"The Right Hand Man"

Playhouse 90 episode

Anne Baxter and Dana Andrews in "The Right Hand Man"

Episode no.

Season 2
Episode 28

Directed by

Franklin Schaffner

Written by

Dick Berg (adaptation), Garson Kanin (story)

Original air date

February 28, 1958

Guest appearances

Dana Andrews as Leo Bass
Anne Baxter as Pat Bass
Leslie Nielsen as Ralph Mohr

Episode chronology

← Previous
"The Male Animal"

Next →
"Turn Left at Mount Everest"

"The Right Hand Man" was an American television play broadcast live on March 20, 1958, as part of the second season of the CBS television series Playhouse 90. Dick Berg wrote the teleplay, as an adaptation of a story by Garson Kanin. Dana Andrews, Anne Baxter, and Leslie Nielsen starred.^[1]^[2] Franklin J. Schaffner directed.^[3] The program was the live dramatic television debut for both Andrews and Baxter.^[4]

Plot

Pat Bass (Anne Baxter) is the neglected wife of Leo Bass (Dana Andrews), the owner of a talent agency who has allowed business to dominate his life at the expense of his wife. Ralph Mohr (Leslie Nielsen) is Bass's assistant, i.e., the "right hand man". A struggle for control of the agency ensues.

Reception

Television critic Jack O'Brian called it "well-written and extremely well acted," singling out Leslie Nielsen for special praise. O'Brian also praised the physical production as "rich, big and impressively tasteful" and called Schaffner's direction "sure and effective".^[3]

Cast

The following performers received screen credit for their performances:^[1]

Dana Andrews - Leo Bass
Anne Baxter - Pat Bass
Leslie Nielsen - Ralph Mohr
Stuart Erwin - George Clay
June Collyer - Trixie Clay
Ruta Lee

References

^ ^a ^b "Playhouse 90, Season 2". Classic TV Archive. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
^ "Anne Baxter On Playhouse". Longview Daily News. March 15, 1958. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b Jack O'Brian (March 21, 1958). "Radio-TV". The Shreveport Journal. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "untitled". The Journal Times. March 20, 1958. p. 47 – via Newspapers.com.

v t e Playhouse 90
People	John Frankenheimer Martin Manulis Franklin J. Schaffner Rod Serling
Season 1	"Forbidden Area" "Requiem for a Heavyweight" "Sizeman and Son" "Rendezvous in Black" "The Country Husband" "The Big Slide" "Heritage of Anger" "Eloise" "Confession" "Made in Heaven" "Sincerely, Willis Wade" "The Family Nobody Wanted" "Massacre at Sand Creek" "Snowshoes: A Comedy of People and Horses" "The Ninth Day" "So Soon To Die" "The Star Wagon" "So Soon To Die" "The Greer Case" "The Miracle Worker" "The Comedian" "The Coat of White" "The Blackwell Story" "Invitation to a Gunfighter" "The Last Tycoon" "The Hostess with the Mostes'" "Charley's Aunt" "Clipper Ship" "If You Know Elizabeth" "Three Men on a Horse" "Four Women in Black" "Child of Trouble" "Homeward Borne" "Helen Morgan" "Winter Dreams" "Circle of the Day" "Without Incident" "Clash by Night" "Ain't No Time for Glory" "The Fabulous Irishman"
Season 2	"The Death of Manolete" "The Dark Side of the Earth" "Topaze" "A Sound of Different Drummers" "The Playroom" "Around the World in 90 Minutes" "The Mystery of Thirteen" "The Edge of Innocence" "The Clouded Image" "The Jet Propelled Couch" "The Troublemakers" "Panic Button" "Galvanized Yankee" "The Thundering Wave" "For I Have Loved Strangers" "The Lone Woman" "Reunion" "The Last Man" "The 80 Yard Run" "Before I Die" "The Gentleman From Seventh Avenue" "The Violent Heart" "No Time at All" "Point of No Return" "Portrait of a Murderer" "The Last Clear Chance" "The Male Animal" "The Right Hand Man" "Turn Left at Mount Everest" "The Dungeon" "Verdict of Three" "Rumors of Evening" "Not the Glory" "Nightmare at Ground Zero" "Bomber's Moon" "Natchez" "The Innocent Sleep" "A Town Has Turned to Dust" "The Great Gatsby" "A Bitter Heritage"
Season 3	"The Plot To Kill Stalin" "Days of Wine and Roses" "The Time of Your Life" "The Long March" "Shadows Tremble" "Word From a Sealed-Off Box" "Heart of Darkness" "Old Man" "The Return of Ansel Gibbs" "Free Weekend" "Seven Against the Wall" "The Nutcracker" "Face of a Hero" "The Wings of the Dove" "The Blue Men" "The Velvet Alley" "A Quiet Game of Cards" "Child of Our Time" "The Second Man" "The Raider" "The Dingaling Girl" "Made in Japan" "For Whom the Bell Tolls" "A Trip To Paradise" "In Lonely Expectation" "The Day Before Atlanta" "Judgment at Nuremberg" "A Corner of the Garden" "Dark December" "Diary of a Nurse" "A Marriage of Strangers" "Out of Dust" "The Rank and File" "The Killers of Mussolini" "Project Immortality" "Dark as the Night" "The Second Happiest Day"
Season 4	"Target for Three" "The Sounds of Eden" "Misalliance" "The Hidden Image" "The Grey Nurse Said Nothing" "The Tunnel" "The Silver Whistle" "A Dream of Treason" "To the Sound of Trumpets" "The Cruel Day" "Tomorrow" "The Hiding Place" "Alas, Babylon" "Journey to the Day" "The Shape of the River" "In the Presence of Mine Enemies"
Revivals	CBS Playhouse CBS Playhouse 90

v t e Films directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
Features	The Stripper (1963) The Best Man (1964) The War Lord (1965) The Double Man (1967) Planet of the Apes (1968) Patton (1970) Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) Papillon (1973) Islands in the Stream (1977) The Boys from Brazil (1978) Sphinx (1981) Yes, Giorgio (1982) Lionheart (1987) Welcome Home (1989)
TV	The Strike (1954) Twelve Angry Men (1954) Seven Against the Wall (1958) The Right Hand Man (1958) Cry Vengeance! (1961) A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy (1962) Legend of Lylah Clare (1963)