Cameo Theatre was an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1950 to 1955. The live series, produced by Albert McCleery, introduced to television the concept of theater-in-the-round, which had been well established and popularized since 1947 by Margo Jones with her Theatre '47 in Dallas, Texas. McCleery's method of staging employed minimal sets and props well lit within a black background, enabling cameras to move about with much freedom in the darkness, picking up shots from any angle. McCleery's skill with this type of staging led directly to his producer role with NBC's Matinee Theatre. The technique put the focus directly on the characters and dialogue rather than scenery.
About
Highlights
Director Walter Grauman briefly on Cameo Theatre and Matinee Theater creator/producer Albert McCleery
00:30
Director Walter Grauman on directing Cameo Theatre: "The Man From the South" later remade (with Steve McQueen) as the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "Man from the South" [note: the star in the Cameo Theatre show was John Lupton, not Steve McQueen as Grauman recalls]
01:55
Walter Grauman on breaking into NBC network dramatic series directing with Cameo Theatre
01:42
Ellen M. Violett on adapting Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" for Cameo Theater
09:18
Arthur Hiller on the lack of sets on both NBC Matinee Theaterand Cameo Theatre
03:15
Abby Mann on his early interest in writing and F. Scott Fitzgerald, and on writing about him for Cameo Theatre in "The Gathering Twilight"
02:37
Who talked about this show
Walter E. Grauman
Walter Grauman on breaking into NBC network dramatic series directing with Cameo Theatre
01:42
Director Walter Grauman on directing Cameo Theatre: "The Man From the South" later remade (with Steve McQueen) as the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "Man from the South" [note: the star in the Cameo Theatre show was John Lupton, not Steve McQueen as Grauman recalls]
01:55
Director Walter Grauman briefly on Cameo Theatre and Matinee Theater creator/producer Albert McCleery
00:30
Arthur Hiller
Arthur Hiller on the lack of sets on both NBC Matinee Theaterand Cameo Theatre
03:15
Lamont Johnson
Lamont Johnson on his early television work as an actor
02:37
Abby Mann
Abby Mann on his early interest in writing and F. Scott Fitzgerald, and on writing about him for Cameo Theatre in "The Gathering Twilight"
02:37
Ellen M. Violett
Ellen M. Violett on how she became a television writer
03:57
Ellen M. Violett on adapting Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" for Cameo Theater
09:18