Four Star Playhouse

30min

Drama

Comedy

Four Star Playhouse is an American television anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956, sponsored in its first bi-weekly season by The Singer Company; Bristol-Myers became an alternate sponsor when it became a weekly series in the fall of 1953. The original premise was that Charles Boyer, Ida Lupino, David Niven, and Dick Powell would take turns starring in episodes. However, several other performers took the lead from time to time, including Ronald Colman and Joan Fontaine. Blake Edwards was among the writers and directors who contributed to the series. Edwards created the recurring character of illegal gambling house operator Willie Dante for Dick Powell to play on this series. The character was later revamped and spun off in his own series starring Howard Duff, then-husband of Lupino. The pilot for Meet McGraw, starring Frank Lovejoy, aired here, as did another episode in which Lovejoy recreated his role of Chicago newspaper reporter Randy Stone, from the radio drama Nightbeat.

Episodes

Cast

My Wife Geraldine

1. My Wife Geraldine

30min

25th Sep 1952

Man invents a wife, then accused of murdering her.

Dante's Inferno

2. Dante's Inferno

30min

2nd Oct 1952

Willie Dante owns a bar and gambling house called Dante's Inferno. One night, the wife of an acquaintance tells Willie that her husband has threatened her. Willie comforts her and sends her home, but she turns up dead the next day.

The Lost Silk Hat

3. The Lost Silk Hat

30min

23rd Oct 1952

Englishman must retrieve his hat after visiting his love.

Backstage

4. Backstage

30min

6th Nov 1952

An actor named Paul is out on an evening stroll when he sees a young woman attempting to jump off a bridge. After a struggle, he discovers her name is Amy and she is homeless. Paul believes $5 could mean the difference between decency & despair so he pays for Amy to stay in a hotel for the night, agreeing to meet her the next day. Amy is nowhere to be found when Paul returns. He worries and begins the search for this mysterious woman.

Welcome Home

5. Welcome Home

30min

20th Nov 1952

A notorious criminal returns to his home town after 15 years away, and a young man wants to join him in notoriety and, probably, death at the hands of police.

The Island

6. The Island

30min

4th Dec 1952

Rebellious physician on an island in the South Pacific.

The Officer and the Lady

7. The Officer and the Lady

30min

18th Dec 1952

A reformed pickpocket in Paris obtains the purse of an attractive woman. He reads a letter telling about her dying son, and he decides to grant the boy's wish to meet his father.

Knockout

8. Knockout

30min

1st Jan 1953

Middleweight boxer finds his big bout has been fixed.

Man on a Train

9. Man on a Train

30min

15th Jan 1953

William encounters an old acquaintance, John Dwerrihouse, on a train with 75,000 pounds. Only later did William learn that Dwerrihouse had disappeared four months earlier after embezzling 75,000 pounds from the train company.

Trail's End

10. Trail's End

30min

29th Jan 1953

A famous marshal of Dodge City sets out in search of the murderous Sonoma Kid and runs into a tragedy of the desert.

Sound Off, My Love

11. Sound Off, My Love

30min

12th Feb 1953

Woman buys hearing aid and hears husband plot her murder.

The Man in the Box

12. The Man in the Box

30min

26th Feb 1953

Boyer plays four roles in story of a director and his woes.

No Identity

13. No Identity

30min

12th Mar 1953

Young boy fights to win his foster mother's love.

The Man Who Walked Out On Himself

14. The Man Who Walked Out On Himself

30min

26th Mar 1953

After separating from his wife, a wealthy clubman is about to marry a much young woman -- whereupon his mirror image walks out on him in disgust.

The Last Voyage

15. The Last Voyage

30min

23rd Apr 1953

Sea captain discovers a time bomb is planted on his ship.

Night Ride

16. Night Ride

30min

7th May 1953

Five people, one a murderer, are trapped on subway.

The Ladies On His Mind

17. The Ladies On His Mind

30min

21st May 1953

A psychiatrist listens to his female patients go on about their troubles. As they talk, he imagines himself within each of their stories.

To Whom It May Concern

18. To Whom It May Concern

30min

4th Jun 1953

A bank employee mails a letter to his boss confessing to stealing $7000 and includes the stocks he bought with the money. As he puts a gun to his head, he sees in the paper that the stocks' worth have gone through the roof. Now he wants to live and goes on a frantic chase to get the letter back from the post office before it gets delivered.

Shadowed

19. Shadowed

30min

18th Jun 1953

Past haunts politician running for Senator.

First air date

25th Sep 1952

Last air date

26th Jul 1956

Status

Ended

Type

Scripted

Original language

en

Networks