# Colgate Theatre (1949 TV series)

Colgate Theatre is a 30-minute dramatic television anthology series telecast on NBC from 1949 to 1950.
The series is unrelated to NBC's 1958 series of the same name.

## Production and content

Colgate Theatre was a live television anthology series. Its episodes included a variety of comedies, dramas, and mysteries. Some were based on short stories, plays, or radio shows — the first season included the first television adaptations of the radio shows Mr. and Mrs. North and Vic and Sade — while others used scripts specifically written for television. Although top names usually did not appear on Colgate Theatre, casts included a wide variety of actors and actresses. Each episode began with a "Broadway Theater" theme playing while cameras showed the audience members take their seats in the theater, look through the program for the episode's title, and then focus their attention on the stage as the curtain rose.

## Broadcast history

Colgate Theatre premiered on January 3, 1949, and was telecast from 9:00 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday nights from then through September 1949. On October 2, 1949 it moved to Sunday nights, airing from 8:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time from October 1949 to June 1950. It last episode was broadcast on June 25, 1950.

## Critical reception

A review in the trade publication Variety described the presentation of "The Haunting Years" on January 10, 1949, as being "completely devoid of quality". It said that the episode "was supposed to be a gag of cosmic proportions but it turned out to be only a kindergarten romp," adding that all involved in the production were "victimized by the script."

## Notable stars

* Mary Wickes

## Episodes
### Season 1 (1949)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1 | "Fancy Meeting You Here" | Unknown | Unknown | January 3, 1949 (1949-01-03) |
| 2 | "The Haunting Year" | Unknown | Unknown | January 10, 1949 (1949-01-10) |
| ? | "Mr. and Mrs. North" | Unknown | Unknown | July 4, 1949 (1949-07-04) |
| ? | "Vic and Sade (Part 1)" | Unknown | Unknown | July 11, 1949 (1949-07-11) |
| ? | "Vic and Sade (Part 2)" | Unknown | Unknown | July 18, 1949 (1949-07-18) |
| ? | "Vic and Sade (Part 3)" | Unknown | Unknown | July 25, 1949 (1949-07-25) |
| ? | "The Key in the Lock" | Unknown | Unknown | August 15, 1949 (1949-08-15) |
| Starring Rory Mallinson, Nancy Coleman, Jesse White, John Marley, and Julius Bing. |||||
| ? | "What Price Story" | Unknown | Unknown | August 22, 1949 (1949-08-22) |
| Starring William Post, Jr., Mary K. Wells, Reed Brown, Jr., Tony Rivers, and Dort Clark. |||||
| ? | "Old Flame" | Unknown | Unknown | August 29, 1949 (1949-08-29) |
| Starring Donald Buka, Sally Moffat, and John Boruff. |||||
| ? | "My Wife Is a Liar" | Unknown | Unknown | September 5, 1949 (1949-09-05) |
| Starring Erin O'Brien-Moore, William Post, Jr., Hunter Gardner, Frank Thomas, Jr., John Marley, David Orrick, and John Shay. |||||
| ? | "The Loan" | Unknown | Unknown | September 19, 1949 (1949-09-19) |
| Starring Tom Ewell, Harry Bannister, Billy Lynn, Fay Sappington, and Norma Jean Marlowe. |||||

### Season 2 (1949–1950)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1 | "The Queen Bee" | Unknown | Unknown | October 2, 1949 (1949-10-02) |
| Starring Claire Luce. |||||
| 2 | "Something's Got to Give" | Unknown | Unknown | October 9, 1949 (1949-10-09) |
| Starring John Beal and Haila Stoddard. |||||
| 3 | "Retaliation" | Unknown | Unknown | October 16, 1949 (1949-10-16) |
| 4 | "Young Stacey" | Unknown | Unknown | October 23, 1949 (1949-10-23) |
| Starring Jane Marlowe. |||||
| 5 | "The Old Lady Shows Her Medals" | Melville Burke | J. M. Barrie | October 30, 1949 (1949-10-30) |
| Starring Florence Reed. |||||
| 6 | "Remember the Day" | Unknown | Unknown | November 6, 1949 (1949-11-06) |
| Starring Donald Rose. |||||
| 7 | "O'Brien" | Unknown | Unknown | November 13, 1949 (1949-11-13) |
| Starring Phil Arthur and Jean Pugsley. |||||
| 8 | "News Item" | Unknown | Unknown | November 20, 1949 (1949-11-20) |
| Starring James Engler and Mary Alice Moore. |||||
| 9 | "Daughters Are Different" | Unknown | Unknown | November 27, 1949 (1949-11-27) |
| Starring Marta Linden, Dean Harens, Wendy Drew, and Mary K. Welles. |||||
| 10 | "Company for Dinner" | Unknown | Unknown | December 4, 1949 (1949-12-04) |
| Starring Dorrit Kelton, John Baragrey, Mary K. Welles, and Harry Bannister. |||||
| 11 | "A Trip to Czardis" | Unknown | Unknown | December 11, 1949 (1949-12-11) |
| Starring Butch Cavell and Norma Jane Marlowe. |||||
| 12 | "The Pearls" | Unknown | Unknown | December 18, 1949 (1949-12-18) |
| Starring Renold Evans and Donald Buka. |||||
| 13 | "Blessed Are They" | Unknown | Unknown | December 25, 1949 (1949-12-25) |
| Starring Ian Keith and Norma Jane Marlowe. |||||
| 14 | "I'll Marry You Later" | Unknown | Unknown | January 1, 1950 (1950-01-01) |
| Starring Walter Klavan and Robert Gonay. |||||
| 15 | "Second Generation" | Unknown | Unknown | January 8, 1950 (1950-01-08) |
| Starring Carroll Ashburn and Neva Patterson. |||||
| 16 | "Bert's Wedding" | Unknown | Unknown | January 15, 1950 (1950-01-15) |
| Starring Parker Fennelly, Wendy Drew, and Frank Thomas, Jr.. |||||
| 17 | "Two for a Penny" | Unknown | Unknown | January 22, 1950 (1950-01-22) |
| Starring Neva Patterson and William Post, Jr. |||||
| 18 | "Abby, Her Farm" | Unknown | Unknown | January 29, 1950 (1950-01-29) |
| Starring Jimsey Somers, Joan Castle, John Newland, and Jack Diamond. |||||
| 19 | "The Trap" | Unknown | Unknown | February 5, 1950 (1950-02-05) |
| Starring Oliver Thorndyke and Mary K. Welles. |||||
| 20 | "The Brave and the Early Fallen" | Unknown | Unknown | February 12, 1950 (1950-02-12) |
| Starring Royal Dano. |||||
| 21 | "The Karpoldi Letter" | Unknown | Unknown | February 19, 1950 (1950-02-19) |
| Starring William Neil. |||||
| 22 | "The Long, Young Dreams" | Unknown | Unknown | February 26, 1950 (1950-02-26) |
| Starring Faye Emerson and Barry Nelson. |||||
| 23 | "Neither a Borrower" | Unknown | Unknown | March 5, 1950 (1950-03-05) |
| Starring Leona Maricle and Perry Wilson. |||||
| 24 | "Always a Knife in the Back" | Unknown | Unknown | March 12, 1950 (1950-03-12) |
| Starring Vicki Cummings. |||||
| 25 | "Blackmail" | Unknown | Unknown | March 19, 1950 (1950-03-19) |
| Starring William Post, Jr., Virginia Gilmore, and Cynthia Carlin. |||||
| 26 | "The Green Bush" | Unknown | Unknown | March 26, 1950 (1950-03-26) |
| Starring Robert Feyti, Eleanor Lynn, and Jonathan Marlowe. |||||
| 27 | "Burden of Guilt" | Unknown | Unknown | April 2, 1950 (1950-04-02) |
| Starring Clay Clement. |||||
| 28 | "Motive for Murder" | Unknown | Unknown | April 9, 1950 (1950-04-09) |
| Starring John Baragrey and Pam Duncan. |||||
| 29 | "Double Entry" | Unknown | Unknown | April 16, 1950 (1950-04-16) |
| Starring Florence Reed and Robert Feyti. |||||
| 30 | "The Witness to the Crime" | Unknown | Unknown | April 23, 1950 (1950-04-23) |
| Starring Joe Glendenning, June Dayton, and Frank M. Thomas. |||||
| 31 | "The Lawbeaters" | Unknown | Unknown | April 30, 1950 (1950-04-30) |
| Starring Lee Tracy. |||||
| 32 | "The Suitable Present" | Unknown | Unknown | May 7, 1950 (1950-05-07) |
| Starring Kathleen Comegys. |||||
| 33 | "Revenge by Proxy" | Unknown | Unknown | May 14, 1950 (1950-05-14) |
| Starring Nancy Coleman, Phil Arthur, Bernard Kates, and Victor Sutherland. |||||
| 34 | "Change of Murder" | Unknown | Unknown | May 21, 1950 (1950-05-21) |
| Starring Bernard Nedell, Charles Jordan, and Alfred Hopson. |||||
| 35 | "South Wind" | Unknown | Unknown | May 28, 1950 (1950-05-28) |
| Starring William Post, Jr. and Peggy French. |||||
| 36 | "I Got What It Takes" | Unknown | Unknown | June 4, 1950 (1950-06-04) |
| Starring William Post, Jr. and Peggy French. |||||
| 37 | "The Hotel of the Three Kings" | Unknown | Unknown | June 11, 1950 (1950-06-11) |
| Starring Elwyn Harvey, Sara Anderson, and William Beach. |||||
| 38 | "Hands of the Enemy" | Unknown | Unknown | June 18, 1950 (1950-06-18) |
| Starring Alfreda Wallace, Kem Dibbs, and Richard McMurray. |||||
| 39 | "Satan's Waitin'" | Unknown | Unknown | June 25, 1950 (1950-06-25) |
| Starring Jeanne Cagney and Pierre Watkins. |||||