John Frankenheimer liked to say that this was the most aptly-named show on television; he insisted that by the time he began working on it as an Assistant Director, the network was mostly assigning segments to directors they wanted to fire. The idea was that the pressure of work would cause these directors to either come up with inferior work which would be used as an excuse for dismissal, or else force them to resign. He also claimed he was sometimes bribed by these directors to do most of their work for them, so that they would look good to their bosses. Eventually, or so he told many interviewers, one director became hysterical during the live broadcast and Frankenheimer had to knock him out and take over the full handling of the show to prevent catastrophe. This led to his being promoted to full-time director at age 24.
This live half-hour CBS dramatic anthology series debuted on September 19, 1950, and remained a Tuesday night staple during its entire run. Stories emphasized psychological suspense (mostly resulting in murder), and the directors were then unknowns: Yul Brynner, soon replaced by Sidney Lumet, and then John Frankenheimer. The casts were equally unknown at the time: Cloris Leachman, James Dean, Jack Lemmon, Carroll Baker, Rod Steiger, Paul Newman, Lee Grant, Grace Kelly, and Charlton Heston. The series' opening theme song by jazz guitarist Tony Mottola was included on what is considered the first television soundtrack LP. The series was last telecast on May 31, 1955.
Debut of writer Jay Presson Allen.
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