CBS Television Workshop

CBS Television Workshop is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from January 13, 1952, to April 13, 1952. The series is noted for featuring early television appearances of several well known actors, including Audrey Hepburn, James Dean, Sidney Poitier and Grace Kelly. The title was also used for a 1960 series.

1952 series
Writers whose works were adapted for the series included Ray Bradbury.

The first episode, which premiered on January 13, 1952, is a dramatized 30-minute version of Don Quixote starring Boris Karloff and directed by Sidney Lumet. Grace Kelly made an appearance as Dulcinea.

Guest stars

 * James Dean
 * Albert Dekker
 * Geraldine Fitzgerald
 * Audrey Hepburn
 * Conrad Janis
 * Boris Karloff
 * Grace Kelly
 * James Lipton
 * Leslie Nielsen
 * Sidney Poitier

Critical response
The trade publication Motion Picture Daily (MPD) commented in mid-March 1952, "After an uneven start, the CBS Television Workshop is finally settling down into the experimental groove for which it is designed." The review noted the difficulties imposed by a 30-minute time slot, and it mentioned the episode "The Rocket" in which Martin Ritt performed well, but the quality of the script was not as good as the quality of the acting.

A subsequent review in MPD called another episode, "The Gallow's Tree", a production that "was excitingly outstanding and provided a half-hour of captivating viewing." Geraldine Fitzgerald's performance was described as "outstanding", and the review added, "Director Robert Stevens should be congratulated on his marked imagination and skill."

1960 series
Another CBS Television Workshop was broadcast in 1960, running from January 24, 1960, through May 1, 1960, and returning to run from October 2, 1960, through December 25, 1960. The show was "an experimental anthology series" that was broadcast on Sundays from noon to 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The series brought "new writing, directing and acting talent to television in conjunction with performances by skilled professionals." The show was sustaining and was recorded on tape.

Episodes of the 1960 series included those shown in the table below.
 * The trade publication Broadcasting reported, "'Afterthought' used neither actors nor words." It compared the techniqe to dialog-free commercials of that time, saying that the episode "tells a story of love and crime by such audio-visual devices as a florist's bill, a rejected engagement ring, a telephone click, concert tickets, flowers, soft music, the thud of a weapon, and the thump of a dead body."

Critical response
A review in the trade publication Variety said that Truman was miscast as the lead in "Flight of Fancy", making her look like "little more than a suburban housewife doing a community theatre bit". Others in the cast were described as "uniformly professional", and the script received a mixed review.