The Stranger (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Stranger was an early American television program
broadcast on the now defunct DuMont Television Network
. The series ran from 1954
to 1955
. It was a drama
starring Robert Carroll, who played a mysterious man who helped those in distress.
The program, produced and distributed by DuMont, aired Friday at 9 PM on most DuMont affiliates. The series was produced and directed by Frank Telford; it was cancelled in 1955, as the DuMont Network began crumbling.
They stated the series was, like several other DuMont programs during the 1953-1954 season, "doomed from the start by third-rate scripts and cheap production" and called the program a "stale pulp adventure". The series did not last long, and the network itself began crumbling by early 1955.
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...
broadcast on the now defunct DuMont Television Network
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
. The series ran from 1954
1954 in television
The year 1954 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1954.-Events:*January 1 – NBC broadcasts the Rose Parade in NTSC color on 21 stations.*January 3 – RAI launched in Italy....
to 1955
1955 in television
The year 1955 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1955.-Events:*March 5 – Elvis Presley appears on television for the first time...
. It was a drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
starring Robert Carroll, who played a mysterious man who helped those in distress.
The program, produced and distributed by DuMont, aired Friday at 9 PM on most DuMont affiliates. The series was produced and directed by Frank Telford; it was cancelled in 1955, as the DuMont Network began crumbling.
Criticism
The Stranger was hampered by a small budget, even by 1950s standards. Later critics, such as Castleman and Podrazik (1982), cited The Stranger, among other DuMont series, as one of the reasons fewer and fewer viewers tuned in to the ailing DuMont Network.They stated the series was, like several other DuMont programs during the 1953-1954 season, "doomed from the start by third-rate scripts and cheap production" and called the program a "stale pulp adventure". The series did not last long, and the network itself began crumbling by early 1955.
See also
- List of programs broadcast by the DuMont Television Network
- List of surviving DuMont Television Network broadcasts