American anthology television series
Colgate Theatre is a 30-minute dramatic anthology television series broadcast on NBC during the summer and early autumn of 1958. It consisted entirely of unsold television pilots.
"Colgate Theatre" was unrelated to NBC's live television anthology series of the same name of 1949–1950.
Background.
The practice of television executives of ordering dozens of pilots for proposed television series each year – far more than their networks could possibly broadcast as series – created a sizable body of unsold pilots that had never aired. Packaging these unsold pilots in anthology series and airing them during the summer provided television networks with a way of both providing fresh programming during the summer rerun season and recouping at least some of the expense of producing them.
"Colgate Theatre" was one such series. Using the same name as an earlier anthology series of live dramas NBC had broadcast in 1949–1950, it was a last-minute replacement during the 1950s quiz show scandals for the quiz show "Dotto", which ended on August 12, 1958, amid accusations that it was rigged. "Colgate Theatre" served as a filler for the sponsor of "Dotto", Colgate-Palmolive, until "The George Burns Show" premiered on October 14, 1958.
Bill Goodwin was the host of "Colgate Theatre". Stars appearing in the series included Walter Brennan, Claudette Colbert, Joanne Dru, Vera Miles, Ricardo Montalbán, and Jane Russell.
Critical reception.
The fifth episode of "Colgate Theatre", "The Fountain of Youth," won a Peabody Award in 1958 for Orson Welles, who wrote, directed, narrated, arranged the music for, and designed the sets for it. On September 16, 1958, the "Chicago Tribune" wrote, "Orson Welles hasn't lost his touch. This is as witty and imaginative a TV film as we've ever seen. Welles has written the screen play, designed the sets, arranged the music, directed the show, and narrated the action, and he comes out ahead on all fronts. Based on a short story by the macabre humorist, John Collier, the film tells of the hilariously harrowing triangular relationship of a vengeful scientist, a lush actress, and a tennis playing playboy. The performances of Dan Tobin, Joi Lansing and Rick Jason as the leads, plus those of everybody else, are superb. But perhaps the outstanding feature of the production is that, for once, every aspect of TV filming has been used for maximum effect. Unlike most films for TV, this one indicates taste, care, intelligence and a sense of humor."
Of the sixth episode, "McCreedy's Woman," which starred Jane Russell, the "Chicago Tribune" wrote, "All it proves is that Miss Russell would be a welcome addition to the TV roster, if somebody could find the right format for her. In this play, she appears as the owner of a small night club, wears some attractive clothes, sings a few songs, and struggles thru an extremely obvious teleplay."
Broadcast history.
"Colgate Theatre" ran for eight episodes on eight consecutive weeks in the summer and early autumn of 1958 on Tuesday evenings from 9:30 to 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time. It premiered on August 19, and its last episode aired on October 7.
Episodes.
SOURCES: 
References.
Citations.
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