Alcoa Theatre
When "The Alcoa Hour" dramatic anthology series moved from Sunday night to Monday, it was reduced to 30 minutes, retitled "Alcoa Theatre", and the format was changed. Instead of having a completely different cast for each episode, the series now used a set group of actors (David Niven, Robert Ryan, Jane Powell, Jack Lemmon and Charles Boyer) who would appear repeatedly in various roles during its initial season. They did not return in 1958, and the program became a true anthology once again until its final episode on May 23, 1960. While most of the productions were serious dramas, a few comedies were also included in the mix.
- 1957-1960
- 3 seasons
- NBC
- Drama
When "The Alcoa Hour" dramatic anthology series moved from Sunday night to Monday, it was reduced to 30 minutes, retitled "Alcoa Theatre", and the format was changed. Instead of having a completely different cast for each episode, the series now used a set group of actors (David Niven, Robert Ryan, Jane Powell, Jack Lemmon and Charles Boyer) who would appear repeatedly in various roles during its initial season. They did not return in 1958, and the program became a true anthology once again until its final episode on May 23, 1960. While most of the productions were serious dramas, a few comedies were also included in the mix.
Season 3 Episode Guide
22 Episodes 1959 - 1960
Episode 1
Another Day, Another Dollar
Mon, Sep 21, 1959 30 mins
Engaging comedy-drama about a toy salesman who chooses family responsibilities over a business deal.
Episode 3
Day the Devil Hid
Mon, Nov 2, 1959 30 mins
J. Dunkin Wynn has a foster daughter, far away from San Francisco where he lives, in Korea actually. The Korean girl believes her American daddy is in the Navy. This is at least what he has kept telling her in his mail. The trouble is that in real fact he is a ... bookmaker. So just imagine how things turn out when she sets foot on American soil.
Episode 4
Operation Spark
Mon, Oct 5, 1959 30 mins
Faced with imminent defeat, several high ranking Wehrmacht officers plot to kill Hitler by luring him to a forward headquarters on the Russian front for a strategy meeting. There, they plan to blow him up with a bomb hidden in a bottle of rare wine, yet unforeseen complications get in the way.
Episode 5
Shadow of Evil
Mon, Nov 30, 1959 30 mins
Aspiring Dixiecrat politician is tempted by corrupt kingmaker, a former rival of his late father, in order to get party's nomination for governor.
Episode 6
The Long House on Avenue A
Mon, Dec 14, 1959 30 mins
Contemporary drama about a rising young construction worker whose career ambitions come into conflict with tribal loyalties.
Episode 7
Tom, Dick, and Harry
Mon, Oct 26, 1959 30 mins
Working girl is proposed to by three different men and must make a choice.
Episode 8
Girls About Town
Mon, Nov 2, 1959 30 mins
New York City roommates Jo and Lacey accept an invitation to look after Marybelle, a blonde bombshell who is a friend of the family, when she arrives in the city looking to become a model. Unsold pilot for a proposed series.
Episode 10
Small Bouquet
Mon, Nov 16, 1959 30 mins
Reporter Joe Kane does a story on a recently deceased rock and roll singer, and finds a mysterious bouquet with a message in Japanese at his grave site. Investigating the source, he interviews people who knew him, including a studio executive and his agent, finally finding he had secretly married a Japanese girl in Tokyo.
Episode 11
Face to Face
Mon, Feb 22, 1960 30 mins
Domestic tragedy where the wife of a farmer (James Gregory) wishes to run off with their hired hand, but the farmer is determined to prevent her at all costs.
Episode 13
333 Montgomery
Mon, Dec 7, 1959 30 mins
Jake Brittin is a San Francisco defense attorney opposed to the death penalty. He agrees to defend a wrongly accused man.
Episode 18
Action Off Screen
Mon, Jan 11, 1960 30 mins
George Maharis plays Johnny Cesare, a singing idol, who with his entourage makes a spectacular arrival in Las Vegas. With a reputation as a lady's man, he pursues a rich woman who gives him the shoulder.
Episode 20
The Last Flight Out
Mon, Jan 25, 1960 30 mins
U.S. Army officer has the unenviable task of choosing which refugees can take the last flight out of China during the civil war between the communists and nationalists. Those on the list include the woman he loves, and he can only take 3.
Episode 21
Capital Gains
Mon, Feb 1, 1960
Television screen writer, bankrupted by alimony payments, is encouraged to sell stock in himself.
Episode 22
Minister Accused
Mon, Feb 8, 1960 30 mins
A young minister brings modern theology and practices into an old-fashioned church, much to the dismay of some of the members.
Episode 23
Morning Boat to Africa
Mon, Feb 15, 1960 30 mins
Episode 24
The Silent Kill
Mon, Feb 22, 1960 30 mins
Episode 26
Chinese Finale
Mon, Mar 7, 1960 30 mins
Two women, one a missionary and the other a doctor, fight for control at an outpost as a vicious Chinese warlord with his forces approach. Things only get worse when the mission is overrun.
Episode 28
The Tweed Hat
Mon, Mar 21, 1960 30 mins
Poignant little comedy about a comely widow who reminisces with the spirit of her late husband about their wartime courtship.
Episode 30
The Glorious Fourth
Mon, Apr 4, 1960 30 mins
Mixing comedy and pathos, this story tells of a decimated confederate regiment trying to hold its position on the line as it welcomes a handful of new recruits.
Episode 32
The Observer
Mon, Apr 18, 1960 30 mins
First rate cast heads inspirational tale about a French civilian who risks his life to spy on the German army by disguising himself as a church statue on the front lines of World War One's western Front.
Episode 34
Forced Landing
Mon, May 2, 1960 30 mins
Episode 36
You Should Meet My Sister
Mon, May 16, 1960 30 mins
"You Should Meet My Sister," is based on the Broadway comedy "My Sister Eileen," by Ruth McKenney.and is the pilot film for a situation comedy scheduled for next fall. Eileen and Ruth Sherwood have left Ohio behind and taken an apartment in New York's Greenwich Village. While Ruth seeks a career as a writer, the city's male population seeks Eileen.