The Second Man (Playhouse 90)

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"The Second Man"

Playhouse 90 episode

Margaret Leighton and Kenneth Haigh in "The Second Man"

Episode no.

Season 3
Episode 19

Written by

Leslie Stevens (adaptation), Edward Grierson (book)

Original air date

February 12, 1959

Guest appearances

James Mason as Hesketh
Margaret Leighton as Miss Kerrison

Episode chronology

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"Child of Our Time"

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"The Raider"

"The Second Man" was an American television play broadcast live on February 12, 1959 as the 100th episode of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90. The cast was led by James Mason. The teleplay was written by Leslie Stevens as an adaptation of the novel, The Second Man, by Edward Grierson.

Plot

A woman barrister at a prestigious London chambers tries to save a young man accused of murdering his wealthy aunt.

Cast

The cast included the following:^[1]^[2]

James Mason - Hesketh
Margaret Leighton - Miss Kerrison
Hugh Griffith - Jaggers
Diana Wynyard - Jane Birman
Kenneth Haigh - Maudsley

Production

The program was presented live from Television city in Hollywood on February 19, 1959, on the CBS television series Playhouse 90. The teleplay was written by Leslie Stevens as an adaptation of the novel, The Second Man (1956), by Edward Grierson.^[1]^[2]

Reception

Television critic William Ewald of the UPI wrote: "The play was the sort of thing I believe Britons refer to as jolly good theater. It is dead-end theater -- predictable, fully charted, bounded by convention -- but even so, it is a joy to watch when it's parceled attractively. . . . The players bit into this chunk with enormous relish and I must say I enjoyed every minute of it."^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b "'Playhouse 90' Has 'The Second Man'". The Coshocton Tribune. February 7, 1959. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "Playhouse 90, Season 3". The Classic TV Archive. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
^ William Ewald (February 13, 1959). "TV Reviews Of Last Night's Shows". Latrobe Bulletin. UPI. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.

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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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