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Adventure Theater

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This article is about the television show. For the children's theatre program, see Adventure Theatre.
Adventure Theater
Also known asCalling Scotland Yard
GenreDrama
Directed byPaul Dickson
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producersEdward J. Danziger
Harry Lee Danziger
Production companiesDanziger Productions, Ltd.
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseJune 16 (1956-06-16) –
September 1, 1956 (1956-09-01)

Adventure Theater is a dramatic anthology series that aired on NBC from June 16, 1956, through September 1, 1956.[1] The series was produced in England in 1953, but was never broadcast there as a series.[2] It was also known as Calling Scotland Yard.

Series structure

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Actor Paul Douglas was the program's host[1] and introduced each of the two-act plays that composed the series. Each introduction involved a memento or souvenir that he had brought back from England. The story about the object led into that week's episode.

Cast

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With the exception of Douglas, all of the featured cast members were British actors and included Hugh Latimer, Laurence Naismith, Anthony Nicholls, Derek Blomfield, Jack Watling, Maurice Denham, Robert Raglan, Hazel Court, Derek Bond and Kay Walsh.

Broadcast history

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Sponsored by the American Tobacco Company and Hudnut,[3] the series was broadcast in 1956 on Saturday evenings as a summer replacement for Your Hit Parade.[1] The series returned in 1957 with repeats of the original 13 episodes.[4]

Episodes

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Some of the episodes were re-titled for broadcast in the United States.

  1. "The Missing Passenger" (also known as "Ladies of Leisure")
  2. "Falstaff's Fur Coat"
  3. "The Thief of London"
  4. "Thirty Days to Die"
  5. "The Wedding Gift" (also known as "Present for a Bride")
  6. "The Final Twist"
  7. "The Javanese Dagger"
  8. "The Ripper Strikes"
  9. "The Wilful Widow"
  10. "The Stranger on the Sea"
  11. "The Corpse of Pleasant Avenue"
  12. "The Man Who Stayed Alive"
  13. "The Sable Scarf"

Film adaptations

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Tale of Three Women
Directed byPaul Dickson
Thelma Connell
Produced byEdward J. Danziger
Harry Lee Danziger
StarringGilbert Harding
Production
company
Release date
  • 1954 (1954)
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Two films were made from the series for release in UK theaters in 1954, each comprising three episodes from the series, linked by Gilbert Harding.

Gilbert Harding Speaking of Murder

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Featuring the episodes:

Tale of Three Women

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The Wedding Gift

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A man marries off his girlfriend to a wealthy diamond merchant then murders him.

Cast
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The Thief of London

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A professional pickpocket makes his gift pay.

Cast
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The Final Twist

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A jeweller robs himself and commits murder.

Cast
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References

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  1. ^ a b c McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 16. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007 (Volume 1). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3305-6.
  3. ^ "Network Adventure Shows". Billboard. August 18, 1956. p. 12. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  4. ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (9 ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. pp. 14–15. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  5. ^ "TV Key Previews". The Capital Times. Wisconsin, Madison. August 10, 1956. p. 21. Retrieved May 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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