The Velvet Alley

"The Velvet Alley" was an American television play broadcast on January 22, 1959 as part of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90. Rod Serling was the writer and Franklin Schaffner the director. The cast included Art Carney and Leslie Nielsen.

Plot

A freelance writer in New York sells a script to Playhouse 90 and moves to Los Angeles. He becomes a success financially but neglects his wife and ends up being divorced and losing the respect of his father.

Cast

The cast included the following:

Art Carney as Ernie Pandish
Leslie Nielsen as Eddie Kirkley
Katharine Bard as Pat Pandish
Jack Klugman as Max Salter
Bonita Granville as Mrs. Kirkley
George Voskovec as Steve Pandish
Alexander Scourby as Harvey Diedrich
David White as Freddie Henderson
Micky Braddock, aka Micky Dolenz, as Melvin
Eddie Ryder as Julius
Martha Wentworth as Mrs. Cowznoski
John Conwell as Kirkley's associate
Dianne Cannon as Gloria
Burt Reynolds as the Actor

Barry Sullivan hosted the broadcast.

Production

The program aired on January 22, 1959, on the CBS television series Playhouse 90. Rod Serling wrote the teleplay. Franklin Schaffner was the director and Herbert Brodkin the producer.

Reception

Jack Gould of The New York Times wrote that it lacked the searching insight of some of Serling's works, "but it was still a ninety-minute play of fairly consistent interest and the uncompromising final curtain carried its own power." Gould also praised Jack Klugman for an "exceptionally good" performance as the writer's agent.