DuPont Show of the Month, The

1 9 5 7 – 1 9 6 1 (USA)
42 x 90 minute episodes

Debuting on 29 September 1957, this anthology series from CBS included comedy, drama, musicals, and mysteries, with both original stories and adaptations from books and Broadway.

Performers in the 42 shows included Rex Harrison, John Carradine, Christopher Plummer, Peggy Ann Garner, Sal Mineo, Basil Rathbone, Agnes Moorehead, Shirley Jones, Harpo Marx, Donald O’Connor, Richard Burton, Art Carney, Elizabeth Montgomery, Sir John Gielgud, Roddy McDowall, Ben Gazzara, Martin Balsam, Eli Wallach, Lee J Cobb, Inga Swenson, Richard Harris, Boris Karloff, Richard Basehart, Julie Harris, and Inger Stevens.

Episodes included Cole Porter’s version of “Aladdin”, “Wuthering Heights”,  “The Winslow Boy”, “Harvey” (already released as a film in 1950), “The Count of Monte Cristo”, an Old Vic production of “Hamlet”, “Billy Budd”, “Treasure Island” (with Richard O’Sullivan and Boris Karloff), “Oliver Twist”, “The Scarlet Pimpernel” and “The Prisoner of Zenda”.

As the name suggests, the series was sponsored by the DuPont Corporation. In 1961, the show was succeeded by The DuPont Show of the Week, which ran on NBC until 6 September 1964.