TV
Reader's Digest
Episode Guide
compiled by The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by:
Richard Yokley (Ep 2.9),
Jim Brent ,Rina Fox
references:
Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (http://us.imdb.com)
UCLA Film and Television Archive
TV READER'S DIGEST
Chester Erskine Productions ; a Bernard L. Schubert presentation
filmed at American National Studios in Hollywood
Broadcasted on ABC
Monday 8:00-8:30
January 17, 1955 until July 9, 1956
Hosted by: Hugh Reilly (1955)
Gene Raymond (1956)
Syndication airing in the early sixties on Way of Life.
All episodes were true stories.
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######### TV READER'S DIGEST ###########
########## season 1 1955-56 ############
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1.01 [--] TV Reader's Digest: THE LAST OF THE OLD TIME SHOOTING SHERIFFS
17Jan1955 ABC Mon
Producer Chester Erskine
Written by Frank Gruber
From a Reader's digest article by Cleveland Amory
Directed by William Beaudine
Director of photography Lester Shorr
Editor Walter Hannemann
Guest cast:
Russell Simpson ......... Jim Roberts
John Hamilton ......... Mayor Carver
Chubby Johnson ......... Rancher
Francis MacDonald ......... Barber
William Fawcett ......... Charlie
Dick Reeves ......... Swanson
with
Jimmy Hawkins ....... Bokker
Bill Henry
Myron Healey
Bobby Taylor
Al Wyatt
Red Morgan
Synopsis:
The factual story of Jim Roberts, the shooting sheriff who was brought out of
retirement by the citizens of an Arizona town to check a series of bank robberies. [JB]
1.02 [--] TV Reader's Digest: TROUBLE ON THE DOUBLE
24Jan1955 ABC Mon
Adapted from an article by David Woodbury
starring
Peter Graves
Nancy Gates
George Chandler
Synopsis:
A storm and a train wreck make it impossible to get a doctor for an expectant mother.
The frantic father learns that “necessity is the mother of invention.” [JB]
1.03 [--] TV Reader's Digest: MRS. ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
30Jan1955 ABC Mon
Adapted from an article by Austin Strong.
Directed by John Brahm
starring
Martha Scott ........ Fanny Vandergrift Osbourne
Douglass Montgomery.. Robert Louis Stevenson
Wallis Clark ........ Thomas
Doris Lloyd ......... Stevenson's Mother
Synopsis 1:
The film presents the author and his wife in their search for a healthful climate.
The story of the writer's devoted wife, who stood by her husband
through his battle with tuberculosis. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
The Robert Louis Stevensons are searching for a healthful climate. [RF]
*Note: Syndication airing on "Way of Life" 05Mar61.
1.04 [--] TV Reader's Digest: HOW CHANCE MADE LINCOLN PRESIDENT
07Feb1955 ABC Mon
Based on a condensation of G. Lynn Sumner’s “Meet Abraham Lincoln.”
starring
Richard Gaines ........ Abraham Lincoln
Vivi Janiss ....... Mary Todd Lincoln
Ken Hardison ......... Robert Lincoln
Synopsis:
The film concerns five events which propelled Lincoln into the White House. [JB]
1.05 [--] TV Reader's Digest: I’LL PICK MORE DAISIES
14Feb1955 ABC Mon
Based on a story by Warren Forth and an article by Don Herold
starring
Richard Denning ....... Don Wilkerson
Jeanne Cagney ....... Martha Wilkerson
Kim Charney ........ Don as a boy
Barry Truex ........ Don Jr.
Joan Vohs ........... Marie
Phyllis Coates ...... Mother
Maudie Prickett ..... Birdie
Synopsis:
A middle-aged man feels he is in a rut. His dreams of what he could have
been bring him back to three decisive moments in his past. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
An aging man considers himself a failure relives three pivotal moments in his
past. [RF]
1.06 [--] TV Reader's Digest: TOP SECRET
21Feb1955 ABC Mon
Adapted by Frederick Hazlitt Brennan from an article by Norbert Muhlen.
starring
Fred Essler ....... Louie Meyer
Leonid Kinskey ....... Karl
Otto Waldis ....... Meinstudt
Fritz Feld ........ Semanov
Alfred Linder ........ Rupert
Edit Angold .......... Mrs. Kullman
Synopsis:
Against the background of East Berlin, the story of Louie Meyer and his
beloved bus unfolds. Louie is heartbroken when the East German police
decrees that the vehicle is the property of the state. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
German citizens attempt to escape from East Berlin's Russian zone in an ancient
bus. [RF]
1.07 [--] TV Reader's Digest: A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
28Feb1955 ABC Mon
Adapted from an article by Southern newspaper editor Hodding Carter.
starring
Bobby Driscoll ........ Radford Sawyer the boy
Minor Watson ......... Radford Sawyer the man
Jimmy Ogg .......... Vernon Kimble the boy
Erville Alderson ....... Vernon Kimble the man
Frank Ferguson ....... Pa Sawyer
Ella Ethridge ....... Ma Sawyer
Paul Hoffman ....... Harlan
Mitch Kowal ......... Cullen
Synopsis:
A sensitive boy rebels against the vengeful, feuding tradition of the Old South.
Later, as an eminent brain surgeon, he operates on the grandson of his childhood enemy. [JB]
1.08 [--] TV Reader's Digest: THE END OF BLACKBEARD THE PIRATE
07Mar1955 ABC Mon
Adapted from a story by Edwin Muller.
starring
Jeff Morrow ......... Blackbeard
Robert Knapp ........ Lt. Robert Maynard
Russ Conway ......... Hargrave
Kay Stewart ......... Rita
Skelton Knaggs ...... Gibson
Claude Akins ........ Casco
Randy Farr .......... Mary
Leo Britt ........... Eden
Keith Hitchcock ..... Gibbs
Synopsis:
The notorious Blackbeard meets his match in a battle against
Lt. Robert Maynard off the Carolina coast in 1718. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
Blackbeard the Pirate meets his match in a battle against Lt. Robert Maynard
off the Carolina coast in 1718. [RF]
1.09 [--] TV Reader's Digest: THE AMERICAN MASTER COUNTERFEITERS
14Mar1955 ABC Mon
starring
Roy Roberts ........ William Burns
George O’Hanlon ....... Cliff Hampton
Harlan Warde ....... Hotchkiss
Synopsis:
We go back to the turn of the century when Detective William Burns helped
the U.S. Secret Service solve one of the most puzzling counterfeit cases in history:
the case of the “too good” hundred-dollar bills. [JB]
1.10 [--] TV Reader's Digest: AMERICA’S FIRST GREAT LADY
21Mar1955 ABC Mon
starring
Gloria Talbott .......... Pocahontas
Richard Ney ......... Captain John Smith
John Stephenson .......... John Rolfe
Anthony Eustrel ..... Somers
Paul Cavanaugh ...... Sir Christopher
Synopsis:
The love story of Pocahontas and the two white men she loved,
Captain John Smith and tobacco planter John Rolfe. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
"America's First Lady" is the story of Pocahontas and the men she loved
Capt. John Smith and tobacco planter John Rolfe. [RF]
1.11 [--] TV Reader's Digest: THE MANUFACTURED CLUE
28Mar1955 ABC Mon
starring
Chuck Connors ....... Charlie Masters
Paul Stewart ........ Larry Sears
Douglas Spencer .......... Frank Heath
Synopsis 1:
The story revolves around a private detective hired to manufacture
clues against a murder suspect. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
A sleuth is hired to manufacture clues against a murder suspect. [RF]
*Note: Syndication airing on "Way of Life" 23Jul61.
1.12 [--] TV Reader's Digest: INCIDENT ON THE CHINA COAST
04Apr1955 ABC Mon
starring
Robert Bray ......... Durant
Ann Doran ........... Mrs. Durant
Dan Barton .......... Robert Thorpe
Joan Elan ........... Rose
Linda Bennett ....... Durant's daughter
Noel Toy ............ Stewardess
Synopsis:
The true story of an attack on a passenger airplane on a routine flight from Bangkok
to Hong Kong by Chinese Reds. The survivors of the crash must face the dangers
of the China Sea as they float on the plane’s life raft. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
Survivors of a plane crash, afloat on a life raft, face the dangers of the China
Sea. [RF]
1.13 [--] TV Reader's Digest: HOW CHARLIE FAUST WON A PENNANT FOR THE GIANTS
11Apr1955 ABC Mon
starring
Lee Marvin ........ Charlie Faust
Alan Reed .......... John McGraw
Lee Van Cleef ......... Mike
Synopsis:
The 1911 epic of a youth from Kansas who won the pennant without ever throwing a ball.
Charlie Faust, new to the New York Giants team, was largely responsible for their winning streak.
In order to curtail this bit of luck, gamblers kidnap Faust to keep him from playing. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
Gamblers kidnap a pitcher who is responsible for the New York Giants' winning
streak. [RF]
1.14 [--] TV Reader's Digest: HONEYMOON IN MEXICO
18Apr1955 ABC Mon
starring
Richard Long ....... Jack
Merry Anders ...... Sally
Anthony Numkema ...... Toledo
Rafael Campos ....... Pedro
Synopsis:
The true story of a very unusual honeymoon. A young Texan
and his Boston bride set up housekeeping in a small town and soon
find they are the “parents” of 10 Mexican children. [JB]
1.15 [--] TV Reader's Digest: THE GREAT ARMORED CAR ROBBERY
25Apr1955 ABC Mon
starring
Alex Nicol ...... John Martin
Dorothy Green ..... Nora Martin
Mickey Knox
Ed McNally
Bob Foulk
Gene Roth
Ted de Corsia
Joe Bassett
Synopsis:
The master-mind behind a “perfect crime” discovers
that going straight can be dangerous. [JB]
1.16 [--] TV Reader's Digest: A MILLION DOLLAR STORY
02May1955 ABC Mon
starring
Bill Bouchey ........ Ferris
James Bell .......... Decker
Joyce Arling ........ Jane
Milburn Stone ....... Brewster
Julie Bishop ........ Agnes
Louis Jean Heydt .... Reporter
Joe Bassett
Synopsis:
A dramatization of Captain Carlsen’s memorable 1952 battle with
the sea aboard his ship, “The Flying Enterprise.” [JB]
Synopsis 2:
A captain refuses to leave a sinking freighter even though
the crew and passengers are safely ashore. [RF]
1.17 [--] TV Reader's Digest: DEAR FRIENDS AND GENTLE HEARTS
09May1955
teleplay by Katherine & Dale Eunson
Article by Alexander Wollcott
directed by Arnold Laven
starring
Johnny Johnston ....... Stephen Foster
Joan Camden ....... Jane McDowell Foster
Harlan Warde ....... Dunning Foster
Napoleon Simpson ....... Uncle Ned
Casey Adams
Paul Maxey
Parley Baer
Alan Dexter
Jerry Hausner
Synopsis:
The story of composer Stephen Foster, from his early success to his tragic death.
Stephen Foster gave up his job as a bookkeeper to devote his time to composing. [JB]
1.18 [--] TV Reader's Digest: FRANCE’S GREATEST DETECTIVE
16May55 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.19-R
written by Wells Root
article by Irving Wallace
directed by Peter Godfrey
cinematography by Lester Shorr
starring
Arthur Franz ....... Alphonse Bertillon
Lawrence Dobkin ....... Renault
Claude Akins ....... Dupont
Ian MacDonald ....... Andrieux
Phillips Van Zandt ....... Boyaval
Gene Reynolds ....... Hugo
Edgar Barrier ......... Camecasse
Synopsis:
The true story of Alphonse Bertillon, a brilliant clerk for the French Police,
who revolutionizes criminal investigation by instituting scientific methods to identify
criminals. By studying and measuring bone structures and body features, his methods
lead to the capture and conviction of over 7,000 criminals. His later attempts to use
the ancient scientific method of fingerprinting for criminal investigations for the first
time in France, soon proved to be even more effective in solving crimes. [RF]
1.19 [--] TV Reader's Digest: AROUND THE HORN TO MATRIMONY
23May1955 ABC Mon
starring
Bob Hutton ....... Asa Mercer
Donna Martell ....... Emma Scofield
Dee J. Thompson ....... Hope
Jan Shepard ....... Louella
Juney Ellis ....... Rachel
Nancy Kulp ....... Ruth
Synopsis:
Back in the 1800’s a brave and courageous man organized a project to send
a boatload of women from New York to Seattle. The purpose of this
singular and daring voyage was matrimony! [JB]
1.20 [--] TV Reader's Digest: THE ANATOMY OF A GRAFT
30May1955 ABC Mon
starring
Gene Barry ....... Victor Martin
Jaclynne Greer ....... Jean Martin
Howard St. John ....... Cal Iverson
Emerson Treacy ....... Father
Synopsis:
A young attorney enters the political arena determined to fight for clean government.
His ideal, however, is not shared by “the people that count.” [JB]
1.21 [--] TV Reader's Digest: HUMAN NATURE THROUGH A REAR VIEW MIRROR
06Jun55 ABC Mon
Show no. 21
starring
Eddie Albert ....... Joey White
Jill Jarmyn ....... Marge Wilson
William Henry ....... Dick Wilson
Sid Melton ....... Max
Herb Vigran
Sarah Selby
Synopsis:
Cabby Joey White gets involved in a kidnapping and a maternity
case because of his interest in the passengers that ride in his cab. [JB]
1.22 [--] TV Reader's Digest: MR. PAK TAKES OVER
13Jun1955 ABC Mon
Show no. 22
prod no. 107-23
starring
Philip Ahn ........ Mr. Pak
Kenneth Tobey ..... Herbert
James Edwards
Dan Barton
Walter Kelly
Synopsis:
During the Korean War, a native interpreter assigned to an American officer,
proves where his loyalties lie. [JB]
1.23 [--] TV Reader's Digest: MY FIRST BULLFIGHT
20Jun1955 ABC Mon
Adapted from an article by Sidney Franklin, the Brooklyn bullfighter
starring
Jack Kelly ....... Sidney Franklin
George Huerta ....... Manuel
Chalo Alvarado ....... Gaona
Edward Colmans ....... Hernandez
Nacho Galindo ....... Fuente
Abel Franco ......... Tafur
Synopsis:
An American artist is in Mexico City drawing posters of the bullfights.
Under the influence of tequila he boasts that he too could best the bull. [JB]
1.24 [--] TV Reader's Digest: COMRADE LINDEMANN'S CONSCIENCE
27Jun1955 ABC Mon
Adapted from an article by Frederick Sondern, Jr. and Norbert Muhlen
starring
Alf Kjellin ....... Hasso Lindemann
Kurt Katch ....... Herr Lasseman
Maria Palmer ....... Ilse
Synopsis:
An assistant states attorney in Communist East Germany has been sending
innocent men to prison. He regrets his acts, and suffers pangs of conscience. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
An East German official who's been sending innocent
men to jail has pangs of conscience. [RF]
1.25 [--] TV Reader's Digest: SIX HOURS OF SURGERY
04Jul1955 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.27
starring
Walter Kingsford ......... Chief Surgeon
Jerry Paris ........ Associate Surgeon
Damian O’Flynn ........ Associate Surgeon
Jean Byron ........ Head Nurse
Robert Osterloh ....... Anesthetist
Synopsis:
The personal problems in the lives of the surgeon and his assistants are
revealed under the stress and strain of a delicate heart operation on a 16 year old boy. [JB]
1.26 [--] TV Reader's Digest: THE BARON AND HIS URANIUM KILLING
11Jul1955 ABC Mon
Adapted from an article by Toni Howard
starring
Marcel Dalio ........ Baron
Gladys Holland ...... Baroness
Steven Geray ........ Gaillard
Peter Brocco ........ Bethier
Synopsis:
A wealthy French baron and his baroness find themselves
victims of a clever uranium swindle. [JB]
Last first run episode of the season, repeats begin:
18Jul55 Top Secret (original air date 21Feb55)
25Jul55 The End of Blackbeard the Pirate (original air date 07Mar55)
01Aug55 A Matter of Life or Death (original air date 28Feb55)
08Aug55 Incident on the China Coast (original air date 04Apr55)
15Aug55 The Manufactured Clue (original air date 28Mar55)
22Aug55 The Great Armored Car Robbery (original air date 25Apr55)
29Aug55 The American Master Counterfeiters (original air date 14Mar55)
05Sep55 Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts (original air date 09May55)
12Sep55 How Charlie Faust Won a Pennant for the Giants (original air date 11Apr55)
19Sep55 Preempted for Producers' Showcase
26Sep55 France’s Greatest Detective (original air date 16May55)
03Oct55 Six Hours of Surgery (original air date 04Jul55)
10Oct55 Mr. Pak Takes Over (original air date
13Jun55)
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######### TV READER'S DIGEST ###########
########## season 2 1956-57 ############
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2.01 [27] TV Reader's Digest: CHILD PIONEER
17Oct1955 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.30
starring
Jack Dimond ....... John Sager
John Compton ....... Kit Carson
Synopsis 1:
A 13 year-old boy is left as the head of a family of six children when
the parents meet death en route to Oregon with a covered wagon train. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
When his parents die on a wagon trek to Oregon, a 13 year old boy
completes the journey leading the rest of his family. [RF]
2.02 [28] TV Reader's Digest: OLD MASTER DETECTIVE
24Oct1955 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.31
starring
William Talman
John Wengraf
Whit Bissell
Jesse White
Walter Kingsford
Synopsis:
An insurance investigator makes a special trip to Europe to look into an
insurance claim on a so-called masterpiece of art. The insured man making
the claim is a Hollywood producer who is short on funds. [JB]
2.03 [29] TV Reader's Digest: THE ARCHER-SHEE CASE
31Oct1955 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.29
starring
Sir Cedric Hardwicke ......... Martin Archer-Shee
Christopher Cook ....... George Archer-Shee
Henry Daniell ....... Sir Edward Carson
Sarah Selby ....... Mrs. Archer-Shee
Paul Cavanagh ....... Commander Travis
Anthony Eustrel ....... Sir Rufus Isaacs
Synopsis:
A 13 year-old English Royal Naval College cadet is unjustly accused of
stealing a postal order. When the boy is dismissed from the academy,
his father takes the case to the foremost lawyer in England, Sir Edward Carson. [JB]
2.04 [30] TV Reader's Digest: THE BRAINWASHING OF JOHN HAYES
07Nov1955 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.38
written by George Bruce
article by Frederic Sondern Jr
directed by Harry Horner
cinematography by Floyd D. Crosby A.S.C.
starring
Vincent Price ....... John Hayes
Philip Ahn ......... Wang Tsu
Richard Loo ......... Officer
Steven Geray ......... Chernick
Kei T. Chung ........ Wong
Beulah Kwon ....... Woman
Warren Lee ......... Boy
Weaver Levy ......... Guard
Harold G. Fong
Synopsis 1:
The Reverend John Hayes, professor of English at the Chinese National Teacher's
College, is taken captive by the Chinese Communists. Their three month long
attempt to brainwash the minister-professor elicits a strange reaction. (film)
Synopsis 2:
This is the true story of John Hayes, an American minister teaching in China during
the great revolution. In a harrowing beginning, the Chinese authorities break into his
home while he is asleep and arrest him on a fabricated charge. He is held
prisoner and interrogated relentlessly in an attempt to get him to sign a false
confession that he is an imperialist spy for the United States government. He is put
on trail in the "People's Court" and to the amazement of his interrogators, he does
not relent and accuses the Chinese regime of being puppets of Stalin: "In a democracy
there is justice, but in the China of today there are only orders, orders from the Kremlin.
You think you are sitting in judgment of John Hayes. The truth is that the world at this
moment is sitting in judgment on you and on this court. It is not John Hayes on trial,
it is the honor and independence of China." The court responds,
"Take him away...this man is dangerous" and Hayes is led away,
a hero to the people of China. [RF]
2.05 [31] TV Reader's Digest: THE MAKING OF A SUBMARINE
14Nov1955 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.28
starring
Douglas Dick ....... Frankie
Robert Crosson ....... Red
Louis Jean Heydt .... Warner
Charles Smith ....... Chuck
John Huffman ....... Larry
Walter Sande ........ Jensen
Synopsis:
The story of four recruits, who sign up for submarine service. Only one of the
four proves that he can meet the rigid training and discipline. [RF] (film)
Synopsis 2:
A group of Navy men endure a tough training program
after they volunteer for submarine duty. [RF]
2.06 [32] TV Reader's Digest: THE VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN TOM JONES , PIRATE
21Nov1955 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.35
starring
Louis Hayward ....... Captain Tom Jones
Noel Drayton ....... Earl of Warwick
Kathryn Beaumont ....... Priscilla Mullins
John Stephenson ....... John Alden
John Bryant ....... Captain Miles Standish
Edward Colmans ....... Sir Fernando Gorges
Synopsis 1:
An ex-buccaneer is released from an English jail for a strange assignment.
He is to sail a boatload of pilgrims to the New World on the “Mayflower.” [RF]
Synopsis 2:
Captain Jones is sentenced to death for piracy. [RF]
*Note: Syndication airing on Way of Life 02Sep60.
2.07 [33] TV Reader's Digest: IF I WERE RICH
28Nov1955 ABC Mon
Show no. 33; show no. 107.33
starring
Jim Backus ....... George Johnson
Helen Parrish ....... Mrs. Johnson
Chick Chandler ....... Brother-in-law
Carol Nugent ........ Doris
Chet Marshall ....... Marvin
Synopsis 1:
Comedy about the effect of $100,000 on a shoe clerk's family.
Holder of the winning sweepstakes ticket, the clerk is beset by his brother-in-law,
and eventually income taxes. [RF]
Synopsis 2:
A shoe clerk who holds the winning sweepstakes ticket
beset by his brother-in-law and income taxes. [JB]
2.08 [34] TV Reader's Digest: THE SAD DEATH OF A HERO
05Dec1955 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.32
starring
William Phipps ...... John Scopes
Douglass Dumbrille ....... William Jennings Bryan
Carl Benton Reid ...... Clarence Darrow
Rosemary DeCamp ....... Miss Schuyler
Louis Jean Heydt ....... George Young
Harry Bartell ....... Rappleyea
Mack Williams ....... Harrison
Synopsis:
This is the story of the Scopes “Monkey Trial” at Dayton, Tenn., July 1925.
Defending the young teacher of Darwinism was avowed agnostic Clarence Darrow.
Prosecuting him was fundamentalist statesman William Jennings Bryan.
The show centers on Darrow’s hard-fought verbal duel with the 65 year-old Bryan. [RF]
Synopsis 2:
One of the most memorable trials of modern times was known as the "Monkey
Trial".
A teacher was brought to trial for teaching the theory of evolution in the school room. [RF]
2.09 [35] TV Reader's Digest: EMERGENCY CASE
12Dec1955 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.36
written by Peter Cary
adapted (teleplay) from a J.C. Works' story appearing
in the January 1939 issue of Readers Digest
starring
Arthur Franz
Richard Reeves
Maudie Prickett
Synopsis:
Story of a young intern on duty as an ambulance attendant. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
Dramatized: a typical night's emergency calls in a large New York City hospital.
[RF]
Synopsis 3:
Based on the Emergency Ward of New York’s Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan
and the treatment of all sorts of injuries and illness brought to the Ward by any
one of Bellevue’s 7 ambulances, which included burned firefighters from a
tenement blaze. The story originally appeared in Hygeia Magazine,
a publication of the American Medical Association. [RY]
2.10 [36] TV Reader's Digest: WHEN THE WISE MEN APPEARED
19Dec1955 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.34
starring
Rudy Lee ....... Bruce Turner
Dick Foran ........ John Turner
Dorothy Green ........ Alice Turner
Dan Barton ........ George Barrett
Whit Bissell ....... Dan Carson
Joyce Holden ......... Laura Thompson
Jeanne Baird ...... Ruth Barrett
Argentina Brunetti ....... Mrs. Barrett
Donna Corcoran ...... Girl
Synopsis:
A young boy inadvertently changes the meaning of Christmas for several
people, by walking down the street dressed as one of the wise men. [JB]
2.11 [37] TV Reader's Digest: ORDEAL AT YUBA GAP
26Dec1955 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.37
starring
Margaret Lindsay ...... Ruth Linden
Douglas Kennedy ........ Dr. Hanley
Helen Mowery ....... Mrs. Chapman
Addison Richards .......... George Naylor
Herb Vigran .......... Ben Hartford
Michael Winkelman ........ Bucky Chapman
Harry T. Shannon .... Conductor
Synopsis:
A blizzard in January 1952 snows in the streamliner “City of San Francisco” at Donner Pass.
One of the worst blizzards of the century traps more than 200 terror-stricken passengers. [JB]
2.12 [38] TV Reader's Digest: IN THE EYE OF A HURRICANE
02Jan1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.39
starring
Richard Arlen ....... Captain
Tod Griffin ......... Curtis
Carl Milletaire ..... Barnes
John Doucette ....... Ferguson
Richard Reeves ...... Quartermaster
Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. ... Gordo
Jack Rice ........... Williams
James Anderson ...... Seaman
James Fairfax ....... Stewart
Synopsis:
Despite disaster warnings, a cargo ship puts out to sea. The disgruntled
crew has cause for alarm when the ship is caught in a storm of hurricane proportions. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
The captain of a small freighter is caught in a hurricane off the Florida coast.
[RF]
2.13 [39] TV Reader's Digest: WHY THE CHOIR WAS LATE
09Jan1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.40
starring
Byron Foulger
Synopsis:
Each member of a small-town church choir was delayed en route to
the weekly choir practice. Had they been on time, they would have
been in the church when it was blown to pieces. [JB]
2.14 [40] TV Reader's Digest: THE MAN WHO BEAT DEATH
16Jan1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.41
starring:
William Talbert ..... Himself
Phyllis Coates ...... Nancy
Robert Clarke ....... Father
Synopsis:
Billy Talbert, famous tennis star, fights against diabetes.
Synopsis 2:
Tennis player William Talbert reenacts his own fight against diabetes. [RF]
*Note: Syndication airing on Way of Life 15Jul60. [RF]
2.15 [41] TV Reader's Digest: A BELL FOR OKINAWA
23Jan1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.42
starring
Ludwig Stossel ..... Dr. Von Scorebrand
Paul Cavanagh ....... Lawrence Holt
Leon Askin .......... Weeren
Norbert Schiller ...... German Reporter
John Wengraf ...... German Bishop
Anthony Eustrel ....... Briton (Director)
Synopsis:
The life’s dream of a German-American doctor is realized when
a bell is sent to a leper colony in Okinawa. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
In need of a bell for Okinawa's leper colony, Dr. Von Scorebrand leaves
his work to try to buy one in London. His quest leads him to Berlin
and even the Russians help in the search. [RF]
Synopsis 3:
A doctor in a leper colony decides his patients need a church bell. [RF]
2.16 [42] TV Reader's Digest: COCHISE, GREATEST OF THE APACHES
30Jan1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.43
starring
John Howard ......... General Oliver Otis Howard
Richard Gaines ...... Cochise
Rhodes Reason ....... Tom Jeffords
Synopsis:
General Howard, former Civil War leader, is sent by President
Grant to meet with Cochise, chief of the Apaches. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
The U.S. Government attempts a peace settlement with Apache
chief Cochise after 12 years of warfare. [RF]
2.17 [43] TV Reader's Digest: THE MYSTERY OF MINNIE
06Feb1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.44
starring
Walter Coy .......... Adams
Evelyn Scott ........ Peggy
Ann Doran ........... Elsie
Jonathan Hole ....... Cartwright
Olan Soule .......... Harmon
John Huffman ........ Enright
Francis McDonald .... Minnie Garrett
Synopsis:
Though Minnie Garrett has been dead many years, her unique bequest
makes it possible for an author to complete a novel and effect an adoption. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
The lives of New England townsfolk are influenced
by the memory of a dead woman. [RF]
2.18 [44] TV Reader's Digest: TEXAS IN NEW YORK
13Feb1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.45
starring
Marilyn Erskine
Rafael Campos ....... Manuel
Speer Martin ........ Koredjefski
John Murphy ......... McDuffy
David Pike .......... Anastopoulous
Tom Brandt .......... Sczeczechowski
Synopsis:
A Texas schoolmarm tries to drill some good sense, as well as
good citizenship, into her class of hoodlums. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
A Texas schoolteacher comes to work in a tough New York neighborhood. [RF]
2.19 [45] TV Reader's Digest: RETURN FROM OBLIVION
20Feb1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.46
starring
Lyle Bettger ....... Lester Miller
Emerson Treacy ....... Harry Ratcliffe
Robert Osterloh ......... Dr. Rosenfeld
Marjorie Masson ..... Jean
Synopsis:
A man, unable to grow with his own successful business firm, develops
unfound suspicions against his partner. When he cracks under pressure of
his work, he is committed to a state mental hospital. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
A former mental patient must advise a woman about committing
her husband to a mental hospital. [RF]
2.20 [46] TV Reader's Digest: THE CASE OF THE UNCERTAIN HAND
27Feb1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.47
starring
Marguerite Chapman ... Nancy Drake
Larry J. Blake ....... O'Brien
Michael Garth ........ Ralston
Robert Easton ........ Horton
Aaron Spelling ....... Williams
Charles Davis ........ Driscoll
Synopsis 1:
Private Investigator Nancy Drake is hired by a criminal attorney to aid his
clients
- a young couple indicted for grand theft. [RF]
Synopsis 2:
A private investigator tries to help a young couple accused of grand larceny. [RF]
Synopsis 3:
A woman private detective, employed to defend a couple accused of
grand larceny, tries to prove that the handwriting on a bank
deposit slip is not that of the accused wife. [JB]
*Note: Syndication airing on Way of Life 12Jul60.
2.21 [47] TV Reader's Digest: IT'S A WISE FATHER
(aka Lost, Strayed, and Lonely)
05Mar1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.01
starring
Billy Chapin
Phil Terry .......... Allan
Marjorie Lord ....... Gerrie
Bill Ching .......... Binkie
Gloria Henry ........ Betty
Danny Richards Jr. .. "Blood and Guts"
Synopsis 1:
Feeling unloved and unwanted when his juvenile projects bring only
annoyance from his father, a 10 year-old runs away from home. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
A ten-year-old boy imagines himself as a pirate, a jet pilot, an explorer,
a scientist and a swordsman. [RF]
2.22 [48] TV Reader's Digest: NIGHT COURT
12Mar1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.48
starring
John Archer ......... Magistrate Halleck
Damian O’Flynn ........ Pat O’Banion
Charles Seel .......... Herman Swink
Patrick O'Malley .... Bailiff
Synopsis:
A judge noted for his compassion toward the poor who appear before him,
has little to show financially for his years on the bench. He is highly tempted
by a lucrative offer from the head of a powerful law firm. [JB]
2.23 [49] TV Reader's Digest: NO HORSE, NO WIFE, NO MUSTACHE
19Mar1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.49
starring
Bobby Driscoll ..... Cadet John Aldridge, Jr.
Gloria Marshall ..... Mary Lou Carroll
John Roberts ..... Charles Cole
Jim Brandt ...... Orin Haney
Synopsis:
A West Point plebe faces his punishment like a man when it’s learned
he has broken the Academy’s strictest rules. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
A lovesick West Point cadet breaks a standing rule: he has grown a mustache. [RF]
2.24 [50] TV Reader's Digest: THE TRIGGER FINGER CLUE
26Mar1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.50
starring
Elisha Cook Jr. ...... Big Mike Preisser
Louis Jean Heydt ....... Constable Trimble
Joseph Turkel ...... Eddie Preisser
Paul Dubov ...... Morty Boyle
Synopsis:
The FBI conducts a relentless search for the bandits responsible for a $250,000 robbery.
An FBI fingerprint expert finds the most important clue to the identities of the robbers. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
Four criminals rob a bank, commit murder and take two clerks with them as
hostages. [RF]
2.25 [51] TV Reader's Digest: THE SECRET WEAPON OF JOE SMITH
02Apr1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.51
starring
Louis Jean Heydt .... Smith
Leon Askin .......... Portichenki
Louise Arthur ....... Nan
Diane Jergens ....... Louise
Synopsis:
A newspaper columnist assigned to cover activities of the United Nations
decides to “kill with kindness” a belligerent Russian delegate. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
A reporter shares his apartment with the USSR delegate to the UN. [RF]
2.26 [52] TV Reader's Digest: COURAGE
09Apr1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.52
starring
John Howard ...... Richard Duncan
Jack Dimond ...... Tad
Dabbs Greer ......... Father
John Doucette .... Sheriff Millikan
Vera Marshe ......... Martha
John Roberts ........ John
Kurt Katch ....... Storekeeper
Synopsis:
In the midst of anti-German hysteria during World War 1, a Texas rancher
defies a mob threatening to lynch a German-born storekeeper. [RF]
Synopsis 2:
A boy, ridiculed by his classmates, is comforted by his father,
who recalls a youthful encounter with a lynch mob. [RF]
2.27 [53] TV Reader's Digest: THE WOMAN WHO CHANGED HER MIND
16Apr1956 ABC Mon
based on a story by Fulton Oursler
Show no. 107.53
starring
Marilyn Erskine
Victor Jory ......... Stanley
Marshall Thompson ... Herzog
Whit Bissell ........ Meltzer
Synopsis:
A movie producer marries an actress for her beauty, and discovers
belatedly she has a mind of her own as well. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
A movie producer's marriage to a dumb show girl (Marilyn Erskine)
is jeopardized when she decides to get an education. [RF]
*Note: Syndication airing on Way of Life 28Jul60.
2.28 [54] TV Reader's Digest: UNCLE SAM'S C MEN
23Apr1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.54
starring
Roy Roberts ...... Horace Brinkman
Jerry Paris ....... Charles Sussman
Robert Foulk ..... Dave Jackson
J. Pat O’Malley ..... Ship’s Captain
John Archer ...... B.J. Andrews
Synopsis 1:
Agents of the Department of Commerce are handed an unusual case.
A manufacturer is suspected of shipping airplane parts to Soviet satellites. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
This is the story of the Department of Commerce's Office of International
Trade Enforcement Bureau. [RF]
*Note: Syndication airing on Way of Life 29Jul60.
2.29 [55] TV Reader's Digest: MISS VICTORIA
30Apr1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.55
starring
Judith Evelyn ..... Miss Victoria
Rhys Williams .... Mr. MacTavish
Noel Drayton ..... Captain Connor
Antony Eustrel ..... Henry Claibourne
Helen Mowery ...... Clarissa
Jean Byron ...... Sally
Keith McConnell ..... Dr. Claibourne
Synopsis:
The true account of the heroism of a British woman on a cargo
ship in the Atlantic during World War 2. [JB]
2.30 [56] TV Reader's Digest: THE OLD, OLD STORY
07May1956 ABC Mon
show no. 107.56
starring
Martin Milner
June Kenney
Walter Woolf King ... Harris
Synopsis:
An Army recruit and his girl are determined to marry,
despite parental objections on both sides. [RF]
2.31 [57] TV Reader's Digest: BRITAIN'S MOST BAFFLING MURDER CASE
14May1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.57
starring
Anthony Eustrel
Synopsis:
The true story of accused murderer William Wallace is still discussed in the pubs
of North London to this day. The wife of the meek, mild-mannered insurance
salesman is brutally murdered. Despite having an iron clad alibi, which the police
suspect Wallace set up himself, he is arrested for murdering his wife. His attorney
believes he is innocent and seeks the financial aid of Wallace's union. In an
unprecedented event, the union holds a mock trial and, after seeing how the defense
will be handled, backs Wallace 100%. The real jury, however, finds him guilty. The
decision is appealed in a shrewd move by Wallace and he is set free. Was he
innocent, or was he an extremely clever man who found a way out of a suffocating
marriage? A few subtle facts, undetected by the legal proceedings, give a marvelous
twist, which may or may not help the audience decide the final verdict.
A mild mannered Britisher is brought to trial for murder. [RF]
2.32 [58] TV Reader's Digest: DOWN ON THE TENNESSEE
21May1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.58
starring
Richard Long ........ Dandridge
Barbara Whiting ..... Birdie
Thurston Hall ....... Warren
Synopsis:
As first mate of a Tennessee river boat, a young Yankee faces a green crew
which includes a deaf pilot, a drunken fireman and a seedy cook. [RF]
Synopsis 2:
"Down on the Tennessee" tells the story of an old
riverboat and its oddly assorted crew. [RF]
2.33 [59] TV Reader's Digest: THE MAN WHO DREAMT WINNERS
28May1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.59
starring
Robert Hutton ..... Hugh McLaughlin
Joyce Holden ....... Eve
Synopsis:
Hugh McLaughlin suddenly dreams about a horse race
and knows who is the winner. [RF]
Synopsis 2:
A Harvard graduate student discovers that his dreams
reveal winning horses for future races. [RF]
2.34 [60] TV Reader's Digest: THE GENERAL'S ESCAPE
04Jun1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.60
article by Frederick C. Painton
directed by Harry Horner
teleplay by Milton Geiger
starring
George Macready ..... General
Aaron Spelling ...... Dornet
Otto Waldis ......... Wilhelm
Carl Milletaire ..... Louis
Ron Hargrave
Kurt Katch
William Challee
Kort Falkenberg
Synopsis:
This is the true story of the French hero General Henri Giraud.
Giraud's brilliant escape from a Nazi prison. [RF]
Synopsis 2:
A French General, captured by the Nazis, plans a daring escape from prison. [RF]
2.35 [61] TV Reader's Digest: THE GIGANTIC BANK NOTE SWINDLE
11Jun1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.61
starring
Victor Jory ...... Antonio Rosas
Carol Kelly ...... Catherine
Philip Van Zandt ...... Juan Ortega
Byron Foulger ...... Chavez
Fred Essler ...... Van Rennselaer
Paul Cavanagh ..... Sir William Wembly
Richard Reeves ...... Muller
Synopsis:
Based on actual events, this is a story of financial manipulations of a suave confidence
man who operated the bank of Portugal with millions of dollars in fake currency. [RF]
Synopsis 2:
A Portuguese con man buys a bank with counterfeit funds. [RF]
2.36 [62] TV Reader's Digest: GO FIGHT CITY HALL
18Jun1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.62
starring
Gene Raymond ........ Whitman
Jean Byron .......... Claire
Joan Young .......... Kitty
Chet Marshall ....... Ted
Harry Tyler ......... Peck
Morris Ankrum ....... Dunlap
Synopsis:
An irate taxpayer in a New York suburb is aroused to action against politicians
controlling the local government. When his protests seem to be taking effect,
some lawmakers make trouble. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
A broken water pipe prompts the formation of a citizens'
committee to fight corrupt government. [RF]
2.37 [63] TV Reader's Digest: FAMILY REUNION USA
25Jun1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.63
starring
John Bleifer
Helen Mowery ........ Mary
Synopsis:
A Greek-American working as a janitor has struggled hard to earn enough money
to pay passage for his wife and children to join him in this country. He is befriended
by a co-worker who tries to aid him. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
Employees at a U.S. Naval supply depot help a
Greek janitor bring his family to the U.S. [RF]
2.38 [64] TV Reader's Digest: THE ONLY WAY OUT
02Jul1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.64
starring
Paul Stewart ..... Franz Kindler
Arthur Franz ..... Horst Bock
Synopsis:
The true story of a German painter who zealous efforts to escape from
a Communist prison encouraged his guard to flee with him. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
A German painter tries to escape from a Communist prison and
his zealous efforts encourage his guard to flee with him. [RF]
2.39 [65] TV Reader's Digest: THE SMUGGLER
09Jul1956 ABC Mon
Show no. 107.65
starring
Bobby Driscoll ...... Truls Halvorsen
Dabbs Greer ...... Captain
Richard Loo ....... Lew Gar Mun
Keye Luke ....... Mr. Ling
Robert Osterloh ......... Stein
Larry Blake ......... Reynolds
Synopsis:
Against his will, a young Norwegian sailor becomes the pawn of an oriental
opium-smuggling ring. He is threatened with death unless he conceals
narcotics in his gear for delivery in San Francisco. [JB]
Synopsis 2:
A Norwegian sailor defies Oriental smugglers who
want him to bring opium into the U.S. [RF]
######################################
########### TV READER'S DIGEST ###########
################ the end ##################
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