About this season
Actors Studio is an American TV show which aired for 65 episodes, from September 26, 1948 to October 26 on the fledgling ABC Television Network; then from November 1, 1949 to June 23, 1950 on CBS Television. It was hosted by Mark Connelly. The series showcased short pieces of adapted, classic and original drama, performed and produced live each week. Among some of the known authors were William Saroyan, James Thurber, Ring Lardner, Edgar Allan Poe, Irwin Shaw and Budd Schulberg. Featured actors included Martin Balsam, Richard Boone, Marlon Brando, Hume Cronyn, Julie Harris, Jean Muir and Jessica Tandy. Recurring performers included Jocelyn Brando, Tom Ewell, Steven Hill, Kim Hunter and Cloris Leachman. In February 1950, the series moved to Friday nights and was expanded to one hour, alternating every other week with broadcasts of Ford Theatre. In March, the name of the show was changed to The Play's the Thing. The series received a Peabody Award in 1948 for pioneering in the field of televised drama.
Episodes (35)
1. Portrait of a Madonna
Aired 26 September 1948 • 30 min
2. Night Club
Aired 3 October 1948 • 30 min
3. The Giant's Stair
Aired 10 October 1948 • 30 min
4. The Thousand Dollar Bill
Aired 17 October 1948 • 30 min
5. The Catbird Seat
Aired 24 October 1948 • 30 min
6. The Inexperienced Ghost
Aired 31 October 1948 • 30 min
7. Ropes
Aired 7 November 1948 • 30 min
8. Esther
Aired 14 November 1948 • 30 min
9. Good Bye, Miss Lizzie Borden
Aired 21 November 1948 • 30 min
10. Ten Percent
Aired 28 November 1948 • 30 min
11. The Night the Ghost Got In
Aired 5 December 1948 • 30 min
12. The Widow of Wasdale Head
Aired 12 December 1948 • 30 min
13. The Man Who Lost Christmas
Aired 19 December 1948 • 30 min
14. To the Lovely Margaret
Aired 26 December 1948 • 30 min
15. A Day in Town
Aired 2 January 1949 • 30 min
16. I'm No Hero
Aired 9 January 1949 • 30 min
17. The Little Wife
Aired 16 January 1949 • 30 min
18. The Lady on 142
Aired 23 January 1949 • 30 min
19. A Trip to Czardis
Aired 30 January 1949 • 30 min
20. Jim Pemberton and His Boy Trigger
Aired 6 February 1949 • 30 min
21. Zone of Quiet
Aired 13 February 1949 • 30 min
22. The Tell-Tale Heart
Aired 20 February 1949 • 30 min
23. Greasy Luck
Aired 27 February 1949 • 30 min
24. Joe McSween's Atomic Machine
Aired 6 March 1949 • 30 min
Joe McSween is a factory worker who builds a machine in his basement. The machine doesn't do anything—it just runs. Naturally, everyone thinks that it's an atomic machine, and the government gets involved.
25. Dead Man
Aired 13 March 1949 • 30 min
26. Concerning a Woman of Sin
Aired 24 March 1949 • 30 min
27. Three O'Clock
Aired 31 March 1949 • 30 min
28. A Reputation
Aired 7 April 1949 • 30 min
29. I Can't Breathe
Aired 14 April 1949 • 30 min
30. From Paradise to Butte
Aired 21 April 1949 • 30 min
31. Here Comes Spring
Aired 28 April 1949 • 30 min
32. Somebody Has to Be Nobody
Aired 5 May 1949 • 30 min
33. Salt of the Earth
Aired 12 May 1949 • 30 min
34. Spreading the News
Aired 19 May 1949 • 30 min
35. You're Breaking My Heart
Aired 26 May 1949 • 30 min