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Desilu Playhouse


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So I'm guessing CBS owns the rights to this series, since Westinghouse and CBS merged into one. I wonder if they would ever think of releasing this, even though some LDCH's are included into it. It would be great to see some of those pilots featured in the series. Also KO Kitty and The Desilu Revue! Surprised those didn't make it onto the LDCH DVDs.

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  • 5 years later...

Decades is running a Twilight Zone marathon today (July 4th).  Since the acknowledged pilot was an episode of Desilu Playhouse, it's interesting that the "Zone" series didn't end up as a Desilu production.  "Twilight Zone" is a great series, imaginative in a way not seen before (or for that matter since) and featuring some of the greatest character actors of the time.  I haven't seen any "Desilu Playhouse" episodes but I would think like all anthology shows, individual installments could be good, great or so-so.  Desi promised Westinghouse more than he could deliver.  The era of the great anthology TV series had passed.  "DP" debuted during the middle of the ("it's no wonder there's a..") Western craze.  Renewed for a 2nd season, it was moved from Mondays to Fridays opposite one of the few hot new shows that was not a western "77 Sunset Strip".  There were only 3 new Lucy-Desi hours in the 59-60 season but there were several reruns.  I wonder how well the LDCH segments of DP did in the ratings opposite top ten "77".  Perusing old TV Guides reveals Desilu Playhouse had a pretty healthy run in syndication--excluded from that package:  the LD Comedy hours.   As did a couple of Desilu's one-season series: "Guestward Ho" and "Greatest Show on Earth" the latter like The Lucy Show from 63-64 shot in color but originally aired in b/w.

Though Desi staggered through 2 more years as head of Desilu, 1960 was a watershed year for him.  I wish we had gotten his proposed sequel "Another Book".  I've always been interest to know how he coped with going from TV's hottest producer/studio head to being virtually out of show business at the young age of 45.   1952 to 1962: what a decade for Desi!

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