Screen Directors Playhouse (sometimes written as Screen Directors' Playhouse) is an American radio and television anthology series which brought leading Hollywood actors to the NBC microphones beginning in 1949. The radio program broadcast adaptations of films, with original directors of the films sometimes involved in the productions, although their participation was usually limited to introducing the radio adaptations and taking a brief "curtain call" with the cast and host at the end of the program. During the 1955–56 season, the series was seen on television, focusing on original teleplays and several adaptations of famous short stories (such as Robert Louis Stevenson's "Markheim").

Radio

The radio version ran for 122 episodes and aired on NBC from January 9, 1949, to September 28, 1951, under several different titles: NBC Theater, Screen Directors Guild Assignment, Screen Directors Assignment and, as of July 1, 1949, Screen Directors Playhouse. Actors on the radio series included Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Tallulah Bankhead, Charles Boyer, Claudette Colbert, Ronald Colman, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Marlene Dietrich, Kirk Douglas, Irene Dunne, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Henry Fonda, Cary Grant, William Holden, Burt Lancaster, James Mason, Ray Milland, Gregory Peck, William Powell, Edward G. Robinson, Norma Shearer, Barbara Stanwyck, James Stewart, John Wayne, and Loretta Young.

Television

The television version, produced and filmed at Hal Roach Studios, was broadcast for one season of 35 half-hour episodes on NBC, under the sponsorship of Eastman Kodak, airing from October 5, 1955, to June 1956. The final episodes aired on ABC ending on September 26, 1956. Hal Roach Studios produced the program, and members of the Screen Directors Guild directed the 30-minute filmed episodes. The guild used its income to support its educational and benevolent foundation. John Wayne appeared in the episode "Rookie of the Year", in "his only real dramatic role on TV", and Errol Flynn's first dramatic role on TV came in "The Sword of Villon". Billed in the opening credits of their respective television episodes are: Lee Aaker (episode 8), Lola Albright (episode 4), John Alderson (episode 35), Leon Ames (episode 5), Lew Ayres (episode 20), Lynn Bari (episode 4), Ralph Bellamy (episode 19), William Bendix (episode 35), John Bentley (episode 30), Charles Bickford (episode 11), Janet Blair (episode 28), Ward Bond (episode 10), Neville Brand (episode 4), Walter Brennan (episode 8), Hillary Brooke (episode 22), Joe E. Brown (episode 12), Edgar Buchanan (episode 8), Rory Calhoun (episodes 2 and 14), Macdonald Carey (episodes 18 and 32), Jack Carson (episode 4), Joan Caulfield (episode 32), Gower Champion (episode 27), Marge Champion (episode 27), Fred Clark (episode 5), Constance Cummings (episode 33), Linda Darnell (episode 30), Laraine Day (episodes 7 and 17), Yvonne deCarlo (episode 14), Brandon deWilde (episode 29), Bobby Driscoll (episode 2), James Dunn (episode 18), Leo Durocher (episode 17), Robert Easton (episode 15), Buddy Ebsen (episode 28), Marilyn Erskine (episode 21), Frank Fay (episode 9), Errol Flynn (episode 22), Scott Forbes (episode 30), Wallace Ford (episode 20), Sally Forrest (episode 5), Rita Gam (episode 19), Nancy Gates (episode 9), Leo Genn (episode 13), Greta Granstedt (episode 19), Barbara Hale (episode 1), Don Hanmer (episode 3), Dick Haymes (episode 18), Dennis Hopper (episode 35), Kim Hunter (episode 3), Buster Keaton (episode 12), Angela Lansbury (episode 24), Peter Lawford (episode 9), Cloris Leachman (episode 6), Sheldon Leonard (episode 15), Peter Lorre (episode 16), James Lydon (episode 5), Jeanette MacDonald (episode 17), Jimmy McHugh (episode 21), Fred MacMurray (episode 21), Lotfi Mansouri (episode 34), Vera Miles (episode 10), Ray Milland (episode 23), Sal Mineo (episode 26), Thomas Mitchell (episode 7), George Montgomery (episode 24), Patricia Morison (episode 26), Barry Nelson (episode 28), Edmond O'Brien (episode 25), Dan O'Herlihy (episode 7), Dennis O'Keefe (episode 15), ZaSu Pitts (episode 12), Basil Rathbone (episode 19), Philip Reed (episode 13), Robert Ryan (episode 11), George Sanders (episodes 26 and 33), Herb Shriner (episode 1), Mary Sinclair (episode 28), Rod Steiger (episode 23), William Talman (episode 16), Casey Tibbs (episode 29), June Vincent (episodes 14 [not billed in opening credits] and 18), John Wayne (episode 10), Pat Wayne (episode 10), Michael Wilding (episode 31), Fay Wray (episode 15), Teresa Wright (episode 16), Keenan Wynn (episode 3), May Wynn (episode 13) and Alan Young (episode 6). But there was one difference between the two versions of the program: while the radio program had presented only condensed versions of well-known plays and films, the television version presented mostly original dramas. The directors of television episodes are: Lewis Allen, Claude Binyon, Frank Borzage (3 episodes), John Brahm (2 episodes), David Butler, Gower Champion, William Dieterle, Allan Dwan (2 episodes), John Ford, Tay Garnett (3 episodes), Hugo Haas, Byron Haskin, Stuart Heisler, Ida Lupino, Leo McCarey (2 episodes), Norman Z. McLeod, George Marshall, Ted Post, H. C. Potter, John Rich, William A. Seiter, George Sherman, Andrew L. Stone, Ted Tetzlaff, Frank Tuttle, George Waggner (2 episodes) and Fred Zinnemann.

Directors, vital dates, years of activity as director, episode titles, writers and broadcast dates

Directors listed by number of "Best Director" Academy Award nominations

Television episodes

Opening announcement: "SCREEN DIRECTORS PLAYHOUSE. Bringing you each week an outstanding original screenplay chosen and directed by one of the country's foremost motion picture directors."

Sources

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