CTVA US Anthology - "Ford Theatre" (Screen Gems/NBC) Season 5 (1953-54)

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 Season 5 (NBC) (1953-54)
Episode Guide compiled by The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by:  Rina Fox
references:
TV Guide / Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (https://us.imdb.com)
UCLA Film and Television Archive

 

###### Ford Theatre: All Star Theater ########

############# season 5 1953-54 ###############

##############################################

     Screen Gems, Inc. (filmed in Hollywood)

       Thursdays 9:30 - 10 pm on NBC

 

         5.01[--] Ford Theatre: TANGIER LADY
01Oct1953
starring
Patricia Medina ......... Marika Tassek
Virginia Grey ......... Lillie
Scott Brady ......... Rocky Gallico
Ben Astar .......... Ali Sayyed

5.02[--] Ford Theatre: THE DOCTOR'S DOWNFALL
08Oct1953
starring

Paulette Goddard ..... Nancy Whiting
Richard Denning ...... Dr. James Baker
June Vincent ......... Harrietta Brandon
Sara Haden ........... Mrs. Webster
Synopsis:
A pretty young woman makes up her mind to disprove a psychiatrist's

theories about how a woman tries to catch a man. [RF]

5.03[--] Ford Theatre: EMERGENCY
15Oct1953
starring
Richard Conte as Harvey Barron
Mae Clarke as Alice Reeder
Randy Stuart as Doris Reeder
Jeannine Ducasse as Jan Reeder
Grandon Rhodes as Ed Reeder

5.04[--] Ford Theatre: THE BACHELOR
22Oct1953
adapted from the Martin Donisthorpe
Armstrong story
starring
William Lundigan ....... Bart Sayer
Wanda Hendrix ....... Trudy Dean
Angela Greene ...... Gloria Branche
Elizabeth Patterson ....... Mrs. Matthews

Synopsis:
With his housekeeper as chaperon, a bachelor puts up a young girl in his home for the night.

His problem is to keep his girlfriend from seeing his guest. [RF]

 

5.05[--] Ford Theatre: TOMORROW'S MEN
29Oct1953
starring
John Derek as Allan Malone
Pat O'Brien as Spud Malone
Frances Helm as Judy Essex
Ann Doran as Mrs. Malone

5.06[--] Ford Theatre: THE WORLD'S MY OYSTER
05Nov1953
starring
Charles Coburn ........ C.C. Cunningham/Louie Spencer
Rosemarie Bowe ....... Nancy
Lester Matthews ...... Carlton
Todd Karns ....... Chester
Synopsis:
A tramp and a millionaire exchange positions in life
when they find that they look alike. [RF]


5.07[--] Ford Theatre: THE MING LAMA
12Nov1953
directed by Ted Post
starring
Howard Duff
Angela Lansbury
Francis L. Sullivan
Horace McMahon

5.08[--] Ford Theatre: AS THE FLAME DIES
19Nov1953
starring
Sylvia Sidney
Barry Sullivan
Richard Webb
Dorothy Abbott

5.09[--] Ford Theatre: DOUBLE BET
26Nov1953
starring
Laraine Day
Richard Egan
Marsha Hunt
Synopsis:
A widow believes that the only way to remarry is to hide the

fact that she has three children. [RF]
*Note Syndication airing on Playhouse Drama 26Nov55.

5.10[--] Ford Theatre: KISS AND FORGET
03Dec1953
starring
Virginia Field
Willard Parker
Mark Stevens
Coleen Gray

5.11[--] Ford Theatre: AND SUDDENLY, YOU KNEW
10Dec1953 (rerun 9Sep54)
starring
Teresa Wright ........ Mrs. Wentworth
Ronald Reagan ........ Mr. Wentworth
Lee Aaker ............ Joey
Dorothy Adams ........ Miss Fletcher
Herbert Lytton ....... the Doctor

William Fawcett ...... Repairman

Mickey Little ........ Captain of the Ball Team
Synopsis:
A wife wants to adopt a baby, but dislikes little boys. [RF]

5.12[--] Ford Theatre: GUN JOB
17Dec1953 (rerun 16Sep54)
Directed by Ted Post
Teleplay by Jerry Sackheim
Based on a story Thomas Thompson
Guest cast:
Philip Carey ......... Jeff
Ward Bond ............ Hank
Ellen Drew ........... Elaine
Sandro Giglio ........ Anton
Peter Whitney ........ Billy
Greta Granstedt ...... Mary
John Maxwell ......... The Mayor
John Cason ........... Wiley
Don Harvey ........... Chuck

Synopsis 1:
An ex-marshal finds it difficult to maintain a peaceful life in the midst of violence. [SC]
Synopsis 2:
A former sheriff comes into conflict with a tough cattleman who refuses to recognize the law. [SC]

5.13[--] Ford Theatre: EVER SINCE THE DAY
24Dec1953
starring
Robert Stack
Ron Randell
Audrey Totter
Edward Arnold

5.14[--] Ford Theatre: ALIAS NORA HALE
31Dec1953
starring
Claire Trevor ....... Nora Hale
Warner Anderson
Rosemary DeCamp
Alec Harford

Synopsis:
A good woman, embittered by an unjust prison sentence, vows revenge

on those who sent her to jail. (film) [RF]

5.15[--] Ford Theatre: THE FUGITIVES
07Jan1954
Directed By Phil Karlson [SC]
Screenplay By Robert Hardy Andrews
Based On A Story By Sigman Byrd

starring
Barry Sullivan ....... Steve McCoy
Raymond Burr ....... Red Letwick
Douglas Dumbrille ....... J.B. Creston
Mary Beth Hughes ....... Dolores Martin
Anita Louise ....... Marie McCoy
Jimmy Hawkins ........ Stevie McCoy

Sarah Selby .......... Miss Murdock

Jerry Paris .......... Eddie Nigh
Howard J. Negley ..... Chief Bradshaw
Patsy Weil ........... Anita Campo
Mark Sutherland ...... Bert
John Gallaudet ....... Insp. Dan Ewing
Dick Rich ............ The Policeman (uncredited)

Synopsis:
A newspaperman risks his life to capture an escaped killer

whom he once saved from the electric chair. [SC]

Synopsis 2:
An underpaid newspaper reporter risks his life to reason with an escaped

convict who holds a small child as hostage. [RF]

*Syndication airing on "Drama for Life" 12Apr56.

5.16[--] Ford Theatre: THE ARDENT WOODSMAN
14Jan1954
starring
Gilbert Roland ....... Pierre Buteau
Phyllis Thaxter ....... Janet Shipley
Clark Howat ....... Paul Andre
Marcel Dalio ....... Claude Lebec
Earl Lee ....... Mayor Aubert
Synopsis 1:
A woodsman accuses the mayor of a small town of wanting to

change the charter only in order to get more power for himself. [RF]
Synopsis 2:
A pretty schoolteacher joins forces with a rugged
woodsman to fight crooked political factions. [RF]

5.17[--] Ford Theatre: THE HAPPIEST DAY
21Jan1954
starring
Teresa Wright ....... Paula
Larry Parks ....... Dr. Lancaster
Fay Bainter ...... Mrs. Menckin
Mario Siletti ....... Joseph Tulero
Theodore Von Eltz ....... Dr. Harris
Lawrence Dobkin ....... Morton
Adrienne Marden ....... Mrs. Osborne

Synopsis:
A married couple become almost strangers to each other. [RF]

 

5.18[--] Ford Theatre: MANTRAP
28Jan1954
starring
Shelley Winters ....... Sally Marland
William Bishop ....... Matt Brownley
Jerry Paris ....... Ed Hunnicutt
Ross Elliott ....... Pete Hardesty
Michael Granger ....... Harvey
Synopsis:
A pretty miss uses all her savings for a house to trap a husband and

her wiles bring her handsome landlord right into the trap! [RF]
*Note Syndication airing on Top Plays of 1954 08Jun54.

*Note Syndication airing on Playhouse at Eleven 17Feb55.

5.19[--] Ford Theatre: LUCKY TOMMY JORDAN
04Feb1954
starring

Kevin McCarthy ....... Tommy Jordan
Will Rogers, Jr. ..... Charlie Wilson
Paula Raymond ........ Anne Wilson
Sid Tomack ........... Jack Corby
Synopsis:
A happily married couple are overjoyed to see the husband's old Army buddy,

who promptly moves in on them. They are not so pleased when they find that

the old buddy has no intention of moving out again. [RF]

5.20[--] Ford Theatre: FOR THE LOVE OF KITTY
11Feb1954
starring
Nancy Olsen ....... Kitty O'Dare
Bruce Bennett ....... Dr. Norman Allen
Robert Strauss ....... Rollo Spanier
Ed Brophy ....... Philly the Weeper
Joe Sawyer ....... Joey Uptown

Synopsis:
A pretty lady horse-race handicapper has a streak of luck picking winners.

This upsets the local bookies, who decide the only way to stop her

betting is to get the lady married. [RF]

 

5.21[--] Ford Theatre: FOR VALUE RECEIVED
18Feb1954
adapted from the Edith Barnard Delano story
directed by Arnold Laven
starring
Peter Lawford ....... Randy Evans
Regis Toomey .......John Lawrence
Marie Windsor ....... Lorna Evans
James Whitmore ....... Joe Green
Charles Watts ....... Collins
Lee Aaker ....... Tony Evans
Synopsis:
Randy Evans decides to have himself killed. He figures the insurance

money will cover his creditors and his money hungry ex-wife.
While in jail for not paying his alimony, Evans meets a small time crook

named Joe Green, played by James Whitmore. Evans doesn't have the

nerve to kill himself so he tries to convince Green into doing it for him.

But, Green gives Evans a reason to live by reuniting him with his son. [RF]

5.22[--] Ford Theatre: MARRIAGEABLE MALE
25Feb1954
starring
Jack Lemmon ...... Barney Evans
Ida Lupino ....... Petra Manning
Dick Simmons ...... Hugh Campion
Phillip Terry ...... Royce Connors
Julie Bennett ...... Receptionist
Synopsis 1:
An ad man is mistaken for a model by an artist who decides

that all male and female relationships should be switched. [RF]

Synopsis 2:
A photographer mistakes a client for a male model and

she chatters too much about her clients. [RF]
*Note: Syndication airing on Playhouse Drama 26Nov55.

5.23[--] Ford Theatre: THE GOOD OF HIS SOUL

(aka God of His Soul copyright title?)
04Mar1954
starring
Thomas Mitchell ....... Father Devlin (Emmy nomination)
John Beal ....... Father James Gallegher
Tommy Rettig ....... Larry Harley
Jane Darwell ....... Mrs. O'Connor
Rosemary DeCamp ....... Mrs. Hartley

Synopsis:
Father Devlin has but one worldly possession - a dog named Spot. [RF]
*Syndication airing on All-Star Theater 30Aug60.

5.24[--] Ford Theatre: COME ON, RED
11Mar1954
starring

Edmund Gwenn ......... Red
Jay C. Flippen ....... Tom
Randy Stuart ......... Annabelle
Sid Tomack ........... Herman
Synopsis:
While reading Faust, a man falls asleep and dreams he makes a pact with the devil. [RF]

5.25[--] Ford Theatre: THE LAST THIRTY MINUTES
18Mar1954
starring
Arthur Franz
Martha Vickers
Eve Miller
George Macready

Synopsis:

A lawyer receives a phone call telling him he has only 30 minutes to live. [RF]

5.26[--] Ford Theatre: THE TAMING OF THE SHREWD
25Mar1954
Teleplay by Mary C. McCall Jr.
Story by Samuel Marx

Based on the novel by Henry Charles Witwer

Directed by Ted Post
starring
Joan Vohs ....... Holly Haynes

Don Taylor ....... Mac Rawlings
David Brian ....... Winnie Driscoll
Jeff Donnell ....... Doris
Synopsis:
A girl tries to marry a millionaire by enlisting the aid of an advertising executive

who wants the man's accounts. [RF]

Synopsis 2:

A girl plots to marry a millionaire by hook or by crook. [RF]

 

5.27[--] Ford Theatre: TURN BACK THE CLOCK
01Apr1954
starring
Richard Conte ....... Martin Crawford
Laraine Day ....... Ann Crawford
Willis Bouchey ....... Major Evans
Lillian Culver ....... Mrs. Pierce
Isa Ashdown ....... Mary

Synopsis:
A returned war veteran is under treatment for loss of memory.

The patience of his wife helps him return to a normal life. [RF]

Synopsis 2:
The patience of his wife, whom he does not recognize, clears the mind of

a returned war veteran under treatment for loss of memory. [RF]
*Note: Syndication airing on "Drama for Life" 13Apr56.

 

5.28[--] Ford Theatre: YOURS FOR A DREAM
08Apr1954
starring
Mike (Touch) Connors ....... Christopher Ames
Joanne Dru ....... Wendy
S.Z. Sakall ....... Mr. Toby

Synopsis:
A girl working in a book shop meets a young medical student. [RF]

 

5.29[--] Ford Theatre: SISTER VERONICA
15Apr1954
starring
Irene Dunne ....... Sister Veronica
Taylor Holmes ....... Gerald Fitzgerald
John Hudson ....... Scott Averill Jr.
Stephanie Griffin ....... Claire

Synopsis:
A gentle nun, the superintendent of a large hospital,

is called upon to solve her patients' problems. [RF]

 

5.30[--] Ford Theatre: WEDDING MARCH
22Apr1954
adapted from the Selma Lagerlof story
starring

Arlene Dahl ....... Mary McNeill
James Craig ....... Brad Williams
Larry Parks ....... Ted Curtis

Synopsis:
It's Mary McNeill's wedding day and as she dresses for the ceremony she reminisces

about her two suitors and how difficult it was to choose between them. [RF]

 

5.31[--] Ford Theatre: NIGHT VISITOR
29Apr1954
Adapted from the Arnold Bennett story
starring
Arthur Kennedy ....... Larry Morton
Martha Vickers ....... Nancy
Ernest Borgnine ....... Gus White
Lee J. Cobb ....... Matt Erwin
Synopsis:
A policeman is falsely suspected of taking a bribe. [RF]

Synopsis 2:
A man has been found guilty of taking a bribe while on the

police force and has been suspended. [RF]
Syndication airing on On Camera 03Feb56.

5.32[--] Ford Theatre: A SEASON TO LOVE
06May1954
starring

Ida Lupino ........ Lotti Weston
Sara Haden ........ Della Lawson
Howard Duff ....... Charlie O'Connor
Frances Robinson .. Kay
Synopsis:
The plain-looking owner of the town's bookstore finds she has much

in common with a vagrant - enough on which to base a marriage. [RF]

5.33[--] Ford Theatre: WONDERFUL DAY FOR A WEDDING
13May1954
starring
Joan Leslie ....... Susan Farrington
Scott Brady ....... Wade Roberts
Spring Byington ....... Aunt Cordelia
Rita Moreno ....... Serena Crane
Synopsis:
A bride-to-be changes her mind on her Wedding day. [RF]

5.34[--] Ford Theatre: BENEATH THESE WATERS
20May1954
starring
Ronald Reagan ........ Lieutenant Commander Masterson
John Baer ....... Ensign Robert Barstow
Peter Whitney ....... Morton
James Dobson ....... Sandy

Synopsis:
The new commander of a destroyer discovers that his crew doesn't work together. [RF]

 

5.35 [074] Ford Theatre: All Star Theater: KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY

 27May54 NBC

(prototype pilot for "Father Knows Best")

Screen Gems, Inc

Produced by Eugene B. Rodney

Written by Paul West and Roswell Rogers

Directed by William Russell

Starring:

Robert Young ....... Tom Warren, husband/father

Ellen Drew ....... Grace Warren, wife/mother

Sally Fraser ....... Peggy, daughter

Gordon Gebert ....... Jeff, son

Tina Thompson ....... Patty, daughter [SC]

Synopsis:
A girl misses a cue in a dramatic-school play. To everyone's surprise

a man calls her, says he's a talent scout, and praises her acting. [RF]

 

5.36[--] Ford Theatre: THE UNLOCKED DOOR
03Jun1954
adapted from the Mary Roberts Rinehart mystery
starring
Diana Lynn ........ Louise Allison
Philip Carey ........ Roy Allison
Fay Bainter ........ Mrs. Allison
Ellen Corby ....... Mabel
Synopsis:
A young wife is haunted by her dead mother-in-law. [RF]

5.37[--] Ford Theatre: THE MASON-DIXON LINE
10Jun1954
produced by Michael Kraike
directed by Gerald Mayer
starring

Peter Lawford ....... Jerry

Joanne Gilbert ....... Mary-Jo
Craig Stevens ....... Arthur Hodges
Reginald Denny ....... Mr. Peabody

Synopsis:
To win a new house, an engaged couple enters a contest for married people,

 planning to marry if they win. They quarrel but they win, so they draw a line down

 the middle of the house, evenly dividing their property. [RF]

5.38 [--] Ford Theatre: THE TRYST
17Jun1954
adapted from the Ivan Turgenev story
starring
William Lundigan ........ Nels Wolcott
Vera Miles ........ Nancy Carr
Edward Arnold ....... Mr. Carr
Anne Francis ....... Linda Wolcott
Synopsis:
A girl tries to shift a scandal from herself to her brother's fiancee. [RF]

5.39 [--] Ford Theatre: INDIRECT APPROACH
24Jun1954
starring
Corinne Calvet ....... Claudette St. Clair
Robert Stack ....... Ben Barton
William Eythe ...... Chester Hatch
Gale Robbins ....... Margaret
Synopsis:
A girl gets the man she wants by pretending she wants another. [RF]

################ Ford Theatre ################
############## end of season 5 ###############
##############################################

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