Gruen Playhouse

Gruen Playhouse is an American dramatic anthology series that was known as Gruen Guild Playhouse when it debuted on ABC on September 27, 1951. "Guild" was dropped from the title when it was shown on the DuMont Television Network from January 17, 1952, until July 3, 1952.

Sponsored by the Gruen Watch Company, the series aired on ABC on Thursdays at 9:30pm ET, and on DuMont on Thursdays at 9pm ET. From January to March 1952, Gruen Playhouse alternated with Shadow of the Cloak on DuMont.

The 30-minute dramas featured actors such as Carolyn Jones (in her TV debut), Raymond Burr (in his TV debut), and Bonita Granville. An early episode was written by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.

Other actors who appeared on the series included Buddy Ebsen, Elisabeth Fraser, Bobby Jordan, and Patrick O'Neal.

Episodes

Status

Two DuMont episodes are held in the collection of the UCLA Film and Television Archive, along with a single ABC episode. Another episode, Joe Santa Claus, aired December 20, 1951, starring Maria Palmer, Ray Montgomery (actor), and Houseley Stevenson first appeared in a DVD release from Mill Creek Entertainment in 2010 called Holiday TV Classics. It is also available on the IMDb and Tubi sites for viewing.

Production

MCA was the program packager, and Gruen Playhouse was a product of Revue Productions. Leon Fromkess was the producer. Alex Gruenberg, Richard Irving, and Norman Lloyd were directors. When the program was on Dumont it originated on film from WABD-TV.

Critical response

A review of the episode "The Leather Coat" in the trade publication Variety called Burr's portrayal of the villain "a topnotch performance" and said that Stuart and bill Phipps delivered "sensitive portrayals" of a young couple under duress. The review also commended the direction, script, and production of the episode.

References

Bibliography

David Weinstein, The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004) ISBN 1-59213-245-6