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Literary-adaptation anthology · NBC (Harry Alan Towers / Towers of London syndication)

Theatre Royal

October 4, 1953 – September 1, 1954 · 46 broadcasts

Theatre Royal was a half-hour anthology of dramatized classic literature, produced in London by Harry Alan Towers for America's NBC across 1953-54 and syndicated worldwide for years afterward. Its distinction was its cast: it was fronted by two titans of the English stage, Sir Laurence Olivier (Season One) and Sir Ralph Richardson (Season Two), who hosted, narrated, and frequently took the leading roles themselves -- with guest turns from Orson Welles, John Gielgud, Robert Donat, Robert Morley and Margaret Lockwood. Each week condensed a single short story or novella by a canonical author -- Pushkin, Gogol, Balzac, Stevenson, Dickens, Wilde, Wells, Conrad, Henry James, Somerset Maugham, Bret Harte -- into a self-contained radio play, adapted by Derek Patmore and scored by Sidney Torch. It is, by its own distributors' reckoning, the only radio-drama series in which Laurence Olivier ever appeared: a rare chance to hear stage legends in intimate literary miniatures.

Collection status: 45 of 46 held (98% complete)
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Episode Spine

Grouped by year. Jump to the full list below, or open a season on its own page.

1953

October 4, 1953 Queen of Spades Listen (MP3)
The premiere: Orson Welles takes the lead in Pushkin's 'The Queen of Spades,' with Laurence Olivier launching the series from the stage of London's Haymarket Theatre.
October 11, 1953 The Overcoat Listen (MP3)
A dramatization of Gogol's classic tale 'The Overcoat,' with Laurence Olivier hosting.
October 18, 1953 The Tale Listen (MP3)
Sir Ralph Richardson stars in Joseph Conrad's story of a mariner's tense confession, 'The Tale.'
October 25, 1953 The Happy Hypocrite Listen (MP3)
Sir John Gielgud plays the leading role in Max Beerbohm's fable 'The Happy Hypocrite.'
November 1, 1953 The Sire De Maletroit's Door Listen (MP3)
Robert Donat leads Robert Louis Stevenson's 'The Sire de Maletroit's Door,' in which a young man is trapped in a stranger's house by a scheming uncle.
November 7, 1953 The Judgement Listen (MP3)
A Theatre Royal dramatization titled 'The Judgement'; the adapted work is not identified in the surviving log.
November 14, 1953 The Purse Listen (MP3)
Sir Laurence Olivier stars in Balzac's 'The Purse' -- the week he began appearing in each production as well as hosting.
November 21, 1953 La Grande Breteche Listen (MP3)
Olivier presents Balzac's 'La Grande Breteche' -- the tale that aired in place of the announced 'Bartleby,' as his own on-air introduction confirms.
November 28, 1953 Markheim Listen (MP3)
Sir Laurence Olivier plays a conscience-stricken killer in Stevenson's Christmas-night murder story 'Markheim.'
December 5, 1953 The Lottery Ticket
December 19, 1953 Zodomirskys Duel Listen (MP3)
A dramatization of 'Zodomirsky's Duel,' a tale of a fatal point of honour attributed to Alexandre Dumas.
December 24, 1953 A Christmas Carol Listen (MP3)
A special Christmas broadcast from London: Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol.'
December 26, 1953 The Canterville Ghost Listen (MP3)
Oscar Wilde's comic ghost story 'The Canterville Ghost,' in which an American family unsettles the spectre who haunts their English house.

1954

January 2, 1954 The Country of the Blind Listen (MP3)
Laurence Olivier stars in H.G. Wells's 'The Country of the Blind,' the fantasy that upends the old saying about the one-eyed man among the sightless.
January 16, 1954 Little Louise Listen (MP3)
Laurence Olivier stars in 'Little Louise'; the source author is not identified in the surviving log.
January 23, 1954 Lord Arthur Savile's Crime Listen (MP3)
Laurence Olivier stars in Oscar Wilde's 'Lord Arthur Savile's Crime,' in which a palm-reading sends a gentleman off to commit a foretold murder.
January 30, 1954 Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Listen (MP3)
Laurence Olivier plays the dual role in Stevenson's 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.'
February 6, 1954 The Case of Bardell vs Pickwick Listen (MP3)
Sir Laurence Olivier stars in 'The Case of Bardell vs Pickwick,' the famous breach-of-promise trial from Dickens's 'The Pickwick Papers.'
February 13, 1954 Bartleby Listen (MP3)
Sir Laurence Olivier stars in Melville's 'Bartleby, the Scrivener' -- the episode first announced back in November and finally staged here.
February 20, 1954 The Inspector General Listen (MP3)
Sir Laurence Olivier stars in Gogol's satire of small-town corruption, 'The Inspector General.'
February 27, 1954 The Suicide Club Listen (MP3)
A dramatization of Robert Louis Stevenson's 'The Suicide Club.'
March 6, 1954 The Outcasts of Poker Flats Listen (MP3)
Sir Laurence Olivier stars in Bret Harte's Gold Rush story 'The Outcasts of Poker Flat,' about gamblers and outcasts stranded by a mountain snowstorm.
March 13, 1954 Mr. Micawbers Difficulties Listen (MP3)
Sir Laurence Olivier stars in 'Mr Micawber's Difficulties,' drawn from the ever-hopeful, ever-insolvent character of Dickens's 'David Copperfield.'
March 20, 1954 The Luck of Roaring Camp Listen (MP3)
Bret Harte's 'The Luck of Roaring Camp,' in which an orphaned baby transforms a rough mining settlement.
March 27, 1954 A Tale of Two Cities Listen (MP3)
Sir Laurence Olivier plays Sydney Carton in a dramatization of Dickens's 'A Tale of Two Cities,' centred on Carton's sacrifice in Revolutionary Paris.
April 11, 1954 When Greek Meets Greek Listen (MP3)
Sir Laurence Olivier stars in 'When Greek Meets Greek,' from a story by the novelist Graham Greene.
April 18, 1954 Snow Goose Listen (MP3)
Paul Gallico's 'The Snow Goose,' the tender wartime story of a lighthouse painter, a girl, and a wounded bird -- the close of Olivier's season.
April 25, 1954 The Colonels Lady Listen (MP3)
Sir Ralph Richardson opens his season as Colonel Peregrine in Somerset Maugham's 'The Colonel's Lady.'
May 2, 1954 The Black Mate Listen (MP3)
Sir Ralph Richardson stars in Joseph Conrad's sea story 'The Black Mate.'
May 9, 1954 Half an Hour Listen (MP3)
Sir Ralph Richardson stars in 'Half an Hour,' a dramatization of the one-act play by J.M. Barrie.
May 16, 1954 Dr Knock Listen (MP3)
Robert Morley stars in Jules Romains's satire 'Dr. Knock,' about a physician who convinces a whole town that it is ill.
May 23, 1954 The Aspern Papers Listen (MP3)
Sir Ralph Richardson stars in Henry James's 'The Aspern Papers,' the tale of a scholar scheming to seize a dead poet's private letters.
May 30, 1954 My Adventure in Norfolk Listen (MP3)
'My Adventure in Norfolk,' a story by the British broadcasting raconteur A.J. Alan.
June 6, 1954 Private Rooms Listen (MP3)
A Theatre Royal dramatization titled 'Private Rooms'; neither the source author nor the star is identified in the surviving log.
June 16, 1954 The Man Who Could Work Miracles Listen (MP3)
H.G. Wells's comic fantasy 'The Man Who Could Work Miracles,' about an ordinary man who finds he can make any wish come true.
June 23, 1954 The Liar Listen (MP3)
A dramatization titled 'The Liar' -- most likely Henry James's story of that name, though the log does not confirm the author.
June 30, 1954 My Uncle Toby Listen (MP3)
'My Uncle Toby,' drawn from the gentle old soldier of Laurence Sterne's 'Tristram Shandy.'
July 7, 1954 Four Meetings Listen (MP3)
Henry James's 'Four Meetings,' the story of a New England schoolteacher whose one dream of seeing Europe is thwarted again and again.
July 14, 1954 A Sentimental Journey Listen (MP3)
A dramatization of Laurence Sterne's travelogue-novel 'A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy.'
July 21, 1954 Becky Sharpe Vanity Fair Listen (MP3)
Margaret Lockwood stars as the scheming Becky Sharp in a dramatization of Thackeray's 'Vanity Fair,' with Ralph Richardson hosting.
July 28, 1954 Queen of Spades Listen (MP3)
A Command Performance repeat of the premiere, Pushkin's 'The Queen of Spades,' again with Orson Welles.
August 4, 1954 The Overcoat Listen (MP3)
A Command Performance repeat of Gogol's 'The Overcoat,' starring Michael Redgrave.
August 11, 1954 The Happy Hypocrite Listen (MP3)
A Command Performance repeat of Beerbohm's 'The Happy Hypocrite,' again with Sir John Gielgud.
August 18, 1954 The Sire De Maletroit's Door Listen (MP3)
A Command Performance repeat of Stevenson's 'The Sire de Maletroit's Door,' with Robert Donat and Renee Asherson.
August 25, 1954 The Judgement Listen (MP3)
A Command Performance repeat of 'The Judgement,' starring Trevor Howard.
September 1, 1954 Country of the Blind Listen (MP3)
The announced final broadcast: a Command Performance repeat of H.G. Wells's 'The Country of the Blind' with Laurence Olivier, bookending the run on a story it had staged in January.
The Story

Theatre Royal was a half-hour anthology of dramatized classic literature, produced in London by Harry Alan Towers for America's NBC across 1953-54 and syndicated worldwide for years afterward. Its distinction was its cast: it was fronted by two titans of the English stage, Sir Laurence Olivier (Season One) and Sir Ralph Richardson (Season Two), who hosted, narrated, and frequently took the leading roles themselves -- with guest turns from Orson Welles, John Gielgud, Robert Donat, Robert Morley and Margaret Lockwood. Each week condensed a single short story or novella by a canonical author -- Pushkin, Gogol, Balzac, Stevenson, Dickens, Wilde, Wells, Conrad, Henry James, Somerset Maugham, Bret Harte -- into a self-contained radio play, adapted by Derek Patmore and scored by Sidney Torch. It is, by its own distributors' reckoning, the only radio-drama series in which Laurence Olivier ever appeared: a rare chance to hear stage legends in intimate literary miniatures.

Full story — coming soon while it's being curated.
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