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1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957
The show which developed was Robert Montgomery Presents, a live, dramatic anthology series which Montgomery not only produced, but also hosted and on occasion starred in. He also supervised the show, choosing the scripts and actors. Montgomery's history as a Hollywood star enabled him to enlist the talents of many of filmdom's top stars (James Cagney, Constance Bennett, Helen Hayes, etc.) as well as up and coming talents (James Dean, Peter Falk, etc.) Many actors made their TV debuts on the program, including Jane Wyatt, Zachary Scott and Montgomery's daughter, Elizabeth.
When the show debuted in January of 1950 it was aired on a semi-weekly basis, alternating with other shows (Musical Comedy Time, Somerset Maugham TV Theatre) until December of 1951 when it was changed to a weekly series. Originally the show was mainly comprised of adaptations of classic films (The Letter, Rebecca, Dark Victory, Kitty Foyle, The Big Sleep, etc.,) however, this was soon changed due to copyright laws which prevented the kinescoping of any production based on a film. (Kinescoping was a process necessary so that the program could be seen on non-interconnected affiliates.) They then turned to producing original teleplays and adaptations of stage plays, books and short stories.
In 1952, a summer stock format was adopted in which a stock group of actors played in every episode during the summer months; this enabled the show to run year-round. (See below for Summer Stock cast members.)
Although the show was generally referred to as Robert Montgomery Presents, the title was adapted to whoever the week's sponsor happened to be (i.e. Robert Montgomery Presents Your Lucky Strike Theater, ...the Johnson's Wax Program, ...the Richard Hudnut Summer Theater, etc.)
The show endured from 1950 through 1957 and earned an Emmy as Best Dramatic Program in 1952 as well as well as nominations in that category in 1951 and 1953. For the 1950-1951 season, Robert Montgomery Presents was ranked #11 with a Nielsen rating of 38.8; for the 1951-1952 season, it was ranked #26 with a rating of 34.4.
1952:
John Newland
Vaughn Taylor
Margaret Hayes
1953:
John Newland
Vaughn Taylor
Margaret Hayes
Elizabeth Montgomery
1954:
John Newland
Vaughn Taylor
Elizabeth Montgomery
Jan Miner
Anne Seymour
Cliff Robertson
1955:
Jan Miner
Charles Drake
Augusta Dabney
House Jameson
Dorothy Blackburn
Eric Sinclair
1956:
Elizabeth Montgomery
Jan Miner
Charles Drake
Mary K. Wells
John Gibson
Tom Middleton