (1953-1954)
Armstrong Circle Theatre (season 6) (NBC) (1954-1955)
Armstrong Circle Theatre (season 7) (NBC) (1955-1956)
Armstrong Circle Theatre (season 8) (NBC) (1956-1957)


Armstrong Circle Theatre (season 9) (CBS) (1957-1958)
Armstrong Circle Theatre (season 10) (CBS) (1958-1959)
Armstrong Circle Theatre (season 11) (CBS) (1959-1960)
Armstrong Circle Theatre (season 12) (CBS) (1960-1961)
Armstrong Circle Theatre (season 13) (CBS) (1961-1962)
Armstrong Circle Theatre (season 14) (CBS) (1962-1963)
Armstrong Circle Theatre (Specials) (1966 &-1967)

 

ARMSTRONG CIRCLE THEATRE

Broadcast "live" from New York (later episodes filmed)

for

NBC (Tuesdays 9:30-10:00pm)(1950-55)(30min)(seasons 1-6) (weekly)

*

NBC (Tuesdays 9:30-10:30pm)(1955-56)(60min)(season 7) (fortnightly)   (alternated with Playwrights '56)

*

NBC (Tuesdays 9:30-10:30pm)(1956-57)(60min)(season 8) (fortnightly)   (alternated with Kaiser Aluminum Hour)

*

CBS (Wednesdays 10:00-11:00pm)(1957-63)(60 min)(seasons 9-14)(fortnightly)(alternated with U.S. Steel Hour (1957-63)

*

seasons 1-5: (1950-54):

  Produced by Hudson Fausett (to be verified) 

seasons 6,7,8: (1954-57):

 Talent Associates production for NBC

     Executive Producer, David Susskind

     Produced by Robert Costello

*
US Anthology series  1950-63  episodes x 30/60 min bw

      (06Jan50-25Jun57) NBC    (02Oct57-28Aug63) CBS 

*

 host/narrator

Nelson Case  (1950-51)

Joe Ripley  (1952-53)(season 4) 

Bob Sherry  (1953-54) (season 5)

Sandy Becker (1954-55)(season 6)

John Cameron Swayze (1955-57)(season 7, 8)

Douglas Edwards (1957-61)(season 9, 10. 11)

  Ron Cochran (1961-62)

  Henry Hamilton (1962-63)

 

Premise:
After starting as a straight dramatic show in TV's infancy,  Armstrong Circle Theater developed its semi-documentary
format six years ago, has since covered every sort of theme. from Lizzie Borden to Hurricane Diane. Sometimes hinged
to news events; the sinking of the Andrea Doria, the 1959 discovery  of the B-24 that was lost in the Libyan desert
during World War II; the program has also treated myriad socio-psychological problems, from parole to suicide, gambling,
divorce, and legal and illegal adoption of babies. But most of all, it fingers every sort of crook; stock market swindlers,
antique swindlers, smugglers, moonshiners, forgers; and tells how they operate, in fascinating documented detail.

 

######### Armstrong Circle Theatre ###########
################# Theme Music ################
##############################################

Theme 1: "When The Organ Played At Twilight"

     [source: Craig Patillo's book "TV Theme Soundtrack Recordings", as a Main Theme

      this piece was used during the first 8 seasons, 1950 - 57.]
 

     Full Title: When The Organ Played At Twilight (The Song

        That Reached My Heart)
 

     Composers: Music by Jimmy Campbell (ASCAP) and

              Reginald ("Reg") Connelly (ASCAP); with

                Lyrics by Raymond Wallace (ASCAP)

           

     Original Publishers: Anne Rachel Music Corp. (ASCAP)

Campbell-Connelly Inc.  (ASCAP)

Current Publishers:  Anne Rachel Music Corp. (ASCAP)

Campbell-Connelly Inc.  (ASCAP)

 c/o Music Sales Corporation

Copyright date: 1929, according to "Who Wrote That Song?" by Dick Jacobs

    

Recordings:

78rpm - Jesse Crawford, organist made a popular recording

[according to "Who Wrote That Song?" by Dick Jacobs]

78rpm - Guy Lombardo

 [according to ASCAP Repertoire]

NOTE: Above may have been the series theme on radio when it was called

"Armstrong Theatre of Today"

(CBS, 1941 - ). During the series CBS-TV run, the following themes were used:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Main Title Theme 2: "Long John Silver"

     [source: Craig Patillo's book "TV Theme Soundtrack Recordings", as a Main Theme

      this piece was used during the four seasons, 1957 - 60.]
     Composers: David Buttolph (ASCAP) and Irving Gordon (ASCAP) 

Original Publisher: Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. (ASCAP)

     Current Publishers: Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. (ASCAP, and

  The Songwriters Guild (ASCAP)

Copyright date:

     Recordings:

 78rpm - Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra under Lee Castle

[according to ASCAP Repertoire]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Main Title Theme 3: "Armstrong Opening Signature"

     [source: Craig Patillo's book "TV Theme Soundtrack Recordings", as a Main Theme

      this piece was used as Main title only for the last season, in 1963.]

Composer: David Buttolph ?(ASCAP)

Original Publisher: [title not listed in ASCAP Index (78)]

Current Publisher:  [title not listed in ASCAP Repertoire,

may be EMI April Music Inc., since a lot of cues were credited to this,

and it looks like the CBS library was used...check UCLA/CBS Library list]

            Copyright date: Recordings:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Opening Theme 4: "Fanfare & Opening"

     [title source: Ray Clark collection]

     [aka: "Armstrong Theatre of the Air"]

     Composer: Harold Levey (ASCAP)

             [aka: Harold Leeds, according to ASCAP Repertoire]

     Original Publisher: M. Witmark & Sons (ASCAP)

     Current Publisher:  M. Witmark & Sons (ASCAP)

     Copyright:

     Recording:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Closing Theme 4: "New Horizons"

     [source: Craig Patillo's book "TV Theme Soundtrack Recordings", as a Main Theme

      used this piece during last six seasons, 1957 - 63.]

     [listed in Ray Clark collection]

     Composers: Jack Beaver (ASCAP) and Raphael Elman (ASCAP)

     Original Publishers: Francis, Day & Hunter, Ltd. (ASCAP)

     Original U.S. Publisher: Emil Ascher Music, Inc. (ASCAP)

     Current Publisher: Keith Prowse Music [KPM] (ASCAP)

     Copyright:

     Recording:

          78rpm - FDH 110 in the Francis, Day & Hunter

                  mood music library

               by L'Orchestre Delerue, conducted by George Delerue

              [in the Graham Newton collection]

######### Armstrong Circle Theatre ###########
##############################################
##############################################

 
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