All MoviesTV ShowsPeopleDiscover

Browse By Genre

ActionAdventureAnimationComedyCrimeDocumentaryDramaFamilyFantasyHistoryHorrorMusicMysteryRomanceScience FictionTV MovieThrillerWarWestern
NextFlixCinematic Explorer

Matinee Theater(1955)

Drama
Matinee Theater poster

Trailer unavailable or blocked in your region for this title.

First Air Date: 1955-10-31
Average Runtime: 1h 0m
Rating: 5.3
Votes: 7
Seasons: 3
Episodes: 574

Matinee Theater is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1955 to 1958. The series, which ran daily in the afternoon, was frequently live. It was produced by Albert McCleery, Darrell Ross, George Cahan and Frank Price with executive producer George Lowther. McCleery had previously produced the live series Cameo Theatre which introduced to television the concept of theater-in-the-round, TV plays staged with minimal sets. Jim Buckley of the Pewter Plough Playhouse recalled: When Al McCleery got back to the States, he originated a most ambitious theatrical TV series for NBC called Matinee Theater: to televise five different stage plays per week live, airing around noon in order to promote color TV to the American housewife as she labored over her ironing. Al was the producer. He hired five directors and five art directors. Richard Bennett, one of our first early presidents of the Pewter Plough Corporation, was one of the directors and I was one of the art directors and, as soon as we were through televising one play, we had lunch and then met to plan next week’s show. That was over 50 years ago, and I’m trying to think; I believe the TV art director is his own set decorator —yes, of course! It had to be, since one of McCleery’s chief claims to favor with the producers was his elimination of the setting per se and simply decorating the scene with a minimum of props. It took a bit of ingenuity.

Keywords

anthology

Seasons & Episodes

Season 1

Episodes: 199
E01
Beginning Now

Air Date: 1955-10-31

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E02
Make Believe Mother

Air Date: 1955-11-01

1h 0m

A man who left his wife and infant son turns up years later. He drops in for a visit at the home of his now-married ...

E03
The Persistent Image

Air Date: 1955-11-02

1h 0m

A once successful writer, who now verges on the alcoholic, makes one last attempt to sell his latest work. When this...

E04
I'm Straight with the World

Air Date: 1955-11-03

1h 0m

This is the tragic love story of a man and woman who fall in love as youngsters, but each married another.

E05
Progress and Minnie Sweeney

Air Date: 1955-11-04

1h 0m

A young intern tries to convince his fiance she shouldn't have the responsibility of supporting her divorced sister a...

E06
The House on Wildwood Lane

Air Date: 1955-11-07

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E07
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Air Date: 1955-11-08

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E08
One for the Road

Air Date: 1955-11-09

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E09
An Apple for Miss Myrtle

Air Date: 1955-11-10

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E10
The Man Without a Country

Air Date: 1955-11-11

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E11
Jigsaw

Air Date: 1955-11-14

1h 0m

An elderly father is being pressured by his family to sell his orange groves to a real estate developer. He resists b...

E12
She's the One with the Funny Face

Air Date: 1955-11-15

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E13
All the Hoffmeyers in the World

Air Date: 1955-11-16

1h 0m

During all the years of their married life, Helen has been bullied by her husband Phil--about the neglected house, he...

E14
The Aspern Papers

Air Date: 1955-11-17

1h 0m

In a Korean battle five Americans become detached from their company. They take over a hut in which they find and cap...

E15
Roman Fever

Air Date: 1955-11-18

1h 0m

A shy school principal and a rising young attorney are both in love with the same woman. A man who looks a great deal...

E16
Midsummer

Air Date: 1955-11-21

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E17
The Lady Chooses

Air Date: 1955-11-22

1h 0m

The daughter and sister of a pretty widown decide to play Cupid. Both want to marry her off to a likely suitor. - Tv ...

E18
The Courtship of Miles Standish

Air Date: 1955-11-23

1h 0m

A Polish merchant learns that his teen-age son and daughter have been won over to communism. He laboriously arranges ...

E19
Dispossessed

Air Date: 1955-11-25

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E20
One for the Road

Air Date: 1955-11-28

1h 0m

A beautiful young socialite is found murdered.

E21
The Touchstone

Air Date: 1955-11-29

1h 0m

A middle-aged bachelor thus far has avoided matrimony. His friends, knowing he is in need of money, arrange a meetin...

E22
Wuthering Heights

Air Date: 1955-11-30

1h 0m

A mother discovers she is falling in love with the man her daughter has married.

E23
The Brass Ring

Air Date: 1955-12-01

1h 0m

A meek little file clerk turns into a veritable tiger when his boss hires an efficiency expert. His file system has w...

E24
Jason

Air Date: 1955-12-02

1h 0m

A husband has definite ideas about bringing up his children. He feels his way of life on an isolated island is bette...

E25
Arrowsmith

Air Date: 1955-12-05

1h 0m

Three generations come together to celebrate the grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. During the evening the ne...

E26
Passing Strange

Air Date: 1955-12-06

1h 0m

A woman art instructor entering her 30s falls in love with a pupil younger than she. Her overbearing brother tries t...

E27
For These Services

Air Date: 1955-12-07

1h 0m

Following the death of her husband, a widow insists on keeping his tailor shop open even though business is falling o...

E28
Cordially - With Bombs

Air Date: 1955-12-08

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E29
The White Oaks

Air Date: 1955-12-09

1h 0m

An elderly man of letters supports his orphaned teen-age granddaughter. When he hires a young male secretary, the gir...

E30
O'Toole from Moscow

Air Date: 1955-12-12

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E31
The Milwaukee Rocket

Air Date: 1955-12-13

1h 0m

A young couple moves into the ground floor apartment of a mansion owned by an elderly woman. The husband at first res...

E32
This One is Different

Air Date: 1955-12-14

1h 0m

A man is determined to prevent his teen-age daughter from leaving home and entering a convent - Tv Guide

E33
Sins of the Fathers

Air Date: 1955-12-15

1h 0m

This is the well-known story of Biblical times about Ruth, whose devotion to her mother-in-law tkes her into a new la...

E34
See You on Sunday

Air Date: 1955-12-16

1h 0m

When a confirmed bachelor who owns a restaurant tries to sell his special recipe for a salad dressing, he gets involv...

E35
Coming of Age

Air Date: 1955-12-19

1h 0m

A young English couple decide that they will live with the groom's aged mother after the wedding. When the bride put...

E36
Technique

Air Date: 1955-12-20

1h 0m

A governess, in love with the father of her charge, is dismayed when she learns the widower is unaware of her feeling...

E37
Gallin: All-American

Air Date: 1955-12-21

1h 0m

The idyllic existence of an American college professor, who has moved with his second wife and two children to Mexico...

E38
Santa is No Saint

Air Date: 1955-12-22

1h 0m

The fifth wealthiest woman in the world hires detectives to trail her fifth husband and ensure his faithfulness. The...

E39
The Unwelcomed

Air Date: 1955-12-23

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E40
The Red Sanders Story

Air Date: 1955-12-26

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E41
Class of '58

Air Date: 1956-07-09

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E42
Horns of the Dilemma

Air Date: 1955-12-28

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E43
Little Girls Grow Up

Air Date: 1955-12-29

1h 0m

A young man is trying to keep up pretenses even though the business he inherited from his father is failing. He is fu...

E44
The Shot

Air Date: 1955-12-30

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E45
Mr. Krane

Air Date: 1956-01-03

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E46
Yesterday is Gone

Air Date: 1956-01-04

1h 0m

A wealthy industrialist offers to revive the dwindling industry in a small town. In his ruthless business dealings h...

E47
Double Door

Air Date: 1956-01-05

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E48
The Happy Rest

Air Date: 1956-01-06

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E49
The Gate

Air Date: 1956-01-09

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E50
One Left Over

Air Date: 1956-01-10

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E51
All the Trees in the Field

Air Date: 1956-01-11

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E52
The Century Plant

Air Date: 1956-01-12

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E53
Friday the 13th

Air Date: 1956-01-13

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E54
The Old Maid

Air Date: 1956-01-16

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E55
Mother Was a Bachelor

Air Date: 1956-01-17

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E56
The Bottom of the River

Air Date: 1956-01-18

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E57
The Carefree Tree

Air Date: 1956-01-19

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E58
Interlude

Air Date: 1956-01-20

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E59
The Big Box

Air Date: 1956-01-23

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E60
Sincerely Yours, Charlie Fisher

Air Date: 1956-01-24

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E61
Doc

Air Date: 1956-01-25

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E62
The Amateur

Air Date: 1956-01-26

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E63
Light and Shadow

Air Date: 1956-01-27

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E64
Romney

Air Date: 1956-01-30

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E65
O Promise Me

Air Date: 1956-01-31

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E66
Hold My Hand and Run

Air Date: 1956-02-01

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E67
Dark Possession

Air Date: 1956-02-02

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E68
The Diamond

Air Date: 1956-02-03

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E69
Susan and God

Air Date: 1956-02-06

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E70
As Young As You Feel

Air Date: 1956-02-07

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E71
The White Knight

Air Date: 1956-02-08

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E72
The Anxious Years

Air Date: 1956-02-09

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E73
The Heart of Mary Lincoln

Air Date: 1956-02-10

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E74
The Middle Son

Air Date: 1956-02-13

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E75
Valentine's Day

Air Date: 1956-02-14

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E76
Summer Cannot Last

Air Date: 1956-02-15

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E77
The Last Battlefield

Air Date: 1956-02-16

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E78
The Catbird Seat

Air Date: 1956-02-17

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E79
Dream House

Air Date: 1956-02-20

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E80
The Runaways

Air Date: 1956-02-21

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E81
The Ledger

Air Date: 1956-02-22

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E82
When the Bough Breaks

Air Date: 1956-02-23

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E83
I Want to March

Air Date: 1956-02-24

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E84
Skylark

Air Date: 1956-02-27

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E85
Tall, Dark Stranger

Air Date: 1956-02-28

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E86
Anything But Love

Air Date: 1956-02-29

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E87
Robin Daw

Air Date: 1956-03-01

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E88
Letter to a Stranger

Air Date: 1956-03-02

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E89
Dinner at Antoine's

Air Date: 1956-03-05

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E90
The Mating of Watkins Tottle

Air Date: 1956-03-06

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E91
Her Son's Wife

Air Date: 1956-03-07

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E92
The Shining Palace

Air Date: 1956-03-08

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E93
The Odd Ones

Air Date: 1956-03-09

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E94
A Cowboy for Chris

Air Date: 1956-03-12

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E95
The Rocking Chair

Air Date: 1956-03-13

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E96
The Big Guy

Air Date: 1956-03-14

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E97
Statute of Limitations

Air Date: 1956-03-15

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E98
The Baron and the Banshees

Air Date: 1956-03-16

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E99
Notebook Warrior

Air Date: 1956-03-19

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E100
Temptation for a King

Air Date: 1956-03-20

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E101
The White Knight

Air Date: 1956-03-21

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E102
The Anxious Years

Air Date: 1956-03-22

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E103
M is for the Many

Air Date: 1956-03-23

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E104
Silent Partner

Air Date: 1956-03-26

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E105
Winter in April

Air Date: 1956-03-27

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E106
Bread Upon the Waters

Air Date: 1956-03-28

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E107
The Giant Killer

Air Date: 1956-03-29

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E108
The Book of Ruth

Air Date: 1956-03-30

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E109
Singer in the Valley

Air Date: 1956-04-02

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E110
The Heart of a Husband

Air Date: 1956-04-03

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E111
From the Desk of Margaret Tydings

Air Date: 1956-04-04

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E112
But You Look Like Sisters

Air Date: 1956-04-05

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E113
The House of Seven Gables

Air Date: 1956-04-06

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E114
Fiddlin' Man

Air Date: 1956-04-09

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E115
The Hollow Woman

Air Date: 1956-04-10

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E116
People in Glass

Air Date: 1956-04-11

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E117
One of the Family

Air Date: 1956-04-12

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E118
Young Hands, Young Feet

Air Date: 1956-04-13

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E119
The Lark Shall Sing

Air Date: 1956-04-16

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E120
In Dread of Winter

Air Date: 1956-04-17

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E121
The Babylonian Heart

Air Date: 1956-04-19

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E122
Ask Me No Questions

Air Date: 1956-04-20

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E123
Whom Death Has Joined Together

Air Date: 1956-04-23

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E124
The Wedding

Air Date: 1956-04-24

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E125
The Reckoning

Air Date: 1956-04-25

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E126
A Woman Named Ruby

Air Date: 1956-04-26

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E127
The Bright Boy

Air Date: 1956-04-27

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E128
The Carefree Tree

Air Date: 1956-04-30

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E129
Graybeards and Witches

Air Date: 1956-05-01

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E130
The Legend of Jenny Lind

Air Date: 1956-05-02

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E131
Daughter of the Seventh Day

Air Date: 1956-05-03

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E132
Night Must Fall

Air Date: 1956-05-04

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E133
The 25th Hour

Air Date: 1956-05-07

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E134
A Man and His Maid

Air Date: 1956-05-08

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E135
Perspective

Air Date: 1956-05-09

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E136
The Catamaran

Air Date: 1956-05-10

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E137
Johnny Came Marching Home

Air Date: 1956-05-11

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E138
A Family Affair

Air Date: 1956-05-14

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E139
Blind Date

Air Date: 1956-05-16

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E140
To Have and to Hold

Air Date: 1956-05-17

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E141
Edwina Black

Air Date: 1956-05-18

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E142
The Spare Room

Air Date: 1956-05-21

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E143
The Bottle Imp

Air Date: 1956-05-22

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E144
Brief Music

Air Date: 1956-05-23

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E145
The Girl from Boro Park

Air Date: 1956-05-24

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E146
To Whom It May Concern

Air Date: 1956-05-25

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E147
Bachelor Buttons

Air Date: 1956-05-28

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E148
The Children of Papa Juan

Air Date: 1956-05-29

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E149
Herself Alone

Air Date: 1956-05-30

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E150
Three for the Money

Air Date: 1956-05-31

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E151
Taxi to the Moon

Air Date: 1956-06-01

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E152
The Goodtime Boys

Air Date: 1956-06-04

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E153
The American

Air Date: 1956-06-05

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E154
Cause for Suspicion

Air Date: 1956-06-06

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E155
Fight the Whole World

Air Date: 1956-06-07

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E156
Autumn Crocus

Air Date: 1956-06-08

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E157
George Has a Birthday

Air Date: 1956-06-11

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E158
The Serpent's Tooth

Air Date: 1956-06-12

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E159
Crime at Blossom's

Air Date: 1956-06-13

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E160
The Luck of Amos Currie

Air Date: 1956-06-14

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E161
Alison's House

Air Date: 1956-06-15

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E162
Safe Place

Air Date: 1956-06-18

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E163
The Guest Cottage

Air Date: 1956-06-19

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E164
Forsaking All Others

Air Date: 1956-06-20

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E165
Love, Honor and O'Day

Air Date: 1956-06-21

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E166
The Damask Cheek

Air Date: 1956-06-22

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E167
Moon Over

Air Date: 1956-06-25

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E168
But Fear Itself

Air Date: 1956-06-26

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E169
The Birthday Present

Air Date: 1956-06-27

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E170
The Ghost of Greenwich Village

Air Date: 1956-06-28

1h 0m

A college boy accidentally kills a girl who is trying to blackmail him.

E171
The Young and the Damned

Air Date: 1956-06-29

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E172
There's Always Juliet

Air Date: 1956-07-02

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E173
Seasoned Timber

Air Date: 1956-07-03

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E174
The Declaration

Air Date: 1956-07-04

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E175
High Places

Air Date: 1956-07-05

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E176
Black Chiffon

Air Date: 1956-07-06

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E177
Class of '58

Air Date: 1956-07-09

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E178
Marriage by the Millions

Air Date: 1956-07-11

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E179
Backfire

Air Date: 1956-07-12

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E180
The Bishop Misbehaves

Air Date: 1956-07-13

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E181
Remittance

Air Date: 1956-07-16

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E182
Beg, Borrow or Steal

Air Date: 1956-07-17

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E183
Summer Pavilion

Air Date: 1956-07-18

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E184
The Feast

Air Date: 1956-07-19

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E185
A Full, Rich Life

Air Date: 1956-07-20

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E186
The Reverberator

Air Date: 1956-07-23

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E187
Woman at the Window

Air Date: 1956-07-24

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E188
Another Sky

Air Date: 1956-07-25

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E189
Letter of Introduction

Air Date: 1956-07-26

1h 0m

An American divorcee, transplanted to Paris, receives a letter stating that she is about to be visited by a young man...

E190
Home at Seven

Air Date: 1956-07-27

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E191
The Cypress Tree

Air Date: 1956-07-30

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E192
Belong to Me

Air Date: 1956-07-31

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E193
Pygmalion Jones

Air Date: 1956-08-01

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E194
Gretel

Air Date: 1956-08-02

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E195
Some Man Will Want You

Air Date: 1956-08-03

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E196
The Fall of the House of Usher

Air Date: 1956-08-06

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E197
Cupid Rode a Horse

Air Date: 1956-08-07

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E198
The Old Payola

Air Date: 1956-08-08

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

E199
The Perfect Alibi

Air Date: 1956-08-10

1h 0m

No episode overview available.

Similar Shows

Navarasa poster

Navarasa

2021
Them poster

Them

2021
A Vida Como Ela É... poster

A Vida Como Ela É...

1996
Letter to Loretta poster

Letter to Loretta

1953
10 Minute Tales poster

10 Minute Tales

2009
Murder in Mind poster

Murder in Mind

2001
The Dick Powell Show poster

The Dick Powell Show

1961
Back of Father poster

Back of Father

2014
Accused poster

Accused

2023
No Photo

Starlight Theatre

1950
Greatest Heroes of the Bible poster

Greatest Heroes of the Bible

1978
So Long! poster

So Long!

2013
Ozu poster

Ozu

2023
Startime poster

Startime

1959
The Agatha Christie Hour poster

The Agatha Christie Hour

1982
No Photo

The Trap

1950
No Photo

Six

1964
Click, Like, Share poster

Click, Like, Share

2021
Small Axe poster

Small Axe

2020
What Really Happened to the Class of '65? poster

What Really Happened to the Class of '65?

1977

Recommendations

Tales of the Unexpected poster

Tales of the Unexpected

1979
The Romanoffs poster

The Romanoffs

2018
R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour poster

R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour

2010
Small Axe poster

Small Axe

2020
The Hitchhiker poster

The Hitchhiker

1983
Alfred Hitchcock Presents poster

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

1955
The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents poster

The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents

1985
Julia poster

Julia

2022
Tell Me Lies poster

Tell Me Lies

2022
Love Story poster

Love Story

2026
SkyMed poster

SkyMed

2022
Homecoming poster

Homecoming

2018
The Irrational poster

The Irrational

2023
Femme Fatales poster

Femme Fatales

2011
Ambitions poster

Ambitions

2019
Accused poster

Accused

2010
Tyler Perry's The Oval poster

Tyler Perry's The Oval

2019
Fear Itself poster

Fear Itself

2008
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour poster

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

1962
Silk poster

Silk

2011

Top Cast

John Conte
John Conte
Host