Playdate is a Canadian drama anthology television series which aired on CBC Television from 1961 to 1964.
Premise The series replaced General Motors Presents. Ed Moser, a story editor from that previous series, became executive producer of Playdate. He reduced the presence of Canadian script writers, featuring nine Canadian-written scripts in the final season of Playdate compared to 19 Canadian works featured in the final season of General Motors Presents.Rutherford, p. 292
Robert Goulet hosted the earliest episodes of Playdate, replaced by Christopher Plummer from 20 December 1961. From October 1962, episodes of the UK series The Jo Stafford Show were occasionally broadcast, billed by the CBC as Playdate Presents.... In September 1963, similar treatment was given to The Red Skelton Show, an American series, when it was sporadically broadcast in the Playdate time slot.
The CBC cancelled Playdate and Parade by June 1964, as part of a general reduction in variety programming for the 1964–65 season. In the months following the last Playdate episode, The Red Skelton Show was regularly seen in the time slot.Montreal Gazette television listings, July–August 1964
In 1964, 26 episodes of Playdate were sold for broadcast in Australia.
Episode This hour-long series was broadcast over three seasons as follows (times in Eastern zone):
Season 1: 1961–62
Broadcasts of Playdate for the first season were Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. (Eastern time):
TitleAir DateCastWriterProducerNotes"Stop the World And Let Me Off"4 October 1961Norman Ettlinger, Ruth Springford, Powys ThomasJacqueline RosenfeldGeorge McCowanscience fiction"The Cell 5 Experience"11 October 1961James Daly, James Shigeta, Jack Creley, Don FrancksBruce Stewart"Valerie"18 October 1961Rodney Archer, Barbara Armitage, Charmion King, Budd Knapp, Gerard ParkesPatricia JoudryBasil Coleman"In The Good Time"25 October 1961Percy Rodriguez, Lloyd Bochner, Ann MorrishA. M. KittermasterDavid Gardner"The Prizewinner"1 November 1961Peter Lind HayesBernard Slade"Heir for a Shoestring"8 November 1961George Tobas, Cec Linder, Nancy Mitchell, Sylvia Lennick, Suzanne GrossmanPaul WayneLeo Orenstein"Masterpiece"15 November 1961Powys Thomas, Mavor MooreLarry Ward, Gordon Russell (story); Harvey Hart (adaptation)pre-empted for Wayne and Shuster special22 November 1961"Salt of the Earth"29 November 1961Frances Hyland, Cec Linder, Ruth SpringfordRebecca West (story)Elizabeth Hart (adaptation)George McGowan"The Exchange Teacher"6 December 1961M. Charles Cohen"Love in Another Land"13 December 1961"Some Talk of Alexander"20 December 1961"Private Potter"27 December 1961"My Representative"3 January 1962"Nightmare"10 January 1962Alf Harris"That Gold Belongs to Uncle Angus"17 January 1962Bill Glover, Tudi Wiggins, Drew Thompson, Ed McNamaraLeslie McFarlane"The Big Wheel"24 January 1962Eric Christmas, Bruno Gerussi, Edward Everett CambridgeJohn Glennon"One Man to Beat"31 January 1962John VernonFred EdgeGeorge McGowanhockey dramapre-empted for Wayne and Shuster special7 February 1962"Mr Nobody"14 February 1962Leslie Sands"The Troubled Heart"21 February 1962Arthur Hailey"The Square"28 February 1962Frances Hyland, Norman Welsh"The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon"7 March 1962John Drainie, Ed McNamaraMelwyn Breen, director"The Eye Opener Man and the Wages of Zinn"14 March 1962Mavor Moore, Charmion King, Leo Leyden, Paul KligmanLeslie McFarlaneMelwyn Breendrama about the early 20th century Calgary newspaper"After the Funeral"21 March 1962Neil McCallum, Gillie Fenwick, John Horton, Ruth SpringfordAlun Owen"The Origin of the Species"28 March 1962Ted Follows, Larry D. Mann, Murray Westgate, Austin WillisM. Charles Cohendrama concerning people who survive a global disaster"Most Beautiful Girl in the World"4 April 1962Kate Reid, Neil McCallumdrama concerning a beauty pageantpre-empted for "Living With a Giant", an Intertel documentary11 April 1962"Come To Me"18 April 1962Barbara Franklin, Robin Gammell, Janet Reid, Bill KempRobert J. Crean, Peter Lind Hayes Melwyn Breen"Village Wooing"25 April 1962William Hutt, Ann MorrishGeorge Bernard Shaw (story)repeat of a 1961 broadcast"The Thirteenth Laird"2 May 1962Norman Ettlinger, Joseph Shaw, Peter DonatMunroe Scottconcerning Canadian history"The Aspern Papers"9 May 1962Lloyd Bochner, Marigold Charlesworth, Cathleen NesbittHenry James (story)Michael Dyne (adaptation)Ronald Weyman"The Prisoner"16 May 1962Leo Ciceri, William Hutt"The Reluctant Angels"23 May 1962Ted Follows, Jack Creley, Jane MallettBernard Sladeconcerning the effects of a Broadway success on a family"None of Us is Perfect"30 May 1962Larry D. Mann, Jack Creley, Paul KligmanBrian Swarbickconcerning a bank robbery"Hold My Hand, Soldier"6 June 1962"The Gopher Colony"13 June 1962"The Greatest Man in the World"20 June 1962James Thurber (story)pre-empted for documentary special, "The Pursuit of Happiness" presented by Alistair Cooke27 June 1962
Summer Playdate 1962
Summer Playdate consisted of broadcasts of UK productions in a Tuesday 9:30 p.m. evening time slot between regular seasons of Playdate, from July to September 1962. Episodes were generally British mysteries.
Season 2: 1962–63
Broadcasts were Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern time):
TitleAir DateCastWriterProducerNotes"The Gimmick"4 October 1962Eric House, Corinne Conley, Bill Kemp, Ed McNamara, Helene Winston, Mary Alice Smith, Sammy Sales, Maxine Miller, Diane Buchan, Cynthia Kelly, Gloria Foreman, Arch McDonnell, Joe Austin, Diane StapleyBernard Slade Melwyn Breen (also director)comedyThe Jo Stafford Show11 October 1962Bob Hope, James Darren guests"The Looking Glass World"18 October 1962Ted Follows, Austin WillisDonald Jack"The Pinedust Affair"25 October 1962Lloyd Bochner, Barbara Shilcottpolitical"Mr. Oblomov"1 November 1962Douglas Rain (Oblomov), Frances Hyland (Olga), Peter Donat (Stoltz), Bernard Behrens (Zakhar)Ivan Goncharov (story)John Coulter (adaptation)"The Broken Sky"8 November 1962Paul Almond, Rudi DornWorld War II setting"Question of Fact"15 November 1962Gladys Cooper, Paul Harding, Frances Hyland"My Darling, My Darling, My Life and My Bride"22 November 1962Peter Donat, Larry D. Mann, Claire Marshall, Alan BlyeThe Jo Stafford Show29 November 1962Kenneth Moore, Roy Castle guests"No Fixed Abode"6 December 1962Chris Wiggins, Jeremy Wilkinset in an English hostel"The Two-Faced Angel"13 December 1962Robert Christie, William Brydon, Dinah Christiehistory of a bride's family haunts a weddingThe Jo Stafford Show20 December 1962Harry Secombe, Westminster Abbey Choir, George Mitchell Singers, Corona Stage Academy (guests)Christmas special"Rain in the Morning"27 December 1962Aileen Seaton, Jonathan Whiteconcerning a magazine salesman and his wife"The Old One"3 January 1963Tony Van Bridge, Ivor Barry, Gillie FenwickTony Van Bridgea retiring policeman receives a tough job"You Can't Win 'Em All"10 January 1963Neil McCallum, George Sperdakos, Leo Ciceri, Michelle Balletto, Larry Zahab, Al KozlikAlun OwenPaul Almondabout a wireless operator"A Wicked, Wicked Woman"17 January 1963Donald Harron, Paddy ArmstrongRoger O. HirsonLeo Orensteinlegal topicThe Jo Stafford Show24 January 1963Ella Fitzgerald, Claire Bloom, Kathleen Harrison, George Benson (guests)"The Messenger"31 January 1963Douglas Rain, Peter Donat, Toby Robins, Frances Hyland, Kate ReidJacqueline Rosenfeldabout a businessman on sensitive business in London"Blue and White"7 February 1963Leo Ciceri, Robin Gammell, Claire MarshallKenneth JuppBasil Coleman"The Ninety-Ninth Day"14 February 1963Leo Ciceri, Hilary Vernon, Andrew Allan, Gillie Fenwick, Chris WigginsEric Koch, Melwyn Breen"The Stronger"21 February 1963Irena Mayeska, Anna ReiserAugust StrindbergThe Long GoodbyeJames Beggs, Len Birman, Beth MorrisTennessee Williams"The New Tenant"Drew Thompson, Diana MaddoxEugène IonescoThe Jo Stafford Show28 February 1963guests Peggy Lee, Roy Castle"The Cowboy and Mr Anthony"7 March 1963Ian Tyson, Sylvia FrickerHugh KempNorman Campbellpre-empted for Stanley Cup Hockey playoff match11 April 1963pre-empted for Stanley Cup Hockey playoff match18 April 1963The Jo Stafford Show25 April 1963Peter Lawford (guest)chivalry theme"The Man Who Cheered the Leafs"2 May 1963Austin Willis, Charmion King, Peter Kastnerabout hockey; this was rescheduled due to Stanley Cup playoffs"The Public Prosecutor"9 May 1963Douglas Rain, Peter Donatset in the French RevolutionThe Jo Stafford Show16 May 1963Rosemary Clooney, Mel Torme, Edd Byrnes (guests)"My Son, the Doctor"23 May 1963"The Night Conspirators"30 May 1963"The Hunt"6 June 1963"Men Don't Make Passes"13 June 1963The Jo Stafford Show20 June 1963Robert Morley, Stanley Holloway, Morecambe and Wise, Tiller Girls (guests)"The Stone Boat"27 June 1963"Call Me a Liar"4 July 1963
Season 3: 1963–64 Broadcast Mondays at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern time) from 30 September 1963 to 20 July 1964 as follows: