Desi Arnaz presenting Rod Serling with his Emmy for Patterns
One of the two or three most stirring and intriguing Criterion releases of the year for me has been The Golden Age of Television, which I've been working through over the last couple weeks. It's the three-disc home video revival of teleplays few have seen in the last half-century, if ever. It's a combination of various firsts, like Andy Griffith's first post-"What It Was, Was Football" performance to the first 90-minute TV drama (which starred Jack Palance). Piles of now-legendary actors cut their teeth on these TV dramas (and one comedy) from Griffith, Steiger, and Palance to Paul Newman, Everett Sloane, Piper Laurie, Cliff Robertson, Elizabeth Montgomery, and Julie Harris, among others. Directors like John Frankenheimer, Delbert Mann, and Daniel Petrie really came into their own on these shows. Rod Serling and Paddy Chayefsky wrote most of the teleplays included in this set.
Merv Griffin (l.) introducing A Wind from the South and Roddy McDowell(r.) introducing No Time for Sergeants
These shows played the one time live and then re-aired for a second time nearly 30 years later (in 1982) on PBS' The Golden Age of Television anthology series. Stars who had cut their teeth in the 50's like Roddy McDowell, Eva Marie Saint, Jack Klugman, Carl Reiner, and others did short introductions that include cuts of interviews with surviving talent. All of these original intros accompany the respective teleplays.
Andy Griffith in a 1982 interview for No Time for Sergeants
The video transfers of the programs are the best ones available of the kinescopes made for re-airing the program in other timezones. The quick and dirty explanation for what a kinescope is to the uninitiated is that it's like setting up a camcorder to record whatever is playing on your TV. In this case, they had a film camera set up to record the live feed monitor in the studio. The frame warps at the edges as well as at random points in the middle of the frame. These were never recorded for archival purposes (videotape wasn't invented until 1957), so the quality is not what cineastes are accustomed to from Criterion. I'm just glad that the needs of airing at different times in different places accidentally preserved them at all.
Roy Scheider as an extra (!) in A Wind from the South
I hate most modern US TV, but this is nothing like the garbage clogging my overpriced channel lineup. The eight shows are an odd amalgam of a play, a TV show, and a movie. The discovery in each for me was also a cross-section: the marvel of seeing a new live production of a play, the little flubs here and there, and the unearthing of new-to-many performances from some of the greatest actors of the filmed era. Extras include the aforementioned 1982 introductions to each show, a couple of interviews with John Frankenheimer (regarding The Comedian and Days of Wine and Roses), and commentary on some of the plays by their respective directors. This is one of the top releases of the year, thanks to both the unearthed treasure aspect and the content within. I can only hope this release sells well and we see a "Volume 2" from Criterion of other kinescope recordings.
(l.-r., top-bottom) Rod Steiger in Marty, Patterns, Andy Griffith just after singing the lyric "stuck her nose in the butter" in No Time for Sergeants, and Julie Harris in A Wind from the South
Marty (May 24, 1953)
The character of Marty, famous for declaring himself "a fat, ugly man" in the movie version, made his debut on live TV. Paddy Chayefsky had his deadlines writing the script moved up out of necessity when another script/show was abruptly deemed not ready for production. Rod Steiger and Nancy Marchand starred, and both put in touching, nuanced performances that are still rare in filmed entertainment. The movie would be made two years later with Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair. The story of an ordinary butcher in postwar America was one of the major turning points in the history of TV, as networks came to realize that there was an appetite for the rhythms and sounds of real lives.
Patterns (January 12, 1955)
The success of Patterns made it possible for Rod Serling to have a real writing career and paved the way for The Twilight Zone. It's not outlandish to claim that had this Kraft Television Theatre program not happened, TV and media history would be very different. The play itself wonders what morality and ethics really mean in the corporate world. It proved so popular that they reunited the cast to perform it a second time live, and most of the cast (including Ed Begley) returned for the film version in 1956.
No Time for Sergeants (March 15th, 1955)
There weren't many live TV comedy plays, and of those, this is one of the most prominent (if not the most). Andy Griffith had appeared on Ed Sullivan the year before, and this show truly made him a star. The story of how country bumpkin Will Stockdale (Griffith) turns a military barracks on its ear proved so popular that the play transferred to Broadway and then was made into a film. The Broadway production co-starred Don Knotts and Roddy McDowell. Since the networks now saw viewer interest in rural or "gee shucks" subject matter, Griffith and Knotts' chemistry and friendship helped conceive The Andy Griffith Show (1960). Shows like The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, and Gomer Pyle, USMC (a knockoff of No Time) only happened because No Time for Sergeants aired first.
A Wind from the South (September 14th, 1955)
Julie Harris stars, Daniel Petrie directs, and Merv Griffin sings the theme song. Lots of "theatre Irish" accents abound, and they re-spell "Siobhan" as "Shevawn" in the credits to not confuse all the Americans watching. I expect they'd have spelled "Niamh" as "Neeve" had someone had that name. Frankly, they probably still would. The play is a good example of the "working young woman looking for love" story that has become so sexist and sloppy in modern feature films.
Paul Newman at the beginning of Bang the Drum Slowly, Jack Palance insisting he "coulda been the heavyweight champion of the world!" in Requiem for a Heavyweight, Mickey Rooney searing in intensity in The Comedian, and Piper Laurie/Cliff Robertson getting into a row in Days of Wine and Roses
Bang the Drum Slowly (September 26th, 1956)
People told Newman he probably wouldn't have much of a career as a leading man because he "look[ed] too much like Brando." A series of supporting roles lead to this, his first real shot at taking the lead. George Peppard and Clu Gulager played supporting roles in this "tragic friendship" story about fellow baseball players. Newman's preparation and dogged work ethic show in his effortless, naturalistic portrayal of Henry Wiggen. It's a performance that really reflects what he offered throughout the rest of his career: preparation so intense that the actual "doing" of it appears to be effortless.
Requiem for a Heavyweight (October 11th, 1956)
This first 90-minute drama produced for TV starred Jack Palance as "Mountain" McClintock, was directed by Ralph Nelson, and was written by Rod Serling. Father and son Ed and Keenan Wynn played supporting parts, and their on-set friction was fodder for a 1960 production that pulled the curtain back on live TV production (also written by Serling). Ed had never done drama in his 54-year career that stretched back to the days of vaudeville, and playing Mountain's trainer proved difficult in that he couldn't fall back on his common ad-libs that worked when he was clowning. The film version starred Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, and Mickey Rooney in the Palance/K. Wynn/E. Wynn roles six years later. Having seen both now, I really prefer these performances to the movie. Like all the titles in this set, this is a sterling example of the difference from teleplay to film in how much more fresh and daring the "no-name" actor can be compared to the "box office draw".
The Comedian (February 14th, 1957)
If you've only seen Mickey Rooney do heart-warming, funny, or not-racist-at-the-time dumb show (or a combination of the three), the vicious little man he plays in this one will stop you cold. Directed for Playhouse 90 by John Frankenheimer and co-starring Kim Hunter and Mel Torme, The Comedian could be considered one of very few filmed performances that truly shows off the depth of Rooney's talent. The Comedian in particular was impossibly complex in production due to inserting filmed audience reaction shots to give the impression of a live studio audience.
Days of Wine and Roses (October 2,1958)
One of my favorite Jack Lemmon performances is in the film version of this play. It turns out Frankenheimer didn't direct the movie because Lemmon didn't think he had the chops. The drama behind the scenes is always so juicy and interesting in retrospect. Cliff Robertson and Piper Laurie originated the lead roles in the debut of the play, which the presenter introduces as a story about "two young, attractive people who find themselves affected by this problem" (alcoholism).
Amazon currently has The Golden Age of Television listed for $36.99. Fans of the various masters of their respective arts and media history enthusiasts alike will be very pleased with this set.