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 (30)
1. The Canterville Ghost
Aired 28 September 1949 • 30 min
2. Terror in the Streets
Aired 5 October 1949 • 30 min
3. It's a Free Country
Aired 12 October 1949 • 30 min
4. We'll Never Have a Nickel
Aired 19 October 1949 • 30 min
5. Clarissa
Aired 26 October 1949 • 30 min
6. The Return to Kansas City
Aired 1 November 1949 • 30 min
7. O'Halloran's Luck
Aired 8 November 1949 • 30 min
8. The Frame-Up
Aired 15 November 1949 • 30 min
9. The Three Strangers
Aired 22 November 1949 • 30 min
10. The Thousand Dollar Bill [restaged]
Aired 29 November 1949 • 30 min
11. The Man with the Heart in the Highlands
Aired 6 December 1949 • 30 min
12. The Midway
Aired 13 December 1949 • 30 min
13. A Child Is Born
Aired 20 December 1949 • 30 min
14. Counry Full of Sweden
Aired 27 December 1949 • 30 min
15. Hannah
Aired 3 January 1950 • 30 min
16. An Ingenue of the Sierras
Aired 10 January 1950 • 30 min
17. The Little Wife [restaged]
Aired 17 January 1950 • 30 min
18. The Timid Guy
Aired 24 January 1950 • 30 min
19. Joe McSween's Atomic Machine [restaged]
Aired 31 January 1950 • 30 min
20. Telas, the King
Aired 3 February 1950 • 30 min
21. Mr. Mummery's Suspicion
Aired 17 February 1950 • 30 min
22. The Apple Tree
Aired 3 March 1950 • 30 min
23. The Pink Hussar
Aired 17 March 1950 • 30 min
24. The Salt of the Earth
Aired 31 March 1950 • 30 min
25. Sanctuary in Paris
Aired 14 April 1950 • 30 min
26. Screwball
Aired 28 April 1950 • 30 min
27. Alison's House
Aired 12 May 1950 • 30 min
28. The Token
Aired 26 May 1950 • 30 min
29. The Swan
Aired 9 June 1950 • 30 min
30. The Good Companions
Aired 23 June 1950 • 30 min