Action in the Afternoon
| Action in the Afternoon | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Western, Drama |
| Created by | Charles Vanda |
| Written by |
Leslie Urbach William R. Cox Dean Owens John Fleming Don Prindle Clair Roskam Richard Strome |
| Directed by |
Bill Bode John Ullrich |
| Starring |
Jack Valentine Barry Cassell Jean Corbett Harriss Forrest Blake Ritter Mary Elaine Watts Sam Kressen Chris Keegan Creighton Stewart Marvin Stephens Norman Garfield Walt Barnes John Zacherle David Soren |
| Narrated by | Blake Ritter |
| Opening theme | Aaron Copland, Billy the Kid (Ballet Suite) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Hubbell Robinson Harry Omerle |
| Producer(s) | Don Lenox |
| Location(s) | Philadelphia |
| Cinematography |
Dan Falzani Ed Harper |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | February 2, 1953 – January 29, 1954 |
Action in the Afternoon is an American western television series that aired live on CBS from February 2, 1953 to January 29, 1954. The series originated from the studios and back lot of WCAU, Channel 10 in Philadelphia, and was broadcast Monday through Friday regardless of the weather. The half-hour series aired variously at 3:30 pm or 4:00 pm, throughout its run.
Production
While ad-libbing his pitch for the series to the executives at CBS, Charles Vanda set the story in the fictional town of Huberle, Montana, a name derived from CBS executives Hubbell Robinson and Harry Omerle.[1]
Action in the Afternoon is the only live outdoor western ever to appear on network television in the United States. Other live westerns existed, however Action in the Afternoon was the only one that did not include prerecorded film segments in the program.[2] If things moved along too fast, or actors needed time to move between the indoor and outdoor sets, the time would be filled by Jack Valentine singing with The Tommy Ferguson Trio playing along.
Because the program was live and outdoors, music director Richard Lester (later to direct two Beatles movies) made every effort to hide the sounds of the world beyond the back lot. The sounds of airplanes overhead and trucks backfiring as they drove past the studio were covered with appropriate music. However, during one particular broadcast a very loud unscripted sound was heard, and was soon discovered to be a horse biting one of the many microphones hidden around the outdoor set.[1][2]
Only a few video episodes of Action in the Afternoon remain. They can be viewed at The Paley Center for Media in New York City. One episode can be streamed or downloaded at the Internet Archive.
Reception
Three weeks into the broadcast, Time wrote that the "dialogue limps even more obviously than the camera" and that the series is "an experiment that needs a lot more work."[3]
References
- 1 2 "Action in the Afternoon". Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. 2005. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
- 1 2 "The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia". Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
- ↑ "The New Shows". Time. 1953-02-23. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
External links
- 1953: Action In the Afternoon - Video Vault News Story - WCAU - Philadelphia - Includes a streaming episode of Action in the Afternoon.
- Action in the Afternoon at the Internet Movie Database