Can we name 100 Anthology Shows?

[JaseSF]

Some cool additions there JayJay - I've actually never heard of any of those before but nice work.

42. Perversions of Science (1997): A science fiction spin-off of sorts of Tales from the Crypt, this series focused on strange and twisted sci-fi tales that often involved alien invasion and space and/or time travel. The episodes were introduced by a sexualized female robot named Chrome (voiced by Maureen Teefy). The series ran 10 episodes on HBO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gp4u5vR0hk
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td-ccnJDFhI
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[JayJayM12]

Some cool additions there JayJay - I've actually never heard of any of those before but nice work.

Thank you, sir.  All three are a lot of fun, but i VERY highly recommend Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible especially - it's fantastic! It's a shame that it didn't go a little longer...

[Pacman000]

Would The Veil count? It was supposed to be an anthology series in the 50's hosted by Boris Karloff. They filmed several episodes...then Hal Roach studios went bankrupt, so the series was shelved.  Someone found it and put it on DVD, though.  It's not bad, not bad at all.

Weren't there allot of Anthology series in the 50's, named [insert sponsor's name] Theatre/Playhouse?

[Ozzymandias]

Ozzymandias speaks: How about Zane Grey Theater and Death Valley Days? ZGT was used to launch several Westerns, most importantly The Rifleman.

Ozzymandias has spoken!!! 

[JaseSF]

Sure I think we should include "The Veil" even though technically it wasn't aired on TV...still it was an anthology show intended for TV and well, I doubt we're going to get to 100 anyways....

Ozzymandias, could you provide some more information on "Zane Grey Theater" and "Death Valley Days" - sounds like they were Western anthology series, is that right?

[Ozzymandias]

Sure I think we should include "The Veil" even though technically it wasn't aired on TV...still it was an anthology show intended for TV and well, I doubt we're going to get to 100 anyways....

Ozzymandias, could you provide some more information on "Zane Grey Theater" and "Death Valley Days" - sounds like they were Western anthology series, is that right?

Ozzymandias speaks: "Zane Grey Theater" was hosted by Dick Powell. The first few shows were based on stories by Zane Grey, then they were just Western stories. Several of these were pilots for other Westerns such as "The Rifleman."

"Death Valley Days" started on radio and was produced for first run syndication TV until 1975. It was own by a major sponsor Pacific Coast Borax Company, who made Boraxo soap. First host was Stanley Andrews. In the early 60s, Borax felt the show needed a younger host, so the canned Andrews and replaced him with Ronald Reagan. When Reagan ran for office in 1966, he was replaced by Robert Taylor. When Taylor left due to cancer, Dale Robertson took over until 1970, when they stopped producing new shows. In 1975, they began re-syndicating the old shows with the host segments replaced with a voice-over narration by country singer Merle Haggard.

Meanwhile, Borax also syndicated the reruns under various names using different host and different titles.  You might say that Death Valley has the distinction of being the  only the anthology series to be hosted by someone who was pardoned from prison (Merle Haggard) by a previous host (Ronald Reagan).

Ozzymandias has spoken!!!

[JaseSF]

Thanks for the information Ozzymandias. Fascinating stuff there. Consider them added to the list. Good stuff! 

[Pacman000]

How about Family Theatre, a religious series most famous for an episode where James Dean played a small part?

[JaseSF]

Sure why not if it's an anthology series? It was hosted by the radio host too according to Wiki so yeah, it seems to fit.

[Pacman000]

A few more possibilities:

Telephone Time (1956-1958) 30 min. Drama Anthology; has a backdoor Pilot for The Veil.

Aesop's Fables (1971) Kid's Series we had on video.  Two kids get their kite stuck in a tree, the tree yells at them (always scared me), then the kids run into Aesop (Bill Cosby) who tells them one of his stories (in animated form).  It has a framing device, but this device never changes; the main point  of the series is to tell Aesop's Fables.

[JaseSF]

Added. Actually I also think you're right that there are several more from the 50s not yet named here...

[Pacman000]

Masterpiece Theatre and Masterpiece Mystery on PBS are anthology series aren't they?

There was also a Twilight Zone remake on UPN in 2002.

[JaseSF]

Sure, those apply. Masterpiece Theatre was long hosted by Alastair Cooke and Mystery! was once hosted by Vincent Price.

I've actually discovered a few more on a DVD set I have entitled "The Golden Age of TV Drama: 16 Rare and Remarkable Dramas from 1951-1960!" from Passport Video...

52) DuPont Theatre (1952-1957): Also known as Calvacade of America and DuPont Calvacade Theater was an anthology series sponsored by the DuPont Company. According to Wikipedia, it "documented historical events using stories of individual courage, initiative and achievement, often with feel-good dramatizations of the human spirit's triumph against all odds. This was consistent with DuPont's overall conservative philosophy and legacy as an American company dating back to 1802. The company's motto, "Maker of better things for better living through chemistry," was read at the beginning of each program, and the dramas emphasized humanitarian progress, particularly improvements in the lives of women, often through technological innovation." Many of the stories were crime-based too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C8I95PA_b0
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53) The United States Steel Hour (1953-1963): Classic anthology series sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation adapted hundreds of plays in live TV dramas. Like the Dupont show, this started as well as a radio series that later moved to TV. They'd also do live musical adaptations of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer.

"The television version aired from 1953 to 1955 on ABC, and from 1955 to 1963 on CBS. Like its radio predecessor, it was a live dramatic anthology series. During its first season on television, the program alternated bi-weekly with The Motorola Television Hour.
 
By 1963, the year it went off the air, it was the last surviving live anthology series from the Golden Age of Television. It was still on the air during President John F. Kennedy's famous April 11, 1962 confrontation with steel companies over the hefty raising of their prices. The show featured a range of television acting talent, as its episodes explored a wide variety of contemporary social issues, from the mundane to the controversial." - Wikipedia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESfg8kwVr_Y
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54) The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse (1953-1955): This classic dramatic anthology series sponsored by Pepsi ran or two years and was presented by Arlene Dahl, Anita Colby and Polly Bergen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcJis6Kema0
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55) Armstrong Circle Theatre (1950-1957): Another classic 1950s American dramatic television series, this one alternated with the U.S. Steel Hour. Hosts included Nelson Case, Joe Ripley, Bob Sherry, Sandy Becker, John Cameron Swayze, Douglas Edwards, Ron Cochran and Henry Hamilton.

"The series featured original dramas by noted writers, although sometimes comedies were shown. Its guidelines specifically called for the avoidance of violence. Originally a half-hour production, in 1955 the show expanded to an hour and began to emphasize dramatized versions of real-life contemporary events (including the sinking of the SS Andrea Doria and a documentary on the history of Communism in the Soviet Union. Upon moving to CBS, the show emphasized several Cold War topics, including espionage, Radio Free Europe and escapes from East Germany.
 
Rod Serling wrote two episodes of the program. George Lowther was the producer for 62 episodes and wrote one." - Wikipedia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZCG5lMzzKk
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Actually I suspect there's even more from the 50s yet and likely some more British anthologies that haven't been named yet...

[Pacman000]

Hooray!  We're over halfway there.

How about CBS Storybreak, a kid's anthology series?  What about Hallmark Hall of Fame, it's not regularly broadcast, but it is a series.

There was also a Goosebumps TV show; I think it was on WB kids.

[Pacman000]

What about Actor's Studio and Studio One? Both are very old anthology series, from the late 40's I believe.