Helen Morgan (Playhouse 90)
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Episode 23
| "Helen Morgan" | |
|---|---|
| Playhouse 90 episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 23 |
| Directed by | George Roy Hill |
| Written by | Leonard Spigelgass, Paul Monash |
| Featured music | Luther Henderson Jr. (arranged and conducted) |
| Original air date | May 16, 1957 |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Helen Morgan" is an American television play broadcast on May 16, 1957, as part of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90. It was the 33rd episode of the first season of Playhouse 90.
Polly Bergen won the Emmy Award for her performance. The production also received Emmy nominations for Program of the Year and best directing by George Roy Hill. Sylvia Sidney and Hoagy Carmichael co-starred.
The teleplay follows the life of singer Helen Morgan from age 17 and through her work as a Chicago torch singer, on Broadway in George White's Scandals, and in Show Boat where she gained fame singing "Bill" and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man". The production also covers Morgan's alcohol abuse, her three marriages, and her death at age 41 from cirrhosis of the liver.
Cast
The following performers received screen credit for their performances:[1]
- Polly Bergen as Helen Morgan
- Hoagy Carmichael as Marty Dix
- Sylvia Sidney as Lulu Morgan
- Robert Lowery as Roy Patterson
- Reginald Denny as George White
- Ronnie Burns as Bobby Talbot
- Lili Gentle as Marilyn Flood
- Benay Venuta as Texas Guinan
- James Westerfield as Frank Piggin (Morgan's father)
- Willard Sage as Forbes
- Lewis Charles as Esposito
- Grant Richards as Mike Baxter
- Paul Lambert as Kozek
- Eve McVeagh as Rita
- Glenn Turnbull as Broomstick Elliot
- Dan Frazier as Rally Speaker
- Benny Carter as himself
- Robin Morse as Proprietor
- Alfred Hopson as Customer
- Jimmy Cross as Comic
- Sidney Clute as Mike Monroe
- Jim Nolan as Cop
- Nicky Blair as Bootlegger
- Kerr as Ralph
- Mavis Palmer as Betty
- Burt Nelson as Bouncer
- Don Anderson as Stage Manager
- William Forrest as Doctor
Dana Wynter hosted the broadcast.