- at CVTA with episode list
- Rheingold Theatre at IMDb
- A film clip of the episode "Bulldog Drummond" is available for viewing at the Internet Archive
| Douglas Fairbanks Presents | |
|---|---|
| Also known as |
|
| Genre | Anthology series |
| Presented by | Douglas Fairbanks Jr. |
| Starring | Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (48 episodes) |
| Composer | Allan Gray |
| Country of origin | US |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 157 |
| Production | |
| Production locations | British National Studios, England |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company | Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | 7 January 1953 – 11 February 1957 |
Douglas Fairbanks Presents is a 1953–1956 syndicated half-hour dramatic anthology series. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was the host, and he sometimes starred in episodes.[1] It was also known as Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Presents.[2][3] A total of 117 episodes were filmed.[2] The program was also broadcast in at least seven TV markets in Canada.[4]
The series offered Buster Keaton in his first dramatic role in the episode entitled "The Awakening". British actor Christopher Lee appeared in various roles in sixteen episodes, including "Destination Milan".[1]
Fairbanks was executive producer for the program,[3] which was filmed at the British National Studios, Elstree, England and on location in England and in other parts of Europe.[2] NBC Films was the original distributor, but by mid-1954, it had begun distributing a package titled Paragon Playhouse, while Interstate TV distributed episodes with the original title.[5]
Herman Blaser was the production supervisor, and Lawrence Huntington was the director. John and Gwen Bagni wrote the scripts.[6] Music for the show was composed by Allan Gray.[citation needed]
In 1954, Douglas Fairbanks Presents was named the best non-network dramatic film series in The Billboard's Second Annual TV awards.[5]
The program had different titles in different areas. Those titles often included the name of the sponsor, such as Rheingold Theatre[1] (when Rheingold Brewery sponsored it in New York City[2] and at least 15 other locations[4]) and Triangle Theatre (based on sponsor Blatz Beer's logo) in Wisconsin.[2] In Melbourne, Australia the series was aired under the title Chesebrough Ponds Playhouse.[citation needed]
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Accused" | Lawrence Huntington | Gwen Bagni, John Bagni | 7 January 1953 |
| 2 | 2 | "The Scream" | Charles Saunders | John Cresswell, Hester Holland | 14 January 1953 |
| 3 | 3 | "Little Brother" | Charles Saunders | Doreen Montgomery | 21 January 1953 |
| 4 | 4 | "The Clock" | Lance Comforrt | Paul Vincent Carroll | 28 January 1953 |
| 5 | 5 | "Dialogue With Two Faces" | Charles Saunders | Unknown | 4 February 1953 |
| 6 | 6 | "The Surgeon" | Terence Fisher | Lawrence B. Marcus, Richard Alan Simmons | 11 February 1953 |
| 7 | 7 | "Lochinvar" | Leslie Arliss | Walter Scott | 18 February 1953 |
| 8 | 8 | "Take A Number" | Terence Fisher | Lawrence B. Marcus | 25 February 1953 |
| 9 | 9 | "Thought To Kill" | Leslie Arliss | Selwyn Jepson | 4 March 1953 |
| 10 | 10 | "Happy Birthday" | Bernard Knowles | Lawrence B. Marcus | 11 March 1953 |
| 11 | 11 | "The Five Pound Note" | Bernard Knowles | Lawrence B. Marcus, Robert Westerby | 18 March 1953 |
| 12 | 12 | "Destination Milan" | Lawrence Huntington | Lawrence Huntington, Robert Hall | 25 March 1953 |
| 13 | 13 | "Foolish Notions" | Charles Saunders | Gabrielle Upton | 1 April 1953 |
| 14 | 14 | "American Duel" | Lance Comfort | Nelson Gidding, Doreen Montgomery, Robert Westerby | 8 April 1953 |
| 15 | 15A | "The Last Moment" | Lance Comfort | Selwyn Jepson | 15 April 1953 |
| 16 | 15B | "The Sensible Man" | Lance Comfort | Vincent Carroll | 15 April 1953 |
| 17 | 16 | "Parlour Trick" | Lawrence Huntington | Roland Pertwee | 22 April 1953 |
| 18 | 17 | "Outpost" | Dan Birt | Unknown | 29 April 1953 |
| 19 | 18 | "My Name Is Jones" | Charles Saunders | Selwyn Jepson | 6 May 1953 |
| 20 | 19 | "A Lodging For The Night" | Bernard Knowles | Lawrence B. Marcus, Robert Louis Stevenson | 13 May 1953 |
| 21 | 20 | "Priceless Pocket" | Leslie Arliss | Guy Morgan, Geoffrey Wallace | 20 May 1953 |
| 22 | 21 | "Sylvia" | John Gilling | Doreen Montgomery | 27 May 1953 |
| 23 | 22 | "The Red Dress" | Lawrence Huntington | Rhys Davies, Guy Morgan | 3 June 1953 |
| 24 | 23 | "The Runaway Marriage" | Leslie Arliss | Unknown | 10 June 1953 |
| 25 | 24 | "The Journey" | Charles Frank | Albert Jarosy | 17 June 1953 |
| 26 | 25 | "Lowland Fling" | Leslie Arliss | Paul Vincent Carroll | 24 June 1953 |
| 27 | 26 | "Emerald Green" | Lawrence Huntington | Paul Vincent Carroll | 1 July 1953 |
| 28 | 27 | "The Genie" | Lance Comfort | Doreen Montgomery | 8 July 1953 |
| 29 | 28 | "The Heel" | Lance Comfort | Noel Charles, Peter Graham Scott, Gordon Wellesley | 15 July 1953 |
| 30 | 29 | "My Favourite Aunt" | Lance Comfort | Unknown | 22 July 1953 |
| 31 | 30 | "The Door" | Charles Saunders | Lawrence B. Marcus, Guy Morgan | 9 September 1953 |
| 32 | 31 | "The Great White Bird" | John Gilling | Simon Harcourt-Smith, Moie Charles, Derry Quinn | 23 September 1953 |
| 33 | 32 | "Forever My Heart" | Leslie Arliss | Selwyn Jepson, Doreen Montgomery | 30 September 1953 |
| 34 | 33 | "Moment Of Truth" | Lance Comfort | Doreen Montgomery | 7 October 1953 |
| 35 | 34 | "Silent Snow" | Charles Saunders | Derry Quinn | 21 October 1953 |
| 36 | 35 | "Bitter Heart" | Bernard Knowles | Guy Morgan, Albert Jarosy | 4 November 1953 |
| 37 | 36 | "The Death Of Michael Turbin" | Bernard Knowles | Paul Vincent Carroll, Lawrence B. Marcus | 18 November 1953 |
| 38 | 37 | "Panic" | Lawrence Huntington | Lawrence B. Marcus, Peter Quinn | 9 December 1953 |
| 39 | 38 | "The Charm" | Lance Comfort | Unknown | 30 December 1953 |
| 40 | 39 | "The Silent Man" | Terence Fisher | Gil Doud, Robert Westerby, Lewis Rusoff | 27 January 1954 |
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 1 | "King High" | Terence Fisher | Andrew Solt, Glen Bohannax | 3 February 1954 |
| 42 | 2 | "Gramma Brenn" | Lawrence Huntington | Mildred Cram | 10 February 1954 |
| 43 | 3 | "The Ship's Doctor" | Derek Twist | Val Valentine | 17 February 1954 |
| 44 | 4 | "The Wedding Veil" | Charles Saunders | Lothian Daggett | 24 February 1954 |
| 45 | 5 | "Pardon My Ghost" | Leslie Arliss | Guy Morgan | 3 March 1954 |
| 46 | 6 | "The Trap" | Arthur Crabtree | Gabrielle Upton, Doris Gilbert | 10 March 1954 |
| 47 | 7 | "Second Wind" | Leslie Arliss | Jerome Gruskin | 17 March 1954 |
| 48 | 8 | "Leave To Die" | Derek Twist | A.R. Rawlinson, Mark Derby | 24 March 1954 |
| 49 | 9 | "The International Settlement" | Lawrence Huntington | Capt W.E. Johns, A.R. Rawlinson | 31 March 1954 |
| 50 | 10 | "Double Identity" | Francis Searle | John Haggerty, Aubrey Cash, Charles Hatton | 14 April 1954 |
| 51 | 11 | "The Refugee" | Michael McCarthy | Michael McCarthy | 21 April 1954 |
| 52 | 12 | "A Lesson In Love" | Leslie Arliss | Unknown | 28 April 1954 |
| 53 | 13 | "Myra And The Moneyman" | Michael McCarthy | Van Fleming, Leigh Vance | 5 May 1954 |
| 54 | 14 | "The Heirloom" | John Gilling | John Kneubuhl | 12 May 1954 |
| 55 | 15 | "The Witness" | Lawrence Huntington | Lee Edwards | 19 May 1954 |
| 56 | 16 | "Johnny Blue" | Lance Comfort | Jerome Gruskin | 26 May 1954 |
| 57 | 17 | "Street Of Angels" | Arthur Crantree | Paul Erickson, Guy Morgan, Robin Estridge | 2 June 1954 |
| 58 | 18 | "The Happy McBains" | Derek Twist | Nathaniel Curtis | 9 June 1954 |
| 59 | 19 | "Rain Forest" | Lawrence Huntington | J.B.Williams, Dorothy Cottrell | 16 June 1954 |
| 60 | 20 | "Provincial Lady" | Lance Comfort | Miles Malleson, Ivan Turgenev | 30 June 1954 |
| 61 | 21 | "The Awakening" | Michael McCarthy | Lawrence B. Marcus, Nikolay Gogol | 14 July 1954 |
| 62 | 22 | "The Apples" | Lance Comfort | Stanley Mann | 21 July 1954 |
| 63 | 23 | "Pattern For Glory" | Derek Twist | Abby Mann, Bernard Drew | 4 August 1954 |
| 64 | 24 | "A Line In The Snow" | Michael McCarthy | Gabrielle Upton | 18 August 1954 |
| 65 | 25 | "One-Way Ticket" | Lawrence Huntington | Paul Bauman | 25 August 1954 |
| 66 | 26 | "Dream Stuff" | Charles Saunders | Gabrielle Upton | 8 September 1954 |
| 67 | 27 | "Four Farewells In Venice" | Michael McCarthy | Charles Frank | 22 September 1954 |
| 68 | 28 | "Mr Sampson" | Lawrence Huntington | John Sherman | 29 September 1954 |
| 69 | 29 | "The Man Who Heard Everything" | Allan Davis | Lawrence B. Marcus | 13 October 1954 |
| 70 | 30 | "The Last Knife" | Michael McCarthy | Michael McCarthy | 20 October 1954 |
| 71 | 31 | "Rehearsal" | Lance Comfort | John Q. Copeland | 3 November 1954 |
| 72 | 32 | "Face Of The Law" | Lance Comfort | Sewlyn Jepson, Lance Sieveking | 10 November 1954 |
| 73 | 33 | "The Relative Truth" | Leslie Arliss | Paul Vincent Carroll | 24 November 1954 |
| 74 | 34 | "The Lovely Place" | Leslie Arliss | Gabrielle Upton | 8 December 1954 |
| 75 | 35 | "The Mix-Up" | Anthony Young | Unknown | 15 December 1954 |
| 76 | 36 | "Silent Night: The Story Of The Original Christmas Carol" | Lawrence Huntington | Frank Gruber | 22 December 1954 |
| 77 | 37 | "Stand By" | Derek Twist | Doreen Montgomery | 29 December 1954 |
| 78 | 38 | "Forever Is A Long Time" | Lawrence Huntington | Gabrielle Upton, Tedwell Chappman | 12 January 1955 |
| 79 | 39 | "Border Incident" | Derek Twist | George Marrow | 26 January 1955 |
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 1 | "The Patriarch" | Michael McCarthy | Derry Quinn, Claire Wallis, Maxwell Sellers | 2 February 1955 |
| 81 | 2 | "The Hideaway" | Arthur Crabtree | Stanley Mann | 9 February 1955 |
| 82 | 3 | "The 90th Day" | Terence Fisher | Malvin Wald, Jack Jacobs | 16 February 1955 |
| 83 | 4 | "Counterfeit" | Roy Rich | Abby Mann, Howard Apter, Guy Morgan | 23 February 1955 |
| 84 | 5 | "Honeymoon Deferred" | Dennis Vance | Lorraine Edwards | 2 March 1955 |
| 85 | 6 | "The Long White Line" | John Gilling | John Francis Larkin, John Gilling, Guy Morgan | 9 March 1955 |
| 86 | 7 | "The Dark Lake" | Roy Rich | Ashmead Scott | 16 March 1955 |
| 87 | 8 | "Pitfall" | Roy Rich | Kent Doone | 23 March 1955 |
| 88 | 9 | "Con Cregan's Legacy" | Harold Huth | Paul Vincent Carroll, Charles Lever | 6 April 1955 |
| 89 | 10 | "Crime A La Carte" | Dennis Vance | Stanley Mann | 13 April 1955 |
| 90 | 11 | "Room 506" | Arthur Crabtree | James Patrick O'Neill | 20 April 1955 |
| 91 | 12 | "The Thoroughbred" | Harold Huth | Kent Doone, Guy Morgan | 27 April 1955 |
| 92 | 13 | "While The Circus Passes" | Lawrence Huntington | John Haggarty | 4 May 1955 |
| 93 | 14 | "The Leprachaun" | Lawrence Huntington | Derry Quinn, John Sherman | 11 May 1955 |
| 94 | 15 | "The Little Big Shot" | Lance Comfort | William Wiener, Herbert Abbott Spiro | 18 May 1955 |
| 95 | 16 | "The Auction" | Bernard Knowles | Stanley Mann | 25 May 1955 |
| 96 | 17 | "The Only Son" | Michael McCarthy | Unknown | 1 June 1955 |
| 97 | 18 | "Goodbye Tomorrow" | Bernard Knowles | John Gilling, Leigh Vance | 8 June 1955 |
| 98 | 19 | "Another Day" | Arthur Crabtree | Jerome Gruskin | 15 June 1955 |
| 99 | 20 | "Flight One-Zero-One" | Derek Twist | Maurice Wiltshire, Derek Twist | 29 June 1955 |
| 100 | 21 | "The Wedding Dress" | Roy Rich | Gizi de Blore Zsemley | 13 July 1955 |
| 101 | 22 | "The Enchanted Doll" | Harold Huth | Derry Quinn, Paul Gallico | 20 July 1955 |
| 102 | 23 | "Tony" | Lawrence Huntington | Guy Morgan, John Tully | 3 August 1955 |
| 103 | 24 | "Blue Murder" | Roy Rich | Emery Bonett, Guy Morgan | 24 August 1955 |
| 104 | 25 | "The Sound Of Your Voice" | Leslie Arliss | Unknown | 31 August 1955 |
| 105 | 26 | "Big Nick" | Lance Comfort | Unknown | 7 September 1955 |
| 106 | 27 | "The Milkman" | Lance Comfort | Lawrence B. Marcus | 14 September 1955 |
| 107 | 28 | "The Treasure Of Urbano" | Harold Huth | Paul Tabori, Derry Quinn | 28 September 1955 |
| 108 | 29 | "Atlantic Night" | Derek Twist | Leslie Reade, Arthur Bryant | 5 October 1955 |
| 109 | 30 | "The Hero" | Harold Huth | Abby Mann, Ben Arbeid | 12 October 1955 |
| 110 | 31 | "Success Train" | Dennis Vance | Abby Mann, Jack Wilson | 7 November 1955 |
| 111 | 32 | "Guilt" | Lance Comfort | James Parish | 14 November 1955 |
| 112 | 33 | "A Borderline Case" | Roy Rich | Guy Morgan | 21 November 1955 |
| 113 | 34 | "Heritage" | Lance Comfort | Joseph Schull | 5 December 1955 |
| 114 | 35 | "The Immigrant" | Michael McCarthy | Michael McCarthy | 12 December 1955 |
| 115 | 36 | "A Fast Buck" | Dennis Vance | Berkeley Mather, Guy Morgan | 2 January 1956 |
| 116 | 37 | "Dmitrios" | Dennis Vance | Derry Quinn, Norman Holland | 16 January 1956 |
| 117 | 38 | "Deadline: Vienna" | Harold Huth | Kent Doone | 23 January 1956 |
| 118 | 39 | "Gabrielle" | Bernard Knowles | Peter Pitt | 30 January 1956 |
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 119 | 1 | "Better Mousetraps" | Harold Huth | Pauline Stone, Michael Cosgrove | 6 February 1956 |
| 120 | 2 | "The Present" | Lawrence Huntington | Michael Voysey | 13 February 1956 |
| 121 | 3 | "Jason's House" | Derek Twist | Jerry McGill | 20 February 1956 |
| 122 | 4 | "No Samples" | Cy Roth | Bill Barrett | 27 February 1956 |
| 123 | 5 | "A Walk In The Wilderness" | Arthur Crabtree | Montagu Slater, Guy Morgan | 5 March 1956 |
| 124 | 6 | "Welcome My Wife" | Leslie Arliss | E.G. Cousins, Derry Quinn | 12 March 1956 |
| 125 | 7 | "First Day" | Harold Huth | Paul Dudley, Bernard Glemser | 19 March 1956 |
| 126 | 8 | "A Flight Of Birds" | Arthur Crabtree | Timothy Hanley, Guy Morgan | 26 March 1956 |
| 127 | 9 | "Personal Call" | Michael McCarthy | Unknown | 2 April 1956 |
| 128 | 10 | "A New Life" | Arthur Crabtree | Dan Harris, Guy Morgan | 9 April 1956 |
| 129 | 11 | "The Dunce" | Arthur Crabtree | Clock Dailey, Guy Morgan | 23 April 1956 |
| 130 | 12 | "Ship Day" | Derek Twist | Johan Fabricius, Guy Morgan, Derek Twist | 30 April 1956 |
| 131 | 13 | "The Murderer" | Harold Huth | Stanley Mann, Guy Morgan | 7 May 1956 |
| 132 | 14 | "Point Of View" | Leslie Arliss | Paul David, Guy Morgan | 14 May 1956 |
| 133 | 15 | "Mutiny" | Arthur Crabtree | Patrick Whyte | 28 May 1956 |
| 134 | 16 | "The Story Of Pan Yusef" | Harold Huth | Ferdynand Goetel, Guy Morgan | 4 June 1956 |
| 135 | 17 | "A Train To The Sea" | Derek Twist, Leslie Arliss | Hugh Walpole, Leslie Arliss | 11 June 1956 |
| 136 | 18 | "A Likely Story" | Michael McCarthy | A.R. Rawlinson, Jean Leslie | 25 June 1956 |
| 137 | 19 | "Play Me A Blue Note" | Harold Huth | Anne Howard Bailey, Guy Morgan | 2 July 1956 |
| 138 | 20 | "The Way Home" | Harold Huth | Anne Howard Bailey | 9 July 1956 |
| 139 | 21 | "Mister Purley's Profession" | Leslie Arliss | Jack Roche | 23 July 1956 |
| 140 | 22 | "Treasure In Store" | Harold Huth | Claude Pirkis, Derry Quinn | 20 August 1956 |
| 141 | 23 | "Beloved Stranger" | Harold Huth | I.A.R. Wylie, Diana Morgan | 3 September 1956 |
| 142 | 24 | "The Guy In The Middle" | Derek Twist | Marion Cooper | 10 September 1956 |
| 143 | 25 | "Timmy The Shanks" | Harold Huth | Paul Vincent Carroll | 17 September 1956 |
| 144 | 26 | "The Man Who Wouldn't Escape" | Michael McCarthy | Stanley Mann, Mordecai Richler | 1 October 1956 |
| 145 | 27 | "Winning Sequence" | Leslie Arliss | Leslie Arliss, Margery Sharp | 8 October 1956 |
| 146 | 28 | "The Last Tour" | Derek Twist | Ann Howard Bailey | 15 October 1956 |
| 147 | 29 | "Someone Outside" | Lance Comfort | Martin Worth | 22 October 1956 |
| 148 | 30 | "One Can't Help Feeling Sorry" | Harold Huth | Frank D. Gilroy | 29 October 1956 |
| 149 | 31 | "Crown Of The Andes" | Francis Searle | Edward Dunn | 5 November 1956 |
| 150 | 32 | "Homecoming" | Joseph Sterling | Joseph Schull | 12 November 1956 |
| 151 | 33 | "Rendezvous At Dawn" | Arthur Crabtree | Charles Early, Joseph Early | 19 November 1956 |
| 152 | 34 | "Scheherezade" | Harold Huth | Irving Rubine, Selwyn Jepson | 26 November 1956 |
| 153 | 35 | "To What Great Heights" | Harold Huth | Paul Dudley, Guy Morgan | 3 December 1956 |
| 154 | 36 | "The Best Man" | Derek Twist | Irene Winston | 14 January 1957 |
| 155 | 37 | "The Ludlow Affair" | David Macdonald | Irving Rubine, Herman C. McNeile | 28 January 1957 |
| 156 | 38 | "The Trouble With Destiny" | Barry Delmaine | Eugene Vale | 4 February 1957 |
| 157 | 39 | "Together" | Lance Comfort | Paul David | 11 February 1957 |
Out of an original total of 157 episodes, 53 episodes are currently missing: