Classic TV Archive Armstrong Circle Theatre

Summary:

A shipment of firearms disappears from a freight train without the seal

on the car being tampered with. Railroad police get their first clue when

a gun with the right serial number turns up in a pawnshop. [RF]

(Ep 5.22 U.S. Steel Hour: The Hidden River 02Jul1958)

09Jul58 Armstrong Circle Theatre: rerun of: The Mummy Complex aired 08Jan58.

(Ep 5.23 U.S. Steel Hour: Flint and Fire 16Jul1958)

23Jul58 Armstrong Circle Theatre: rerun of: Thirty Days to Reconsider aired 05Mar58.

(Ep 5.24 U.S. Steel Hour: The Climate of Marriage 30Jul1958)

06Aug58 Armstrong Circle Theatre: (no details)

(Ep 5.25 U.S. Steel Hour: Old Marshals Never Die 13Aug1958)

20Aug58 Armstrong Circle Theatre: rerun of: Twelve Cases of Murder aired 25Jun58

(Ep 5.26 U.S. Steel Hour: Be My Guest 27Aug1958)

Armstrong Circle Theatre: 03Sep58 - no details

(Ep 6.1 U.S. Steel Hour: The Wound Within 10Sep1958)

Armstrong Circle Theatre: 17Sep58 - no details

(Ep 6.2 U.S. Steel Hour: Alexander Fleming 24Sep1958)

########## Armstrong Circle Theatre ##########

############# season 10 1958-59 ##############

##############################################

CBS Wednesdays 10:00-11:00pm (fortnightly)

(alternated with U.S. Steel Hour")

Ep 10.01 Armstrong Circle Theatre: CASE FOR ROOM 310

01Oct58 CBS Wed

written by Alvin Boretz

starring:

Robert Drivas

Douglas Edwards

(Ep 6.3 U.S. Steel Hour: Mid-Summer 08Oct1958)

Armstrong Circle Theatre: 15Oct58 - no details

(Ep 6.4 U.S. Steel Hour: Secret in the Family 22Oct1958)

Ep 10.02 Armstrong Circle Theatre: THE HOUSE OF FLYING OBJECTS

29Oct58 CBS Wed

starring
William Le Massena ....... James M. Herrmann
Joan Copeland ....... Mrs. Herrmann
Lynn Loring ....... Lucy Herrmann
David Kerman ....... Mr. Ligouri

Synopsis:
The House of Flying Objects is based on the strange happenings in

the house of James M. Herrmann of Seaford, L.I., where eight months ago

lamps, bottles and furniture apparently flew through the air with the greatest of

ease (TIME, March 17). The script leaves the solution to the mystery right

up in the air along with all the household effects. [RF]

(Ep 6.5 U.S. Steel Hour: Second Chance 05Nov1958)

Ep 10.03 Armstrong Circle Theatre: MONEY FOR SALE

12Nov58 CBS Wed
written by David Davidson
starring
Fred Scollay

(Ep 6.6 U.S. Steel Hour: This Day in Fear 19Nov1958)

Ep 10.04 Armstrong Circle Theatre: SSN - 571: THE NAUTILUS
26Nov1958 (rerun 19Aug59)
written by Jerome Coopersmith

Narrated by Douglas Edwards
starring
James Mitchell ....... Commander William Anderson
Peter Kelley ......... Adams
Frank Marth .......... "Doc" Lyon
Conrad Faukes ........ Lt. Lalor
Edward King .......... Chief Aberle
Jerry LaZarre ........ Chief Nicholas
Frank Schofield ...... Captain Kinsey
Charles Grodin ....... Phelps
Synopsis:
On Sept. 4, 1957, the atomic submarine Nautilus was forced to give up an

"unofficial" attempt to reach the North Pole. That attempt is dramatized, showing

the minor power failure which caused the submarine to turn back, and the lessons

learned in Arctic navigation which led to a later successful attempt by

the Nautilus at an Arctic crossing. [RF]
*Note: Narrator Douglas Edwards interviews Cdr. William Anderson,

who captained the Nautilus on both her unsuccessful and successful attempts. [RF]

*Note: Coopersmith spent 5 days on board the submarine as research for his script. [RF]

(Ep 6.7 U.S. Steel Hour: The Enemies 03Dec1958)

Ep 10.05 Armstrong Circle Theatre: THE INVISIBLE MARK

10Dec58 CBS Wed

written by Alvin Boretz

Synopsis:
Neither fact nor fiction, but a compromise of drama and documentary

about an incident (TIME, Dec. 9, 1957) at the Glenwood (Iowa) State

School for the mentally retarded. The drama turns around the

shocking discovery that an inmate is at least as bright and

emotionally steady as a TV producer. [RF]

(Ep 6.8 U.S. Steel Hour: One Red Rose for Christmas 17Dec1958)

Ep 10.06 Armstrong Circle Theatre: A PICTURE OF CHRISTMAS

24Dec58 CBS Wed
written by Irve Tunick

Narrated by Victor Jory
Synopsis:
An uninterrupted plum pudding, with Actor Victor Jory reciting

Dickens, Comedian Dick Van Dyke pantomiming tree decorators,

Newscaster Douglas Edwards reading the New York Sun's 1897

editorial, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus." [RF]

(Ep 6.9 U.S. Steel Hour: Goodbye...But It Doesn't Go Away 31Dec1958)

Ep 10.07 Armstrong Circle Theatre: AND BRING HOME A BABY

07Jan59 CBS Wed

written by Roger O. Hirson
starring
Telly Savalas
Philip Abbott

Synopsis:
Sent to Europe on assignment, a magazine editor gets a last-minute

order from his wife, bring home a baby.
*Note: A true story of a happy adventure in an international tangle of red tape.

*This was Telly Savalas' first TV appearance.

(Ep 6.10 U.S. Steel Hour: Dangerous Episode 14Jan1959)

Ep 10.08 Armstrong Circle Theatre: THE MAN WITH A THOUSAND NAMES

21Jan59 CBS Wed

written by Vance Bourjaily

starring

Joseph Campanella

Larry Gates
Milton Selzer

Synopsis:
A good forgery's beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, and the

villain of this slicked-up true story dazzles hundreds of

shopkeepers before the T-men catch up. [RF]

(Ep 6.11 U.S. Steel Hour: The Wall of Silence 28Jan1959)

Ep 10.09 Armstrong Circle Theatre: MIRACLE AT SPRINGHILL MINE

04Feb59 CBS Wed

written by Art Wallace
starring
Nancy Marchand
Michael Constantine
Frank Martin

Synopsis:
The dramatized recount of the events surrounding the Springhill, Nova Scotia,

mine disaster. The explosion occurred October 23, 1958 and the rescue operation

lasted two weeks. Gene Kirby a radio reporter, speaks at the end of the program. [RF]

Synopsis 2:
A re-creation of last year's mine disaster at Springhill, Nova Scotia,

in which, amazingly, twelve men were found alive a week after

the cave-in, seven more two days after that. [RF]

(Ep 6.12 U.S. Steel Hour: Family Happiness 11Feb1959)

Ep 10.10 Armstrong Circle Theatre: HOUSE OF CARDS

18Feb59

written by Alvin Boretz

starring

Telly Savalas

Simon Oakland
Kathleen Maguire
David White

Synopsis:
A composite history of the dedicated gambler, with guest psychiatrist to explain what it all means. [RF]

(Ep 6.13 U.S. Steel Hour: Trap for a Stranger 25Feb1959)

Ep 10.11 Armstrong Circle Theatre: CASE OF A WHITE COLLAR BANDIT

04Mar59 CBS Wed

written by Harold Gast

Synopsis:
The Better Business Bureau opens its files to a semi-documentary

suggesting that the buying public is one big sucker. [RF]

(Ep 6.14 U.S. Steel Hour: The Square Egghead 11Mar1959)

Armstrong Circle Theatre: 18Mar59 - no details

(Ep 6.15 U.S. Steel Hour: Night of Betrayal 25Mar1959)

Ep 10.12 Armstrong Circle Theatre: THE INNOCENT KILLER

01Apr159 CBS Wed

starring
Scott McKay

Synopsis:
A medical whodunit in which New York public-health sleuths track

an innocent dress buyer who carried in smallpox virus from Rio de Janeiro. [RF]

(Ep 6.16 U.S. Steel Hour: Trouble-in-Law 08Apr1959)

Ep 10.13 Armstrong Circle Theatre: TRAIL OF DIAMONDS

15Apr59 CBS Wed

written by Harold Gast
starring
Frederick O'Neal

Summary:

United States customs agents combat an international ring of

smugglers who have been illegally transporting diamonds from

France into the United States. Taking advantage of the stones'

small size and enormous value, the gang operates with businesslike

efficiency and regularity. [RF]

Lawrence Fleischman, supervising customs agent for the port of

New York is interviewed.

(Ep 6.17 U.S. Steel Hour: Little Tin God 22Apr1959)

Ep 10.14 Armstrong Circle Theatre: THE SOUND OF VIOLENCE: THE JUKEBOX RACKET

29Apr59 CBS Wed (rerun 08July59 & 17Jul63)

a Talent Associates production

executive producer, Robert Costello

director, William Corrigan

writer, Art Wallace

Host: Douglas Edwards

starring:

Virginia Gibson

Val Avery

Frank Sutton

Vincent Gardenia

Bert Freed

Telly Savalas

Jay Barney

John Shellie

Noah Keen

Alan Furlan

Sidney Lee

Summary:

"Representatives of a national crime organization move in on the

small-time independent jukebox operators of a city. Using violence

and threats of violence, they attempt to force the honest operators

into an association through which the syndicate can control and

profit from every jukebox in the town"--TV guide.

Following the program, Senator John L. McClellan, Chairman on the

Senate committee conducting the Labor Rackets Hearings, gives a short

speech on the subject of the jukebox rackets.

Commercials: Armstrong Cork Company with Ruth Jackson and Hugh James.

(Ep 6.18 U.S. Steel Hour: The Wayward Widow 06May1959)

Ep 10.15 Armstrong Circle Theatre: Unknown title (possibly Thunder Over Berlin)

13May59 CBS Wed

Synopsis:
February's truck-convoy incident that aggravated the current Berlin crisis. [RF]

(Ep 6.19 U.S. Steel Hour: Call It a Day 20May1959)

Ep 10.16 Armstrong Circle Theatre: PRESCRIPTION: HYPNOSIS
27May1959 (rerun 05Aug59)
Synopsis:
One of the few live dramas left on TV tackles a real-life problem: the use

and misuse of hypnosis in dentistry and medicine. [RF]

(Ep 6.20 U.S. Steel Hour: Whisper of Evil 03Jun1959)

Ep 10.17 Armstrong Circle Theatre: THE GOOFBALL KICK

(AKA The Monkey Ride)

10Jun59 CBS Wed

written by Wilson Lehr
starring
Susan Oliver
Conrad Janis
Val Avery

Synopsis:
A semi-documentary about dope addiction. [RF]

(Ep 6.21 U.S. Steel Hour: No Leave for the Captain 17Jun1959)

Ep 10.18 Armstrong Circle Theatre: THE ZONE OF SILENCE

24Jun59 CBS Wed

written by Roger O. Hirson

starring:

Patty Duke

Joey Trent

Synopsis:
The Bronx's St. Joseph's School for the Deaf focuses into a tense,

hour-long exploration of all the dimensions of a handicapped child's difficulties.
*From TIME magazine 12Oct59:

With consistent skill, none of the youngsters ever seemed to slip out of the

isolating "zone of silence," but none of them fitted the difficult script with more

professional precision than a blue-eyed, bang-trimmed ten-year-old named Patty Duke.

(Ep 6.22 U.S. Steel Hour: Apple of His Eye 01Jul1959)

Armstrong Circle Theatre: 08Jul59 - no details

(Ep 6.23 U.S. Steel Hour: The Pink Burro 15Jul1959)

Armstrong Circle Theatre: 22Jul59 - no details

(Ep 6.24 U.S. Steel Hour: Wish on the Moon 29Jul1959)

Armstrong Circle Theatre: 05Aug59 - no details

(Ep 6.25 U.S. Steel Hour: Seed of Guilt 12Aug1959)

Armstrong Circle Theatre: 19Aug59 - no details

(Ep 6.26 U.S. Steel Hour: A Taste of Champagne 26Aug1959)

Armstrong Circle Theatre: 02Sep59 - no details

########## Armstrong Circle Theatre ##########

############# season 11 1959-60 ##############

##############################################

CBS Wednesdays 10:00-11:00pm (fortnightly)

(alternated with U.S. Steel Hour")

(Ep 7.1 U.S. Steel Hour: The Case of Julia Walton 09Sep1959)

Armstrong Circle Theatre: 16Sep59 - pre-empted

Arthur Godfrey Variety Special airs in its place.

(Ep 7.2 U.S. Steel Hour: The Hours Before Dawn 23Sep1959)

Armstrong Circle Theatre: 30Sep59 - no details

(Ep 7.3 U.S. Steel Hour: Rachel's Summer 07Oct1959)

Ep 11.01 Armstrong Circle Theatre: THE JAILBREAK

14Oct59 CBS Wed

written by Irve Tunick
narrated by Douglas Edwards
guest appearance by Massachusetts Commissioner of Correction,

George McGrath

starring

Robert Duvall ....... Berks

Fred J. Scollay ....... Franklin

John McQuade ....... Deputy Sup't Scafati

Carl Low ....... Superintendent Gavin

Addison Powell ....... Deputy Sup't Wells
Summary:

A dramatic re-creation of last March's attempted prison break at

the Massachusetts State Prison at Walpole. Six desperate prisoners

seize a number of guards and other prisoners and threaten to make

human torches of them unless the prison gate is opened. [RF]
*Note this episode was highly acclaimed and won several awards.

(Ep 7.4 U.S. Steel Hour: The Human Comedy 21Oct1959)

Ep 11.02 Armstrong Circle Theatre: RUE DU MARCHE

28Oct59 CBS Wed

written by Harold Gast
starring
Telly Savalas

Synopsis:
A documentary drama, 35 Rue du Marche, recalls the devotion of

a Belgian priest, Nobel Prizewinning Dominique Georges Henri Pire, to

his self-imposed task: providing homes for European D.P.'s. [RF]

(Ep 7.5 U.S. Steel Hour: Big Doc's Girl 04Nov1959)

Armstrong Circle Theatre: no details

11Nov59

(Ep 7.6 U.S. Steel Hour: The Last Autumn 18Nov1959)

Ep 11.03 Armstrong Circle Theatre: SECURITY RISK

25Nov59 CBS Wed (rerun 31Aug60)

written by Jerome Coopersmith
starring
Larry Gates as Dr. Jan Larvik
Peter Brandon as Peter Larvik
Jane McArthur as Stella Larvik
Synopsis:
Professor Jan Larvik is asked to work on a top-secret defense project.

But first he must undergo a security check by the Army's counterintelligence

corps. He seems to have a clean record, but then both he and the Army

get letters accusing him of being a Communist. [RF]
*Note: Interview with Major General William W. Quinn, Army Chief of Information.

(Ep 7.7 U.S. Steel Hour: Marriage-Handle With Care 02Dec1959)

Ep 11.04 Armstrong Circle Theatre: OPERATION MOONSHINE

09Dec59 CBS Wed (rerun 17Aug60 & 19Jun63)

written by Art Wallace
starring
William Smithers

Synopsis:

A semi-documentary, Operation Moonshine takes

a hooch-raking look at still waters. [RF]

(Ep 7.8 U.S. Steel Hour: One Red Rose for Christmas

(restaged with same cast from 17Dec1958)16-Dec-1959)

Ep 11.05 Armstrong Circle Theatre: THE BOY ON PAGE ONE

23Dec59 CBS Wed

starring
Bibi Osterwald
Jay Barney
Nancy Wickwire

Synopsis:
The Boy on Page One deals with forgotten four-to ten-year-old orphans,

shows how agencies in Hamilton, Ontario, have found homes for them. [RF]

(Ep 7.9 U.S. Steel Hour: Act of Terror 30Dec1959)

Armstrong Circle Theatre: 06Jan60 - no details

(Ep 7.10 U.S. Steel Hour: Queen of the Orange Bowl 13Jan1960)

Ep 11.06 Armstrong Circle Theatre: FULL DISCLOSURE

20Jan60 CBS Wed

written by Harold Gast
starring
Laurence Hugo
Donald Briggs
Joseph Leon
Martin E. Brooks

Synopsis:
A primer for all potential stock speculators. Full Disclosure is a frank

and fact-filled tour of the "bucket shops" and "boiler rooms" where too

many market amateurs are separated from their cash. [RF]

(Ep 7.11 U.S. Steel Hour: You Can't Have Everything 27Jan1960)

Ep 11.07 Armstrong Circle Theatre: GHOST BOMBER: LADY BE GOOD

03Feb60 CBS Wed (rerun Sep28/60)
written by Roger O. Hirson
starring
George Segal

Synopsis:
Ghost Bomber: Lady Be Good recreates the life and death of the U.S.

B-24 bomber that disappeared over Italy during World War II and was

discovered in the Libyan desert 16 years later. [RF]

(Ep 7.12 U.S. Steel Hour: The American Cowboy 10Feb1960)

Ep 11.08 Armstrong Circle Theatre: IRON CITY JUSTICE (live)

17Feb60 CBS Wed

written by Bob Van Scoyk

Synopsis:
The city of Pittsburgh's unusual methods of dealing with juvenile offenders

are illustrated in tonight's drama. A teenager is picked up carrying a gun. Instead

of being treated as a criminal, the boy is brought to a juvenile court, where his

case is turned over to a probation officer for investigation. [RF]

Synopsis 2:
The story of a misguided 14-year-old in possession of a pistol gives Iron City

Justice a chance to tell a larger tale: Pittsburgh's successful approach

to the problem of juvenile delinquency. [RF]

(Ep 7.13 U.S. Steel Hour: The Women of Hadley Acts 24Feb1960)

Ep 11.09 Armstrong Circle Theatre: RAID IN BEATNIK VILLAGE

02Mar60 CBS Wed

written by Abram S. Ginnes
starring
Conrad Janis

(Ep 7.14 U.S. Steel Hour: Revolt in Hadley 09Mar1960)

Ep 11.10 Armstrong Circle Theatre: THE DESPERATE SEASON

16Mar60 CBS Wed

written by Alvin Boretz

Synopsis:
Through the troubles of a university professor, the problem of suicide

(20,000 case's yearly in the U.S.) is examined in The Desperate Season. [RF]

(Ep 7.15 U.S. Steel Hour: Charlie and the Kid 23Mar1960)

Ep 11.11 Armstrong Circle Theatre: TRIAL BY FURY

30Mar60 CBS Wed

written by Harold Gast

Narrated by Douglas Edwards
Synopsis:
Trial by Fury tells how Miami Herald Reporter James Buchanan turned

from newsman into news story; when the Castro regime jailed him,

charging him with aiding the escape of U.S. Flyer Austin Young. [RF]

(Ep 7.16 U.S. Steel Hour: How to Make a Killing 06Apr1960)

Ep 11.12 Armstrong Circle Theatre: THE NUMBERS RACKET

13Apr60 CBS Wed

written by Irve Tunick

Narrated by Douglas Edwards
Synopsis:
The story, based on police case histories, of a small-time racketeer who tries

to build nickels and dimes into big money in The Numbers Racket. [RF]

(Ep 7.17 U.S. Steel Hour: The Girl Who Knew Too Much 20Apr1960)

Ep 11.13 Armstrong Circle Theatre: DISHONOR SYSTEM

27Apr60 CBS Wed (rerun 14Sep60)
written by Jerome Coopersmith
starring
Frank Aletter

Synopsis:
A freelance writer turns stool pigeon and the D.A. moves in on the

"Carlton Literary Service." Fresh from the headlines, Dishonor System

deals with ghostwriting on a Midwest campus. [RF]

(Ep 7.18 U.S. Steel Hour: Girl in the Gold Bathtub 04May1960)

Ep 11.14 Armstrong Circle Theatre: SEPARATE PARENTS

11May60 CBS Wed

written by Alvin Boretz
starring
Nancy Wickwire

([--] U.S. Steel Hour: 18May60 CBS Wed)

Ep 11.15 Armstrong Circle Theatre: LEGAL AID

(aka Positive Identification)

25May60 CBS Wed

written by Bob Van Scoyk
starring
Robert Duvall

Synopsis:
Identification dramatizes the work of the Legal Aid Society

when it defends a man who is falsely accused. [RF]

(Ep 7.19 U.S. Steel Hour: Game Of Hearts 01Jun1960)

Ep 11.16 Armstrong Circle Theatre: ILLEGAL ENTRY (Live)

08Jun60 CBS Wed

written by Art Wallace
starring
Staats Cotsworth ..... Joe Veroni
Mildred Clinton ...... Maria Gozzi
Al Mancini ........... Antonio Scafolo
George L. Smith ...... Roy Winston
Fred J. Scollay ...... Immigrations officer
Synopsis:
Illegal entry highlights the work of the United States Immigration and Naturalization

Service in preventing the illegal entry of aliens. The Service gets word that a smuggling