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The Best Episodes of Playhouse 90 Season 1

Every episode of Playhouse 90 Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Playhouse 90 Season 1!

Binge this in 1d 13h•Peaking at 8.3/10

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 from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 2 - Requiem for a Heavyweight
    8.3/10(367 votes)

    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.

    Director:Ralph Nelson
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 23 - Invitation to a Gunfighter
    8.0/10(13 votes)

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 19 - The Miracle Worker
    7.9/10(25 votes)

    S1:E19

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 20 - The Comedian
    7.8/10(305 votes)

    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.

    Director:John Frankenheimer
    Writer:Rod Serling

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  5. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 27 - Clipper Ship
    7.8/10(12 votes)

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 38 - Ain't No Time for Glory
    7.8/10(18 votes)

    S1:E38

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 24 - The Last Tycoon
    7.7/10(28 votes)

    S1:E24

    A movie producer is slowly working himself to death.

    Director:John Frankenheimer
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 33 - The Helen Morgan Story
    7.2/10(21 votes)

    S1:E33

    Broadway legend Helen Morgan 's life as told by her mother, from her early start in second rate speakeasies to star of top rated shows and owning her own club. Also seen is her poor choices, such as her affair with a married man, her short marriage to a much younger man, a court fight over an adopted baby and her fatal descent into booze addiction.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 36 - Without Incident
    7.1/10(16 votes)

    S1:E36

    Captain Russell Bidlack, commander of a U.S. Cavalry unit in 1870, determines to complete a rescue mission through dangerous Indian territory. In the course of the mission, he rescues the wives of two slain traders and captures the Indian chief accused of the murders. When he returns to the fort, he's faced with a revolt among his own men.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 34 - Winter Dreams
    7.0/10(13 votes)

    S1:E34

    No description available

    Director:John Frankenheimer
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 1 - Forbidden Area
    6.9/10(134 votes)

    S1:E1

    Why are so many B-99 bombers from Hibiscus Air Base crashing or simply disappearing? Colonel Price comes up with a terrifying explanation, but will anyone believe him?

    Director:John Frankenheimer
    Writer:Pat Frank

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  12. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 25 - The Hostess with the Mostes'
    6.9/10(25 votes)

    S1:E25

    The story of Perle Mesta, who became, first, a renowned society hostess, and then an ambassadress.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 16 - So Soon to Die
    6.8/10(18 votes)

    S1:E16

    Down on his luck, war hero Lionel Amblin contemplates committing a murder.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 8 - Eloise
    6.6/10(28 votes)

    S1:E8

    It's not so much that Eloise is a mischievous child, but the darnedest things do happen when she's around.

    Director:John Frankenheimer
    Writer:Leonard Spigelgass

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  15. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 32 - Homeward Borne
    6.6/10(14 votes)

    S1:E32

    Just after World War Two ends, an American woman takes in a Polish war orphan boy, a concentration camp survivor. But conflict arises when her husband, a returning Air Force bomber pilot, hates the boy and his psychological baggage.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 13 - Massacre at Sand Creek
    6.4/10(43 votes)

    S1:E13

    An investigation into a massacre of Native Americans.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 26 - Where's Charley?
    6.3/10(20 votes)

    S1:E26

    Lord Fancourt Babberley is forced to disguise himself as a woman - his aunt from Brazil, "where the nuts come from".

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 3 - Sizeman and Son
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S1:E3

    The happy atmosphere in Mr. Sizeman's factory is disrupted by an argumentative newcomer - his son.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 4 - Rendezvous in Black
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S1:E4

    A woman is inexplicably killed on a street-corner. What has this to do with other deaths around the city?

    Director:John Frankenheimer
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 5 - The Country Husband
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S1:E5

    After a near-death experience, a businessman starts to re-think his life, and wonders about leaving his wife.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 6 - The Big Slide
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S1:E6

    A vaudeville comic becomes a silent film star.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 7 - Heritage of Anger
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S1:E7

    A wealthy industrialist has trouble with his sons.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 9 - Confession
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S1:E9

    When a much-admired community leader dies, a journalist starts to investigate his life - and finds he was not the man he seemed.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 10 - Made in Heaven
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S1:E10

    When Zachary and Elsa separate, each seems tempted to start a new love affair.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Playhouse 90 Season 1 Episode 11 - Sincerely, Willis Wade
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S1:E11

    A wealthy mill owner finances the education of a clever, but poor, young man.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Requiem for a Heavyweight" is the best rated episode of "Playhouse 90" season 1. It scored 8.3/10 based on 367 votes. Directed by Ralph Nelson and written by Unknown, it aired on 10/11/1956. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "Invitation to a Gunfighter".