The Motorola Television Hour

The Motorola Television Hour is an hourlong anthology series that alternated biweekly with The United States Steel Hour on ABC. The show premiered on November 3, 1953.¹ It was originally known as The TV Hour.²

Actors who appeared on the series included Eddie Albert, Jane Wyatt, Wallace Ford, Vicki Cummings, Lee Marvin, George Mathews, John Shellie, Ruth Gates, G. Albert Smith, Dickie Allen, Dennis Bohan, and Dan Frazer.²

Production

Beginning December 1, 1953, the program was sponsored by Motorola. Directors included Ralph Nelson² and Don Richardson. The series aired live from WABC-TV in New York City.³

Episode list

No.	Title	Directed by	Teleplay by	Original release date
1	"Outlaw's Reckoning"	Ralph Nelson⁴	Halsted Welles	November 3, 1953 (1953-11-03)
An inn near a much-used bridge becomes a tense waiting place when the bridge is closed. (Episode was originally created for Plymouth Playhouse.)
2	"Westward the Sun¹"	Unknown	Unknown	November 17, 1953 (1953-11-17)
3	"Brandenburg Gate¹"	Ralph Nelson	Unknown	December 1, 1953 (1953-12-01)
4	"At Ease"	Unknown	Rod Serling	December 15, 1953 (1953-12-15)
5	"The Thirteen Clocks⁴"	Unknown	James Thurber	December 29, 1953 (1953-12-29)
A prince disguised as a minstrel must save a beautiful princess from her evil uncle.
6	"The Last Days of Hitler"	Unknown	David Davidson	January 12, 1954 (1954-01-12)
Likely based upon the book by historian Hugh Trevor-Roper covering the last ten days of Hitler's life.
7	"Side by Side"	Unknown	William McCleery	January 26, 1954 (1954-01-26)
8	"A Dash of Bitters"	Unknown	Reginald Denham	February 9, 1954 (1954-02-09)
9	"The Muldoon Matter"	Don Richardon	Rod Serling	February 23, 1954 (1954-02-23)
10	"The Family Man⁵"	Unknown	William McCleery	March 9, 1954 (1954-03-09)
11	"Nightmare in Algiers"	Daniel Petrie	Alvin Sapinsley	March 23, 1954 (1954-03-23)
12	"The Sins of the Fathers"	Unknown	David Davidson	April 6, 1954 (1954-04-06)
Based on a 1902 short story by Silas Weir Mitchell.
13	"Black Chiffon"	Unknown	Philip Barry, Jr.	April 20, 1954 (1954-04-20)
Adapted from the 1949 stage play of the same name by Lesley Storm.
14	"Love Song¹"	Unknown	Unknown	May 4, 1954 (1954-05-04)
15	"Atomic Attack"	Ralph Nelson	David Davidson	May 18, 1954 (1954-05-18)
A family in a New York City suburb deal with the aftermath of an H-bomb attack fifty miles away.
16	"Chivalry at Howling Creek"	Unknown	Unknown	June 1, 1954 (1954-06-01)

Notable guest actors

Actors appearing on the series included:

References

McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 572. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
"The Tv Hour". Broadcasting. November 9, 1953. p. 16. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
"This Week — Network Debuts, Highlights, Changes". Ross Reports. November 2, 1953. p. 1. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
Hawes, William (2002). Filmed Television Drama, 1952-1958. McFarland. p. 56. ISBN 9780786411320. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
Brullo, Ida (March 8, 1954). "Television and Radio Chatter". The Morning Call. New Jersey, Paterson. p. 22. Retrieved March 8, 2021.

External links

[tt-1] McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 572. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.

[bc11953-2] "The Tv Hour". Broadcasting. November 9, 1953. p. 16. Retrieved February 8, 2025.

[3] "This Week — Network Debuts, Highlights, Changes". Ross Reports. November 2, 1953. p. 1. Retrieved February 8, 2025.

[ftd-4] Hawes, William (2002). Filmed Television Drama, 1952-1958. McFarland. p. 56. ISBN 9780786411320. Retrieved March 8, 2021.

[5] Brullo, Ida (March 8, 1954). "Television and Radio Chatter". The Morning Call. New Jersey, Paterson. p. 22. Retrieved March 8, 2021.

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