Helen Morgan (Playhouse 90)

"**Helen Morgan**"
"Helen Morgan"
Playhouse 90 episode
	Polly Bergen as Helen Morgan
Episode no.	Season 2; Episode 23
Directed by	George Roy Hill
Written by	Leonard Spigelgass, Paul Monash
Featured music	Luther Henderson Jr. (arranged and conducted)
Original air date	May 16, 1957
Running time	90 minutes
Guest appearances
	Polly Bergen as Helen Morgan; Hoagy Carmichael as Marty Dix; Sylvia Sidney as Lulu Morgan;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Homeward Borne"	Next →; "Winter Dreams"

"Helen Morgan" is an American television play broadcast on May 16, 1957, as part of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90. It was the 33rd episode of the first season of Playhouse 90.

Polly Bergen won the Emmy Award for her performance. The production also received Emmy nominations for Program of the Year and best directing by George Roy Hill. Sylvia Sidney and Hoagy Carmichael co-starred.

Plot

The teleplay follows the life of singer Helen Morgan from age 17 and through her work as a Chicago torch singer, on Broadway in George White's Scandals, and in Show Boat where she gained fame singing "Bill" and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man". The production also covers Morgan's alcohol abuse, her three marriages, and her death at age 41 from cirrhosis of the liver.

Cast

The following performers received screen credit for their performances:^[1]

Polly Bergen as Helen Morgan
Hoagy Carmichael as Marty Dix
Sylvia Sidney as Lulu Morgan
Robert Lowery as Roy Patterson
Reginald Denny as George White
Ronnie Burns as Bobby Talbot
Lili Gentle as Marilyn Flood
Benay Venuta as Texas Guinan
James Westerfield as Frank Piggin (Morgan's father)
Willard Sage as Forbes
Lewis Charles as Esposito
Grant Richards as Mike Baxter
Paul Lambert as Kozek
Eve McVeagh as Rita
Glenn Turnbull as Broomstick Elliot
Dan Frazier as Rally Speaker
Benny Carter as himself
Robin Morse as Proprietor
Alfred Hopson as Customer
Jimmy Cross as Comic
Sidney Clute as Mike Monroe
Jim Nolan as Cop
Nicky Blair as Bootlegger
Kerr as Ralph
Mavis Palmer as Betty
Burt Nelson as Bouncer
Don Anderson as Stage Manager
William Forrest as Doctor

Dana Wynter hosted the broadcast.

Production

Martin Manulis, the producer of Playhouse 90, purchased the television rights to the story from Morgan's mother, Lulu Morgan. In January 1957, Polly Bergen signed to play the lead role. She had previously been known for making commercials for Pepsi-Cola and as a panelist on "To Tell the Truth."^[2]

When Playhouse 90 acquired the television rights, Warner Brothers Pictures was already working on a motion picture version. Warner asked CBS to delay the television broadcast,^[3] but CBS declined and announced it would air its version on May 16.^[4] The movie, titled The Helen Morgan Story, was released in October.

George Roy Hill directed the production. The teleplay was written by Leonard Spigelgass and Paul Monash, and Lulu Morgan was also given story credit. Albert Heschong was the art director.

The production was nominated for the Emmy Award for Program of the Year, but lost to another Playhouse 90 episode, The Comedian. Polly Bergen won the Emmy Award for best actress. George Roy Hill was also nominated for best direction (one hour or more).

Reception

In The New York Times, Jack Gould wrote that the production "had warmth, nostalgia and poignancy", though the telling of her backstage life "tended at times to be rather over-melodramatic." Gould also wrote that Hoagy Carmichael "dominated all his scenes in his usual effortless manner." As for Polly Bergen, Gould wrote that "her interpretation did not quite come off", though she "gave it a sincere and interesting try."^[5]

In The Boston Globe, Mary Cremmen called it "a triumph of home screen entertainment."^[6]

References

^ Kinescope of "The Helen Morgan Story", aired May 16, 1957.
^ Val Adams (January 23, 1957). "Miss Bergen Signs for TV Play Lead". The New York Times. p. 44.
^ "Studio Asks C.B.S. to Put Off Show: Warners Requests Delay of Program on Helen Morgan Until Completion of Film". The New York Times. February 6, 1957. p. 51.
^ Val Adams (February 27, 1957). "C.B.S. Ignoring Bid To Delay TV Play: Network Will Not Postpone Helen Morgan Story Until Release of Warners Film". The New York Times. p. 40.
^ Jack Gould (May 17, 1957). "TV Review: Helen Morgan Story on 'Playhouse 90'". The New York Times. p. 38.
^ Mary Cremmen (May 17, 1957). "The Helen Morgan Story". The Boston Globe – via Newspapers.com.

[Kine-1] Kinescope of "The Helen Morgan Story", aired May 16, 1957.

[2] Val Adams (January 23, 1957). "Miss Bergen Signs for TV Play Lead". The New York Times. p. 44.

[3] "Studio Asks C.B.S. to Put Off Show: Warners Requests Delay of Program on Helen Morgan Until Completion of Film". The New York Times. February 6, 1957. p. 51.

[4] Val Adams (February 27, 1957). "C.B.S. Ignoring Bid To Delay TV Play: Network Will Not Postpone Helen Morgan Story Until Release of Warners Film". The New York Times. p. 40.

[5] Jack Gould (May 17, 1957). "TV Review: Helen Morgan Story on 'Playhouse 90'". The New York Times. p. 38.

[6] Mary Cremmen (May 17, 1957). "The Helen Morgan Story". The Boston Globe – via Newspapers.com.

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v t e Playhouse 90
People	John Frankenheimer Martin Manulis Franklin J. Schaffner Rod Serling
Season 1	"Forbidden Area" "Requiem for a Heavyweight" "Sizeman and Son" "Rendezvous in Black" "The Country Husband" "The Big Slide" "Heritage of Anger" "Eloise" "Confession" "Made in Heaven" "Sincerely, Willis Wade" "The Family Nobody Wanted" "Massacre at Sand Creek" "Snowshoes: A Comedy of People and Horses" "The Ninth Day" "So Soon to Die" "The Star Wagon" "The Greer Case" "The Miracle Worker" "The Comedian" "The Coat of White" "The Blackwell Story" "Invitation to a Gunfighter" "The Last Tycoon" "The Hostess with the Mostes'" "Charley's Aunt" "Clipper Ship" "If You Know Elizabeth" "Three Men on a Horse" "Four Women in Black" "Child of Trouble" "Homeward Borne" "Helen Morgan" "Winter Dreams" "Circle of the Day" "Without Incident" "Clash by Night" "Ain't No Time for Glory" "The Fabulous Irishman"
Season 2	"The Death of Manolete" "The Dark Side of the Earth" "Topaze" "A Sound of Different Drummers" "The Playroom" "Around the World in 90 Minutes" "The Mystery of Thirteen" "The Edge of Innocence" "The Clouded Image" "The Jet Propelled Couch" "The Troublemakers" "Panic Button" "Galvanized Yankee" "The Thundering Wave" "For I Have Loved Strangers" "The Lone Woman" "Reunion" "The Last Man" "The 80 Yard Run" "Before I Die" "The Gentleman From Seventh Avenue" "The Violent Heart" "No Time at All" "Point of No Return" "Portrait of a Murderer" "The Last Clear Chance" "The Male Animal" "The Right Hand Man" "Turn Left at Mount Everest" "The Dungeon" "Verdict of Three" "Rumors of Evening" "Not the Glory" "Nightmare at Ground Zero" "Bomber's Moon" "Natchez" "The Innocent Sleep" "A Town Has Turned to Dust" "The Great Gatsby" "A Bitter Heritage"
Season 3	"The Plot to Kill Stalin" "Days of Wine and Roses" "The Time of Your Life" "The Long March" "Shadows Tremble" "Word From a Sealed-Off Box" "Heart of Darkness" "Old Man" "The Return of Ansel Gibbs" "Free Weekend" "Seven Against the Wall" "The Nutcracker" "Face of a Hero" "The Wings of the Dove" "The Blue Men" "The Velvet Alley" "A Quiet Game of Cards" "Child of Our Time" "The Second Man" "The Raider" "The Dingaling Girl" "Made in Japan" "For Whom the Bell Tolls" "A Trip to Paradise" "In Lonely Expectation" "The Day Before Atlanta" "Judgment at Nuremberg" "A Corner of the Garden" "Dark December" "Diary of a Nurse" "A Marriage of Strangers" "Out of Dust" "The Rank and File" "The Killers of Mussolini" "Project Immortality" "Dark as the Night" "The Second Happiest Day"
Season 4	"Target for Three" "The Sounds of Eden" "Misalliance" "The Hidden Image" "The Grey Nurse Said Nothing" "The Tunnel" "The Silver Whistle" "A Dream of Treason" "To the Sound of Trumpets" "The Cruel Day" "Tomorrow" "The Hiding Place" "Alas, Babylon" "Journey to the Day" "The Shape of the River" "In the Presence of Mine Enemies"
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