#Screen Directors Playhouse

[peterlorrefanpage]

Peter Lorre in "No. 5 Checked Out" (TV)

Touch of slo-mo there because I love his eyes, damn.

"No. 5 Checked Out," Screen Directors Playhouse, January 18, 1956. Directed and written by Ida Lupino (with Willard Wiener).

"Peter Lorre is playing another in a very long list of crooks, but in this case he is unencumbered of having some boss over his head and having to behave like a toadying henchmen. Instead, he's the boss. . ." -Cinemagraphe

Peter in a rocking chair, spinning his little trinket, managing to look both holiday-sprawled and coiled-tension at the same time, is a glorious sight. He's rather lurid about it, in a shiveringly delicious way:

Please do run your eyes over me, Peter darling.

Another beautiful experience is Peter with a pile of food, his clever delivery, and _that_ voice:

"But I've got you everything your little heart can desire!"

By the way, that's William Talman (perhaps better known for Perry Mason) with Peter. Here's a candid dressing room shot. Smoking! Discussing the script (maybe)! And I particularly love how we get to see Peter's reflection:

Back to the show, it's definitely not just about two gents having fun & pumpernickel (now there's an alternative plotline). Check those eyes, that expression:

Per IMDB: "A young deaf woman resigned to a life alone opens her family's motel to a pair of men, not realizing they are desperate crooks who are using one of her remote cabins for a hideout." Directed by Ida Lupino. Watch it here:

And my earlier post about this episode.

[friendlessghoul]

"Take that, you cad--Buster, from the security of the bar pops pot shots at the bad man using champagne corks as live ammunition."

Screen Directors Playhouse - The Silent Partner (S1.E12) December 21, 1955

[kwebtv]

From the Golden Age of Television

Series Premiere

Meet the Governor - NBC - October 5, 1955

A presentation of "Screen Directors Playhouse" Season 1 Episode 1

Comedy / Drama

Running Time: 30 minutes

Directed by Leo McCarey

Stars:

Herb Shriner as Clem Waters

Barbara Hale as Jane Waters

Rita Lynn as Mrs. Lamkin

Bobby Clark as Sonny Waters

Paul Harvey as Gov. John Dirks

Arthur Q. Bryan as Mr. Hurley

Hayden Rorke as Lawyer

Claud Allister as Cyril - the Butler

William Forrest as Mr. Green

Oliver Cliff as Decorator

Bill Baldwin as Newsman

John Breen as Courtroom Spectator

James Flavin as Governor Dirks Aide

John Hamilton as Mr. Campo

[busterkeatonsociety]

This Day in Buster…December 21, 1955 “The Silent Partner" airs on Screen Directors Playhouse NBC. Buster Keaton accidentally becomes a film star -dashing to the rescue of Evelyn Ankers, who didn’t need saving - but it doesn’t last for him. However, he brings success to Joe E Brown who owes it all to his silent partner.

[ineskew]

do you have any recommendations for the radio adaptations of old movies? i love radio shows and plays and would love to hear if you do! ^_^

i also love radio plays so i was psyched to discover this! unfortunately classic film is a more recent interest of mine, so i only have a few specific recs: the thin man (film) (radio); its sequel, after the thin man (film) (radio); the lady eve (film) (radio); and the awful truth (film) (radio). i also recently saw a staged performance of it's a wonderful life: a live radio play, which may have been based on one of the three radio adaptations of the time, but i haven't listened to any of the originals yet so can't vouch for them

my very very preliminary research has pointed me to lux radio theatre and the screen guild theater, two long-running radio anthology series adapting popular films of the time. the former ran for two decades(!) and the latter for just over one; each has hundreds of episodes in the public domain freely available online! if you're looking for a radio version of a film from the 1930s-50s, it's worth checking out their archives:

here's a collection of 338 episodes of lux radio theatre on internet archive

here's a different collection of 276 episodes in the otr.network library

here's lux's episode list, which might make it easier to find things

here's a collection of 300 episodes of the screen guild theater on internet archive

here's a collection of 119 episodes of screen directors playhouse, which i just found on the page of the person who shared the other two

[ofmdrecaps]

10/18/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Con O'Neill; Vico Ortiz; Boris McGiver; Guz Khan; Gypsy Taylor; Selenis Leyva; Tim Heidecker; Cohen Holloway; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika

Hey crew. I spoke too soon on my dad, he's been sent back to the hospital so I'll be back to "who knows" when these will be posted-- which is basically as I have time. Sorry all. I would just expect them to be delayed a few days. Take care and stay safe out there, ya hear?

= Rhys Darby =

Rhys is back to his Murray duties and spreading the word for his son Finn's band-- Great Big Cow! Check them out Live at Heaven Can Wait NYC on December 16th!

Source: Rhys Instagram

= Taika Waititi =

Taika back at the TIFF!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TIFF (@tiff_net)

Source: Tiff Instagram

= Con O'Neill =

Con O’Neill’s film The Men will be one of the films screened at Alnwick Playhouse 25th October. 7.30. £6. Get your tickets here!

Source: KrisDeeds

= Vico Ortiz =

Vico was out with Jack at -- well Nights of The Jack! Two years in a row!

Source: Vico Ortiz and Rabbit Glitter Instagram

= Boris McGiver =

Father Bonnet's new show -- Teacup is getting rave reviews from Stephen King! New Episodes every Thursday on Peacock if you're into horror shows!

Source: Boris McGiver's Instagram Stories

= Guz Khan =

More shots from Man From Mobeen!

Source: Guz' Instagram

= Gypsy Taylor =

I couldn't find anything specific on "The Minkie Awards" but it looks like director Minkie Spiro gives out these fun awards to the talent that works with her! (If you happen to know more please let me know!) As you can see, Gypsy got one for being the Queen of brilliance she is!

Source: Gypsy Taylor's Instagram

= Selenis Leyva =

Hey! Do you remembe Selenis Leyva, aka Nana? She just got married!

= Tim Heidecker =

Hey! Fabulous news -- On Oct 18th, Tim Heidecker, aka Mary's beloved Doug, has a new album out called Slipping Away! He had some interesting things to say about it in Variety! It's up on Spotify if you wanna check it out!

= Cohen Holloway =

Cohen Holloway aka Pop Pop has more news! He's been nominated for the New Zealand TV Awards for Best Actor in Dark City - The Cleaner! Gratz sir!

Source: NZTV Awards

== Love Notes ==

I hope you all are being kind to yourselves lovelies. I know this life can be hard. I really do. You got this though ok? Good luck this week.

Source: Stay Close To Yourself Instagram

Source: Tania'sCreativeWander

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

Don't ask me the theme on this one, they just made me smile. Gifs courtesy of the wonderful @kiwistede and @noneviljen!

[citizenscreen]

Joe E Brown and Buster Keaton play catch during production of “The Silent Partner,” 1955 episode of “Screen Directors Playhouse.”

[rickchung]

Conclave (dir. Edward Berger) x VIFF 2024.

There's a operatic tension to the West German-born Austrian-Swiss director's religious Vatican thriller based on the novel of the same name by bestselling British author Robert Harris. Starring Ralph Fiennes as the cardinal tasked with overseeing the election of the Roman Catholic successor to the recently deceased Pope as he discovers a series of concerning secrets about many of the leading candidates as they vye for power. It's a tightly-wound melodrama about a detailed religious electoral process no one really knows about with strong allegories to the dysfunction of contemporary national elections. No one is guessing that ending either.

Screening at the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival as part of the Special Presentations series at the Vancouver Playhouse on Sept. 29 & Oct. 4.

[burtlancster]

yoooo screen directors playhouse did the killers with burt and shelley in 1949 only a couple months into their affair????? the plot is heavily truncated and their relationship is over-emphasized so it’s not really worth a listen but…

[peterlorrefanpage]

Peter Lorre in No. 5 Checked Out (Screen Director's Playhouse, 1957)

"Oh, no. Oh, that's too bad."

Clip:

Found this drawing of Peter Lorre along with the synopsis of the episode:

Here it is if you haven't seen it or want to see it again:

[friendlessghoul]

Screen Directors Playhouse - The Silent Partner (1955)

[kwebtv]

Rookie of the Year - NBC - December 7, 1955

A presentation of "Screen Directors Playhouse" Season 1 Episode 10

Drama

Running time: 30 minutes

Direted by John Ford

Stars:

John Wayne as Mike Cronin

Vera Miles as Ruth Dahlberg

Ward Bond as Buck Goodhue

Pat Wayne as Lyn Goodhue

James Gleason as Ed Shafer

Willis Bouchey as Cully

Harry Tyler as Mr. White

William Forrest as Walker

Robert Leyden as Willie

Tiger Fafara as Bobby

John Wayne made his first dramatic television appearance in this episode.

[meanstreetspodcasts]

BONUS - Night of the Living Halloween Hoopla!

Get ready for thrills, chills, and spills with trick-or-treat tales both scary and silly in the annual Down These Mean Streets Halloween special! Ray Milland reprises his big screen role as The Screen Director's Playhouse presents "The Uninvited" (originally aired on NBC on November 18, 1949). Then, two radio gumshoes face off against things that go bump in the night: The Saint in "The Ghosts Who Came to Dinner" (originally aired on NBC on April 8, 1951) and Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator in "Ghosts Don't Die in Bed" (originally aired on NBC on September 7, 1954). J. Carrol Naish stars in a heartwarming and hilarious Halloween episode of Life with Luigi (originally aired on CBS on October 30, 1951), and William Conrad leads an expedition in the Himalayas to capture "The Abominable Snowman" on Escape (originally aired on CBS on September 13, 1953). Ozzie and Harriet have a haunted house adventure (originally aired on NBC on October 31, 1948), and Bob Hope recreates his horror-comedy classic in "The Ghost Breakers" from Screen Director's Playhouse (originally aired on NBC on June 14, 1951). Finally, the syndicated anthology The Weird Circle presents one of the classic horror stories - Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein."

Check out this episode!

[jeanpatrice]

7 Weird and Surprising Facts About Maggie Smith

7 Weird and Surprising Facts About Maggie Smith

Discover some lesser-known and quirky facts about Dame Maggie Smith, from never watching Downton Abbey to battling cancer while filming Harry Potter. These fun and surprising tidbits give a glimpse into the life of one of the most iconic actresses in British cinema.

1-She’s never watched Downton Abbey: Despite being one of the most iconic characters on the show as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess, Maggie Smith has admitted that she’s never actually watched Downton Abbey because she felt it would be “too frustrating” to see herself on screen.

2-She performed on stage just days after major surgery: Maggie Smith showed immense dedication to her craft when, in 1988, she underwent surgery for a perforated appendix. Remarkably, she returned to the stage only 10 days later to perform in *Lettice and Lovage. That level of commitment is both weirdly intense and inspiring!

3-She has an impressive Harry Potter – Downton Abbey connection: Maggie Smith starred in both Harry Potter as Professor McGonagall and Downton Abbey, but she’s joked about how young fans who recognize her often confuse her two iconic roles, sometimes calling her “Professor Dowager!”

4-She battled cancer while filming Harry Potter: While filming *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Maggie Smith was undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Despite her illness and chemotherapy, she continued working on the films, showing her resilience and dedication.

5-She once accidentally insulted her co-star Laurence Olivier: Early in her career, while rehearsing with the legendary Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith inadvertently insulted him by remarking that the cast wasn’t getting enough direction. Olivier, who was also the director, took it personally. Fortunately, they reconciled, and Olivier later praised her talent.

6-She was rejected for her first audition: At the start of her career, Maggie Smith was rejected by the Oxford Playhouse for being “too thin” and “too short.” Despite this, she persisted, and eventually, her talent won out, leading to an illustrious career.

7-Her honorary Oscar came in a surprising category: In 1979, she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film California Suite. Ironically, she played a woman who was nominated for, but didn't win, an Oscar in the movie! It's a quirky example of life imitating art.

[lboogie1906]

Woodie King Jr. (July 27, 1937) is a director and producer of stage and screen, as well as the founding director of the New Federal Theatre in New York City.

He was born in Baldwin Springs, Alabama. He graduated high school in Detroit and worked at the Ford Motor Company there for three years. He worked for the City of Detroit as a draftsman. He earned an MFA at Brooklyn College.

He will join Mobilization for Youth, where he will spend the next five years working as the cultural director. He will find the New Federal Theatre and the National Black Touring Circuit in New York City, where he will be the producing director. He will produce shows both on and off-Broadway and will direct performances across the country in venues like the New York Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland Playhouse, Center Stage of Baltimore, and the Pittsburgh Public Theatre. His work will earn him numerous nominations and awards, including an NAACP Image Award for his direction of “Checkmates” and Audelco Awards for Best Director and Best Play for his production of “Robert Johnson: Trick The Devil.” He will receive an Obie Award for Sustained Achievement. He will have an honorary doctorate in humane letters conferred by Wayne State University and a doctorate of fine arts by the College of Wooster. In addition to his directing and producing of theater, he will find time to write extensively about it. He will contribute to numerous magazines, such as “Black World,” “Variety” and “The Tulane Drama Review,” and will write several books. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence