Cameo Theatre


Cameo Theatre is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1950 to 1955.

Television in the round

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.
Jim Buckley of the Pewter Plough Playhouse recalled:

Story sources

Cameo Theatre featured adaptations from the short stories of Roald Dahl, Shirley Jackson, Irwin Shaw, and others. The Paley Center for Media detailed the scripting contribution of Ellen M. Violett:
Cameo Theatre was notable for developing young writers. Scripter Raphael Hayes recalled entering broadcasting after he left the Army:

Guest stars

NBC carried the series as a replacement show four times: It was telecast from June to August 1950 as a summer replacement for the second half-hour of Four Star Revue. In 1951, it was broadcast as a June to August replacement for The Voice of Firestone. It replaced Leave It to the Girls from January to April 1952. The series concluded in 1955 as a summer replacement for Letter to Loretta.
Each episode ended with McCleery's trademark closing tag, a hand holding chalk and writing "Albert McCleery" on a blackboard. The hand, however, was not McCleery's; although realistic in appearance, it was actually a mannequin hand holding the chalk.