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| Cliff Robertson and Piper Laurie |
DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES (1958).
Playhouse 90 season three, episode 2. Directed by John Frankenheimer. Written especially for
Playhouse 90 by J. P. Miller. Introduced by Sterling Hayden.
Joe Clay (Cliff Robertson of
Obsession) stands up at a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous and relates the story of his life, his marriage to fellow alcoholic Kirsten (Piper Laurie of
Carrie), and his dark descent and struggle back to sobriety. When Joe meets Kirsten at a party, it is already clear that she likes her liquor. After Joe loses his job due to his drinking, he and Kirsten and their little girl move in with her father, Ellis (Charles Bickford of
Anna Christie), who unfairly blames Joe for his daughter's problem. But can Joe convince his wife that she has to give up alcohol entirely or they simply can not have a life together, and she cannot be their child's mother?
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| Cliff Robertson |
Days of Wine and Roses, as presented on the anthology series
Playhouse 90,
is a true classic of live television. (Frankly it's inexplicable how certain scene changes were enacted without any cuts or commercial breaks.) Hollywood had already dealt with alcoholism in
The Lost Weekend, but this teleplay examines the affects of the disease on marriage and on an innocent child (although the latter aspect is downplayed). The script is strong, the performances from all three leads are excellent, and the teleplay, well-directed by John Frankenheimer [
Seconds] early in his career, retains bite and interest. This was remade as a
theatrical film starring Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick. One of Robertson's finest performances.
Verdict: A prime example of why everyone raves about the early days of live television. ***1/2.
2 comments:
Need to finally see this, Bill, and your rave review has sealed the deal. I am a big Piper Laurie fan, but Robertson has never been one of my favorites—though I always enjoyed his wife Dina Merrill! Was not aware that Bickford had played the same version in the television and film versions.
- Chris
Y'know, Robertson has never been a big favorite of mine, either, and he could often given somnambulistic performances, but I have to give him his due. He was fine in "Picnic" and excellent in this. You just never know -- some actors just need the right role and the right director to deliver.
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