Matinee Theatre

Infobox Television
show_name = Matinee Theatre


caption =
aka =
genre = Anthology
creator =
writer =
director = John Drew Barrymore
Alan Cooke
Walter Grauman
Arthur Hiller
Lamont Johnson
Sherman Marks
Lawrence Menkin
Albert McCleery
Boris Sagal
Pace Woods
creat_director =
developer =
presenter =
starring =
voices =
narrated =
theme_music_composer =
opentheme =
endtheme =
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country = USA
language = English
num_seasons = 3
num_episodes = 650
list_episodes =
executive_producer = George Lowther
producer = George Cahan
Albert McCleery
Frank Price
Darrell Ross
runtime = 60 mins.
channel = NBC
first_aired = October 31, 1955
last_aired = June 27, 1958

"Matinee Theatre" is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1955 to 1958. The series, which ran daily in the afternoon, was frequently live. It was produced by Albert McCleery, Darrell Ross, George Cahan and Frank Price with executive producer George Lowther. McCleery had previously produced the live series "Cameo Theatre" which introduced to television the concept of theater-in-the-round, TV plays staged with minimal sets.

Jim Buckley of the Pewter Plough Playhouse (Cambria, California) recalled:

When Al McCleery got back to the States, he originated a most ambitious theatrical TV series for NBC called "Matinee Theatre": to televise five different stage plays per week live, airing around noon in order to promote color TV (which had just been developed) to the American housewife as she labored over her ironing. Al was the producer. He hired five directors and five art directors. Richard Bennett, one of our first early presidents of the Pewter Plough Corporation, was one of the directors and I was one of the art directors and, as soon as we were through televising one play, we had lunch and then met to plan next week’s show. That was over 50 years ago, and I’m trying to think; I believe the TV art director is (or was) his own set decorator (selecting furnishings and hand props)—yes, of course! It had to be, since one of McCleery’s chief claims to favor with the producers was his elimination of the setting "per se" and simply decorating the scene with a minimum of props. It took a bit of ingenuity. [ [http://www.pewterploughplayhouse.org/02-2006newsletter.pdf Buckley, Jim. "Prelude to Playtime," "Pewter Plough Playhouse Newsletter", Vol. 2, No. 2, March/April 2006.] ]

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