The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre


The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre is an American anthology series that aired live on NBC Mondays at 8 pm EST from September 27, 1948 to June 26, 1950. The program presented both news headlines and live dramatic performances of either original plays or works adapted for television from the stage. Sometimes the show was referred to as Chevrolet on Broadway or The Broadway Playhouse; particularly when the program was presenting an adapted stage work from New York City's theatre scene.
The sponsor was Chevrolet, an automobile division of General Motors. Beginning with the January 4, 1949, episode, the Chevrolet Central Office of General Motors was the sponsor, replacing Chevrolet dealers' groups.

Production

Owen Davis Jr. was the program's first producer. When he died in a boating accident, Victor McLeod replaced him. Barry Bernard and Garry Simpson were the directors. The program originated from WNBT.
Effective January 24, 1949, the program was moved to the 8:30-9 p.m. Eastern Time slot on Mondays. That change allowed it to be shown live in the Midwest, via use of coaxial cable, rather than just in the East as had been the case in its previous time slot. The change meant that it was shown simultaneously on 12 NBC stations.

Critical reception

A review of the January 31, 1949, broadcast in the trade publication Variety called the episode "a neat comedy playlet" that featured "sharp lines snappily rendered by two vet thespers". It also complimented the way the one-act play was adapted for television.

Episode status

One episode from October 1949 is stored at the Library of Congress, along with three other episodes from that year, plus an episode from 1950. There are five kinescope recordings of 1948 programs also archived at Library of Congress, and an interview with one of the people involved in the production appears on the Archives of American Television Web Site. However, these aging 69+ year old kinescope film prints have yet to be transferred to modern media to ensure the survival of the episodes.

Episodes

Guest stars

Jonathan Harris's TV debut came on The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre in the 1949 episode "His Name Is Jason".
Other actors who appeared in the series included: