Season 4 • Episode 17
LatestIn the Warsaw ghetto, a Jewish man seeks revenge for the rape of his sister by a German soldier.
Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of the mid-1950s were usually hour-long shows, the title highlighted the network's intention to present something unusual, a weekly series of hour-and-a-half dramas rather than 60-minute plays. Playhouse 90 began as a pitch by Frank Stanton—the formidable, forward-thinking right-hand man to CBS chairman William S. Paley—during a brainstorming session for program ideas. The project was ultimately developed by Hubbell Robinson, a CBS vice president who received no screen credit on Playhouse 90 but is often described as its creator.
Acting
Newman, Steiger, Hepburn—raw, unfiltered, unforgettable.
Direction
Live camera choreography under insane pressure.
Writing
Serling, Chayefsky, Rose—TV's Mount Rushmore.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Only 43 of 133 episodes survive in complete form—most live broadcasts were erased for tape reuse.
Rod Serling's 'Requiem for a Heavyweight' and 'The Comedian' here directly fed his Twilight Zone aesthetic—the live desperation became his signature.
US
