American Playhouse

American Playhouse was an anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States.

Overview

It premiered on January 12, 1982 with The Shady Hill Kidnapping, written and narrated by John Cheever and directed by Paul Bogart. Its final broadcast, In the Wings: Angels in America on Broadway, a rerun of a behind-the-scenes look at Tony Kushner's award-winning play in two parts, aired on January 1, 1994.

The series proved to be the springboard for the careers of numerous performers, including David Marshall Grant, Laura Linney, A Martinez, Conchata Ferrell, Eric Roberts, Lynne Thigpen, John Malkovich, Peter Riegert, Lupe Ontiveros, Ben Stiller, and Megan Mullally.

Notable productions

• For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf, 1982
• Fifth of July, 1982
• Working, 1982
• The Skin of Our Teeth, 1983
• Miss Lonelyhearts, 1983
• True West, 1984
• The Gin Game, 1984 (originally shown on cable in 1981)
• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1985 (originally shown on cable)
• All My Sons, 1987
• Under the Biltmore Clock, 1986
• The House of Blue Leaves, 1987
• The Trial of Bernard Goetz, 1988
• The Land of Little Rain, 1989
• Andre's Mother, 1990
• Zora Is My Name!, 1990
• Into the Woods, 1991
• Tru, 1992
• Porgy and Bess, 1993 (produced in partnership with Great Performances)
• Shimmer, 1993
• Tales of the City, 1993

External links

• American Playhouse at the Internet Movie Database