The Nutcracker (Playhouse 90)

"**The Nutcracker**"
"The Nutcracker"
Playhouse 90 episode
	Candy canes dancing in hula hoops in "The Nutcracker"
Episode no.	Season 3; Episode 12
Directed by	Ralph Nelson
Based on	The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Original air date	December 25, 1958
Running time	1:30
Guest appearances
	June Lockhart as narrator; Diana Adams as Sugar Plum Fairy; Allegra Kent as Dewdrop;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Seven Against the Wall"	Next →; "Face of a Hero"

"The Nutcracker" was a special Christmas presentation of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90, featuring Tchaikovsky's ballet performed by the New York City Ballet, choreographed by George Balanchine, and conducted by Robert Irving. It was broadcast live and in color on December 25, 1958.

Cast

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

June Lockhart as narrator
Diana Adams as Sugar Plum Fairy
Allegra Kent as Dewdrop
Judith Green as Marzipan Sheperdess
Arthur Mitchell as Coffee
Roy Tobias as Chocolate
Barbara Walczak as Chocolate
Kenneth Peterson as Mouse King
Deni Lamont as Tea
Edward Villella as Candy Cane
Una Kai as Frau Silberhaus
Roland Vazquez as Dr. Silberhaus
Shaun O'Brien as Party Guest
Bern Bennett as Announcer
Debbie Paine as Clara
Robert Maiorano as Her Prince

Production

The program aired on December 25, 1958, on the CBS television series Playhouse 90. John Houseman was the producer and Ralph Nelson the director. George Balanchine was the choreographer (this was an adaptation of the version he first staged in 1954), and Robert Irving conducted the New York City Ballet Orchestra. E. T. A. Hoffmann wrote the television adaptation based on the original narration by Leo Lerman.^[1]^[2] The broadcast was sponsored by Kimberly-Clark and the American Gas Association. This was the only installment of the entire Playhouse 90 series to be broadcast in color. The videotaped broadcast has been uploaded to YouTube.

References

^ ^a ^b "Playhouse 90: The Nutcracker". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Playhouse 90, Season 3". The Classic TV Archive. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

[Paley-1] "Playhouse 90: The Nutcracker". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

[CTVA-2] "Playhouse 90, Season 3". The Classic TV Archive. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

[1]

[2]

v t e Playhouse 90
People	John Frankenheimer Martin Manulis Franklin J. Schaffner Rod Serling
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"
Revivals	CBS Playhouse CBS Playhouse 90