Producers' Showcase Season 3, Episode 5: Wide Wide World II

1

The Lord Don't Play Favorites

The story of small-time traveling circus stranded in a drought-stricken small Kansas town, subjected to huge fine by city fathers as a way of raising money to pay for a professional rain-maker, when the circus needed money to enter its trick horse in the county races, with circus duping yokels into paying the race fee to the circus ringmaster posing as the rainmaker.

90 min

2

The Letter

The scene is a rubber plantation outside of Singapore. As the story opens, Mrs. Leslie Crosbie is shooting one Geoffrey Hammond. Leslie insists she acted in self-defense. An attorney friend of the family agrees to take her case, only to have her story wrecked by the appearance of a letter Leslie had written to Hammond.

90 min

3

Jack and the Beanstalk

As the Peddler who exchanges the magic beans for Jack's cow, Cyril sang THERE ONCE WAS A BOY AND HIS NAME WAS JACK and THIS IS THE ONE about the cow. Later in the plot, Cyril and Celeste Holm, revealed as having plotted to bring Jack to the Giant's land in order for him to slay the giant, sing THE BIGGER THEY ARE THE HARDER THEY FALL. This production seemed heavily influenced by the 1939 WIZARD OF OZ, in that everything turned out to be a dream, and the characters Jack met in the Giant's land were played mainly by the same actors he knew in his hometown, Billy Gilbert appearing as both the town bully and the giant.

90 min

4

Festival of Music II

The stage concert starring Victoria De Los Angeles, Barry Morrell, Elizabeth Doubleday, Virginio Assandri, Arthur Newman (in opening scene of Verdi's ""La Traviata""), Marian Anderson (""Heav'n, Heav'n,"" ""My Lord, What a Mornin',"" ""Roll, Jord'n Roll""), pianist Artur Rubenstein (Rachmaninoff's ""Rhapsodie on a Theme by Paganini,"") Alfred Wallenstein conducting the Symphony of the Air Orchestra, guitarist Andres Segovia (Gavotte by J.S. Bach, Allegretto by M. Torroba), Boris Christoff, Nicola Moscona, Michael Pollock, Kirk Jordan (Last Act Death Scene from Mussorgsky's ""Boris Gudonov""); large supporting cast.

90 min

5

Wide Wide World II

90 min

6

Ruggles of Red Gap

The musical version of classic tale of English butler who is ""lost"" in a poker game by his noble English employer to a nouveau riche couple from out West, who charms the community and resigns from service to open a restaurant.

90 min

7

Mayerling

Mayerling is the title of an episode of the American television series Producers' Showcase made for NBC, which was aired in 24 February 1957 and released theatrically as a film in Europe. It was produced and directed by Anatole Litvak, who had previously directed the 1936 French film version of Mayerling. It starred Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer with Raymond Massey, Diana Wynyard, Basil Sydney, Judith Evelyn, Isobel Elsom, Lorne Greene, Nancy Marchand, David Opatoshu, Suzy Parker, Nehemiah Persoff, Pippa Scott and Lilia Skala. The story of Mayerling is based on the real life events of the tragic love affair between Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and his mistress, Baroness Mary Vetsera and their mysterious death on January 30, 1889 in a hunting lodge in Lower Austria.

90 min

8

Romeo and Juliet

Tragic star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliette unfold in this classic story.

90 min

9

The Great Sebastians

Set in Prague in 1948, comedy-melodrama of vaudeville mind-reading team commanded by Communist general to entertain at a private party to use their talents to ferret out traitors; they are asked to falsely swear that the patriot Masaryk was depressed, thus excusing his apparent murder; they refuse, and escape by using their stage tricks.

90 min

10

Cinderella

Classic fairy tale of Cinderella and her evil step sisters unfold as she longs for her prince.

90 min

11

Mr. Broadway

Musical version of rags-to-Vaudeville-riches life of George M. Cohan, musical numbers and choreography staged by Peter Gennaro; songs include ""Give My Regards to Broadway,"" ""Harrigan,"" ""Over There,"" ""Yankee Doodle Dandy,"" and ""You're a Grand Old Flag.

90 min

12

Festival of Magic

Ernie Kovacs (who doubles as amateur magician whose acts fail miserably), features world famous magicians from seven countries performing their best-known acts: Milbourne Christopher (American who catches bullet in his teeth), Richard Cardini (British, performing sleight-of-hand), Robert Harbin (South African escape artist who gets out of strait jacket while suspended upside down in mid-air), June Merlin (Irish animal specialist who works with white mice and rabbits), Sorcar (India, buzz-sawing woman in half), Rene Septembre (France animal specialist), Mr. and Mrs. Li King Si (Chinese sword jugglers).

90 min