Hallmark Hall of Fame

This article is about the television program. For the radio program that once had the same name, seeHallmark Playhouse.

Hallmark Hall of Fame
Genre	Anthology
Written by	Robert Hartung Jean Holloway Helene Hanff Gian Carlo Menotti
Directed by	George Schaefer William Corrigan Albert McCleery Kirk Browning Fielder Cook Jeannot Szwarc John Erman
Composers	Gian Carlo Menotti Bernard Green Richard Addinsell Jerry Goldsmith Bruce Broughton Morton Stevens John Kander Ed Shearmur Marvin Hamlisch
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No.of seasons	69
No.of episodes	260(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	George Schaefer Brent Shields
Producers	Maurice Evans Samuel Chotzinoff Phil C. Samuel Robert Hartung
Cinematography	Freddie Young
Editors	Henry Batista Robert L. Swanson Sam Gold (editor) Richard K. Brockway
Running time	30–150 minutes
Production companies	Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions (1951–2016) Crown Media Productions (2016–present)
Original release
Network	NBC(1951–78) CBS(1979–81, 1982–89, 1995–2011) PBS(1981) ABC(1989–95, 2011–14) Hallmark Channel(2014–present)
Release	December 24, 1951(1951-12-24)– present

A production ofDial M for Murder,L–R:John Williams,Maurice Evans,andRosemary Harris(1958)

A production ofThe Tempest,L–R:Lee Remick,Maurice Evans,Roddy McDowallandWilliam Bassett(1960)

Hallmark Hall of Fame,originally calledHallmark Television Playhouse,is an anthology program on American television, sponsored byHallmark Cards,aKansas City–based greeting card company. It is the longest-running prime-time series in the history of television; it began airing in 1951 and aired on network television until 2014, with episodes largely limited to one film in a span of several monthssince the 1980s. Since 1954, all of its productions have been broadcast in color. It was one of the first video productions to telecast in color,a rarity in the 1950s. Manytelevision filmshave been shown on the program since its debut, though the program began with live telecasts of dramas and then changed to videotaped productions before finally changing to filmed ones.

The series has received eighty-oneEmmy Awards,dozensofChristopherandPeabody Awards,nineGolden Globes,andHumanitas Prizes.Once a common practice during the formative years of American television, it is one of the last remaining television programs where the title includes the name of itssponsor.Unlike other long-running TV series still on the air, it differs in that it broadcasts only occasionally and not on a weekly broadcast programming schedule.

TheHall of Famefilms are made with production values and a budget that is comparable to that of a feature film.

History

Early years

The series is the direct descendant of twoold-time radiodramatic anthologies sponsored previously by Hallmark:Radio Reader's Digest,adapting stories fromthe popular magazine(though the magazine never sponsored the show); and, its successor,Hallmark Playhouse,which premiered onCBSin 1948.The Hallmark Playhousechanged to more serious literature from all genres.

Hallmark Television Playhousedebuted on December 24, 1951, on the NBC television network, with the first opera written specifically for television,Amahl and the Night Visitorsfeaturing the ballet dancerNicholas Magallanes. Playhousewas hosted bySarah Churchilland was a weekly half-hour. In 1953, the series was renamedHallmark Hall of Fame.It was the first time a major corporation developed a television project specifically as a means of promoting its products to the viewing public. The program was such a success that it was restaged by Hallmark several times during a period of fifteen years.Amahlwas also staged by other NBC television anthologies. Under the supervision of creative executives at its advertising agency, Foote, Cone, and Belding in Chicago, Hallmark also transformed its radioHallmark Playhouseinto aHallmark Hall of Fameformat—this time, featuring stories of pioneers of all types in America—from 1953 through 1955.

Early productions included some of the classical works ofShakespeare:Hamlet,Richard II,The Taming of the Shrew,Macbeth,Twelfth Night,andThe Tempest.Biographical subjects were very eclectic, ranging fromFlorence NightingaletoFather FlanagantoJoan of Arc.Popular Broadway plays such asHarvey,Dial M for Murder,andKiss Me, Katewere made available to a mass audience, most of them with casts that had not appeared in the film versions released to theatres. In a few cases, the actors repeated their original Broadway roles. Actors such asRichard Burton,Alfred Lunt,Lynn Fontanne,Maurice Evans,Katharine Cornell,Julie Harris,Laurence OlivierandPeter Ustinovall made what were then extremely rare television appearances in these plays.

Two different productions ofHamlethave been broadcast on theHallmark Hall of Fame,one featuring Maurice Evans (1953) and the other a British one featuringRichard Chamberlain(1970).Neither version was more than two hours long. Evans and actressJudith Andersonrepeated their famous stage performances of 'Macbeth' on theHallmark Hall of Fameon two separate occasions, each time with a different supporting cast. Thefirst version in 1954was telecast live from NBC's Brooklyn color studio while thesecond in 1960was filmed on location inScotlandand released to movie theaters in Europe after its American telecast. The Richard Chamberlain version ofHamlet,which was also telecast in Britain onITV Sunday Night Theatre,won five Emmys when telecast on theHallmark Hall of Fame,out of a total of thirteen nominations.It may have set a record for the most-nominated Shakespeare production to ever be televised.

In 1955,Hallmark Hall of Fameswitched its format to a special series seen only four to eight times a year around greeting card holidays and in 90-minute or 120-minute length. Starting in 1970, the frequency dropped to two to three times a year. The source material were plays and novels from major authors and were produced with stage actors and actresses.

Hamlet,Macbethand the other Shakespeare plays presented onHallmark Hall of Famewere cut (sometimes drastically) to fit the time limits of a standard film or of theHallmark Hall of Fameitself, which during the 1950s, '60s and '70s never ran longer than two hours and frequently even less. It was left toNational Educational Television(NET) and its successor, thePublic Broadcasting Service(PBS) to be the pioneers in presenting nearly complete Shakespeare productions on American television.

As a result of Foote, Cone, and Belding Advertising executive and producer Duane C. Bogie's influence,Hallmark Hall of Famebegan to offer original material, such asAunt Mary(1979) andThursday's Child(1983), although its lineup still primarily consisted of expensive-lookingMasterpiece Theatre-style adaptations of American and European literary classics, such asJohn Steinbeck'sThe Winter of Our Discontent(1983),Robert Louis Stevenson'sThe Master of Ballantrae(1984), andCharles Dickens'sA Tale of Two Cities(1980),Oliver Twist(1982), andA Christmas Carol(1984).A Tale of Two Citieswas the firstHallmarkproduction (and to date, one of the very few) to run three hours. The late 1980s featured productions such asFoxfire(1987),My Name Is Bill W.(1989),Sarah, Plain and Tall(1991),O Pioneers!(1992),To Dance with the White Dog(1993),The Piano Lesson(1995), andWhat the Deaf Man Heard(1997). One installment,Promise(1986), featuringJames GarnerandJames Woods,won five Emmys, two Golden Globes, a Peabody award, a Humanitas Prize, and a Christopher Award.

Post-NBC

For nearly three decades the series was broadcast by NBC, but the network ended its association with the series in 1979 due to declining ratings. Since then, the series has been televised byCBSfrom 1979 to 1989 (except for briefly onPBSin 1981), then onABCfrom 1989to 1994.

Through the 1980s and 1990s,Hallmark Hall of Famemovies often had twice the budget of other network movies.Hallmarkmovies also ran (in some cases) approximately 10–15 minutes longer (or up to 110 minutes minus commercials) because Hallmark Cards fully sponsored the movies and had fewer commercial breaks. Unlike most network movies of the period,Hallmarkalways filmed on location,and usually filmed for 24 days, compared to 18–20 days for most other TV-movies.

Richard Welsh Company was retained in 1982 to work on developing HoF projects. Brad Moore was placed in charge of theHallmark Hall of Famein 1983.

In February 1992, Hallmark Cards had formed Signboard Hill Productions as sister production company leveraging HHOFP management and expertise to produce someHall of Famemovies.

CBS picked up the series again in 1994. It ran three movies a year over 16 years, until 2011, when it ended its association with the series. The final film wasBeyond the Blackboard,on April 24, 2011.

On November 27, 2011,Hallmark Hall of Famereturned to ABC withHave a Little Faith,which debuted to very low ratings for the night.The total number of viewers was estimated at 6.5 million, compared to 13.5 million for theHallmark Hall of Famepresentation ofNovember Christmason the weekend after Thanksgiving in 2010.Encore broadcasts of these ABC episodes aired onHallmark Channela week after their initial broadcast on ABC.The films were also available for streaming on the website Feeln a few days after airing.

In September 2014, it was announced that theHallmark Hall of Famewould air exclusively on the Hallmark Channel for the foreseeable future, ending the program's 63-year run on broadcast television. The first episode to debut on Hallmark Channel wasOne Christmas Eve,starringAnne Heche.On the cable channel, four original movies at most would air as a part of the Hall of Fame with multiple encores. The HHOF library would also be available.

In February 2016, Hallmark Cards, which had been directly involved in the production ofHall of Famefrom its inception, transferred management of the series division to a subsidiary,Crown Media Productions.Hallmark Cards continued to sponsor the program and oversees the creation of films.

Episodes

Main article:List of Hallmark Hall of Fame episodes

Only a small number ofHallmark Hall of Fameepisodes have been released on VHS and DVD. The 1960 production ofthe Tempestand the 1966 production ofLamp at Midnightwere released as VHS tapes by Films for the Humanities;they have not been released in DVD format.

The Hallmark Hall of Fame division does not own most of the films from the series from 1951 to the 1970s, as the rights to those films were retained by the producers and/or directors involved. Hallmark Channel has sought to reclaim rights to these films.

Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions

Hallmark Hall of Fame ProductionsLLC (HHOFP) is a TV film production company that produces films for the Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions and is owned by Crown Media Productions.

Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions' first credited film was an adaptation ofThe Tempestin 1960.Richard Welsh Company was retained in 1982 to work on developing HoF projects.Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions, Inc. was incorporated on September 27, 1994.In February 1992, Hallmark Cards had formed Signboard Hill Productions as sister production company leveraging HHOFP management and expertise.The Hallmark Hall of Fame division, including production, was transferred to affiliateCrown Media Productions.

See also

• List of Hallmark Channel Original Movies
• Walt Disney anthology television series
• World Masterpiece Theater

External links

• Official website
• Hallmark Hall of Fame Productionsat BFI
• at CVTA with list of episodes
• Zoot Radio, free old time radio show downloads ofHallmark Playhouse.
• Hallmark Hall of FameatIMDb
• Amahl and the Night Visitors- Premier episode of the Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) on archive.org