Vacation Playhouse

Vacation Playhouse is an American anthology television series that was broadcast on CBS during the summer months from 1963 through 1967.

Background
The practice of television executives of ordering dozens of pilots for proposed television series each year – far more than their networks could possibly broadcast as series – created a sizable body of unsold pilots that had never aired. Packaging these unsold pilots in anthology series and airing them during the summer provided television networks with a way of both providing fresh programming during the summer rerun season and recouping at least some of the expense of producing them. Vacation Playhouse was one such series, aired by CBS each summer from 1963 through 1967.

Production
Vacation Playhouse premiered on July 22, 1963, airing as a summer replacement for the situation comedy The Lucy Show; a voiceover introduced each episode with "While Lucy's on vacation . . . it's Vacation Playhouse." In 1963, it consisted of unsold pilots for situation comedies. When it returned in 1964, again replacing The Lucy Show, it mostly aired previously unseen situation comedy pilots, but also included the pilot for a musical-comedy variety show and repeats of comedic episodes of General Electric Theater. In 1965, it replaced Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., and that summer it aired dramatic adventure and mystery episodes in addition to situation comedies. It again replaced The Lucy Show in 1966 and 1967 and returned to its earlier format of presenting situation comedy pilots, during each of those summers consisting of previously unaired pilots and repeats of episodes that it had aired in previous years.

Among episode directors were Richard Crenna, Jack Donohue, Don Taylor,, and Bud Yorkin. Producers included Donohue, Hal Kanter, Arthur Julian, and Norman Lear. Other directors included Bud Yorkin. Studios involved in the production of pilots aired on Vacation Playhouse included Bing Crosby Productions, Desilu Productions, Desilu Studios, Filmways, Four Star Television, Television City, and Universal Television. Stars appearing in episodes of the series included Eve Arden, Orson Bean, Richard Benjamin, Charles Bronson, Edgar Buchanan, Wally Cox, James Franciscus, Ethel Merman, Barry Nelson, Suzanne Pleshette, Ginger Rogers, Soupy Sales, Brenda Vaccaro, Jerry Van Dyke, and Ed Wynn.

Two episodes of Vacation Playhouse aired twice on the series, two others aired three times, and the series also included a few repeats of episodes of other anthology series. Nonetheless, by the time Vacation Playhouse aired for the last time in August 1967, it had broadcast 47 unsold pilots since its 1963 premiere. Its five-season run made it the longest-lived series of unsold television pilots.

Broadcast history
During 1963, Vacation Playhouse aired on Mondays from 8:30 to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, premiering on July 22 and concluding on September 23. It returned in the summer of 1964 in the same time slot, running from June 15 to September 14. During its third season in 1965, the series moved to Friday nights from 9:30 to 10:00 pm. Eastern Time from June 25 to September 10. It returned to its previous time slot on Monday nights in 1966, airing from July 4 and September 5, as well as for a final run in the summer of 1967 which began on July 3. Its final episode was broadcast on August 28, 1967.

Episodes
Season 4's nine episodes included two repeats of previously aired episodes. Season 5's nine episodes included four repeats of previously aired episodes.