Present Laughter (Play of the Week)

"Present Laughter" is a 1967 British television version of the play of the same name by Noël Coward. It aired as a Play of the Week. Peter O'Toole starred. It was a co-production between Associated Television and O'Toole's own company, Keep Films. It aired in the United States in 1968. It was O'Toole's first appearance on television after becoming a movie star and marked his debut on American television in a television drama.

Production

Coward, who originated the stage lead role, advised O'Toole "Don't try and copy me. Be yourself." Honor Blackman was offered the role of the seductress but asked to play the wife. She had a high-profile at the time due to her success in Goldfinger.
The play was one of four two-hour specials Lew Grade of ATV sold to American television in October 1966 for £2.5 million along with episodes of The Prisoner and The Saint. It was shot in colour.

Reception

The Leicester Mercury said "there was not a dull moment".
The show was broadcast in the United States as part of a series of specials on ABC. The Los Angeles Times called it "great fun and it played beautifully on TV. O'Toole was a delight."