Death of a salesman 1966 - An outstanding play and an outstanding TV adaptation

Lee J. Cobb and Mildred Dunnock in Death of a salesman (1966)

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IMDB Rating: 7,8

Director: Alex Segal
Main Cast: Lee J. Cobb, Mildred Dunnock, James Farentino, Albert Dekker, George Segal, Karen Steele, Gene Wilder

"Death of a Salesman is a 1966 television film adapted from the play of the same name by Arthur Miller. It was directed by Alex Segal and adapted for television by Miller. It received numerous nominations for awards, and won several of them, including three Primetime Emmy Awards, a Directors Guild of America Award and a Peabody Award. It was nominated in a total of 11 Emmy categories at the 19th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1967. Lee J. Cobb reprised his role as Willy Loman and Mildred Dunnock reprised her role as Linda Loman from the original 1949 stage production. The performance marks a strong dramatic turn for George Segal who is known for his comic work, while a young Gene Wilder presents a comic but sensitive performance as Bernard."

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Once upon a mattress 1964 - The first TV adaptation of a classic musical

Carol Burnett in Once upon a mattress (1964)

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IMDB Rating: 8,1

Directors: Joe Layton, Dave Geisel
Main Cast: Carol Burnett, Jane White, Jack Gilford, Joseph Bova, Elliott Gould, Shani Wallis

"Once Upon a Mattress is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway. The play was written as an adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale The Princess and the Pea.
The first television adaptation was aired on June 3, 1964 on CBS. The production was videotaped in black and white in front of a live audience and featured Burnett, Bova, Gilford, and White from the original Broadway cast, as well as new principals Bill Hayes as the Minstrel, Shani Wallis as Lady Larken and Elliott Gould as the Jester. Due to the reduced running time of 90 minutes, several songs and scenes were either cut or shortened."

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Kiss me, Kate 1958 - A Hallmark Hall of Fame adaptation with Broadway's original stars

Patricia Morison & Alfred Drake in Kiss me, Kate (1958)

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IMDB rating: 8,0

Director: George Schaefer
Main Cast: Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Julie Wilson, Bill Hayes

"Not to be confused with the 1953 Kiss Me Kate - the big screen feature directed by George Sidney with assist from Bob Fosse - this 1958 television production actually constitutes a filmed version of the original stage play, loose adaptation of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew by Sam Spewack, Bella Spewack and Cole Porter. The cast includes the original Broadway stars too: Patricia Morison , Bill Hayes, Julie Wilson and Alfred Drake. George Schaefer served as producer and director, Franz Allers handled musical direction and Ernest Flatt did the choreography. This was originally telecast on November 20, 1958 as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame showcase." - www.allmovie.com

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Annie get your gun 1957 - A marvelous TV version with Mary Martin and John Raitt

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IMDB rating: 8,0

Director: Vincent J. Donehue

Main Cast: Mary Martin, John Raitt, William O'Neal, Reta Shaw

"In 1946, Irving Berlin’s musical Annie Get Your Gun opened on Broadway, with Ethel Merman starring as the 19th century sharp-shooter Annie Oakley. It was a major hit and Merman received endless praise for her performance. In 1957, the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera Association decided to celebrate its 20th anniversary by staging two shows starring Martin. One was an obvious choice - South Pacific, arguably Martin’s biggest Broadway success. The other was something of a surprise - Annie Get Your Gun, which the association decided to present both in Los Angeles and in San Francisco, with a special live telecast produced for NBC. The TV version of Annie Get Your Gun was reconfigured to fit a two-hour time slot. In order to preserve as much of the Berlin score as possible, a good chunk of the show’s book was cut out. As a result, this production moves somewhat faster than the 1950 film version - and the transition times between songs is often abrupt. Annie Get Your Gun was telecast in color, though most homes in 1957 did not have color television sets. However, 60 million Americans tuned in for the broadcast, which was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. The success of the program helped speed along an album featuring the cast, which was a best-seller."

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The lark 1957 - A live televised version of Jean Anouihl's play

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IMDB rating: 6,9

Director: George Schaefer

Main Cast: Julie Harris, Boris Karloff, Eli Wallach, Basil Rathbone, Denholm Elliott, Jack Warden

"Starring Boris Karloff, Bruce Gordon, Michael Higgins and Julie Harris reprising their roles from the Broadway play that ran 229 performances in New York beginning in late 1955! Karloff was nominated for the 1956 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Drama for 'The Lark' so now you can watch this rarely-seen and obscure film about the story of Joan of Arc, and the people who convincted and sentenced her to death."

Download links:

https://archive.org/download/HallmarkHallOfFameTheLark/TheHallmarkHallOfFame-theLark.avi