ABC Stage 67
Anthony Perkins and Charmian Carr in "Evening Primrose", 1966.
Directed by
Theme music composerElmer Bernstein
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes26
Production
Running time60 minutes
Production companyFrancis Productions
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 14, 1966 (1966-09-14) –
May 4, 1967 (1967-05-04)

ABC Stage 67 is the umbrella title for a series of 26 weekly American television shows that included dramas, variety shows, documentaries and original musicals.[1]

It premiered on ABC on September 14, 1966, with Murray Schisgal's The Love Song of Barney Kempinski,[2] directed by Stanley Prager and starring Alan Arkin as a man enjoying the sights and sounds of New York City in his last remaining hours of bachelorhood. Arkin was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance By An Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama and the program was nominated as Outstanding Dramatic Program.[3]

Later programs included appearances by Petula Clark, Bobby Darin, Sir Laurence Olivier, Albert Finney, Peter Sellers, David Frost and Jack Paar.

Ultimately, ABC's effort to revive the popular anthology series format from the 1950s failed.[2] Scheduled first against I Spy on Wednesdays and then The Dean Martin Show on Thursdays, the show consistently received low ratings. Its last production, an adaptation of Jean Cocteau's one-woman play The Human Voice starring Ingrid Bergman, was shown on May 4, 1967.

Significant episodes

Unaired episode

A behind the scenes documentary of a May 1966 British concert tour by the musician Bob Dylan was promoted by the network as a forthcoming episode. Eat the Document, as the film was later titled, was never shown as part of the series. Editing delays and an un-television "art house" choice of camera technique are believed to be the reasons.

References

  1. ^ Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007 (Volume 1 A-E). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3305-6.
  3. ^ O'Neil, Thomas (2000). The Emmys (3rd ed.). New York: Berkley Publishing Group. ISBN 0-399-52611-0.
  4. ^ a b Terrace, Vincent (1976). The Complete Encyclopedia of Television Programs 1947-1976 (Vol. 1). South Brunswick and New York: A.S. Barnes and Company. ISBN 0-498-01561-0.
  5. ^ Masters, William H.; Johnson, Virginia E. (1966). Human sexual response. Boston: Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316549875.
  6. ^ "Ingrid Bergman - the Human Voice". Discogs.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to ABC Stage 67.
Categories