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PLAYHOUSE 90: A CHILD OF OUR TIME (TV)

Summary

One in this dramatic anthology series. Based on the autobiographical novel by Michel del Castillo, this tale chronicles the loss of a boy's lost childhood because of World War II. Young Tanguy and his Spanish mother arrive in Marseilles in 1941 as refugees, hoping to join Tanguy's French father. He dashes their hopes with his harsh and scornful manner, criticizing the leftist political affiliations of Tanguy's mother and maintaining a detachment from his son. Unhappy, the mother runs away with her son. Afraid of arrest because of her politics, she takes the boy into hiding with a group of Jews. When Tanguy's mother gets word that she and her son have been reported to the police, she leaves and tells Tanguy that they will meet in Barcelona at his grandmother's house. Tanguy tries hysterically to go after her, but she explains that they must separate; the police will be looking for a mother and son. Soon after she leaves, the Nazis invade the hideout. Tanguy is transported to a concentration camp, where a man named Gunther befriends him and convinces him to keep his hopes up. The concentration camp is sickening and hideous, and Tanguy braves a physical and emotional roller coaster until the war finally ends, and he finds his way to Barcelona to search for his mother. There he hears that she has died and is placed in a hostile reformatory orphanage, where the rules are strictly enforced and the boys live in fear. Eventually, the boy escapes and finds both his aunt and his mother. In the end, however, he must face more separations. The program concludes with a preview of the new Western series "Rawhide." Includes a commercial and promos. Promos include James Mason for "Playhouse 90: The Second Man."

Cataloging of this program was made possible by Michael Finkelstein and Sue-ann Friedman, 1996.

Details

  • NETWORK: CBS
  • DATE: February 5, 1959 Thursday 9:30 PM
  • RUNNING TIME: 1:29:02
  • COLOR/B&W: B&W
  • CATALOG ID: T78:0464
  • GENRE: Drama
  • SUBJECT HEADING: Concentration camps - Drama; Drama; World War II - Drama
  • SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1956-1961
  • COMMERCIALS:
    • TV - Commercials - Allstate insurance
    • TV - Promos - "Playhouse 90: The Second Man"
    • TV - Promos - "Rawhide"

CREDITS

  • Herbert Brodkin … Producer
  • Herbert Hirschman … Associate Producer
  • Russell Stoneham … Associate Producer
  • George Roy Hill … Director
  • Irving Gaynor Neiman … Adapted by
  • Michel del Castillo … Based on the book by
  • Jerry Goldsmith … Music by
  • James Mason … Host
  • Robert Crawford … Cast, Tanguy
  • Liliane Montevecchi … Cast, the Mother
  • Maximilian Schell … Cast, Gunther
  • George Dolenz … Cast, the Father
  • Lou Jacobi … Cast, Delivol
  • Marc Lawrence … Cast, Pardo
  • Marcuse, Theodore (See also: Marcuse, Theo) … Cast, Rouge
  • John Wengraf … Cast, Mr. Cohen
  • Ben-Ari … Cast, Misha
  • Orlando Rodriguez … Cast, Firmin
  • Rene Korper … Cast, Guy
  • Naomi Stevens … Cast, Nita
  • Felipe Turich … Cast, the Doctor
  • Beppy Devries … Cast, the Concierge
  • Voytek Dolinski … Cast, Antoine
  • De Vestel, Guy … Cast, Dulac
  • Peter Coe … Cast, Prison Camp NCO
  • Harold Dyrenforth … Cast, Nazi Interrogator
  • Norbert Schiller … Cast, Prisoner
  • Edgar Barrier … Cast, the Mayor
  • Bob Duggan … Cast, Gendarme
  • Armand Alzamora … Cast, Underground Agent
  • Del Val, Jean … Cast, Inspector
  • Joyce Vanderveen … Cast, Red Cross Worker
  • Jerry Gaylor … Cast, Red Cross Worker
  • Bill Schram … Cast, Guard
  • Otto Reichow … Cast, Soldier
  • Sam Capano … Cast, Gendarme
  • Paul Maxwell … Cast, Gendarme
  • David Colmans … Cast, Maderas
  • Pat Ortiz … Cast, Chato
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