Screen Directors' Playhouse



A late entry in the Hollywood-movie-adaptation genre, "Screen Directors' Playhouse" may lack the prestige of 'The Lux Radio Theatre" or the flashiness of "The Screen Guild Players," but nonetheless, this series stands out as one of the forgotten gems of big time radio's twilight years.

The program aired on NBC for just two and a half years, but during that time it gave a fresh burst of energy to a radio format overcome in many ways by its own limitations. The process of condensing a full-length feature film into a radio drama rarely did full justice to the source material, but "Screen Directors Playhouse" managed to do a solid job thru the strength of excellent scripts, with writers Milton Geiger and Dick Simmons doing a remarkable job of cutting to the essential plot points in each story without seriously compromising essential character development. The performers enacting these scripts were likewise up to the challenge -- with the series emphasizing not just any big film name that happened to be available, but rather showcasing movie actors who also had a clear gift for radio. The result is a series which deserves a far wider audience than it ever received in its original broadcasts.

Now you can be part of that audience in this exciting collection of programs - ten complete and unedited hour-long NBC network broadcasts featuring the finest talents of both radio and motion pictures. You'll hear stars like Rosalind Russell, Joseph Cotten, Lucille Ball, Frank Lovejoy, Marlene Dietrich, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Joan Crawford, as well as legendary and versatile radio performers like Herb Butterfield, Howard McNear, Stan Waxman, Ralph Moody, Gil Stratton, Herb Vigran, William Conrad, Hy Averback, Ruth Perrott, and Peggy Webber. As an extra bonus, each broadcast also features a brief interview with a well-known screen director; film buffs will be intrigued to hear the voices of legendary directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Vincent Sherman, Henry King, and many more.

Spellbound
Starring Joseph Cotten, Mercedes McCambridge, and guest screen director Alfred Hitchcock
Thursday, January 25, 1951 - 60:00 - NBC, sponsored by Anacin and RCA Victor

Dark Victory
Starring Tallulah Bankhead, David Brian, and guest screen director Edmund Goulding
Thursday, February 15, 1951 - 60:00 - NBC, sponsored by Anacin, RCA Victor, and Chesterfield Cigarettes

A Foreign Affair
Starring John Lund, Lucille Ball, Marlene Dietrich, and guest screen director Billy Wilder
Thursday, March 1, 1951 - 60:00 - NBC, sponsored by Anacin, RCA Victor, and Chesterfield Cigarettes

Thelma Jordan
Starring Wendell Corey, Barbara Stanwyck, and guest screen director Robert Siodmak
Thursday, March 15, 1951 - 60:00 - NBC, sponsored by RCA Victor, and Chesterfield Cigarettes

Next Time We Love
Starring James Stewart, Eleanor Parker, and guest screen director E. H. Griffith
Thursday, March 29, 1951 - 60:00 - NBC, sponsored by Anacin, RCA Victor, and Chesterfield Cigarettes

The Damned Don't Cry
Starring Joan Crawford, Frank Lovejoy, and guest screen director Vincent Sherman
Thursday, April 5, 1951 - 60:00 - NBC, sponsored by Anacin, RCA Victor, and Chesterfield Cigarettes

Hired Wife
Starring Rosalind Russell, Jeff Chandler, and guest screen director William Seiter
Thursday, April 12, 1951 - 60:00 - NBC, sponsored by Anacin, RCA Victor, and Chesterfield Cigarettes

The Captain from Castile
Starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Paula Morgan, and guest screen director Henry King
Thursday, May 3, 1951 - 60:00 - NBC, sponsored by Cannon Towels, Anacin, RCA Victor, and Chesterfield Cigarettes

The Lady Takes a Chance
Starring John Lund and Joan Caulfield
Thursday, June 28, 1951 - 60:00 - NBC, sponsored by RCA Victor, Chesterfield Cigarettes, and Anacin

Stairway to Heaven
Starring Robert Cummings and Julia Adams
Thursday, July 26, 1951 - 60:00 - NBC, sponsored by Chesterfield Cigarettes, Anacin, and RCA Victor