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The Best Episodes of Playhouse 90

Every episode of Playhouse 90 ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Playhouse 90!

The Best Episodes of Playhouse 90

Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated...

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  1. 9.6/10(28 votes)

    #1 - The Time of Your Life

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    S3:E3

    William Saroyan's Pulitzer Prize-winning play revolves around the denizens of a San Francisco bar in 1939. Lonely, lovelorn, weary or cynical, the characters drift in and out of the bar and each other's lives, giving voice to Saroyan's philosophies as they randomly comment about the impending world war, the beauty of art, and traditional notions of good and evil.

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  2. 9.3/10(16 votes)

    #2 - Old Man

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    S3:E8

    To fight a Mississippi flood in 1927, a prison farm releases some convicts.

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    Writer:N/A
  3. 9.0/10(1 votes)

    #3 - The Rank and File

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    S3:E34

    A powerful union leader is interrogated by a Senate committee. Testifying before a Senate, William Kilcoyne tells the story of his career. He began as a factory worker and his shrewdness and ambition carried him up through the ranks to his present position as head of a large union.

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  4. 8.3/10(343 votes)

    #4 - Requiem for a Heavyweight

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    S1:E2

    An over-the-hill heavyweight boxing champion who suffers from the ravages of years of head trauma is exploited by his manager, despite the efforts of a compassionate young woman who tries to help him recover his self-respect.

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    Director:Ralph Nelson
    Writer:N/A
  5. 8.3/10(29 votes)

    #5 - Portrait of a Murderer

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    S2:E25

    Based on a true story, Donald Bashor robs and bludgeons two women to their deaths. While committing the crimes he maintains a normal existence with his girlfriend Florry.

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  6. 8.3/10(68 votes)

    #6 - A Town Has Turned to Dust

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    S2:E38

    A weakling sheriff is unable to prevent a lynching. Can he redeem himself by preventing a second one?

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    Writer:N/A
  7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of Playhouse 90

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  8. 8.2/10(18 votes)

    #7 - The Miracle Worker

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    S1:E19

    The story of Anne Sullivan's struggle to teach the blind and deaf Helen Keller how to communicate.

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  9. 8.2/10(42 votes)

    #8 - The Velvet Alley

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    S3:E16

    Ernie Pandish has tried to be a writer for years and has never made much money out of it. But now he seems likely to hit the big-time.

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  10. 8.0/10(12 votes)

    #9 - Invitation to a Gunfighter

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    S1:E23

    A gunfighter is terrorizing a small western town. The townspeople finally pool their money to a hire another gunfighter to drive him out of town. The townsfolk thought they had it bad until they handed the reigns over to the new terror. Pooling their money again, this time to hire Jeffers to get rid of Dancer.

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  11. 8.0/10(36 votes)

    #10 - The Plot to Kill Stalin

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    S3:E1

    In late 1952, an aging and increasingly paranoid Stalin puts in motion a purge against his doctors, with anti-Semitic overtones. His lackeys, including Khrushchev, Molotov and Beria, fear it will spread to the Politburo, and plan to strike first.

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  12. 8.0/10(80 votes)

    #11 - Judgment at Nuremberg

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    S3:E28

    In the later stages of the Nuremberg Trials, four German judges are accused of perverting the course of justice.

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    Writer:Abby Mann
  13. 7.9/10(292 votes)

    #12 - The Comedian

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    S1:E20

    Sammy Hogarth, a vaudeville comedian who now has his own TV show, is a ruthless egomaniac who demands instant obedience from his staff and heaps abuse on those in lesser positions than his. His most vituperative behavior, however, is reserved for his weak-willed brother, Lester, whom Sammy has hired as his assistant but whom he really uses as his whipping boy.

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  14. 7.8/10(23 votes)

    #13 - The Last Tycoon

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    S1:E24

    A movie producer is slowly working himself to death.

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    Writer:N/A
  15. 7.8/10(11 votes)

    #14 - Clipper Ship

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    S1:E27

    A romance on the high seas revolving around the comely widow of a shipping magnate, and her growing love for a handsome young political prisoner who was scheduled to be put to death when the vessel reached its destination. Though unyielding at first, the ship's stern captain eventually helped the woman to make a clean getaway, with the condemned man in tow.

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  16. 7.8/10(187 votes)

    #15 - Days of Wine and Roses

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    S3:E2

    An alcoholic falls in love with and gets married to a young woman, whom he systematically addicts to booze so they can share his "passion" together.

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    Writer:N/A
  17. 7.7/10(33 votes)

    #16 - Bomber's Moon

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    S2:E35

    A hard-hearted Colonel loses many men in his group's bombing missions over World War II Germany, but keeps on going and won't tolerate a young lieutenant losing his nerve under the strain, who refuses to continue.

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    Writer:N/A
  18. 7.7/10(10 votes)

    #17 - The Great Gatsby

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    S2:E39

    A Midwesterner becomes fascinated with his wealthy neighbor, who obsesses over his lost love.

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  19. 7.6/10(16 votes)

    #18 - Ain't No Time for Glory

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    S1:E38

    American soldiers must use stealth to take over a German command post in Normandy.

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  20. 7.6/10(15 votes)

    #19 - A Marriage of Strangers

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    S3:E32

    Marry in haste, repent at leisure? Well, maybe.

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  21. 7.5/10(28 votes)

    #20 - No Time at All

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    S2:E23

    An airliner flying nonstop at night from Miami to New York fails to check in, then disappears from radar. We see how its disappearance affects people on the ground. The Episode was directed by David Swift, who also collaborated with Charles Einstein with the screenplay. Charles Einstein is also credited with writing the story. Guests include William Lundigan, Betsy Palmer, Jane Greer, Buster Keaton, Chico Marx, Frank Wilcox & Charles Bronson. The Production Company was CBS Television Network and was distributed in the USA by CBS.

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  22. 7.4/10(12 votes)

    #21 - The Dungeon

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    S2:E30

    No description available

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  23. 7.4/10(13 votes)

    #22 - The Nutcracker

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    S3:E12

    This telecast of George Balanchine's famous production was broadcast only four years after it was premiered by the New York City Ballet. This was the only episode of the series televised in color.

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  24. 7.3/10(12 votes)

    #23 - Free Weekend

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    S3:E10

    No description available

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  25. 7.3/10(21 votes)

    #24 - For Whom the Bell Tolls: Part 1

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    S3:E23

    During the Spanish Civil War, an American allied with the Republicans finds romance during a desperate mission to blow up a strategically important bridge.

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    Writer:N/A
  26. 7.3/10(21 votes)

    #25 - The Killers of Mussolini

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    S3:E35

    As the Salo Republic crumbles around him, Mussolini, along with his mistress and several of his ministers flee with retreating Nazi soldiers, but are caught at the town of Dongo by red partisans. All are brutally executed without trial.

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A

Best Episodes Summary

"The Time of Your Life" is the best rated episode of "Playhouse 90". It scored 9.6/10 based on 28 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 10/9/1958. This episode scored 0.3 points higher than the second highest rated, "Old Man".