# ABC Theater

ABC Theater is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC and featured quality dramatic presentations over a period of 12 years. Although some sources indicate the series began in 1974, ABC lists the first production in 1972, with irregular broadcasts until 1984.
Directors for the series of television movies included George Schaefer, Stanley Kramer, Joseph Papp, George Cukor, José Quintero, Daniel Petrie, Randal Kleiser and Delbert Mann.
Writers contributing original material for the series included James Costigan, Alice Childress, Lonne Elder III and Loring Mandel.
In 1973, ABC shared in a joint Peabody Award with NBC and CBS "for their outstanding contributions to entertainment through an exceptional year of televised drama." The award particularly noted the ABC Theater productions of The Glass Menagerie and Pueblo.

## Selected episodes

| Episode | Airdate | Cast | Major Awards | Director | Writer |
| If You Give a Dance, You Gotta Pay the Band | 12/19/1972 | Donna M. Bryan, Georgia Burke, Laurence Fishburne, Moses Gunn, Albert Hall | | Fred Coe | Stanley L. Gray |
| Long Day's Journey Into Night | 03/10/1973 | Laurence Olivier, Constance Cummings, Denis Quilley | Laurence Olivier, Emmy for Outstanding Single Performance by a Lead Actor | Peter Wood | Eugene O'Neill |
| Pueblo | 03/29/1973 | Hal Holbrook, Ronny Cox, Andrew Duggan, Stephen Elliott | Hal Holbrook, Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Drama | Anthony Page | Stanley R. Greenberg |
| The Glass Menagerie | 12/16/1973 | Katharine Hepburn, Sam Waterston, Joanna Miles, Michael Moriarty | Joanna Miles, Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in Drama Michael Moriarty, Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in Drama | Anthony Harvey | Tennessee Williams |
| F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'The Last of the Belles' | 01/07/1974 | Richard Chamberlain, Blythe Danner, Susan Sarandon | | George Schaefer | James Costigan |
| Judgment: The Trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg | 01/28/1974 | Allan Arbus, Herschel Bernardi, Barbara Colby | | Stanley Kramer | Harry Kleiner |
| Wedding Band | 04/24/1974 | Ruby Dee, J.D. Cannon, Eileen Heckart | | Joseph Papp | Alice Childress |
| The Missiles of October | 12/18/1974 | William Devane, Martin Sheen, Howard Da Silva, Ralph Bellamy | | Anthony Page | Stanley R. Greenberg |
| Ceremonies in Dark Old Men | 01/06/1975 | J. Eric Bell, Godfrey Cambridge, Rosalind Cash, Robert Hooks, Glynn Turman | |
| Judgment: The Court Martial of Lieutenant William Calley | 01/12/1975 | Tony Musante, Richard Basehart, Harrison Ford | | Stanley Kramer | Henry Denker |
| Love Among the Ruins | 03/06/1975 | Katharine Hepburn, Laurence Olivier, Colin Blakely | Peabody Award Katharine Hepburn, Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Special Laurence Olivier, Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Special George Cukor, Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Special James Costigan, Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Special (Original teleplay) | George Cukor | James Costigan |
| I Will Fight No More Forever | 04/14/1975 | James Whitmore, Sam Elliott, Ned Romero | | Richard T. Heffron | Theodore Strauss |
| A Moon for the Misbegotten | 05/27/1975 | Jason Robards, Colleen Dewhurst, Ed Flanders | Ed Flanders, Emmy for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Special |
| Eleanor and Franklin | 01/11 & 01/12/1976 | Jane Alexander, Edward Herrmann, Rosemary Murphy | Peabody Award Emmy for Outstanding Drama Special Rosemary Murphy, Emmy for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Special Daniel Petrie, Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Special James Costigan, Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Special (Original teleplay) | Daniel Petrie | James Costigan |
| Green Eyes | 01/03/1977 | Paul Winfield, Rita Tushingham, Jonathan Goldsmith | Peabody Award Humanitas Prize | John Erman | David Seltzer |
| Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years | 03/13/1977 | Jane Alexander, Edward Herrmann, Priscilla Pointer, Blair Brown | Emmy for Outstanding Special (Tie with Sybil) Daniel Petrie, Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Special | Daniel Petrie | James Costigan |
| Mary White | 11/18/1977 | Ed Flanders, Fionnula Flanagan, Tim Matheson, Kathleen Beller | Caryl Ledner, Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Special (Adaptation) | Jud Taylor | Caryl Ledner |
| The Gathering | 12/04/1977 | Edward Asner, Maureen Stapleton | Emmy for Outstanding Special | Randal Kleiser | James Poe |
| Breaking Up | 01/02/1978 | Lee Remick, Granville Van Dusen | | Delbert Mann | Loring Mandel |
| The Last Tenant | 06/25/1978 | Tony Lo Bianco, Lee Strasberg, Christine Lahti | George Rubino, Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Special (Original teleplay) | Jud Taylor | George Rubino |
| Friendly Fire | 04/22/1979 | Carol Burnett, Ned Beatty, Sam Waterston, Timothy Hutton | Peabody Award Emmy for Outstanding Special Daniel Greene, Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Limited Series or Special | David Greene | Fay Kanin |
| Attica | 03/02/1980 | Charles Durning, Morgan Freeman, George Grizzard | Marvin J. Chomsky, Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Limited Series or a Special | Marvin J. Chomsky | James S. Henerson |
| The Women's Room | 09/14/1980 | Lee Remick, Ted Danson, Colleen Dewhurst, Patty Duke | | Glenn Jordan | Carol Sobieski |
| The Shadow Box | 12/28/1980 | Joanne Woodward, Christopher Plummer, Valerie Harper, James Broderick | Humanitas Prize Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Made For Television | Paul Newman | Michael Cristofer |
| Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy 'Satchel' Paige | 05/31/1981 | Louis Gossett Jr., Beverly Todd, Cleavon Little | | Richard A. Colla | Ronald Rubin |
| The Elephant Man | 01/04/1982 | Philip Anglim, Kevin Conway, Penny Fuller | Penny Fuller, Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special | Jack Hofsiss | Steve Lawson |
| Divorce Wars: A Love Story | 03/01/1982 | Tom Selleck, Jane Curtin, Candice Azzara | Humanitas Prize | Donald Wrye | Donald Wrye |
| My Body, My Child | 04/12/1982 | Vanessa Redgrave, Jack Albertson, Joseph Campanella, Stephen Elliott | |
| The Letter | 05/03/1982 | Lee Remick, Ronald Pickup, Jack Thompson | |
| Benny's Place | 05/31/1982 | Louis Gossett Jr., Cicely Tyson, Terry Alexander | |
| Who Will Love My Children? | 02/14/1983 | Ann-Margret, Frederic Forrest, Donald Moffat | Ann-Margret, Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television | John Erman | Michael Bortman |
| The Day After | 11/20/1983 | Jason Robards, JoBeth Williams, John Lithgow, Amy Madigan | | Nicholas Meyer | Edward Hume |
| Heart of Steel | 12/04/1983 | Peter Strauss, Pamela Reed, John Doucette | | Donald Wrye | Gary DeVore |
| Something About Amelia | 01/09/1984 | Ted Danson, Glenn Close, Roxana Zal | Emmy for Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special Roxana Zal, Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special William Hanley, Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special | Randa Haines | William Hanley |
| A Streetcar Named Desire | 03/04/1984 | Ann-Margret, Treat Williams, Beverly D'Angelo | | John Erman | Oscar Saul |
| The Dollmaker | 05/13/1984 | Jane Fonda, Levon Helm, Amanda Plummer | Humanitas Prize Jane Fonda, Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Limited Series or a Special | Daniel Petrie | Susan Cooper Hume Cronyn |
| Heartsounds | 09/30/1984 | James Garner, Mary Tyler Moore, Sam Wanamaker | Peabody Award | Glenn Jordan | Fay Kanin |
| Consenting Adult | 02/04/1985 | Martin Sheen, Marlo Thomas | | Gilbert Cates | John McGreevey |

## ABC Theater Award

In 1977, ABC Inc., established the “ABC Theater” Award. The award provided a grant to the National Playwrights Conference of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and a cash award of $10,000 to the winning playwright. The playwright's work was then telecast as an ABC Theater Presentation. Winners of the award have included George Rubino for The Last Tenant, Lee Hunkins for Hollow Image, Preston Ransone for King Crab, J. Rufus Caleb for Benny's Place and Phil Penningroth for Ghost Dancing.