The O. Henry Playhouse
Unlike the anthology series that would proliferate in the ensuing decade, 1957's The O. Henry Playhouse drew from the work of one author, William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), aka O. Henry, who found literary fame as a master of the short story. The syndicated series attracted a number of notable actors, including Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, and John Carradine.
As with the episodes Rod Serling wrote for The Twilight Zone, many stories concern the consequences of greed and selfishness, often counterbalanced by romance and redemption. All 13 episodes in the first volume take place in a late-19th century of trains, saloons, corsets, and top hats, but they aren't all set in the States, since a few take place in Panama, Argentina, and Bolivia.
Oscar-winning actor Thomas Mitchell (Stagecoach) introduces each 26-minute installment as O. Henry, usually in conversation with his publisher, Colonel Derbin (Russell Thorson). He also interrupts stories to solicit opinions from various associates before reappearing at the end to wrap things up, a clever conceit that allows the writers to incorporate biographical details about the author, in addition to context for the thinking behind his storylines. These scenes veer towards the humorous, particularly in regards to his writing fees and famed twist endings, since no one can ever guess how a story will turn out.
There are no real duds, but a few episodes stand out, like "Man About Town," in which O. Henry sets out to find the quintessential "man about town," circa 1904, a time when automobiles were starting to proliferate, rattling horse-drawn carriages with their noise and speed. It's an accident-prone journey in which Henry ends up on the losing end of two-vehicle mishaps, but he forges on, interviewing one New Yorker after another on his quest, only to find that the answer lies closer to home than he realized.
"Fog in Santone," the darkest story, also proves the most romantic. Carter (Star Trek's DeForest Kelley), a man with an incurable illness, decides to end it all. He visits a series of San Antonio pharmacies looking for pills that will do the trick until he hits the jackpot. Before bidding the world adieu, he goes for one last drink. While telling Rosa (The Intruder's Jean Cooper), a bar hostess, about his troubles, he finds that hers are just as serious. By joining forces, these two lost souls find a way out of their seemingly impossible predicaments.
The set ends with "After Twenty Years," in which Jimmy (Robert Karnes) gives his friend, Bob (Jim Davis), a modest loan before leaving New York to make his fortune out West. They plan to meet in 20 years, at which point Bob promises to pay Jimmy back 100-fold if things work out as planned, but the meeting goes very differently than either man could have anticipated.
A total of 39 episodes of The O. Henry Playhouse were produced, and more surprises surely lie ahead in ClassicFlix's subsequent volumes. A solid recommendation for classic TV collections.
Read O. Henry historian Michael Wenzel's essay The O. Henry Experience: Lost Film Adaptations Invite O. Henry Resurgence at this link.
Scenes from THE REFORMATION OF CALLIOPE
Starring Ernest Borgnine, Dick Foran, Beverly Garland
You can view sample scenes from each episode (released so far) and links to the original short stories at www.ohenryplayhouse.com. Volumes 1 and 2 can be purchased from ClassicFlix.
Festival Films founder Ron Hall and his associates see the release of The O. Henry Playhouse as an opportunity to rejuvenate interest in O. Henry's legacy, with hopes it may lead to the development of an educational curriculum that would marry the television adaptations with the original O. Henry short stories. This would create an enjoyable, informative learning experience with students being assigned the task of reading the short story and then watching the film adaptation. This could be followed by a general class discussion contrasting the two versions or an essay assignment along those lines.
Festival Films is currently gauging interest with educators about the feasibility of developing such a curriculum, which would also provide historic insight into the late 1800s and early 1900s. Such an approach would appeal to a broad age group and work equally well for English literature teachers, homeschoolers, and lifelong learning students, and serve to draw in new O. Henry fans who might not be predisposed to sample the original stories without an additional stimulus.
1 of 6
Donald Barry / Jean Willes
The World and the Door
2 of 6
DeForest Kelley / Jeanne Cooper
Fog in Santone
3 of 6
Louis Hayward / Maureen Stephenson / Johnny Crawford
Hearts and Hands
4 of 6
Charles Bronson / John Carradine
Two Renegades
5 of 6
Ernest Borgnine / Elizabeth Risdon / Dick Foran
Reformation of Calliope
6 of 6
Thomas Mitchell / Alan Hale, Jr.
Man About Town