Matinee Theater

Matinee Theater is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from October 31, 1955,[1] to June 27, 1958.[2] Its name is often seen as Matinee Theatre.

The series, which ran daily from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.[2] Eastern Time, was usually broadcast live and most of the time in color. Its live dramas were presented with minimal sets and costumes.[3]

When it was broadcast, Matinee Theater was the most heavily promoted regularly scheduled daytime program on U.S. television.[4] Along with NBC's Home, the show was part of the network's effort to "provide quality 'adult' entertainment" in daytime programming.[1]

In its second season, the program had an audience of 7 million daily viewers.[3]

The series ended in 1958 due to its high budget; much higher than any other daytime program in television.[citation needed ] In 1956, the program's budget was "about $73,000" to produce five episodes per week.[5] A few of the later episodes were preserved on color film for later rerun syndication under different titles.