Westinghouse Preview Theatre | |
---|---|
Genre | Anthology series |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 11 |
Production | |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | July 14 September 22, 1961 | –
Westinghouse Preview Theatre is an American anthology television series that aired on NBC in the summer of 1961 The 30-minute episodes consisted of unsold television pilots for situation comedies and one musical program.
The practice of television executives of ordering dozens of pilots for proposed television series each year – far more than their networks could possibly broadcast as series – created a sizable body of unsold pilots that had never aired. [1] Packaging these unsold pilots in anthology series and airing them during the summer provided television networks with a way of both providing fresh programming during the summer rerun season and recouping at least some of the expense of producing them. [1] Westinghouse Preview Theatre was one of these series, aired by NBC in the summer of 1961. [1] It consisted of 10 unsold pilots for situation comedies and one musical program. [2]
Westinghouse Preview Theatre ran for 11 episodes over the course of 11 consecutive weeks in the summer of 1961, airing on NBC from 9:30 to 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday evenings. [1] [2] It premiered on July 14, [1] [2] and its last episode aired on September 22. [2]
SOURCES [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]
No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Five's a Family" | Unknown | Unknown | July 14, 1961 | |
A retired
detective joins his son, who also is a detective, in the hunt for an
arsonist. Starring
Joe E. Brown,
Dick Foran, and
Petite Michel. | |||||
2 | "Harry's Business" | Unknown | Unknown | July 21, 1961 | |
A small-town
pharmacist in
Kansas has his first date with a woman after an automobile accident strands her in his community. Starring
Ray Walston and
Elena Verdugo. | |||||
3 | "The McGonigle" | Ralph Murphy | Dick Chevillat, Dan Gallery, & Ray Singer | July 28, 1961 | |
Two
United States Navy sailors try to help a
USO entertainer meet up with her husband so that they can have a
honeymoon. Starring
Mickey Shaughnessy,
Tom D'Andrea,
Frank Gerstle,
Wally Cassell,
Charlie Picerni,
Norman Grabowski,
Mark Damon, and
Diane Jergens. | |||||
4 | "I Married a Dog" | Unknown | Phil Rapp | August 4, 1961 | |
After a man marries in haste, he discovers that his new wife has a clever pet
poodle named Jonah that performs in movies, and that he must compete with the dog for her attention. Jonah takes an immediate dislike to his owner's new husband, and tries to convince other humans that the man is trying to kill him by limping whenever other people are around and by throwing himself into a bathtub. Starring
Hal March. | |||||
5 | "Innocent Jones" | Unknown | Unknown | August 11, 1961 | |
A spoof of international adventure dramas in which the "hero" — a free-lancer writer who travels the world in search of stories — is really much more of a coward, as becomes evident when he lets a woman get him involved with a group of notorious counterfeiters . Starring
Chris Warfield and
Merry Anders. | |||||
6 | "Shore Leave" | Unknown | Unknown | August 18, 1961 | |
Two trouble-prone sailors in the peacetime
United States Navy try to serve out their enlistments without getting in too much trouble for their antics. Starring
Paul Gilbert and
Peter Marshall. | |||||
7 | "Happily Ever After" | Norman Z. McLeod | John L. Greene & Philip Shuken | August 25, 1961 | |
Two families face the challenge of living under one roof after a newlywed couple that experiences a financial setback is forced to move in with the bride's parents. Starring
Olive Sturges,
John Armstrong,
Catherine McLeod,
Walter Coy,
Rita Lynn,
Cheryl Holdridge,
Steven Terrell,
Mary Ellen Terry,
Ned Weaver,
Olan Soule, and
Michael Ross. | |||||
8 | "The Jan Clayton Show" | Unknown | Unknown | September 1, 1961 | |
A widow who is a dedicated professor of
English studies in a small college town in the
Midwestern United States and often goes out of her way to help her students falls in love with a man during her summer vacation. Starring
Jan Clayton and
Tom Helmore. | |||||
9 | "Picture Window" | Rod Amateau | Unknown | September 8, 1961 | |
A satirical look at
suburban life through the eyes of a happily married couple. Starring
Mary LaRoche and
Charles Stewart. | |||||
10 | "The Benny Goodman Show" | Unknown | Unknown | September 15, 1961 | |
A performance of
swing music by
Benny Goodman and his band, filmed in
Anaheim,
California. The only episode of Westinghouse Preview Theatre that was not the unsold pilot for a situation comedy. | |||||
11 | "Heave Ho Harrigan" | Unknown | Unknown | September 22, 1961 | |
After a brief and disastrous tour of duty as a
signalman aboard an
aircraft carrier, a
United States Navy
seaman receives a new assignment from his
commanding officer, which is to give three visiting
Soviet scientists a tour of a
submarine — and he accidentally kidnaps one of them. Starring
Myron McCormick,
Darryl Hickman, and
Allyn Joslyn. |
Westinghouse Preview Theatre | |
---|---|
Genre | Anthology series |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 11 |
Production | |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | July 14 September 22, 1961 | –
Westinghouse Preview Theatre is an American anthology television series that aired on NBC in the summer of 1961 The 30-minute episodes consisted of unsold television pilots for situation comedies and one musical program.
The practice of television executives of ordering dozens of pilots for proposed television series each year – far more than their networks could possibly broadcast as series – created a sizable body of unsold pilots that had never aired. [1] Packaging these unsold pilots in anthology series and airing them during the summer provided television networks with a way of both providing fresh programming during the summer rerun season and recouping at least some of the expense of producing them. [1] Westinghouse Preview Theatre was one of these series, aired by NBC in the summer of 1961. [1] It consisted of 10 unsold pilots for situation comedies and one musical program. [2]
Westinghouse Preview Theatre ran for 11 episodes over the course of 11 consecutive weeks in the summer of 1961, airing on NBC from 9:30 to 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday evenings. [1] [2] It premiered on July 14, [1] [2] and its last episode aired on September 22. [2]
SOURCES [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]
No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Five's a Family" | Unknown | Unknown | July 14, 1961 | |
A retired
detective joins his son, who also is a detective, in the hunt for an
arsonist. Starring
Joe E. Brown,
Dick Foran, and
Petite Michel. | |||||
2 | "Harry's Business" | Unknown | Unknown | July 21, 1961 | |
A small-town
pharmacist in
Kansas has his first date with a woman after an automobile accident strands her in his community. Starring
Ray Walston and
Elena Verdugo. | |||||
3 | "The McGonigle" | Ralph Murphy | Dick Chevillat, Dan Gallery, & Ray Singer | July 28, 1961 | |
Two
United States Navy sailors try to help a
USO entertainer meet up with her husband so that they can have a
honeymoon. Starring
Mickey Shaughnessy,
Tom D'Andrea,
Frank Gerstle,
Wally Cassell,
Charlie Picerni,
Norman Grabowski,
Mark Damon, and
Diane Jergens. | |||||
4 | "I Married a Dog" | Unknown | Phil Rapp | August 4, 1961 | |
After a man marries in haste, he discovers that his new wife has a clever pet
poodle named Jonah that performs in movies, and that he must compete with the dog for her attention. Jonah takes an immediate dislike to his owner's new husband, and tries to convince other humans that the man is trying to kill him by limping whenever other people are around and by throwing himself into a bathtub. Starring
Hal March. | |||||
5 | "Innocent Jones" | Unknown | Unknown | August 11, 1961 | |
A spoof of international adventure dramas in which the "hero" — a free-lancer writer who travels the world in search of stories — is really much more of a coward, as becomes evident when he lets a woman get him involved with a group of notorious counterfeiters . Starring
Chris Warfield and
Merry Anders. | |||||
6 | "Shore Leave" | Unknown | Unknown | August 18, 1961 | |
Two trouble-prone sailors in the peacetime
United States Navy try to serve out their enlistments without getting in too much trouble for their antics. Starring
Paul Gilbert and
Peter Marshall. | |||||
7 | "Happily Ever After" | Norman Z. McLeod | John L. Greene & Philip Shuken | August 25, 1961 | |
Two families face the challenge of living under one roof after a newlywed couple that experiences a financial setback is forced to move in with the bride's parents. Starring
Olive Sturges,
John Armstrong,
Catherine McLeod,
Walter Coy,
Rita Lynn,
Cheryl Holdridge,
Steven Terrell,
Mary Ellen Terry,
Ned Weaver,
Olan Soule, and
Michael Ross. | |||||
8 | "The Jan Clayton Show" | Unknown | Unknown | September 1, 1961 | |
A widow who is a dedicated professor of
English studies in a small college town in the
Midwestern United States and often goes out of her way to help her students falls in love with a man during her summer vacation. Starring
Jan Clayton and
Tom Helmore. | |||||
9 | "Picture Window" | Rod Amateau | Unknown | September 8, 1961 | |
A satirical look at
suburban life through the eyes of a happily married couple. Starring
Mary LaRoche and
Charles Stewart. | |||||
10 | "The Benny Goodman Show" | Unknown | Unknown | September 15, 1961 | |
A performance of
swing music by
Benny Goodman and his band, filmed in
Anaheim,
California. The only episode of Westinghouse Preview Theatre that was not the unsold pilot for a situation comedy. | |||||
11 | "Heave Ho Harrigan" | Unknown | Unknown | September 22, 1961 | |
After a brief and disastrous tour of duty as a
signalman aboard an
aircraft carrier, a
United States Navy
seaman receives a new assignment from his
commanding officer, which is to give three visiting
Soviet scientists a tour of a
submarine — and he accidentally kidnaps one of them. Starring
Myron McCormick,
Darryl Hickman, and
Allyn Joslyn. |