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Lux Video Theatre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lux Video Theatre was a weekly television anthology series, produced from 1950 until 1959. The series presented both comedy and drama in original stories, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays.
The Lux Video Theatre was a spin-off from the successful Lux Radio Theater series broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934-1935) and CBS (1935-1955).
The Lux Video Theatre began as a live 30-minute Monday evening CBS series on October 2, 1950, switching to Thursday nights during August, 1951. In September 1953, the show relocated from New York to Hollywood. In August, 1954, it moved to NBC as an hour-long show on Thursday nights, telecast until September 12, 1957. With the introduction of the one-hour format and the move to Hollywood, abridged versions of popular films were often used as the basis for stories.
To introduce each act and interview the stars at the conclusion, NBC added a series of regular hosts: James Mason (1954-55), Otto Kruger (1955-56), Gordon MacRae (1956-57), Ken Carpenter (1955-57). New episodes were broadcast during the summer as the Summer Video Theatre.
Cast in the productions were such popular Hollywood actors as Mary Astor, Anne Bancroft, Joan Blondell, James Dean, Melvyn Douglas, Nelson Eddy, Janet Gaynor, Charlton Heston, Celeste Holm, Miriam Hopkins, Ruth Hussey, Boris Karloff, Grace Kelly, Veronica Lake, Angela Lansbury, Karen Steele, Jack Lemmon, Peter Lorre, Jeanette MacDonald, Fredric March, Walter Matthau, Maureen O'Sullivan, Vincent Price, Luise Rainer, Basil Rathbone, Ronald Reagan, Ann Sheridan, Sylvia Sidney, Franchot Tone, Esther Williams, Joanne Woodward and Teresa Wright.
In 1957-58, Lux shifted their sponsorship to a half-hour musical variety show, The Lux Show Starring Rosemary Clooney.
For the 1958-59 season, the one-hour anthology series was brought back with a new name, Lux Playhouse. The new series alternated weeks with the Schlitz Playhouse.