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. The scripts of the series' episodes are archived at the University of California, Los Angeles.