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Robert Montgomery Presents
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Montgomery Presents was a dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950 until June 24, 1957.
The show was tied to several sponsors during its seven-year run and the correct title as presented each week related to the sponsor, most usually Lucky Strike cigarettes, for example Robert Montgomery Presents Your Lucky Strike Theater.
For the first two years it was shown every second week, and then became a weekly series for the duration if its run. Hosted and produced by the film actor Robert Montgomery, his presence lent a degree of respectability to the new medium of television and he was able to persuade many of his Hollywood associates to appear. Montgomery introduced each episode and also acted in many episodes.
The program was broadcast live, and was noted for the high level of production values and the consistent attempt to present quality entertainment within the constraints of a live presentation. A drama built around the Hindenburg disaster and including interviews with survivors of the actual event was one example of the ambitious nature of the program.
During its first year it presented adaptations of popular motion pictures including Rebecca, The Egg and I, Dark Victory and Montgomery's Ride the Pink Horse and such well known plays as W. Somerset Maugham's The Letter (which was presented in the first episode). Over the following seasons it presented adaptations of highly respected works but also began to showcase new writers and presented original dramas written expressly for the series.
From 1952 a repertory cast appeared on the show along with guest artists. Montgomery's daughter Elizabeth Montgomery made her acting debut as a repertory player in 1953, and remained with the show until 1956. Cliff Robertson also made his acting debut as part of the same group in 1964.
Among the notable guest stars to appear in the series were:
Luther Adler, Brian Aherne, Eddie Albert, Robert Alda, Mary Astor, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Jim Backus, Fay Bainter, Barbara Bel Geddes, Constance Bennett, Edna Best, Claire Bloom, Lee Bowman, Lloyd Bridges, Vanessa Brown, James Cagney, Madeleine Carroll, John Cassavetes, Claudette Colbert, Jackie Cooper, Robert Culp, Robert Cummings, James Dean, Gloria DeHaven, Joanne Dru, James Dunn, June Duprez, Tom Ewell, Peter Falk, Betty Field, Geraldine Fitzgerald, John Forsythe, Peggy Ann Garner, Dorothy Gish, Lillian Gish, Thomas Gomez, Farley Granger, Signe Hasso, Hurd Hatfield, June Havoc, Helen Hayes, Van Heflin, Wanda Hendrix, Charlton Heston, Kim Hunter, Diana Hyland, Louis Jordan, Boris Karloff, Grace Kelly, Phyllis Kirk, Elsa Lanchester, Angela Lansbury, Piper Laurie, Anna Lee, Jack Lemmon, Audra Lindley, June Lockhart, Paul Lukas, Diana Lynn, Jeffrey Lynn, Raymond Massey, Walter Matthau, Roddy McDowall, Darren McGavin, Dorothy McGuire, Burgess Meredith, Roger Moore, Chester Morris, Leslie Nielsen, David Niven, Margaret O'Brien, Una O'Connor, Gale Page, Geraldine Page, Vincent Price, Ella Raines, Lee Remick, Gena Rowlands, Ann Rutherford, Martha Scott, Zachary Scott, Alexis Smith, Kent Smith, Jean Stapleton, Inger Stevens, Franchot Tone, Jo Van Fleet, Estelle Winwood, Joanne Woodward, Teresa Wright, Jane Wyatt and Gig Young.
It won an Emmy Award for "Best Dramatic Program" in 1953, and was nominated for the same award in 1952 and 1954.