Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
| Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse | |
|---|---|
Series title card
|
|
| Also known as | ''Desilu Playhouse'' |
| Genre | Anthology |
| Created by | Desi Arnaz |
| Presented by | Desi Arnaz |
| Narrated by | Betty Furness |
| Theme music composer | Johnny Green |
| Opening theme | "Westinghouse Logo" |
| Ending theme | "Desilu Playhouse Closing Theme" |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 48 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Bert Granet Quinn Martin |
| Producer(s) | Desi Arnaz Bert Granet |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Desilu Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | October 6, 1958 – June 10, 1960 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Westinghouse Studio One |
| Related shows |
I Love Lucy The Twilight Zone The Untouchables |
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse is an American television anthology series produced by Desilu Productions. The show ran on CBS television between 1958 and 1960. Two of its 48 episodes served as pilots for the 1950s television series The Twilight Zone and The Untouchables.
Between 1951 and 1957, Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball starred in and produced (via their Desilu production company) the popular I Love Lucy show. In early 1958, Desi Arnaz convinced CBS to purchase Desilu Playhouse with the promise that a bi-monthly Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show (later rebroadcast as The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour) would be among the dramas, comedies and musicals planned for the show. Westinghouse paid a then-record $12 million to sponsor the show, which resulted in the cancellation of the prestigious anthology series Studio One, also sponsored by Westinghouse.
The show debuted on Monday nights in the 10:00–11:00 pm [Eastern] time slot on October 6, 1958, hosted by Desi Arnaz, with Betty Furness continuing as the Westinghouse spokesperson (as she had been on Studio One). The first show was "Lucy Goes to Mexico," a Lucy-Desi Hour with guest star Maurice Chevalier. The dramatic "Bernadette" (a biography of Saint Bernadette), starring Pier Angeli, premiered in week two. Later shows included comedies, dramas and musicals, and various one-off comedies and dramas starring Lucille Ball in non-"Lucy" character performances.
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