Four Star Playhouse
DramaComedy
Four Star Playhouse is an American television anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956, sponsored in its first bi-weekly season by The Singer Company; Bristol-Myers became an alternate sponsor when it became a weekly series in the fall of 1953. The original premise was that Charles Boyer, Ida Lupino, David Niven, and Dick Powell would take turns starring in episodes. However, several other performers took the lead from time to time, including Ronald Colman and Joan Fontaine. Blake Edwards was among the writers and directors who contributed to the series. Edwards created the recurring character of illegal gambling house operator Willie Dante for Dick Powell to play on this series. The character was later revamped and spun off in his own series starring Howard Duff, then-husband of Lupino. The pilot for Meet McGraw, starring Frank Lovejoy, aired here, as did another episode in which Lovejoy recreated his role of Chicago newspaper reporter Randy Stone, from the radio drama Nightbeat.
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Seasons & episodes
S1 · 19 epS2 · 31 epS3 · 38 epS4 · 41 ep
- 1My Wife Geraldine25 Sept 1952 · 30mMan invents a wife, then accused of murdering her.
- 2Dante's Inferno2 Oct 1952 · 30mWillie Dante owns a bar and gambling house called Dante's Inferno. One night, the wife of an acquaintance tells Willie that her husband has threatened her. Willie comforts her and sends her home, but she turns up dead the next day.
- 3The Lost Silk Hat23 Oct 1952 · 30mEnglishman must retrieve his hat after visiting his love.
- 4Backstage6 Nov 1952 · 30mAn actor named Paul is out on an evening stroll when he sees a young woman attempting to jump off a bridge. After a struggle, he discovers her name is Amy and she is homeless. Paul believes $5 could mean the difference between decency & despair so he pays for Amy to stay in a hotel for the night, agreeing to meet her the next day. Amy is nowhere to be found when Paul returns. He worries and begins the search for this mysterious woman.
- 5Welcome Home20 Nov 1952 · 30mA notorious criminal returns to his home town after 15 years away, and a young man wants to join him in notoriety and, probably, death at the hands of police.
- 6The Island4 Dec 1952 · 30mRebellious physician on an island in the South Pacific.
- 7The Officer and the Lady18 Dec 1952 · 30mA reformed pickpocket in Paris obtains the purse of an attractive woman. He reads a letter telling about her dying son, and he decides to grant the boy's wish to meet his father.
- 8Knockout1 Jan 1953 · 30mMiddleweight boxer finds his big bout has been fixed.
- 9Man on a Train15 Jan 1953 · 30mWilliam encounters an old acquaintance, John Dwerrihouse, on a train with 75,000 pounds. Only later did William learn that Dwerrihouse had disappeared four months earlier after embezzling 75,000 pounds from the train company.
- 10Trail's End29 Jan 1953 · 30mA famous marshal of Dodge City sets out in search of the murderous Sonoma Kid and runs into a tragedy of the desert.
- 11Sound Off, My Love12 Feb 1953 · 30mWoman buys hearing aid and hears husband plot her murder.
- 12The Man in the Box26 Feb 1953 · 30mBoyer plays four roles in story of a director and his woes.
- 13No Identity12 Mar 1953 · 30mYoung boy fights to win his foster mother's love.
- 14The Man Who Walked Out On Himself26 Mar 1953 · 30mAfter separating from his wife, a wealthy clubman is about to marry a much young woman -- whereupon his mirror image walks out on him in disgust.
- 15The Last Voyage23 Apr 1953 · 30mSea captain discovers a time bomb is planted on his ship.
- 16Night Ride7 May 1953 · 30mFive people, one a murderer, are trapped on subway.
- 17The Ladies On His Mind21 May 1953 · 30mA psychiatrist listens to his female patients go on about their troubles. As they talk, he imagines himself within each of their stories.
- 18To Whom It May Concern4 Jun 1953 · 30mA bank employee mails a letter to his boss confessing to stealing $7000 and includes the stocks he bought with the money. As he puts a gun to his head, he sees in the paper that the stocks' worth have gone through the roof. Now he wants to live and goes on a frantic chase to get the letter back from the post office before it gets delivered.
- 19Shadowed18 Jun 1953 · 30mPast haunts politician running for Senator.
Details
- First aired
- 25 Sept 1952
- Last aired
- 26 Jul 1956
- Status
- Ended
- Language
- English
- Network
- CBS
- Episodes
- 129
- Votes
- 11 on TMDB
