Somerset Maugham TV Theatre

American TV series or program

Somerset Maugham TV Theatre
Also known as	Teller of Tales
Written by	Russell Beggs W. Somerset Maugham Mathilde Ferro Theodore Ferro Agnes Nixon
Directed by	David Alexander Martin Ritt
Presented by	W. Somerset Maugham
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	47
Production
Producers	John Gibbs Ann Marlow Daniel Petrie
Production locations	New York City, U.S.
Running time	30 minutes (season 1-2) 60 minutes (season 3)
Original release
Network	CBS (season 1) NBC (season 2-3)
Release	October 18, 1950 (1950-10-18) – December 10, 1951 (1951-12-10)

Somerset Maugham TV Theatre (originally known as Teller of Tales for the first three episodes) is an American anthology drama program.^[1] The series aired on CBS October 18, 1950 – March 28, 1951, and on NBC April 2, 1951 – December 10, 1951.^[2]

Premise

The series made its debut on October 18, 1950 on CBS. The series was a half-hour (later 60 minute) drama whose episodes were based on the works and novels of the show's namesake William Somerset Maugham.^[1]

Maugham appeared for one minute at the beginning of each episode and for 30 seconds at the end. His segments were live on the first three episodes and were filmed thereafter,^[3] while the dramas themselves were presented live.^[1]

Season 2 Changes

Move to NBC

After the series finished its run on CBS after one season on March 28, 1951, the series was moved to NBC on April 2, 1951. The series would remain for the rest of its run. The series also moved from Wednesday nights to Monday nights^{[citation needed]} and expanded to 60 minutes, alternating weekly with Robert Montgomery Presents.^[1]

Season two finished its second season on September 3 after airing 16 episodes.^{[citation needed]}

Season 3

The series started its third season on September 17, 1951, continuing to air on Monday nights and for sixty minutes. This season would be the show's final season airing its last episode on December 10, 1951, after airing 7 episodes.

Production

The series was directed by directors Martin Ritt and David Alexander and produced by John Gibbs, Ann Marlow, and Daniel Petrie.

During its third season, the show alternated on Monday nights with the NBC anthology series Robert Montgomery Presents.

Tintair sponsored the program.^[4] The company ended its sponsorship effective December 10, 1951, because it felt that the show's alterate-week status diminished the impact of Tintair's advertising.^[5]

Broadcast history

Wednesdays 9–9:30 PM, October 18, 1950 – March 28, 1951, on CBS.
Mondays 9:30–10:30 PM, April 2, 1951 – June 25, 1951, on NBC.
Mondays 9:30–10 PM, July 9, 1951 – August 27, 1951, on NBC.
Mondays 9:30–10:30 PM, September 3, 1951 – December 10, 1951, on NBC.

Cast

Actors appearing in the series included:

Episodes

Season	Episodes	Season Premiere	Season Finale
1	24	October 18, 1950 (1950-10-18)	March 28, 1951 (1951-03-28)
2	16	April 2, 1951 (1951-04-02)	September 3, 1951 (1951-09-03)
3	7	September 17, 1951 (1951-09-17)	December 10, 1951 (1951-12-10)

Season 1

The Creative Impulse – October 18, 1950
McKintosh – October 25, 1950
Winter Cruise – November 1, 1950
Episode – November 15, 1950
"The Unconquered" – November 19, 1950, Rex Williams, Olive Deering^[9]
"Lord Mountdrago" – November 22, 1950, Arnold Moss^[10]
The String of Beads – November 29, 1950
Force of Circumstance – December 6, 1950
The Round Dozen – December 13, 1950
Footprints in the Jungle – December 20, 1950
Virtue – December 27, 1950
The Treasure – January 3, 1951
The Man from Glasgow – January 10, 1951
The Vessel of Wrath – January 17, 1951
Honolulu – January 24, 1951
Partners – January 31, 1951
The Romantic Young Lady – February 7, 1951
The Dream – February 14, 1951^[2]
The People You Meet – February 21, 1951
The Outstation – February 28, 1951
The Back of Beyond – March 7, 1951
Halfway to Broadway – March 14, 1951
The Luncheon – March 21, 1951
End of Flight – March 28, 1951

Season 2

Of Human Bondage – April 2, 1951
Theatre – April 16, 1951
The Moon and Sixpence – April 30, 1951^[2]
The Facts of Life – May 14, 1951
Cakes and Ale – May 28, 1951^[2]
The Narrow Corner – June 11, 1951
The Letter – June 25, 1951
The French Governor – July 9, 1951
The Promise – July 16, 1951
In Hiding – July 23, 1951
The Ardent Bigamist – July 30, 1951
Bewitched – August 6, 1951
The Great Man – August 13, 1951
The Yellow Streak – August 20, 1951
A Woman of Fifty – August 27, 1951
Appearances in Reality – September 3, 1951

^{[citation needed]}

Season 3

The Mother – September 17, 1951
Grace – October 1, 1951
Masquerade – October 15, 1951
The Fall of Edward Bernard – October 29, 1951
Before the Party – November 12, 1951
Home and Beauty – November 26, 1951
"Smith Serves" – December 10, 1951, starring Eddie Albert^[11]

Critical response

Reviewers for the trade publication Billboard had differing reactions to two episodes of the show.

The January 17, 1951, episode was described as "a superb job of emasculation" of the short story "Vessel of Wrath".^[12] The reviewer wrote that he had not seen "more lacklustre, dull, stodgy, boring, inane, stupid, empty, silly and nauseating dramatizations".^[12] He added that it was " a completely pointless production ... disgracefully dull in execution."^[12]

A review of the September 3, 1951, episode called it "one of the best full-hour programs to be seen hereabouts in a long time ... completely superior in script adaptation, acting and direction."^[7] The only flaw cited by the reviewer was "a top-heavy overdose of lengthy commercials" that were repetitive enough to irritate viewers.^[7]

Radio version

The Somerset Maugham Theater, a radio version of the program was broadcast on CBS from January 20, 1951, through July 14, 1951, sponsored by Tintair. It ran on NBC from October 27, 1951, through January 19, 1952, with By-Mart as the sponsor. Stars of episodes included Clark, Hume Cronyn, Alfred Drake, Nancy Kelly, Scott, and Tandy. The producers were John Gibbs and Ann Marlowe; the director was Mitchell Grayson.^[13]

A review of the January 27, 1951, episode in Billboard said that despite "a soap opera slant", The Somerset Maugham Theater was "far above the usual daytime drama, because its basic story ideas are much stronger".^[14] The review commended Tandy's acting and Grayson's directing and complimented the commercials.^[14]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 1269. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 772. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
^ Adams, Val (November 12, 1950). "A Minute-and-a-Half Work Week". The New York Times. p. 109. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
^ "Tintair Wants Better TV Time". Billboard. November 24, 1951. p. 87. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
^ "Tintair Drops 'Maugham' TV". Billboard. December 1, 1951. p. 5. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
^ Kellow, Brian (November 26, 2004). The Bennetts: An Acting Family. University Press of Kentucky. p. 479. ISBN 978-0-8131-7192-0. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Francis, Bob (September 15, 1951). "Somerset Maugham Theater". Billboard. p. 11. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c Calder, Robert (February 13, 2024). Somerset Maugham and the Cinema. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 200. ISBN 978-0-299-34620-1. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
^ "Television Highlights of the Week". The Boston Globe. November 19, 1950. p. 20-A. Retrieved May 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Television . . . . . . Highlights of the Week". Detroit Free Press. November 19, 1950. p. 22. Retrieved April 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Road bond appeal tonight, singing stars to be heard". The Birmingham News. December 10, 1951. p. 22. Retrieved April 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c Franken, Jerry (January 27, 1951). "Somerset Maugham Theater". Billboard. p. 9. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 623. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3.
^ ^a ^b Morse, Leon (February 10, 1951). "The Somerset Maugham Theater". Billboard. p. 8. Retrieved August 11, 2024.