General Electric Theater Season 9, Episode 27: The Red Balloon

The Man Who Thought for Himself

Steve Allen played a bank executive who woke up one morning to find all his actions governed by what his neighbors -and boss thought. In a burst of independence, he decided to paint his house barn red, and when his neighbors objected, he blew his cork and painted it red, white and blue. That raised the roof, and the neighborhood called a meeting to decide whether to sue him for creating a public nuisance. Allen didn't like the colors anyway, and was ready to give in and repaint, but not until he could make his point about conformity before the meeting. This he did so well, everybody congratulated him as a courageous, forward-thinking individualist and urged him to keep the house just the way it was. He started to do this until, with a jolt, he realized he'd fallen into the trap of conformity again, and if he didn’t like the house the way it was, he was darn well gonna change it.

30 min

Journal of Hope

30 min

Hooray for Love

30 min

Swinging Singing Years

30 min

Goodbye, My Love

30 min

The Camel`s Foot

30 min

The Graduation Dress

30 min

The Influential Americans

30 min

The Playoff

30 min

Journey to a Wedding

30 min

Learn to Say Goodbye

Tom Parkes is still attached to the memory of his first wife. Jo, his new wife, vows to win his complete affection.

30 min

Strictly Solo

30 min

The Money Driver

Harness racing driver, Al Roberts, fights viciously to bring in the big money. And at home he has no patience with his son Joey and pushes the boy around.

30 min

The Other Wise Man

A presentation of the 1960 episode of the same name.

30 min

Don't Let It Throw You

30 min

Memory in White

Super rare GE Theater written by Budd Schulberg, Memory in White, stars Sammy Davis as a punch drunk boxer trying to start a new life as a ring announcer while being tormented by Charles Bronson.

30 min

The Devil You Say

A nattily dressed gentleman climbs out of a manhole, goes down the street to the home of the Willoughbys and introduces himself to Mrs. Willoughby as Nick Lucifer, alias Beelzebub, the Prince of Darkness.

30 min

The Drop-Out

30 min

A Little White Lye

Todays theme is A Little White Lye.

30 min

The Legend That Walks Like a Man

30 min

A Possibility of Oil

Todays theme is A Possibility of Oi

30 min

Image of a Doctor

30 min

Open House

New York Detective Joe McQueen would like to know how to get Grover Healy, his freeloading brother-in-law, out of his house. But it isn't until smalltime hoodlum Willy Zucks shows up at McQueen's home that Grover considers leaving.

30 min

The Small Elephants

A shady operator named Pegosi tries to get a gullible actress, Leslie Blaine, to buy a miniature live elephant for a publicity stunt. When a magician named Trapollini tells Pegosi he'd like one too, Pegosi realizes he many actually have to produce the animal.

30 min

Love is a Lion's Roar

30 min

Labor of Love

30 min

Sis Bowls 'Em Over

Connie Marlowe is responsible for orphaned younger brother, Buzz. He hopes to win some money in a father-son bowling match, so he asks Connie to get a stand-in father for him.

30 min

The Joke's on Me

Comic Sid Benton takes a hard-boiled, cynical view of life in his nightclub act where it pays off. But when he runs this attitude over into his private life, he loses his wife's affections.

30 min

My Darling Judge

Judge Cyrus Dunn is determined to get away for a holiday fishing trip. But at the last moment, his wife Betsy insists that the gardener's salary must be paid. This leaves the judge with no ready cash for his trip.

30 min

Louie and the Horseless Buggy

30 min