History: Can Cheez Whiz get you an acting gig? [dramaturg's desk]

This Week in History: May 1–7

This week marks the anniversary of the premiere of a television program that gave work to thousands of New York actors from 1947 to 1958.

It was on May 7, 1947 that “Kraft Television Theatre” first aired on NBC, and it ran for more than eleven years. The series established the model for the live dramatic anthology—every week, the show offered a new teleplay, sometimes written specifically for television, but often adapted from the New York stage. Between 1947 and 1958, the program employed a stunning number of New York actors, writers, and directors: as The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows notes, a study by TV Guide yielded that, “in 11 ½ years Kraft had presented 650 plays culled from 18,845 scripts, starred or featured 3,955 actors and actresses in 6,750 roles, used up 26,000 hours of rehearsal time and employed 5,236 sets.”

The program pioneered the practice of corporate television sponsorship, and the venture came about when Kraft wanted to market Cheez Whiz. The target audience, as television historian Mike Mashon observes, was on par with the company’s “marketing strategy in the late 1940s, which stressed the concept of ‘gracious living,’ an appeal to middle-class, suburban, family values.” The project caused not only a marked improvement in the sales of the products the show advertised, but also a major cultural phenomenon of television’s golden age. It was the crowning achievement of the collaboration between NBC and the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency, which had previously worked together on the variety program Hour Glass. The first installment of Kraft Television Theatre, in the new Wednesday evening slot that the show occupied for the duration of its run, was “Double Door”; it was directed by NBC executive Fred Coe, and it starred John Baragrey, who had at 29 had already originated roles on Broadway.

Over the years, countless actors garnered national attention on “Kraft Television Theatre,” and their careers flourished as a result. Cloris Leachman and Paul Newman appeared on the show early in their careers, and other stars included Anthony Perkins, Jack Lemmon, and E.G. Marshall. And with current programs that offer steady work for New York actors, such as “Law and Order” and the upcoming “Smash” (perhaps it isn’t a coincidence that, like “Kraft,” both are products of NBC), it’s interesting to realize that “Kraft Television Theatre “was a large proponent of the tradition of hiring New York City performers for television work. Would you have guessed that Cheez Whiz is responsible for the success of so many New York-based actors?

Russell M. Dembin is a theatre educator and freelance dramaturg. Past production dramaturgy credits include the Drama Desk-nominated world premiere of Underground and the U.S. premiere of GBS at The Clockwork Theatre; the New York premiere of “Finding the Way” at Manhattan Theatre Source; and Annie Get Your Gun at Albany’s Park Playhouse, which featured a historically accurate recreation of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and an accompanying exhibition, “Annie Oakley: A Natur’l History,” in honor of Annie Oakley’s 150th birthday. You can reach him at Russ.Dembin@thecallboard.com