Screen Director's Playhouse

_____________________________________ This series of movies-turned-radio-drama originated as SCREEN DIRECTORS' ASSIGNMENT. It premiered on Sunday, January 9, 1949 over NBC stations. The first show was "Stagecoach" and featured the same star as the movie version, John Wayne. An unusual feature of this series was the show's introduction by the movie's director at the opening. After each show, the director and actors would close with a short discussion about the film. This format tightly linked the radio version to the film version. The series appeared on Sundays until the summer of 1949, when it switched to Fridays. It played Fridays through the end of September, 1949, switched briefly to Mondays in October, than went back to Fridays until the start of summer, 1950. The shows, up until this time, were 30 minutes long, except for "A "A Foreign Affair", on March 6, 1949, which ran 60 minutes. SCREEN DIRECTORS' PLAYHOUSE took a summer vaation, and returned, featuring 60 minute shows, on November 9, 1950. The 60 minute format remained until the series' end in May of 1951. Although short lived, the superior radio scripting and superstar billing made for some of the best radio drama of its day. 49/01/09 1 Stagecoach (John Wayne, Ward Bond, Clair Trevor) 49/01/16 2 Let's Live a Little (Richard Wallace, Robert Cummings) 49/01/19 3 The Exile (A dress rehearsal recording with no music.) 49/01/23 3 The Exile - (Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Carl Harbord, Paul McVey, Raymond Burr) 49/01/30 4 Mr and Mrs Smith [Guest director Alfred Hitchcock] (Robert Montgomery, Mary Jane Croft) 49/02/06 5 Hired Wife - (Rosalind Russell, Carlton Young, Ed Begley) 49/02/13 6 Magnificent Obsession - (Irene Dunn, Willard Watterman) 49/02/20 7 The Prisoner of Zenda - (Ronald Colman, Bonita Colman) 49/02/27 8 The Night Has a Thousand Eyes - (Edward G. Robinson, William Demerest) 49/03/06 9 A Foreign Affair - (Marlene Deitrick, Rosalind Russell) 49/03/13 10 You Were Meant for Me - (Dan Dailey, Betty Lynn) 49/03/20 11 The Perfect Marraige - (Lorretta Young, Dorothy Thompson, Barton Yarborough, Bob Bailey,) 49/03/27 12 Suddenly It's Spring - (Fred MacMurray, Virginia Gregg, Frank Lovejoy) 49/04/03 13 The Ghost Breakers - (Bob Hope, George Marshall) 49/04/10 14 Music for Millions - (Henry Coster, June Allyson) 49/04/17 15 The Best Years of Our Lives - [Guest screen director William Wyler] (Dana Andrews, Janet Waldo, Ted Von Eltz) 49/04/24 16 The Sky's the Limit - (Fred Astaire, Sharon Douglas) 49/05/01 17 The Trouble with Women - (Ray Milland, Mary Jane Croft, Frank Lovejoy) 49/05/08 18 It's a Wonderful Life - [Guest screen director Frank Capra] (James Stewart, Arthur Q. Bryan, Hans Conreid) 49/05/15 19 Hold Back the Dawn - (Charles Boyer, Vanessa Brown, Raymond Burr) 49/05/22 20 Her Husband's Affair - (Lucille Ball, Elliot Lewis, Hans Conreid) 49/05/29 21 Trade Winds - (Fredric March, Lurene Tuttle) 49/06/05 22 The Killers - (Burt Lancaster, Shelly Winters, William Conrad) 49/07/01 23 Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House - (Cary Grant, Frances Robinson) 49/07/08 24 The Big Clock - (Ray Milland, Maureen O'Sullivan, William Conrad) 49/07/15 25 Yellow Sky - (Gregory Peck) 49/07/22 26 Casbah - (Tony Martin) 49/07/29 27 Saigon - (Alan Ladd) 49/08/05 28 Fort Apache - [Guest screen director John Ford] (John Wayne, Ward Bond, Sharon Douglas) 49/08/12 29 Jezebel - (Gerald Mohr, Bette Davis, Paul Frees) 49/08/19 30 Love Crazy - (William Powell, Hans Conreid) 49/08/26 31 Appointment for Love - (Charles Boyer, Gale Storm) 49/09/02 32 Apartment for Peggy - (Jeanne Crain) 49/09/09 33 The Human Comedy - (Mickey Rooney, Francis X. Bushman, Barton Yarborough.) 49/09/16 34 Whispering Smith - (Alan Ladd, Jeff Chandler, Parley Baer, Herb Butterfield) 49/09/23 35 Don't Trust Your Husband - (Fred MacMurray) 49/09/30 36 Pride of the Yankees - (Gary Cooper, Lurene Tuttle, Frank Lovejoy) 49/10/03 37 The Senator Was Indiscrete - (William Powell, Peggy Dow, William Conrad) 49/10/10 38 Criss Cross - (Burt Lancaster, Betty Lou Gerson) 49/10/17 39 Pitfall - (Dick Powell, Jane Wyatt, Raymond Burr) 49/10/24 40 Love Letters - (Joseph Cotten, Barbara Eiler) 49/10/31 41 Remember the Night - (Barbara Stanwyck, Gerold Mohr) 49/11/11 42 Body and Soul - (John Garfield, William Conrad) 49/11/18 43 The Uninvited - (Ray Milland, Alma Laughton) 49/11/25 44 Spiral Staircase - (Dorothy McGuire, John Dehner) 49/12/02 45 All My Sons by Arthur Miller - (Edward G. Robinson, Jeff Chandler) 49/12/09 46 Call Northside 777 - [Guest Director Henry Hathaway] (James Stewart, William Conrad, Paul Frees) 49/12/16 47 The Affairs of Susan - (Joan Fontaine, Steve Dunne) 49/12/23 48 Miracle on 34th Street - (Edmund Gwenn, Paul Frees) 49/12/30 49 One Way Passage - (William Powell, Peggy Dow) 50/01/06 50 Magic Town - (James Stewart, Hans Conreid) 50/01/13 51 Tomorrow Is Forever - (Jeff Chandler, Claudette Colbert) 50/01/20 52 Mr Lucky - (Cary Grant, Ken Christy) 50/01/27 53 It Had to Be You - (Joan Fontaine, Gerald Mohr) 50/02/03 54 The Sea Wolf - (Edward G. Robinson, Paul Frees, Lurene Tuttle) 50/02/10 55 This Thing Called Love - (Rosalind Russell, Stephen Dunne) 50/02/17 56 It's in the Bag - (Fred Allen, Sheldon Leonard) 50/03/03 58 The Paleface - (Bob Hope, Jane Russell) 50/03/10 59 Portrait of Jenny - (Joseph Cotten) 50/03/17 60 Champion - (Kirk Douglas, Frank Lovejoy) 50/03/24 61 Chicago Deadline - (Alan Ladd, Raymond Burr) 50/03/31 62 The Dark Mirror - (Olivia de Havilland, David Ellis, John Dehner) 50/04/07 63 The Fighting O'Flynn - (Douglas Fairbanks jr, Paul Frees, Raymond Burr) 50/04/14 64 It Happens Every Spring - (Ray Milland, Frank Nelson) 50/04/21 65 A Kiss in the Dark - (Jane Wyman, Hans Conreid, Olan Soule') 50/04/28 66 Rope of Sand - (Burt Lancaster, Corrine Calvert, Donald Morrison) 50/05/05 67 When My Baby Smiles at Me - [Guest screen director Walter Lang] (Bette Grable, Herb Vigran, Barton Yarborough) 50/05/12 68 Butch Minds the Baby - (Brodereck Crawford, Ed Max) 50/05/19 69 Miss Grant Takes Richmond - (Lucille Ball, Frank Nelson) 50/05/26 70 Flamingo Road - (Joan Crawford, David Bryant) 50/06/02 71 She Wouldn't Say Yes - (Rosalind Russell, Frank Nelson) 50/06/09 72 Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House - (Cary Grant, Betsy Drake) 50/06/23 74 The Strange Love of Martha Ivers - (Barbara Stanwyck) 50/11/09 76 Shadow of a Doubt - (Cary Grant, Betsy Drake) 50/11/16 77 Lifeboat {by John Steinbeck} - [Guest screen director Alfred Hitchcock] (TalLulah Bankhead, Jeff Chandler, Sheldon Leonard) 50/11/23 78 Cluny Brown - [Guest screen director Billy Wilder] (Dorothy McGuire, Charles Boyer) 50/11/30 79 Mrs Mike - (Joseph Cotten, Evelyn Keyes) 50/12/07 80 My Favorite Wife - (Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Frank Nelson) 50/12/14 81 The Lady Gambles - (Barbara Stanwyck, Stephan McNally, William Conrad) 50/12/21 82 Miracle on 34th Street - (Edmund Gwenn, Lurene Tuttle) 50/12/28 83 Alias Nick Beal - (Ray Milland, Jan Sterling, Raymond Burr) 51/01/04 84 Prince of Foxes - (Douglas Fairbanks jr, Joyce McKenzie, Raymond Burr) 51/01/11 85 Ivy - (Joan Fontaine, Charles Drake) 51/01/18 86 The Big Lift - (Edmond O'Brien, Paul Douglas, Lurene Tuttle) 51/01/25 87 Spellbound - [Guest screen director: Alfred Hitchcock] (Joseph Cotten, Mercedes McCambridge) 51/02/01 88 Take a Letter, Darling - (Rosalind Russell, Fred MacMurray) 51/02/08 89 Lucky Jordan - (Alan Ladd, Sheldon Leonard) 51/02/15 90 Dark Victory - (Tallulah Bankhead, David Brian) 51/02/22 91 No Minor Vices - [Author, guest screen director Billy Wilder] (Louis Jourdan, Dana Andrews) 51/03/01 92 A Foreign Affair - [Author, guest screen director Billy Wilder] (Marlene Dietrich, Lucille Ball, John Lund) 51/03/08 93 Bachelor Mother - (Lucille Ball, Robert Cummings) 51/03/15 94 Thelma Jordan - (Barbara Stanwyck, William Corey, William Conrad) 51/03/22 95 The Great Lover - [Guest screen director George Marshall] (Bob Hope, Rhonda Fleming, Jim Backus) 51/03/29 96 Next Time We Love - (James Stewart, Eleanor Parker) 51/04/05 97 The Damned Don't Cry - (Joan Crawford, Frank Lovejoy, Paul Frees) 51/04/12 98 Hired Wife - (Rosalind Russell, Jeff Chandler) 51/04/19 99 Humoresque - (Tallulah Bankhead, Steve Cockran) 51/04/26 100 Jackpot - (James Stewart, Dawn Bender) 51/05/03 101 Captain from Castile - (Douglas Fairbanks jr, Paula Morgan) 51/05/10 102 No Time for Love - (Claudette Colbert) 51/05/17 103 Rogue's Regiment - (Dick Powell) 51/05/24 104 Back Street by Fannie Hurst - (Charles Boyer, Mercedes McCambridge) 51/05/31 105 Beyond Glory - (Alan Ladd) 51/06/07 106 The Gunfighter - (Gregory Peck) 51/06/14 107 The GhostBreakers - (Bob Hope) 51/06/21 108 DOA - (Edmond O'Brien) 51/06/28 109 The Lady Takes a Chance - (John Lund, Joan Caufield) 51/07/05 110 Only Yesterday - (Jeff Chandler, Mercedes McCambridge) 51/07/12 111 The Fugitive - (Henry Fonda) 51/07/19 112 Remember the Night - (William Holden) 51/07/26 113 Stairway to Heaven - (Robert Cummings, Julia Adams) 51/08/02 114 Caged - (Eleanor Parker) 51/08/09 115 Wuthering Heights - (James Mason, Dorothy McGuire) 51/08/16 116 The Ghost and Mrs Muir - (Charles Boyer, Jane Wyatt) 51/08/23 117 The Velvet Touch - (Rosalind Russell) 51/08/30 118 Mother Was a Freshman - (Loretta Young) 51/09/07 119 Broken Arrow - (James Stewart, Jeff Chandler) 51/09/14 120 Raffles - (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.) 51/09/21 121 No Man Of Her Own - (Barbara Stanwyck) 51/09/28 122 Waterloo Bridge - (Norma Shearer Final Broadcast) _____________________________________