Studio One is an Americananthology drama television series that was adapted from a radio series. It was created in 1947 by Canadian directorFletcher Markle, who came toCBS from theCBC. It premiered on November 7, 1948, and ended on September 29, 1958, with a total of 467 episodes over the course of 10 seasons.
On April 29, 1947, Fletcher Markle launched the 60-minute CBS Radio series with an adaptation ofMalcolm Lowry'sUnder the Volcano. Broadcast on Tuesdays oppositeFibber McGee and Molly andThe Bob Hope Show at 9:30 pm Eastern Time, the radio series continued until July 27, 1948, showcasing such adaptations asDodsworth,Pride and Prejudice,The Red Badge of Courage andAh, Wilderness. Top performers were heard on this series, includingJohn Garfield,Walter Huston,Mercedes McCambridge,Burgess Meredith andRobert Mitchum.
CBS Radio received aPeabody Award forStudio One in 1947, citing Markle's choice of material and the authenticity of his adaptations "in a production, which at its best, is distinguished for its taste, restraint, and radio craftsmanship".[1]
In 1948, Markle transitioned from radio to television. Sponsored byWestinghouse Electric Corporation, the television series was seen on CBS (which Westinghouse later owned between 1995 and 2000), from 1948 through 1958, under several variant titles:Studio One Summer Theatre,Studio One in Hollywood,Summer Theatre,Westinghouse Studio One andWestinghouse Summer Theatre. It was telecast in black-and-white only.
Offering a wide range of dramas,Studio One receivedEmmy nominations every year from 1950 to 1958. The series staged some notable and memorable teleplays among its 467 episodes. Some created such an impact, they were adapted into theatrical films.William Templeton's 1953 adaptation ofGeorge Orwell's novelNineteen Eighty-Four, starringEddie Albert asWinston Smith, led to the 1956feature-film version withEdmond O'Brien in the principal role.Reginald Rose's drama "Twelve Angry Men", about the conflicts of jurors deciding a murder case, originated onStudio One on September 20, 1954; and the1957 motion picture remake withHenry Fonda was nominated for threeAcademy Awards.Sal Mineo had the title role in the January 2, 1956, episode of Reginald Rose's "Dino", and he reprised the role for the filmDino (1957).
In 1954, "Crime at Blossoms", scripted by Jerome Ross, was given anEdgar Award for Best Episode in a TV Series.Nathaniel Hawthorne's granddaughter received a plaque in recognition of her grandfather's writing achievements during the April 3, 1950, telecast ofThe Scarlet Letter. "The Night America Trembled"[2] wasStudio One's September 9, 1957, top-rated television recreation ofOrson Welles' October 30, 1938, radio broadcast ofThe War of the Worlds. The cast includedAlexander Scourby,Ed Asner (credited as Edward Asner) andVincent Gardenia;James Coburn (credited as Jim Coburn),Warren Beatty andWarren Oates all made their television debuts in bit parts.John Astin appeared uncredited as a reporter.
Another notable presentation was an adaptation in 1952 of a medievalmystery play about theNativity of Jesus, "The Nativity", based on theChester andYork Mystery Plays of the 14th and 15th centuries, reworked intoElizabethan English. With musical accompaniment by theRobert Shaw Chorale, and presented during the Christmas season of 1952, it was one of the few medieval mystery plays telecast on commercial network television. The cast includedThomas Hardie Chalmers,Miriam Wolfe,Hurd Hatfield andPaul Tripp.[3]
During the 1953 presentation "Dry Run", whole sections of a submarine were built inside the studio, and the entire cast was nearly electrocuted when water that was being used forspecial effects got very close to power cables.[4]
Worthington Miner,Martin Manulis and others produced. As the official commercial spokeswoman for Westinghouse,Betty Furness became strongly identified with the Westinghouse products she advertised and demonstrated during the commercial breaks, and she was also seen as an actress in eightStudio One dramas. The show's musical directors were Milton C. Anderson, who also created music forPlayhouse 90, and Eugene Cines. The show's musical orchestra was also directed in several episodes during the 1950s byAlfredo Antonini.[citation needed]
The show's run ended when Westinghouse switched its sponsorship to theWestinghouse Desilu Playhouse, which premiered in 1958.[5] The series finished at number 24 in theNielsen ratings for the 1950–1951 season.[6][self-published source]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 20 | November 7, 1948 (1948-11-07) | June 29, 1949 (1949-06-29) | |
| 2 | 42 | September 12, 1949 (1949-09-12) | June 26, 1950 (1950-06-26) | |
| 3 | 55 | August 28, 1950 (1950-08-28) | September 10, 1951 (1951-09-10) | |
| 4 | 51 | September 17, 1951 (1951-09-17) | September 15, 1952 (1952-09-15) | |
| 5 | 50 | September 22, 1952 (1952-09-22) | September 14, 1953 (1953-09-14) | |
| 6 | 52 | 1953 (1953) | September 13, 1954 (1954-09-13) | |
| 7 | 52 | September 20, 1954 (1954-09-20) | 1955 (1955) | |
| 8 | 50 | 1955 (1955) | 1956 (1956) | |
| 9 | 47 | 1956 (1956) | 1957 (1957) | |
| 10 | 48 | September 9, 1957 (1957-09-09) | September 29, 1958 (1958-09-29) | |
For years, the second half of the original TV production of "Twelve Angry Men" was considered lost. However, in 2003, Joseph Consentino, a researcher-producer forThe History Channel, discovered a completekinescope of theStudio One production in the home of the late New York defense attorney (and later judge)Samuel Leibowitz. Consentino was researching a History Channel documentary about Leibowitz, and the discovery was announced by the Museum of Television & Radio (nowThe Paley Center for Media).[7]
ManyStudio One episodes are available for viewing at thePaley Center for Media in New York City and Los Angeles, and some are available throughAmazon Prime Video.
| Year | Result | Emmy Award Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Nominated | Best Kinescope Show | – |
| 1951 | Best Dramatic Show | – | |
| 1952 | Won | – | |
| 1953 | Nominated | – | |
| 1954 | – | ||
| 1955 | Best Individual Program of the Year | – | |
| Best Dramatic Show | – | ||
| Won | Best Written Dramatic Material | Reginald Rose(For "Twelve Angry Men") | |
| Best Direction | Franklin J. Schaffner(For "Twelve Angry Men") | ||
| Best Actor in a Single Performance | Robert Cummings(For "Twelve Angry Men") | ||
| 1956 | Nominated | Best Dramatic Series | – |
| Won | Best Camerawork – Live Show | T. Miller | |
| 1957 | Nominated | Best Single Performance by an Actress | Nancy Kelly(For "The Pilot") |
| Best Single Performance by an Actor | Sal Mineo(For "Dino") | ||
| 1958 | Best Teleplay Writing – One Hour or More | Arthur Hailey(For "No Deadly Medicine") | |
| Best Dramatic Anthology Series | – | ||
| Actress – Best Single Performance – Lead or Support | Piper Laurie(For "The Deaf Heart") | ||
| Actor – Best Single Performance – Lead or Support | Lee J. Cobb(For "No Deadly Medicine") |
In 2008,Koch Vision released theStudio One Anthology with 17 episodes. The episodes contain the original Westinghouse commercials. Bonus features include the "Studio One Seminar" from thePaley Center for Media; an interview with directorPaul Nickell, footage from theArchive of American Television and a featurette on the series.
The episode "Twelve Angry Men" is also included as a bonus on theCriterion CollectionDVD andBlu-ray releases of the 1957 film.
Amazon.com is also issuing several made-to-order DVDs of episodes not included in the Koch Vision Anthology.[citation needed]
The episode "Walk Down the Hill" was digitally preserved by theUCLA Film & Television Archive in collaboration with Paramount Pictures Archive from 16mm kinescope picture and track negative elements and a composite kinescope. Preservation funding was provided by the John H. Mitchell Television Preservation Endowment. The preserved episode screened at the 2024 UCLA Festival of Preservation.[8]
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