Action in the Afternoon

Infobox Television
show_name = Action in the Afternoon


caption =
genre = Western, Drama
creator = Charles Vanda
writer = Leslie Urbach
William Cox
Dean Owens
John Fleming
Don Prindle
Clair Roskam
Richard Strome
director = Bill Bode
John Ullrich
starring = Jack Valentine
Barry Cassell
Jean Corbett
Harriss Forrest
Blake Ritter
Mary Elaine Watts
Sam Kressen
Chris Keegan
Creighton Stewart
Marvin Stephens
Norman Garfield
Walt Barnes
John Zacherle
narrated = Blake Ritter
opentheme = Billy the Kid (Ballet Suite)
country = United States
language = English
num_seasons = 1
executive_producer = Hubbell Robinson
Harry Omerle
producer = Don Lenox
location = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
cinematography = Dan Falzani
Ed Harper
camera = Multi-camera
runtime = 30 minutes
channel = CBS
picture_format = Black-and-white
audio_format = Monaural
first_aired = February 2 1953
last_aired = January 29 1954
imdb_id = 0277459

"Action in the Afternoon" is an American western television series that aired live on CBS from February 2 1953 to January 29 1954. The series originated from the studios and back lot of WCAU-TV, Channel 10 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was broadcast Monday through Friday regardless of the weather. The half-hour series aired variously at 3:30 pm or 4:00 pm, throughout its run.

Production

While ad-libbing his pitch for the series to the executives at CBS, Charles Vanda set the story in the fictional town of Huberle, Montana, a name derived from CBS executives Hubbell Robinson and Harry Omerle.cite web |url=http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/actionhistory.html |title="Action in the Afternoon" |accessdate=2008-08-10 |publisher=Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia |date=2005]

"Action in the Afternoon" is the only live outdoor western ever to appear on network television in the United States. Other live westerns existed, however "Action in the Afternoon" was the only one that did not include prerecorded film segments in the program.cite web |url=http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/bp3/aita.html |title=The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia |accessdate=2008-08-10 |publisher=Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia |date=2008] If things moved along too fast, or actors needed time to move between the indoor and outdoor sets, the time would be filled by Jack Valentine singing with The Tommy Ferguson Trio playing along.

Because the program was live and outdoors, music director Richard Lester made every effort to hide the sounds of the world beyond the back lot. The sounds of airplanes overhead and trucks backfiring as they drove past the studio were covered with appropriate music. However, during one particular broadcast a very loud unscripted sound was heard, and was soon discovered to be a horse biting one of the many microphones hidden around the outdoor set.

Only a few video episodes of "Action in the Afternoon" remain. They can be viewed at The Paley Center for Media in New York City.

Reception

Three weeks into the broadcast, "Time" wrote that the "dialogue limps even more obviously than the camera" and that the series is "an experiment that needs a lot more work." [cite web |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,936389,00.html |title=The New Shows |accessdate=2008-08-10 |work=Time |date=1953-02-23]

References

External Links

* [http://www.nbc10.com/videovault/4597713/detail.html 1953: "Action In the Afternoon" - Video Vault News Story - WCAU - Philadelphia] - Includes a streaming episode of "Action in the Afternoon".