The Classic TV Archive - US Reporter
Drama Series
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"The Big Story"
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Executive Producer Everett Ronsenthal/ Producer Robert Louis Shayon/ Hosted/Narrated by Ben Grauer
Season
8 (NBC) (1956-57)
Episode Guide
compiled by The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by: Rina Fox, Tom Alger
[Updated May 2020 TA]
references:
TV Guide /
Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (https://us.imdb.com)
UCLA Film and Television Archive
################ The Big Story ###############
############## season 8 1956-57 ##############
############# (final network season) ############
NBC Fridays 9:30-10:00pm Eastern (weekly)
.8.01 [--] The Big Story: THE BRIDEY MURPHY
STORY
Reporter: William Barker of the Denver Post
07Sep1956 NBC Fri
Ben Grauer is host.
Cast
Robert Culp ...... William Barker
Lori March ...... Mrs. Barker
Sidney Pollack
John McLiam
John D. Seymour
Anita Stober
Synopsis 1:
Reporter William Barker of the Denver Post, tracks down the story of the
Colorado
housewife who "recalled" a previous life. [Niagara Falls (NY) Gazette][TA]
Synopsis 2:
Denver (Colorado) Post reporter Bill Barker first broke the news to the
world about the
Colorado housewife, who under hypnosis, stated she was the reincarnation of
an Irish villager
of the 19th Century. His own skepticism led him on a two-continent search to
find the truth.
For this episode a production unit filmed the action in various Denver
locales.
[Geneva (NY) Daily Times][TA]
8.02 [--] The Big Story: ENEMY AT THE GATES
Reporter: Gene Fuson of the San Diego (Calif.) Union and Tribune
14Sep1956 NBC Fri
starring
Martin Brooks ...... Gene Fuson
Simon Oakland
Val Avery
Herbert Voland,
Pete Dumeny,
Arny Freeman
Synopsis:
Story of Gene Fuson, a San Diego reporter who posed as an illegal immigrant
to prove
that Mexican laborers were illegally entering the U.S. [TA]
8.03 [--] The Big Story: FINGER MAN
Reporter: Jane Wood of the Miami (Fla.) Daily News
21Sep1956 NBC Fri
Cast:
Lesley Woods
Will Hare
Don Harmer
Ben Lackland
Lynn Merrill
Ed Holmes
Synopsis 1:
Florida newspaper reporter gets an unexpected scoop when she risks her
reputation to aid a criminal's family.
[San Antonio TX Express][TA]
Synopsis 2:
Jane Wood, feature writer for the Miami (Fla.) Daily News, helps the wife of
a convicted criminal to find
a job and care for her children. [Dover Ohio Daily Reporter]
8.04 [--] The Big Story: SYNDICATE CITY
Reporter: L.P. Patterson of the Dothan (Ala.) Eagle
28Sep1956 NBC Fri
Cast:
Karl Light ...... L.P. Patterson
Woodrow Parfrey
John Marley
Robert McQuenney
Betty Bryson
Harry Holcombe
Charles Penman
Synopsis:
"Syndicate City," Karl Light as L.P. Patterson, an Alabama reporter, in a
story about a crime syndicate.
[New York Times][TA]
Synopsis 2:
The efforts of a Phoenix City (Ala.) man to help uproot a crime syndicate
that had infested his community.
[Geneva NY Daily Times][TA]
Postponed episode:
[--] The Big Story: NIGHTMARE (i)
(Valerie Nicholson of the Associated Press)
28Sep56 NBC Fri (postponed)
12Oct56 NBC Fri (postponed again)
Hosted by Ben Grauer
Guest cast:
Sara Seegar ............ Valerie Nicholson
Synopsis 1:
Correspondent Valerie Nicholson investigates a psychologist and finds
herself accused of insanity. [RF]
Synopsis 2:
Valerie Nicholson, Associated Press correspondent of Southern Pines, N.C.
questions the methods
of a local psychologist, Mrs. Nicholson was accused of being mentally
unbalanced herself. [RF]
Note:
This episode, featuring the story of reporter Valerie Nicholson, was
originally scheduled to air on 28Sep56.
But due to a legal injunction by three of the real-life people covered on
this story, "Nightmare" was
rescheduled for 12Oct1956.
It appears that this episode was once again postponed, and not shown until
Season 9 (see 9.13).
This Valerie Nicholson “Nightmare” episode should not be confused with
episode
8.09 (16Nov1956) also titled "Nightmare."
[--] 05Oct56 NBC Fri 9-10pm - pre-empted for "The
Dinah Shore Show"
with guests Frank Sinatra and Dizzy Dean. [New York Times][TA]
8.05 [--] The Big Story: TURNPIKE TERROR
Reporter: Joe Bianco of the Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News
12Oct1956 NBC Fri
Cast:
Richard Carlyle ...... Joe Bianco
Logan Field
Martin Newman
George Mitchell
Victor Thorley
John Gibson
Jerry Stiller
Tom Holland
George Ebeling
Synopsis 1:
Richard Carlyle portrays a police reporter for a Pennsylvania paper. [New
York Times][TA]
Synopsis 2:
Reporter Joe Bianco helps police solve murders on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
[Rochester NY Democrat Chronicle][TA]
8.06 [--] The Big Story: SUSPICION OF MURDER
Reporter: Bernice Freeman of the San Francisco Chronicle
19Oct1956 NBC Fri
Cast:
Biff McGuire
Fran Carlon
Crahan Denton
Allen Nourse
Dana Elcar
Dorrett Kelton
Synopsis:
Assignment of a San Francisco reporter. [New York Times][TA]
Synopsis 2:
What happened when one reporter tried to clear another being held on a
murder charge will be
dramatized as "Suspicion of Murder." Bernice Freeman of the San Francisco
Chronicle was
assigned to investigate the case involving a reporter on a rival paper—and
to help clear him.
Miss Freeman will appear in person at the end of the dramatization to report
the outcome of
her "Big Story." [Geneva NY Daily Times] [TA]
8.07 [--] The Big Story: OLD MAN LOST
Reporter: Don Hogan of The Boston Post
26Oct1956 NBC Fri
Hosted by Ben Grauer
Cast:
Phillip Abbott
Edgar Stehli
Robert Doodler
Melville Buick
David Clark
Synopsis:
Don Hogan, Boston Post reporter who found a living unknown soldier
in a Boston hospital. Hogan tries, by publicizing the story of his amnesia
victim,
to help the veteran find out who he is. [RF]
Synopsis 2:
NBC's "Big Story" dramatizes the story of "Old Man Lost"
Oct. 26 about a living unknown soldier trapped in a hospital with amnesia,
which was uncovered by a
reporter named Don Hogan when he worked for the Boston (Mass.) Post. Hogan
is now assistant city editor
of the New York Herald Tribune, and he'll be $500 richer for having provided
the story.
[Rochester NY Democrat Chronicle][TA]
[--] 02Nov56 NBC Fri 9-10pm - pre-empted for "The
Dinah Shore Show"
with guests Betty Grable, Hildegarde, Jaye P. Morgan, and Hal March.
8.08 [--] The Big Story: STATE SCANDAL
Reporter: George Thiem of the Chicago (IL) Daily News
09Nov1956 NBC Fri
Cast:
William Zuckert
Russell Hardie
Karl Swenson
Jack Orrison
Paul Huber
Walton Butterfield
Synopsis:
How a Chicago reporter exposed a million-dollar embezzlement of state funds
is told in the drama "State Scandal,"
8.09 [--] The Big Story: NIGHTMARE (ii) (aka FLIGHT INTO SHADOW,
syndication title)
(Reporter: George Murphy Jr. of The San Francisco News)
16Nov1956 NBC Fri
Hosted by Ben Grauer
Guest cast:
Jaime Smith ............ George Murphy Jr.
Al Markim .............. Paul
Curt Conway ............ Nathan Jacobs
Alexander Scourby
Sam Gray
Douglas Rutherford
Synopsis:
George Murphy Jr., of the San Francisco News hears about a schoolteacher who
has
been accused of possessing narcotics, and tries to help the innocent man. [RF]
Synopsis 2:
En route to a Las Vegas vacation, a young California schoolteacher claimed
his baggage at the airline terminal counter and was placed under arrest.
Speedily convicted of possessing narcotics, the young man faced shame and
ruin,
until reporter George Murphy of the San Francisco News uncovered a startling
oversight. [RF]
8.10 [--] The Big Story: HOSTAGE
(Reporter: Thurman Johns of The Phoenix (Arizona) Gazette)
23Nov1956 NBC Fri
Producer, Robert Lewis Shayon
Written by Leon Tokatyan / Directed by Leonard Valenta
Musical Direction, Vladimir Selinsky
Announcer, Ernest Chappell / Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
Joe Helgesen .......... Thurman Johns
Ross Martin ........... William Fernandez
Anna Minot ............ Peggy Taylor
George L. Smith ....... Bob Taylor
Bill Quinn ............ Police Chief
John Marriott ......... Hobo
Milton Selzer ......... Dave
Synopsis 1:
During his battle with police, a shoplifter grabs a woman hostage from a
crowd of frightened shoppers.
Thurman Johns of the Phoenix Gazette pleads with the gunman for the woman's
safety. [RF]
Synopsis 2:
William Fernandez is in San Quentin Honor Farm with plans only to escape.
Peggy Taylor is an expectant housewife
and co-owner of a small cafe. Fernandez escapes and arrives in Phoenix not
having eaten for 32 hours. He runs into
a supermarket and steals some food. A police officer chases him. Fernandez
grabs Taylor, uses her as a shield and
hides in a warehouse. Johns persuades him to drop his gun and give himself
up. In the concluding interview, Johns
says Fernandez got 7-10 years and Taylor has a normal healthy baby. [DM]
Synopsis 3:
Thurman Johns (Joe Helgesen) of the Phoenix Gazette pleads with a gunman for
the safety of a hostage. [RF]
[--] 30Nov56 NBC Fri 9-10pm - pre-empted for “The
Dinah Shore Show”
with guests George Gobel, Guy Mitchell, Shirley MacLaine and Joel Grey.
8.11 [--] The Big Story: EX-CONVICT
(Reporter: Charles Tarbi of The Boston Globe)
07Dec1956 NBC Fri
Producer, Bernard J. Prockter
Written by Leon Tokatyan / Directed by Leonard Valenta
Musical Direction, Vladimir Selinsky
Announcer, Ernest Chappell / Host: Ben Grauer
Appearing: Charles Tarbi as himself
Guest Cast:
Norman Shelly ......... Charles Tarbi
Gerald Sarracini ...... Angelo
Burt Brinckerhoff ..... Tommy
Lois Nettleton ........ Jean
Frank Maxwell ......... Frank DiStefano
Synopsis:
Charles Tarbi introduces, Angelo, an ex-convict, to a friend of his, Jean.
They both believe Angelo when he says he wants
to go straight. Tommy, a prison buddy of Angelo, asks him to do a supposedly
legitimate job at the airport, but it turns out
he is stealing vending machines. Angelo tries to stop him. Angelo tells Jean
she should stay away from him. He needs bail
money so he goes in on a robbery with Tommy. Tarbi and Jean tell the police
and in a gun battle, Tommy is killed and Angelo
is wounded. In the concluding interview, Tarbi says Angelo was sentenced to
12-15 years.
8.12 [--] The Big Story: MASS MURDER - FLIGHT 169
(Reporter: Zeke Scher and George MacWilliams of The Denver Post)
14Dec1956 NBC Fri
Producer, Robert Lewis Shayon
Written by Douglas Taylor / Directed by Leonard Valenta
Music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
Fred Sadofi .......... Zeke Scher
Crahan Denton ........ George MacWilliams
Frederic Tozere ...... Willard Hazelbush
Mark Rydell .......... Frank Robert Evans
Betty Lou Holland .... Mrs. Evans
Margaret Barber ...... Mrs. Jackson
Dana Elcar ........... Oscar
Mort Marshall ........ Sam Mulvey
Alan North ........... FBI Agent
Synopsis:
The nation is shocked when a bomb on an airplane out of Denver causes it to
crash, killing everyone on board. Scher
and MacWilliams help to prove that Frank Robert Evans planted the bomb to
kill his mother. He signs a confession and
then recants.The two reporters find the store where Evans bought the
equipment for the bomb. They also uncover evidence
that he had tried to kill his mother before with a bomb. In the concluding
interview, the two reporters say that Evans was
found guilty, showed no remorse and was sentenced to die in the gas chamber
on Jan. 11, 1957.
8.13 [--] The Big Story: REUNION
(Reporter: Dom Frasca of The New Jersey Courier of Plainfield)
21Dec1956 NBC Fri
Producer, Robert Lewis Shayon
Written by Gail Ingram / Directed by Leonard Valenta
Music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Host: Ben Grauer
Appearing: Dom Frasco (as himself)
Guest Cast:
Joe Silver ............ Dom Frasca
Tommy Halloran ........ Danny, as a Child
Warren Oates .......... Danny, as an Adult
Mary Lou Taylor ....... Mother
John Gibson ........... Mr. Harwick
Francesca Bruning ..... Mrs. Harwick
Mary Michael .......... Mary
Danny Dennis .......... Tim Larson
Synopsis:
Danny is placed in an orphanage by his mother when he is eight-years-old,
promising to return for him after she has regained
her health in Florida. After fighting adoption, Danny allows himself to be
adopted by the Harwicks with the idea that he could
look for his mother. He tries to run away throughout his childhood. When
eighteen, he goes to Dom Frasca and asks him to help
locate his mother. Frasca is concerned that Danny is afraid to face the
possibility that his mother has changed. However, he
agrees to help and finds her. When Danny hesitates to meet her, Frasca tells
him he is afraid to grow up. Then Danny changes
his mind and there is a happy reunion. In the concluding interview, Frasca
says that Danny and his mother have stayed together.
[--] 28Dec56 NBC Fri 9-10pm - pre-empted for Bob
Hope’s Christmas Show for American troops in Alaska,
with Ginger Rogers, Peggy King, Jerry Colonna, Hedda Hopper and others.
(film)
8.xx [--] The Big Story: THE JAMES DEAN BIG STORY (special)
(Reporter: Rex Newman, reporter for the Joplin, Missouri Globe
News-Herald)
04Jan57 NBC Fri (updated version)/ 11Sep53 NBC (original broadcast)
Produced by Robert Lewis Shayon
Script by Alvin Boretz / Directed by David Rich / Studio Director, Leonard
Valenta
music supervision, Vladimir Selinsky
Appearing: Rex Newman (as himself) / Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
James Dean .......... Todd
John Kerr............ Madden
Carl Frank .......... Rex Newman
Wendy Drew .......... Julie
Joseph Foley ........ Mr. Carter
Donald McKee ........ police captain
Allan Devitt ........ Old man
Somer Alberg ........ Clerk
Paul Lilly .......... Jail Keeper
Susan Harris ........ Young Julie
Bobby Nick .......... Young Madden
Ken Walken .......... Young Todd
Synopsis:
This episode is somewhat of a departure from the customary format. Rex
Newman, reporter for the Joplin, Missouri Globe News-Herald,
comments on teenage feelings about James Dean, more than a year after Dean's
death. A Big story episode starring Dean, which originally
aired over 3 years earlier, is shown to illustrate his talent. The story
focuses on members of a teenage gang who stage numerous holdups and
eventually commit two murders. Newman is responsible for their apprehension
through his understanding of the causes behind the gang's actions.
*Note:
Dramatic portion originally telecast on 11Sep53 on NBC as an episode in "The
Big Story" series;
this version includes a new concluding interview with Rex Newman.
8.14 [--] The Big Story: HOUSE DIVIDED
(Reporter: Ralph Lowenstein of The El Paso Times of Texas)
11Jan1957 NBC Fri
Producer, Robert Lewis Shayon
Written by Jerome Coopersmith / Directed by Leonard Valenta
Music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Appearing: Ralph Lowenstein (as himself) / Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
Martin Landau ......... Ralph Lowenstein
David Opatoshu ........ Juan Martinez
Geena Goodwin ......... Maria Martinez
Allen Nourse .......... Cameron
Miriam Colon .......... Esperanza Martinez
Roy King .............. Ernesto Martinez
Ian Martin ............ Editor
Ralph Camargo ......... Eduardo Gonzales
Synopsis:
Ralph Lowenstein brings about an amendment to U.S. immigration policies that
reunites a Mexican family in
Los Angeles. In the concluding interview, he says the real laurels should go
to the commissioner of the
Immigration and Naturalization Service who made possible the reunion of the
family and others like them.
8.15 [--] The Big Story: THE FACE OF A THIEF
(Reporter: Ray Fulton of The Sharon Herald of Pennsylvania)
18Jan1957 NBC Fri
Producer, Robert Lewis Shayon
Written by Alvin Boretz / Directed by Leonard Valenta
Music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Appearing: Ray Fulton (as himself) / Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
Paul Stevens .......... Ray Fulton
Milton Selzer ......... Corporal Miley
Robert Lansing ........ Giles Norman
David Clarke .......... Bank Teller
Ruth Newton ........... Miss Nell
David Sheiner ......... Mr. Tyler
Synopsis:
Ray Fulton writes a story about a bank robbery in Tidioute, Pennsylvania.
The only clues are that the
robber carries a lunch box and wears a trainman's cap down over his face. He
holds up four more banks.
Giles Norman is given a traffic ticket and goes to the police to dispute it.
As he looks like the robber,
the police hold him although he pleads innocent. Fulton writes an article
about the situation which a teacher,
who has been out of town, sees. She tells the police that Norman was with
her on the day of the robbery.
In the concluding interview, Fulton says the robber is still at large.
[--] 25Jan57 NBC Fri - pre-empted for a Bob Hope
special
featuring guests Betty Grable, Harry James, Eddie Fisher, and the comedy
team of Rowan and Martin.
8.16 [--] The Big Story: CHECKMATE
(Reporter: Ed Montgomery and Bob Bryant of The San Francisco Examiner)
01Feb1957 NBC Fri
Producer, Robert Lewis Shayon
Written by Leon Tokatyan / Directed by Leonard Valenta
Appearing: Ed Montgomery, Bob Bryant (as themselves) / Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
John Kellogg .......... Ed Montgomery
John Gibson ........... Bob Bryant
Arthur Storch ......... George Manners
William Woodson ....... Lt. Frazer
Maxine Stuart ......... Elaine Manners
Jacqueline Kerr ....... Roberta Simmons
James Parker .......... Russ
Lou Ellen Orr ......... Sally
Synopsis:
The disappearance of Roberta Simmons baffles the police and FBI. Her handbag
is found in the basement of
the home of George Manners by his wife. An investigation is begun but not
much can be proven until Montgomery,
a reporter, and Bryant, a photographer, on a hunch check the woods where
Manners spent a lot of time alone in
a cabin. They find her body and Manners is arrested. In the concluding
interview, they report that Manners
was found guilty of kidnapping and murder and sentenced to death.
8.17 [--] The Big Story: STREET WAR
Reporter: Bob Thomas of The Philadelphia Inquirer
08Feb1957 NBC Fri
Pyramid Productions, Inc. / Executive Producer, Everett Rosenthal /
Producer, Robert Lewis Shayon
Written by Douglas Taylor / Directed by Leonard Valenta
Guest Cast:
Terry Carter .......... Bob Thomas
Ellen Holly ........... Betty
Louis Gossett, Jr. .... Mac
William Johnstone ..... John
Hugh Hurd ............. Ziggy
Philip Hepburn ........ Jeff
Jack Orrison .......... Hank
Bush Hunter ........... Sammy
Synopsis:
The newspaper has been trying to get a story on the teenage gang wars in the
African American section of the city.
When gang members see a reporter, they run. One of the reporters asks Bob
Thomas, an African American copy boy,
for help, telling him that if he gets a story, it will be printed and he
will be paid. Thomas enlists the help of his
girlfriend Betty, who has some friends in the gang. Thomas mingles with them
and convinces them that his way of
life is better. In the concluding interview, Thomas talks about the causes
of juvenile delinquency. Grauer announces
Thomas will become a reporter.
8.18 [--] The Big Story: EXPOSURE
Reporter: Rip Manning of The Columbus Citizen of Ohio
15Feb1957 NBC Fri
Pyramid Productions, Inc. / Executive Producer, Everett Rosenthal /
Producer, Robert Lewis Shayon
Written by Leon Tokatyan / Directed by, Leonard Valenta
Music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Appearing: Rip Manning (himself) / Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
Arch Johnson .......... Rip Manning
Phyllis Hill .......... Lorraine Delahaye
Carl Frank ............ Editor
Robert Dryden ......... Chester Price
Stephen Elliott ....... Arnie Bauer
Lenka Peterson ........ Marie Manning
Mary Lou Taylor ....... Mrs. Tanne
Charlotte ............. Carol
Synopsis:
Operators of a photo racket move into Columbus after plaguing three other
cities. They call people to offer them free pictures
and more. The unsuspecting victims come to accept their gifts and sign a
contract, which holds them responsible for a large
sum of money. Rip Manning is called and is suspicious. He writes articles to
warn people and informs the police.
The government finally acts by demanding back taxes, which closes the
studio. In the concluding interview, Manning
says that the case is in the hands of the Federal Bankruptcy Court.
[--] 22Feb57 NBC Fri 9-10pm - pre-empted for the “Chevy Show” with guest hosts
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans,
from the annual Fat Stock Show and Rodeo in Houston, Texas.
8.19 [--] The Big Story: REPRISAL
Reporter: Hoke May of The Charlotte Observer of North Carolina
01Mar1957 NBC Fri
Pyramid Productions, Inc. for NBC Television / Executive Producer, Everett
Rosenthal /Producer, Robert Lewis Shayon
Written by Leon Tokatyan / Directed by Leonard Valenta
Music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Appearing: Hoke May (himself) / Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
Philip Abbott ......... Hoke May
Joseph Julian ......... Ben Tucker
Don Hammer ............ Floyd Stuts
Wallace Rooney ........ Neil Owen
Victor Thorley ........ Jeff Cole
Michael Conrad ........ Lee Bolton
Mildred Clinton ....... Rachel Tucker
Synopsis 1:
Hoke May, a reporter for the Charlotte Observer, was covering an assault
story. He learned that the victim
had been brutally beaten in an attempt to smash a bootleg ring covering a
five-state area.
Synopsis 2:
Hoke May covers the story of the brutal assault of Ben Tucker, who, he
learns, was beaten for trying to fight a liquor syndicate.
Tucker had driven for the syndicate for 8 years and then retired. Needing
some quick money, he offered to drive a trip for them.
They accepted only to beat him up. May's stories brings the problem to the
public. With the help of federal agents, the
bootleggers are arrested and brought to trial. In the concluding interview,
May says the men who beat up Tucker were
found guilty and sentenced to various prison terms.
8.20 [--] The Big Story: SUPERMAN (aka THE SUPERMAN)
(Reporter: James “Jim” O'Neil of Newsday of Long Island, New York
08Mar1957 NBC Fri
Pyramid Productions, Inc. / Executive Producer, Everett Rosenthal /
Producer, Robert Lewis Shayon
Written by Douglas Taylor / Directed by Leonard Valenta
Music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
Logan Field ........... Jim O'Neil
Robert Ellenstein ..... Harmon Jackson
Michael Mann .......... Wayne Jackson
Frank Campanella ...... Charley
Joe Helgesen .......... Harry
Patricia Hesley ....... Sally
Synopsis:
Harmon Jackson of Hicksville, Long Island imagines himself the inventor of a
most powerful bomb, the cavitator, that
will destroy the world. He is sure that everyone is spying on him and is
trying to steal his bomb. Detectives call on his
daughter at his house and ask about the rifle he has in his car. Harmon
calls O'Neil and Naval Intelligence and forces
them to meet taking his son Wayne. After threatening to kill everyone,
O'Neil convinces Harmon to give up.
In the concluding interview, O'Neil says Harmon is in the New York State
Hospital.
Synopsis 2:
“The Superman,” about a plan to blow up police headquarters. [New York
Times][TA]
8.21 [--] The Big Story: LINEUP
Reporter: Dave Alter of The El Paso Herald-Post of Texas
15Mar1957 NBC Fri
Pyramid Productions, Inc. / Executive Producer, Everett Rosenthal /
Producer, Robert Lewis Shayon
Written by Gail Ingram / Directed by Leonard Valenta
Music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Appearing: Dave Alter (himself) / Narrated by Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
William Redfield ...... Dave Alter
Clifford David ........ Barrett
George Mitchell ....... Police Lieutenant
Tom Holland ........... Police Officer
Lon Clark ............. Store Owner
Synopsis 1:
Jim Barrett is held by the police because he resembles the robber of a
drugstore. He claims he is innocent. Dave Alter
sets out to prove that the lineup is not enough identification. Two years
later, the real man, is caught. Alter tries to get
Barrett cleared of the crime. Through lie detector tests and testimony of
others concerned in the case, Barrett is cleared.
In the concluding interview, Alter says that a bill is before the Texas
legislature to award Barrett money for his imprisonment.
Synopsis 2:
After an El Paso, Texas store robbery, two witnesses say they can identify
the robber.
But Dave Alter of the El Paso Herald Post has reservations about their
testimony. [RF]
[--] 22Mar57 NBC Fri 9-10pm - pre-empted for “The Dinah Shore Show”
with guests
Dan Dailey, Pat Boone and Shirley MacLaine.
8.22 [--] The Big Story: YOUNG LOVERS
Reporter: Charley Wigle of The Denver Post
29Mar1957 NBC Fri
Pyramid Productions, Inc. / Executive Producer, Everett Rosenthal /
Producer, Robert Lewis Shayon
Written by Douglas Taylor / Directed by Leonard Valenta
Music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Appearing: Charley Wigle (as himself) / Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
Charles Aidman ........ Charley Wigle
Burt Brinckerhoff ..... Morie
Phyllis Newman ........ Violet
Adrienne Marden ....... Mrs. Hansen
Dennis Kohler ......... Bobby
Sam Gray .............. John Snyder
Dana Elcar ............ Bernie
Synopsis:
Two teenagers, Violet Hansen and Morie, elope and have a rough time,
constantly fighting. After their baby is born, she
goes home and they try to get an annulment. They are of different religions
and this is part of the trouble. Violet is not permitted
to see Morie, who still loves her. He kidnaps her brother Bobby. Morie calls
Wigle and tells him he will kill Bobby if no one
helps him. Wigle tries to reason with him, but, when this fails, the police
move in and arrest him. In the concluding interview,
Wigle says Violet told the judge she still loved Morie and the kidnap charge
was dropped and the couple reunited.
8.23 [--] The Big Story: THE LONG DARK NIGHT
Reporter: Hank Messick of The Raleigh Times of North Carolina
05Apr1957 NBC Fri
Pyramid Productions, Inc. / Executive Producer, Everett Rosenthal /
Producer, Robert Lewis Shayon
Written by Alvin Boretz / Directed by Leonard Valenta
Music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Appearing: Hank Messick, Rep. E.K. Powe, Henry Wilson / Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
John McIdam .......... Hank Messick
James E. Wall ........ Miley Jordan
Mary Louise .......... Evie
Karl Swenson ......... Finch
Will Hare ............ Reece
Barnard Hughes ....... City Manager
Synopsis 1:
When city employees are victimized by a loan racket, Hank Messick of the
Raleigh N.C. Times investigates.
Synopsis 2:
Hank Messick receives a letter from Miles Jordan, one of the victims of the
loan sharks. Jordan tells how he and many
associates have been forced to take out loans and keep paying without
receipts with which they could prove the loan
was paid off. They have been threatened with violence. Messick sets out to
find the person who wrote the letter.
He finds Jordan and gets him to stand up against Finch, the loan shark.
Finch is put out of business. In the concluding
interview, Messick says Finch got a suspended sentence and a fine. Rep. E.K.
Powe and Henry Wilson say they are
introducing a bill to drive all loan sharks out of business.
8.24 [--] The Big Story: THE MAD BOMBER
(The work of The New York Journal-American
12Apr1957 NBC Fri
Pyramid Productions, Inc. / Executive Producer, Everett Rosenthal /
Producer, Robert Lewis Shayon
Written by Leon Tokatyan. / Directed by, Leonard Valenta
Music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Appearing: Seymour Berkson (himself) / Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
Whitfield Connor ...... Seymour Berkson
Paul McGrath .......... Stephen Kennedy
John Kellogg .......... Paul Schoenstein
Frank Overton ......... Sam H. Day
Bill Zuckert .......... Eddie Mahar
Peter Turgeon ......... Guy Richards
John Cecil Holm ....... George Metesky
Synopsis:
For 16 years, the mad bomber has spread panic in New York City. Seymour
Berkson, publisher of the newspaper, prints an open
letter to the bomber, assuring him that if he gives himself up, the paper
will guarantee him a fair trial. Through answers from the
bomber, they figure out that a former employee of Con Edison, George Metesky,
is the bomber. He is captured. The paper hires a
lawyer for him. In the concluding interview, Berkson says that no individual
is responsible for the paper's role in the story.
[--] 19Apr57 NBC Fri 9-10pm - pre-empted for “The Dinah
Shore Show”
with guests Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, Hugh O’Brian, Sally Forrest, and The
Dunhills.
8.25 [--] The Big Story: SCRAMBLE
Reporter: Matt Conklin of The Sherman Democrat of Texas
26Apr1957 NBC Fri
Pyramid Productions, Inc. / Executive Producer, Everett Rosenthal /
Producer, Robert Lewis Shayon
Written by Jerome Coopersmith / Directed by Leonard Valenta
music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Appearing: Matt Conklin, (himself) & Col. T.F. Whitehouse (himself) / Host:
Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
Ed Bryce ............. Matt Conklin
Edgar Stehli ......... Jack Wade
Russell Hardie ....... Frazer
Frank Thomas, Jr. .... Lt. White
Gordon Barnes ........ Col. Thatcher
Jack Orrison ......... Townsend
Synopsis:
After two Air Force men brutally rob Mr. Wade, civic leaders try to put
their town off-limits for the entire base. Matt Conklin
visits Wade and argues that he should not blame everyone on the base for the
actions of two men. Conklin learns that Frazer
has started a petition drive to remove the base only so he can sell the real
estate. Conklin takes Wade to the base and convinces
him of the important job done by the Air Force. At a town meeting, Wade
persuade people not to sign the petition.
In the concluding interview, Conklin says the Air Force personnel are still
welcome in the town. Col. T.F. Whitehouse of
Perrin Air Force Base says Conklin did a great service.
8.26 [--] The Big Story: WIDOW'S LUCK
Reporter: Louis B. Seltzer of The Cleveland Press
03May1957 NBC Fri
Pyramid Productions, Inc. / Executive Producer, Everett Rosenthal /
Producer, Robert Lewis Shayon
Written for TV by Leon Tokatyan / Directed by Leonard Valenta
Music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Appearing: Louis B. Seltzer (himself) / Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
Donald Madden ........ Louis B. Seltzer
Joseph Sweeney ....... Aaron Kregar
Katherine Squire ..... Mrs. Larabee
Adrienne Bayan ....... Marian Kregar
Frank Campanella ..... Johnny
Sydney Pollack ....... Sidney
Walter Brooke ........ Steve
Irene Hubbard ........ the Medium
Synopsis:
Robert Kregar is a successful publisher in Cleveland. He has been ill from a
strange paralysis. One day he is found stabbed to
death and the house robbed. Kregar's father Aaron tells Seltzer that he is
sure that his son's wife Marian was poisoning him.
She had never paid him any attention till he got sick. Aaron feels she
married Robert for his money. Seltzer gets an autopsy done
and it is found that he died from arsenic poisoning. The police arrest
Marian, her mother and her brother Sidney. The mother
confesses and they are all tried. In the concluding interview, Seltzer says
both women were convicted and received long sentences.
8.27 [--] The Big Story: THE HOAX
Reporter: Al Nakkula of The Rocky Mountain News of Denver (or Al
Nabkula)
10May1957 NBC Fri
Pyramid Productions, Inc. /Executive Producer, Everett Rosenthal / Produced
by Robert Lewis Shayon
Directed by Leonard Valenta / Written for TV by Alvin Boretz
Music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Appearing: Al Nakkula (himself) / Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
Al Markim ............ Al Nakkula
Alfred Ryder ......... Roger Menders
Laurinda Barrett ..... Maggie Logan
Jerry Stiller ........ Tyler
Joseph Warren ........ Frank Logan
Melville Ruick ....... Bert Keating
John Newton .......... Roy Logan
Synopsis:
Al Nakkula receives a phone call from a man named Tyler, who says that he
had been hired to murder Frank Logan, the husband
of the paper's fashion editor, Maggie Logan. When Al learns from Maggie that
she was not playing a joke on him, they set about
to find out who might want to kill Frank. In old newspaper files, they
discover a Roger Menders who was convicted of embezzling.
They find out he has been paroled. When Tyler calls Al again, Al confirms
that it is Menders who wants to murder Frank. They
help capture Menders as he pulls a gun on Frank. In the concluding
interview, Nakkula says Frank visited Menders in prison
and he promised he would never bother the Logans again.
[--] 17May57 NBC Fri 9-10pm - pre-empted for “The Dinah
Shore Show”
with guests Betty Hutton, Art Carney, Boris Karloff, and The Skylarks.
8.28 [--] The Big Story: DESPERATE HUNGER
Reporter: Jack Gil of The Albuquerque Journal
24May1957 NBC Fri
Pyramid Productions, Inc. / Executive Producer, Everett Rosenthal /
Producer, Robert Lewis Shayon
Written for TV by Douglas Taylor / Directed by Leonard Valenta
Music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Appearing: Jack Gil (himself) / Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
William Redfield ...... Jack Gil
Martin Newman ......... Frank Fitzgerald
Michael Strong ........ Pete Marshall
Lenka Peterson ........ Linda Gil
Joe Helgesen .......... Bob Samson
Ellen Madison ......... Peggy Fitzgerald
Marilyn Siegel ........ Christine Gil
Synopsis:
Jack Gil receives a phone call from Frank and Peggy Fitzgerald, who are
wanted for robbery and cashing bad checks.
Gil meets them and they say they want to give themselves up. Frank says he
has done all of this for the publicity.
Gil prints their story. In jail, Frank becomes unhappy when the newspaper
stops giving him publicity. He and his
cellmate Pete escape and go to Gil's house. He convinces them that it is not
safe and they leave. In the concluding
interview, Gil says Frank and Pete were caught and sentenced and Peggy was
given a suspended sentence because
she was forced into aiding Frank.
8.29 [--] The Big Story: HIROSHIMA PLUS 12 (aka “Hiroshima Plus
Twelve”)
Reporter: Jim Vachule of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram of Texas
31May1957 NBC Fri
Pyramid Productions, Inc. / Executive Producer, Everett Rosenthal
Directed & Produced by Robert Lewis Shayon /Written for TV by Jerome
Coopersmith
Music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Appearing: Jim Vachule (himself) / Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
John Kellogg .......... Jim Vachule
Logan Field ........... Pete Morgan
John Connell .......... Johnny Morgan
Paul Sparer ........... Dr. Edward Nicholas
Douglas Rutherford .... U.S. Attorney Moore
Tom Gorman ............ U.S. Postal Inspector
Jack Orrison .......... Clerk
Synopsis:
Jim Vachule learns that Pete Morgan, a major in the Air Force during World
War II with whom he served, has been arrested for theft.
When he visits Morgan, he denies knowing him. Vachule finds out that Pete
has spent some time in the Waco Veterans Mental Hospital
because he has been feeling guilty for dropping bombs and killing people. He
is committing crimes so he can be punished. After Pete's
brother Johnny bails him out, Vachule tells Johnny about Pete's condition.
They go to get Pete who has gone to a shack with a rifle.
They convince him they are proud of his war record. He surrenders and
returns to Waco. In the concluding interview,
Vachule says Pete is responding well to treatment.
8.30 [--] The Big Story: CAR 83 (aka Car Eighty-Three)
Reporter: Malcolm Glover of The San Francisco Examiner
07Jun1957 NBC Fri
Pyramid Productions, Inc. / Executive Producer, Everett Rosenthal
Directed & Produced by Robert Lewis Shayon / Written for TV by Irving Tunick
Music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Appearing: Malcolm Glover (himself) / Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
Ray Boyle ............ Malcolm Glover
Steve McQueen ........ Chuck Milton
Dolores Sutton ....... Rose
Ed Bryce ............. Benham
Dana Elcar ........... Cashmore
Synopsis:
Malcolm Glover receives a phone call about Chuck Milton, a parolee with a
long arrest record, who now has a gun and is taking
dope, from his girlfriend Rose. She tried to help him go straight. She calls
the police, who corner him but he shoots his way out,
killing an officer. He hides in the movie theater where Rose works. She
calls Glover again and the police trace her call.
They convince her to persuade him to give up. In the concluding interview,
Milton was sentenced to life imprisonment.
[--] 14Jun57 NBC Fri 9-10pm - pre-empted for “The Dinah
Shore Show”
with guests Nanette Fabray, Fred MacMurray, Minnie Pearl and Dean Jones.
8.31 [--] The Big Story: BANNER OF INNOCENCE
Reporter: William O. Grover of The Philadelphia Inquirer
21Jun1957 NBC Fri
Pyramid Productions, Inc. / Executive Producer, Everett Rosenthal
Directed & Produced by Robert Lewis Shayon /Written for TV by Douglas Tyalor
Music director, Vladimir Selinsky
Appearing: William O. Grover (himself) / Host: Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
Allen Nourse ......... William O. Grover
James Wall ........... Jimmy Howard
Fran Carlon .......... Sally Martin
Joseph Julian ........ Eddie
Osceola Archer ....... Mrs. Howard
Richard Ward ......... Jones
John Bouie ........... David Young
Synopsis:
William Grover is convinced that Jimmy Howard, a young African American
sentenced to life imprisonment, was convicted on
perjured evidence. He hires Sally Martin, a lawyer, to help prove that
Howard is innocent. He has been in prison for ten years
because two of his associates did not like his attitude and said they saw
him kill a night watchman. Martin asks for a pardon
because one of the two men, David Young, confesses he lied. She gets Howard
a complete pardon. Howard wants the world to
know he is innocent so Grover runs a headline story. In the concluding
interview, Grover says Howard is getting back on his
feet and that a bill in the state legislature to compensate him is not
faring well. The real name of the lawyer is Rose Kotzin Landy.
8.32 [--] The Big Story: THE FRAME-UP (Final
show of the season)
Reporter: Nolen Bulloch of The Tulsa Tribune
28Jun1957 NBC Fri
Pyramid Productions, Inc. /Executive Producer, Everett Rosenthal
Directed & produced by Robert Lewis Shayon / Written for TV by Jerome
Coopersmith
Appearing: Nolen Bulloch (himself) / Narrated by Ben Grauer
Guest Cast:
George Mitchell ....... Nolen Bulloch
Bibi Osterwald ........ Rosie Mack
Russell Hardie ........ Sidney Hackett
Victor Thorley ........ Henning
Nelson Olmsted ........ Prosecuting Attorney
Mary Lou Taylor ....... Mary Bulloch
Jack Orrison .......... Editor
Synopsis:
Nolen Bulloch has fought bootlegging by writing about it. Rosie Mack has
been trapped for bootlegging several times.
Bulloch and a female reporter warn her not to bootleg. When they leave her
place, they see evidence of bootlegging
and they tell the police, who arrest Mack. She threatens to get even with
him. She tells the police he took money from
her to keep quiet. He is arrested, but the female reporter joined the army
so she cannot clear him. Bulloch and his wife
Mary finally track her down and she testifies for him. In the concluding
interview, Bulloch says he was acquitted.
[--] 05July57 NBC Fri - start of the Summer replacement
series ”The Big Moment,”
a filmed series covering major events in sports history. Hosted by Bud
Palmer.
################# The Big Story
##############
################ end of season 8 #############
##############################################
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