Decision(TV series)
| Decision | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Anthology series |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No.of seasons | 1 |
| No.of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | July 6– September 28, 1958 |
Decisionis an Americananthologytelevision series that aired onNBCin 1958 as a summer replacement forThe Loretta Young Show.[1][2][3]
Content and production
[edit]Six episodes ofDecisionwere repeats of episodes previously aired on other anthology series.[2][4]The other seven episodes were unsold television pilots.[2][3][4]Episodes starredWilliam Bendix,Dennis Hopper,Richard Kiley,June Lockhart,Darren McGavin,Ray Milland,Barbara Stanwyck,Rod Steiger,andJames Whitmore,among many others.[3]Directors includedLamont Johnson,Lewis Allen,David Lowell Rich,andFred Zinneman.The fifth episode, "Sudden Silence," was produced byScreen Gems.[3]
Decision′s premiere episode was the pilot for a television adaptation of theOwen WisternovelThe Virginian,starringJames Drury.Although the pilot broadcast onDecisionin 1958 went unsold, Drury later starred in a different, and very successful television adaptation of Wister's novel, also titledThe Virginian,which aired from 1962 to 1971.[2][3][5]
Broadcast history
[edit]Decisionwas broadcast from 10:00 to 10:30 p.m.Eastern Timeon Sundays.[2][3][4]It premiered on July 6, 1958, and ran for 13 weeks.[1][2][3]Its last broadcast was on September 28, 1958.[1][2][3]
Episodes
[edit]| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Virginian" | Lamont Johnson | Leslie Stevens | July 6, 1958 | |
|
Judge Henry asks a man known as "the Virginian" to investigate mysterious setbacks in his efforts to bring a railroad spur to hisranch.Only the ranch's cook, Dora, is helpful to the Virginian, whose investigation brings the judge's disgruntled son, theranch foreman,and some of the ranch hands under suspicion. StarringJames Drury,Andrew Duggan,Stephen Joyce,Robert Burton,Jeanette Nolan,Robert Gist,andDan Blocker.An unsold pilot for a television adaptation ofOwen Wister′s novelThe Virginian;a different adaptation, also starring Drury, later led to the successful seriesThe Virginianof 1962–1971. | |||||
| 2 | "Fifty Beautiful Girls" | Unknown | Unknown | July 13, 1958 | |
|
After aserial killerbegins murderingtaxi dancers,an attractive dancer who worries that she may be the next victim continues to dance in an effort to catch the murderer. StarringBarbara Bel Geddes,Edward Andrews,andRoyal Dano.This episode previously aired as an episode ofSchlitz Playhouse of Starson June 21, 1957. | |||||
| 3 | "The Danger Game" | Unknown | Unknown | July 20, 1958 | |
|
A spy tries to uncover an assassination plot. An unsold pilot from theWilliam Morris AgencystarringRay Danton. | |||||
| 4 | "The Tall Man" | Thomas Carr | Aaron Spelling | July 27, 1958 | |
|
WhenColonelT. J. Allen investigates the mysterious death of a child, a man becomes a suspect in the death. An unsold pilot starringMichael Rennie,William Phipps,Henry Brandon,Harry Dean Stanton,Baynes Barron,Jean Willes,Ellen Corby,John Cliff,I. Stanford Jolley,Jack Reitzen,Earle Hodgins,Annette Warren,Hank Mann,Kansas Moehring,andTex Palmer. | |||||
| 5 | "Sudden Silence" | Lewis Allen | Larry Marcus | August 3, 1958 | |
|
On the 19th-centuryAmerican frontier,theEastern-born wife of aUnited States marshalcares for her ill son while her husband hunts a vengeful outlaw. StarringBarbara Stanwyck,Jimmy Baird,Jeff Morrow,Trevor Bardette,Jim Hayward,Ralph Dumke,Charlotte Knight,Robert Easton,andMalcolm Atterbury.This episode previously aired as an episode ofThe Ford Television Theatreon October 10, 1956. | |||||
| 6 | "Indemnity" | Unknown | Milton Gelman&Stedman Coles | August 10, 1958 | |
|
While one of its three guards is eating lunch at a roadsidediner,anarmored truckcontaining aUS$250,000payrolldisappears along with its other two guards, andinsurance fraudexpert Paul Scott sets out to recover the missing money. An unsold pilot starringRichard Kiley,Chuck Webster,George Chandler,Ruth Lee,Michael Healy,Jan Saint,John Kellins,andSkip Fletcher. | |||||
| 7 | "Stand and Deliver" | Unknown | Unknown | August 17, 1958 | |
|
Ahighwaymanwho also is a gallant champion of righteousness saves a boy from beinghanged.An unsold pilot starringLouis Hayward. | |||||
| 8 | "Night of the Stranger" | Lewis Allen | Story byWilliam Heuman Teleplay byLawrence B. Marcus | August 24, 1958 | |
|
Threatened by a homicidal mental patient, apsychiatristseeks safety in the home of a stranger. StarringGeorge Sanders,Valentina Cortesa,andMike Lane.This episode previously aired as an episode ofSchlitz Playhouse of Starson March 7, 1958. | |||||
| 9 | "Fear Has Many Faces" | Oscar Rudolph | Story byJoseph RuscollandJanet Ruscoll Teleplay byRussell S. Hughes | August 31, 1958 | |
|
After being forced to shoot another soldier who tried to flee to the rear during theKorean War,asergeantfinds it impossible to forget the experience even after he returns to civilian life. StarringJames Whitmore,June Lockhart,andDon Haggerty.This episode previously aired as an episode ofThe Ford Television Theatreon January 2, 1957. | |||||
| 10 | "High Air" | Allan Dwan | A. I. Bezzerides | September 7, 1958 | |
|
A veteran "sandhog"tries to keep his son from working with him in a tunnel under theHudson River.Based on a story byBorden Chaseand starringWilliam Bendix,Dennis Hopper,andJohn Alderson.This episode previously aired as an episode ofScreen Directors Playhouseon September 12, 1956. | |||||
| 11 | "Markheim" | Fred Zinneman | John McGreevey&Paul Osborn | September 14, 1958 | |
|
While attempting to rob the corpse of a man he has killed on Christmas Day, a degraded and prideless man meets a mysterious stranger who offers a tempting proposition. Based on a story byRobert Louis Stevensonand starringRay Milland,Rod Steiger,Jay Novello,Rex Evans,andMarilee Phelps.This episode previously aired as an episode ofScreen Directors Playhouseon April 11, 1956. | |||||
| 12 | "Man Against Crime" | Richard Bare | Unknown | September 21, 1958 | |
|
After a gang war breaks out, lawyer Dan Garrett defends a youth accused of killing a young punk. This was an unsold pilot for a new series starringDarren McGavinthat would have been a remake of an earlier series,Man Against Crime,that starredRalph Bellamyand aired from 1949 to 1954. In addition to McGavin, the pilot starredDavid Opatoshu,Stanley Peck,Joe Sullivan,andTerry Greene. | |||||
| 13 | "Man on a Raft" | Unknown | Steve Fisher | September 28, 1958 | |
|
Ann Conway hires private detective Michael Shayne to investigate the details of her playboy husband's death on a boat at sea because a large inheritance depends on the exact date of his demise. An unsold pilot based on a story byBrett HallidaystarringMark Stevens,Diane Brewster,Robert Brubaker,Merry Anders,Steven Mitchell,William Kendis,Mary Adams,Gage Clarke,Bob Stevenson,andSherwood Price. | |||||
References
[edit]- ^abcMcNeil, Alex (1996).Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present(4th ed.). New York City: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 209.ISBN0-14-02-4916-8.
- ^abcdefgh"UNSOLD PILOTS ON TELEVISION, 1956-1966".tvobscurities.Television Obscurities. 15 August 2019.Retrieved3 June2024.
- ^abcdefghi"Decision".ctva.CTVA – The Classic TV Archive.Retrieved4 June2024.
- ^abcBrooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999).The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present(7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 247.ISBN0-345-42923-0.
- ^abGreen, Paul (2006).A history of television's The Virginian, 1962–1971.Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. p. 15.ISBN978-0786446803.
- ^Robert Jay (30 May 2009)."Status of Decision".tvobscurities.Television Obscurities.Retrieved4 June2024.