Search - Golden Age Theater Volume 3 on DVD

50s TV drama series

Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 09/13/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"FOUR STAR PLAYHOUSE (The Adolescent/A Place of His Own) ran from September '52 to July '56, 9 PM Sundays on the CBS network and originally aired bi-weekly. The program had a regular rotation of four stars (thus the name). They were: Dick Powell, David Niven, Charles Boyer and Ida Lupino. In its second season the Playhouse went to a weekly schedule.

TELEPHONE TIME (The Golden Junkman) was hosted by John Nesbitt, who also wrote the short stories that were adapted for scripts. When the program relocated from CBS-TV to ABC, other authors' works were already being used and host Nesbitt was eventually replaced by Frank Baxter. Presented here is Telephone's premiere episode.

TV READER'S DIGEST (The Brainwashing of John Hayes) featured stories based on true events. The program aired on ABC from Jan '55 to July '56. The host was Hugh Reilly.

SYNOPSES:

"The Adolescent" - A prep school disciplinary board member encounters obstacles and threats as she seeks to uncover a troubled student's dark secret-- the boy she's investigating just happens to be her own nephew.

"The Brainwashing of John Hayes" - A schoolteacher/minister is imprisoned in China, charged with being a US spy.

"The Golden Junkman" - An unschooled immigrant's sons ridicule his lack of education, so he studies the encyclopedia and eventually earns a college degree.

"A Place of His Own" - The conniving family of a brain-injured war hero convinces him that he has killed a man over a gambling debt. Directed by Robert Florey of Marx Brothers/"The Cocoanuts" fame.

If you liked this collection, you'll also enjoy THE GOLDEN AGE OF TV DRAMA.

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The following program list includes episode numbers, season and original airdates, plus main actors for all shows.

(#55) The Adolescent (S.3, 10/28/54) - Ida Lupino/Hugh Beaumont/John Doucette
(_#1) The Golden Junkman (S.1, 4/8/56) - Lon Chaney Jr./Leslie Dennison/Corey Allen
(#30) The Brainwashing of John Hayes (S.2, 11/7/55) - Vincent Price/Steven Geray
(#22) A Place of His Own (S.2, 10/8/53) - Charles Boyer/Ralph Moody/Jeanette Nolan/Ellen Corby"

Cut above other Alpha fare

nostalgiste | San Diego | 03/26/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Collectors have long since learned to be wary of the DVD compilations offered by discount houses - there are plenty of unwatchably murky video transfers out there which aren't worth buying, even at bargain basement prices. And Alpha Video (Alpha Home Entertainment) hardly has a stellar record in this respect. But when they get it right, they deserve to be recognized for it! Volume 3 of their Golden Age Theater series has four episodes from a selection of fifties anthology shows (SINGER FOUR STAR PLAYHOUSE, TV READER'S DIGEST, and TELEPHONE TIME). And all of them are decently clear and reasonably crisp transfers from good quality source material. Hey, I'm as surprised as you are! Episodes featured:

The Adolescent - Campus counselor Ida Lupino has to investigate a student's troubled private life. With Hugh Beaumont.

The Brainwashing of John Hayes - A Protestant missionary in Communist China is subjected to a show trial. Pretty dreary cold-war-fare, but a good character study by lead Vincent Price.

A Place of His Own - Shellshocked vet Charles Boyer has to submit to the guardianship of imperious sister-in-law Jeanette Nolan. With its offbeat premise and a few suspenseful touches, this entry stands out a bit from the other (pretty routine) episodes. And it ends with a wry Hitchcock-ian twist: no surprise, since writers John and Gwen Bagni also did scripts for Hitchcock's own show.

The Golden Junkman - He built a fortune from nothing; now hardworking immigrant Lon Chaney, Jr. has to teach his privileged sons about humility and character.
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