Famous Film Festival
Encyclopedia
Famous Film Festival was an American
television
prime-time movie series that aired Sunday nights from 7:30-9:00 pm (et) on ABC
during the 1955-56 television season.
In 1955, ABC obtained the rights to broadcast 35 British movie titles. These included Great Expectations
(1946), Brief Encounter
(1945), Odd Man Out
(1947) , Caesar and Cleopatra
(1945), The Red Shoes (1948), and Hamlet
(1948). Many of these, such as Hamlet, ran two full hours or longer, and were either drastically cut to fit a ninety-minute time slot or shown in two parts.
Other British films from J Arthur Rank Productions obtained at the same time were shown as part of the network's daytime "Afternoon Film Festival", which aired weekdays from 3:00-5:00 pm (E.S.T.). This show premiered January 16, 1956 and ended August 2, 1957, replaced by American Bandstand
, which introduced Dick Clark to network television audiences and went on to become one of daytime's most popular programs, especially for teenagers.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
prime-time movie series that aired Sunday nights from 7:30-9:00 pm (et) on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
during the 1955-56 television season.
In 1955, ABC obtained the rights to broadcast 35 British movie titles. These included Great Expectations
Great Expectations (1946 film)
Great Expectations is a 1946 British film which won two Academy Awards and was nominated for three others...
(1946), Brief Encounter
Brief Encounter
Brief Encounter is a 1945 British film directed by David Lean about the conventions of British suburban life, centring on a housewife for whom real love brings unexpectedly violent emotions. The film stars Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway and Joyce Carey...
(1945), Odd Man Out
Odd Man Out
Odd Man Out is a 1947 Anglo-Irish film noir directed by Carol Reed, starring James Mason, and is based on a novel of the same name by F. L. Green.-Plot:The film's opening intertitle reads:...
(1947) , Caesar and Cleopatra
Caesar and Cleopatra (1945 film)
Caesar and Cleopatra is a 1945 British, Technicolor, biographical, romantic comedy film directed by Gabriel Pascal and starring Claude Rains and Vivien Leigh. It was adapted from a 1901 play, Caesar and Cleopatra by George Bernard Shaw...
(1945), The Red Shoes (1948), and Hamlet
Hamlet (1948 film)
Hamlet is a 1948 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, adapted and directed by and starring Sir Laurence Olivier. Hamlet was Olivier's second film as director, and also the second of the three Shakespeare films that he directed...
(1948). Many of these, such as Hamlet, ran two full hours or longer, and were either drastically cut to fit a ninety-minute time slot or shown in two parts.
Other British films from J Arthur Rank Productions obtained at the same time were shown as part of the network's daytime "Afternoon Film Festival", which aired weekdays from 3:00-5:00 pm (E.S.T.). This show premiered January 16, 1956 and ended August 2, 1957, replaced by American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
, which introduced Dick Clark to network television audiences and went on to become one of daytime's most popular programs, especially for teenagers.