The Golden Age of Live Anthology Drama

In the 1950s live anthology drama flourished: teleplays by Rod Serling, Paddy Chayefsky, and Reginald Rose, directed by John Frankenheimer and Sidney Lumet, performed live from New York. Kraft Television Theatre, Playhouse 90, and Studio One produced work of Broadway quality weekly.

Video tape did not exist, so most broadcasts survive only as kinescope films. The era trained the directors who later defined New Hollywood cinema..