Kraft Mystery Theatre

Did You Know?

• The 1961 summer season consisted almost exclusively of British B-movies from the late 1950s, edited to fit the one-hour time slot.
• Robert Altman directed two episodes in season 2: the season premiere "In Close Pursuit" and "Death of a Dream".
• Season 3 included at least three episodes shot as pilots that didn't actually sell.

Series history

The Kraft Mystery Theatre name first appeared in 1958 after Kraft sold the rights to its live weekly drama series, Kraft Television Theatre, to David Susskind's Talent Associates. Susskind refocused the live broadcasts on mystery and suspense, renaming the program Kraft Mystery Theatre. This version aired until September 1958 and is typically considered a continuation of the original series rather than a separate show. The title then went dormant until 1961, when it was revived as a filmed summer replacement series on NBC. It ran for sixteen weeks, airing Wednesdays at 9:00 PM Eastern, taking the slot of The Perry Como Show. Frank Gallop, who also announced for Perry Como on Kraft Music Hall, served as host. The series was also broadcast on the CBC in Canada. That first summer, the episodes were almost entirely British B-movies from the late 1950s, trimmed to fit the hour.

When the show returned for summer 1962, the host was removed and the British films were gone. The second season also had sixteen episodes, but eight were reruns originally aired on Desilu Playhouse between 1958 and 1960. The other eight were new productions filmed at Desilu Studios. Director Robert Altman helmed two of these: the season premiere "In Close Pursuit," starring Jan Sterling, Beverly Garland, and William Windom, and "Death of a Dream," with Robert Vaughn. Other episodes featured actors like Eddie Albert and Denver Pyle.

The third season, in summer 1963, brought another complete change in production staff, with episodes now made at Revue Studios. This season mixed original stories—including at least three episodes that were unsold pilots—with many repeats from Alcoa Premiere, which had originally aired between 1961 and 1963. One repeat, "Of Struggle and Flight," had first been shown on Alcoa Premiere just four months before it appeared on Kraft Mystery Theatre.