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(More customer reviews)Early in the days of television, the teleplay was made popular with independent one and two hour segments on shows named after the sponsor, such as "The U.S. Steel Hour". These were early showcases of the excellent talents of young writers such as Rod Serling. Because you didn't have to leave your living room to see a fine drama, they had a huge negative impact on the film industry and led to such innovations as making both the color film and the widescreen film common, since these were two things you couldn't get from television. Up to now many of these early teleplays have been shown only in the public domain if at all, because they only existed on kinescope, and then only for the purpose of rebroadcasting to different time zones. The concept of the rerun and syndication had not occurred to producers at the time these were made - with the exception of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. New digital techniques have allowed these early kinescopes to be transferred and viewed with better clarity than ever before, and this new package by Criterion boasts some fine dramas from the 1950's, many of which went on to be made into acclaimed motion pictures.
EPISODES:
Marty (1953) - The motion picture was a Best Picture Oscar winner in 1955. This version has the role of Marty played by Rod Steiger and the role of the girl with which he connects played by Nancy Marchand. Written by Paddy Chayefsky.
Patterns (1955) - Written by Rod Serling. Show starred Richard Kiley as young executive Fred Staples. However, Staples can see his possible distant future in an aging executive (Ed Begley) who is constantly berated and belittled by the boss (Everett Sloane).
No Time for Sergeants (1955) - Andy Griffith is cast as Will Stockdale, a backwoods fellow who is drafted into the army. Harry Clark plays the sergeant that is his nemesis. This play was the basis for the TV Show "Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C" which ran from 1964 until 1969.
A Wind from the South (1955) - Stars Julie Harris.
Requiem for a Heavyweight (1956) - Written by Rod Serling with Jack Palance as the slow-witted mountain of a man who suddenly finds his boxing career over and doesn't know what to do next.
Bang the Drum Slowly (1956) - Written by Mark Harris and starring Paul Newman in one of his earliest performances. It's a story of a baseball team that is a thinly disguised version of the New York Yankees whose catcher gets Hodgkin's disease and tries to conceal his ailment.
The Comedian ((1957) - Written by Rod Serling and starring Mickey Rooney as a difficult TV comedian who picks on his brother (Mel Torme) and drives one of his gag writers (Edmund O'Brien) to the brink of insanity by his behavior.
Days of Wine and Roses (1958) - Cliff Robertson and Piper Laurie are a couple whose lives are ruined by alcoholism.
Extra features:
Commentaries by directors John Frankenheimer, Delbert Mann, Ralph Nelson, and Daniel Petrie
Interviews with key cast and crew, including Frankenheimer, Andy Griffith, Julie Harris, Kim Hunter, Richard Kiley, Piper Laurie, Nancy Marchand, Jack Palance, Cliff Robertson, Mickey Rooney, Carol Serling, Rod Steiger, and Mel Torme
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by curator Ron Simon and his extensive liner notes on each program
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Golden Age of Television (The Criterion Collection) (1958)
The hugely popular live American television plays of the 1950s have become the stuff of legend. Combining elements of theater, radio, and filmmaking, they were produced at a moment when TV technology was advancing and making art accessible to a newly suburban postwar demographic. These astonishingly choreographed, brilliantly acted, and socially progressive "teleplays" constituted an artistic high for the medium, bringing Broadway-quality drama to homes across the country. The following award-winning programs—curated for PBS in the early 1980s as the series The Golden Age of Television, with recollections from key cast and crew members—were conceived by such up-and-comers as Rod Serling and John Frankenheimer, and star the likes of Paul Newman, Mickey Rooney, Rod Steiger, Julie Harris, and Piper Laurie.INCLUDES:
Marty Patterns
No Time for Sergeants
A Wind from the South
Requiem for a Heavyweight
Bang the Drum Slowly
The Comedian
Days of Wine and Roses
SPECIAL EDITION THREE-DISC SET FEATURES:
The live kinescope broadcasts of Marty (1953), Patterns (1955), No Time for Sergeants (1955), A Wind from the South (1955), Requiem for a Heavyweight (1956), Bang the Drum Slowly (1956), The Comedian (1957), and Days of Wine and Roses (1958)
Commentaries by directors John Frankenheimer, Delbert Mann, Ralph Nelson, and Daniel Petrie Interviews with key cast and crew, including Frankenheimer, Andy Griffith, Julie Harris, Kim Hunter, Richard Kiley, Piper Laurie, Nancy Marchand, Jack Palance, Cliff Robertson, Mickey Rooney, Carol Serling, Rod Steiger, and Mel Torme
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by curator Ron Simon and his extensive liner notes on each program
Stills from The Golden Age of Television (Click for larger image)
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