Decision (TV series)

American television anthology series

This article uses a non-standard episode table. Please convert it to use {{Episode table}}.

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Decision

Genre| Anthology series
Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
No. of seasons| 1
No. of episodes| 13
Production
Running time| 30 minutes
Original release
Network| NBC
Release| July 6 (1958-07-06) –
September 28, 1958 (1958-09-28)

Decision is an American anthology television series that aired on NBC in 1958 as a summer replacement for The Loretta Young Show.[1][2][3][4]

## Content and production

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Six episodes of Decision were repeats of episodes previously aired on other anthology series.[2][5] The other seven episodes were unsold television pilots.[2][3][4][5] Episodes starred William Bendix, Dennis Hopper, Richard Kiley, June Lockhart, Darren McGavin, Ray Milland, Barbara Stanwyck, Rod Steiger, and James Whitmore, among many others.[3] Directors included Lamont Johnson, Lewis Allen, David Lowell Rich, and Fred Zinneman.[3][4] The fifth episode, "Sudden Silence," was produced by Screen Gems.[3]

Decision′s premiere episode was the pilot for a television adaptation of the Owen Wister novel The Virginian, starring James Drury. Although the pilot broadcast on Decision in 1958 went unsold, Drury later starred in a different, and very successful television adaptation of Wister's novel, also titled The Virginian, which aired from 1962 to 1971.[2][3][6]

Decision′s final episode, referred to both as "Man on a Raft" and "Three Men on a Raft," was an unsuccessful pilot for a proposed series to be named Michael Shayne, starring Mark Stevens as Michael Shayne. However, a 32-episode series named Michael Shayne starring Richard Denning in the title role aired during the 1960–1961 season.

## Broadcast history

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Decision was broadcast from 10:00 to 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Sundays.[2][3][4][5] It premiered on July 6, 1958, and ran for 13 weeks.[1][2][3][4] Its last broadcast was on September 28, 1958.[1][2][3][4]

## Episodes

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SOURCES:[2][3][6][4][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]

No.  | Title  | Directed by  | Written by  | Original air date

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1| "The Virginian"| Lamont Johnson| Leslie Stevens| July 6, 1958 (1958-07-06)

Judge Henry asks a man known as "The Virginian" to investigate mysterious setbacks in his efforts to bring a railroad spur to his ranch. Only the ranch's cook, Dora, is helpful to the Virginian, whose investigation brings the judge's disgruntled son, the ranch foreman, and some of the ranch hands under suspicion. Starring James Drury, Andrew Duggan, Stephen Joyce, Robert Burton, Jeanette Nolan, Robert Gist, and Dan Blocker. An unsold pilot for a television adaptation of Owen Wister′s novel The Virginian; a different adaptation, also starring Drury, later led to the successful series The Virginian of 1962–1971.

2| "Fifty Beautiful Girls"| Unknown| Unknown| July 13, 1958 (1958-07-13)

After a serial killer begins strangling taxi dancers, an attractive dancer begins to receive threatening letters and telephone calls. She worries that she will be the next murder victim, but continues to dance in an effort to identify the killer. Starring Barbara Bel Geddes, Edward Andrews, and Royal Dano. This episode previously aired as an episode of Schlitz Playhouse of Stars on June 21, 1957.

3| "The Danger Game"| Unknown| Unknown| July 20, 1958 (1958-07-20)

After an American secret agent is sent to East Asia to pose as a singer while protecting an American missile expert, he tries to uncover an assassination plot. An unsold pilot from the William Morris Agency starring Ray Danton.

4| "The Tall Man"| Thomas Carr| Aaron Spelling| July 27, 1958 (1958-07-27)

Colonel T. J. Allen, a former military officer working as a private investigator in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1869, and his former orderly, now his assistant, head to Texas to recover US$50,000 stolen from a train by the murderous Dawson Gang, who killed the train's three-man crew. Posing as a railroad land-purchasing agent and a store clerk, Allen and his orderly trick Frank Dawson's relatives into revealing his whereabouts. They recover the money and take the gang members to Clayton City to face trial, foiling an escape attempt by one of the gang members and defending them from a mob of vigilantes along the way.[29] An unsold pilot starring Michael Rennie, William Phipps, Henry Brandon, Harry Dean Stanton, Baynes Barron, Jean Willes, Ellen Corby, John Cliff, I. Stanford Jolley, Jack Reitzen, Earle Hodgins, Annette Warren, Hank Mann, Kansas Moehring, and Tex Palmer. Some sources claim the plot involves Allen investigating the mysterious death of a child and a man becoming a suspect in the death, although no such plot appears in the episode.[30]

5| "Sudden Silence"| Lewis Allen| Larry Marcus| August 3, 1958 (1958-08-03)

The Eastern-born wife of a United States marshal, left alone on the 19th-century American frontier to care for her seriously ill,fever-ridden son while her husband is away, is confronted by a vengeful, half-crazed outlaw who has come to kill her husband. Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Jimmy Baird, Jeff Morrow, Trevor Bardette, Jim Hayward, Ralph Dumke, Charlotte Knight, Robert Easton, and Malcolm Atterbury. This episode previously aired as an episode of The Ford Television Theatre on October 10, 1956.

6| "Indemnity"| Unknown| Milton Gelman & Stedman Coles| August 10, 1958 (1958-08-10)

While one of its three guards is eating lunch at a roadside diner, an armored truck containing a US$250,000 payroll disappears along with its other two guards, and insurance fraud expert Paul Scott sets out to recover the missing money. An unsold pilot starring Richard Kiley, Chuck Webster, George Chandler, Ruth Lee, Michael Healy, Jan Saint, John Kellins, and Skip Fletcher.

7| "Stand and Deliver"| Unknown| Unknown| August 17, 1958 (1958-08-17)

A highwayman becomes a gallant champion of righteousness when he saves a young boy from being hanged in 18th-century London. An unsold pilot starring Louis Hayward.

8| "Night of the Stranger"| Lewis Allen| Story by : William Heuman
Teleplay by : Lawrence B. Marcus| August 24, 1958 (1958-08-24)

Pursued by a giant, homicidal mental patient, a woman psychiatrist takes refuge in the nearest house, whose sole occupant — a stranger to her — is a drowsy man who has just taken two sleeping pills. They battle to keep the crazed patient from breaking into the house. Starring George Sanders, Valentina Cortesa, and Mike Lane. This episode previously aired as an episode of Schlitz Playhouse of Stars on March 7, 1958.

9| "Fear Has Many Faces"| Oscar Rudolph| Story by : Joseph Ruscoll and Janet Ruscoll
Teleplay by : Russell S. Hughes| August 31, 1958 (1958-08-31)

After being forced to shoot and kill another soldier who tried to flee to the rear during the Korean War, a police sergeant named Cockran finds it impossible to forget the experience even after he returns to civilian life — and when he begins to receive telephone calls from someone claiming to be the dead man, he is driven to the verge of collapse despite his wife's efforts to console him. Starring James Whitmore, June Lockhart, and Don Haggerty. This episode previously aired as an episode of The Ford Television Theatre on January 2, 1957.

10| "High Air"| Allan Dwan| A. I. Bezzerides| September 7, 1958 (1958-09-07)

A veteran "sandhog" tries to keep his son from working with him to dig a tunnel under the Hudson River and — aware of the dangers of working in highly compressed air — makes a tremendous sacrifice to protect the boy. Based on a story by Borden Chase and starring William Bendix, Dennis Hopper, and John Alderson. This episode previously aired as an episode of Screen Directors Playhouse on September 12, 1956.

11| "Markheim"| Fred Zinneman| John McGreevey & Paul Osborn| September 14, 1958 (1958-09-14)

When a once-wealthy but now degraded and prideless man named Markheim tries to sell his possessions on Christmas Day to recover the money he lost in business, the buyer becomes insulting. Markheim responds by murdering the would-be buyer and attempting to rob the corpse — until a mysterious stranger approaches with a strange and tempting proposition that leads to a battle between good and evil. Based on a story by Robert Louis Stevenson. Starring Ray Milland, Rod Steiger, Jay Novello, Rex Evans, and Marilee Phelps. This episode previously aired as an episode of Screen Directors Playhouse on April 11, 1956.

12| "Man Against Crime"| Richard Bare| Unknown| September 21, 1958 (1958-09-21)

After a gang war breaks out, lawyer Dan Garrett defends a youth accused of killing a young punk. Starring Darren McGavin, David Opatoshu, Stanley Peck, Joe Sullivan, and Terry Greene. This was an unsold pilot for a new series starring McGavin called Man Against Crime that would have been a remake of an earlier series that aired from 1949 to 1954 starring Ralph Bellamy and also called Man Against Crime.

13| "Man on a Raft"| Paul Stewart| Steve Fisher| September 28, 1958 (1958-09-28)

Also referred to as "Three Men on a Raft." An attractive woman named Ann Conway hires private detective Michael Shayne to investigate the details of her playboy husband's death on a boat at sea because a large inheritance depends on the exact date of his demise — and Shayne finds that the facts of the case are not as they have been presented. An unsold pilot for the proposed series Michael Shayne based on a story by Brett Halliday starring Mark Stevens, Diane Brewster, Robert Brubaker, Merry Anders, Steven Mitchell, William Kendis, Mary Adams, Gage Clarke, Bob Stevenson, and Sherwood Price.

## References

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1. ^ a b c McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York City: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 209\. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h "UNSOLD PILOTS ON TELEVISION, 1956-1966". tvobscurities.com. Television Obscurities. August 15, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Decision". ctva.com. CTVA – The Classic TV Archive. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
4. ^ a b c d e f g "13 'Decision' Telecasts Scheduled for Summer". Wichita Falls Times. Wichita Falls, Texas. July 6, 1958. p. 53. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
5. ^ a b c Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 247\. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
6. ^ a b Green, Paul (2006). A history of television's The Virginian, 1962–1971. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. p. 15\. ISBN 978-0786446803.
7. ^ Robert Jay (May 30, 2009). "Status of Decision". tvobscurities.com. Television Obscurities. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
8. ^ "TV Key Previews". Modesto Bee. Modesto, California. July 13, 1958. p. 10. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
9. ^ "KRIS TV Channel 6 NBC ABC". Corpus Christi Caller Times. Corpus Christi, Texas. July 13, 1958. p. 27. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
10. ^ "Sunday TV: New Quiz Show Stars Geo. Fenneman". Corpus Christi Caller Times. Corpus Christi, Texas. July 13, 1958. p. 64. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
11. ^ Vernon, Terry (July 20, 1958). "Tele-Vues". Long Beach Independent. Long Beach, California. p. 38. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
12. ^ "Channel Highlights". Ogdensburg Journal. Ogdensburg, New York. September 11, 1958. p. 15. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
13. ^ "TV Key Previews". Athens Sunday Messenger. Athens, Ohio. August 3, 1958. p. 19. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
14. ^ "Barbara in Western Drama". Dubuque Telegraph Herald. Dubuque, Iowa. August 3, 1958. p. 8. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
15. ^ "Today's Best TV". Mansfield News Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. August 17, 1958. p. 34. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
16. ^ "Program Notes". cedar-rapids-gazette. Cedar Rapids, Iowa. August 17, 1958. p. 67. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
17. ^ "Sunday TV: Sullivan to Feature Navy's Top Talent". Corpus Christi Caller Times. Corpus Christi, Texas. August 10, 1958. p. 46. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
18. ^ "TV Key Previews". Athens Sunday Messenger. Athens, Ohio. August 10, 1958. p. 10. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
19. ^ "Best on TV Today". Mansfield News Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. August 10, 1958. p. 30. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
20. ^ "Sunday TV Highlights". Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. August 24, 1958. p. 91. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
21. ^ "Sunday TV". Oklahoma City Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. August 24, 1958. p. 248. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
22. ^ "George Sanders on Decision Program". Amarillo Sunday News Globe. Amarillo, Texas. August 24, 1958. p. 23. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
23. ^ Stancil, Bill (August 31, 1958). "What's Doing?". Rocky Mount Evening Telegram. Rocky Mount, North Carolina. p. 12. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
24. ^ "TV Weekly Log". Corpus Christi Caller Times. Corpus Christi, Texas. August 31, 1958. p. 2. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
25. ^ "Decision Drama Will Star Bendix". Modesto Bee. Modesto, California. August 31, 1958. p. 35. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
26. ^ "Milland, Steiger Will Co-Star in Decision Drama". Modesto Bee. Modesto, California. September 14, 1958. p. 37. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
27. ^ "Best on TV Today". Mansfield News Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. September 14, 1958. p. 33. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
28. ^ "World Series Will Be Ch. 11 Offering". Lubbock Avalanche Journal. Lubbock, Texas. September 28, 1958. p. 56. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
29. ^ "The Tall Man". Decision. Season 1. Episode 4. July 27, 1958. Event occurs at 25:51. NBC. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
30. ^ The Forsaken Westerns: The Tall Man, WesternsOnTheWeb, YouTube, September 24, 2024 Accessed January 2, 2025

## External links

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* Decision at CVTA
* Decision (TV series) at IMDb
* Decision episode "Man on a Raft" (or "Three Men on a Raft") on YouTube

*[No.]: Number