September 19, 1954, with E. G. Marshall and Eva Marie Saint in Chayefsky's Middle of the Night, a play which moved to Broadway 15 months later and was filmed under the same title by Columbia Pictures in 1959. A single source suggests that Philco Television Playhouse continued into 1956, although most other sources agree that the final production came on October 2, 1955. This was Robert Alan Aurthur's A Man Is Ten Feet Tall, co-starring Don Murray and Sidney Poitier, which was adapted and expanded into the 1957 MGM feature film, Edge of the City, with Poitier recreating his original role and John Cassavetes in Murray's part. On October 16, 1955, Alcoa took over sponsorship from Philco and The Alcoa Hour alternated with Goodyear Television Playhouse for two more seasons. Cast and writers Among the many performers on the Philco Television Playhouse were James Dean, Lillian Gish, Janet De Gore, Melvyn Douglas, Grace Kelly, Jack Klugman, Cloris Leachman, Walter Matthau, Steve McQueen, Paul Muni, ZaSu Pitts, Eva Marie Saint, Everett Sloane, Kim Stanley, Eli Wallach and Joanne Woodward. Many of these actors were making their first television appearance; one was Jose Ferrer, who recreated his stage performance in a one-hour television condensation of Cyrano de Bergerac on January 9, 1949, a full year before the 1950 film version, for which Ferrer won an Oscar, was released. Another was Paul Muni, who starred in the 1948 presentation Counsellor-at Law. The series launched the television writing careers of Robert Alan Aurthur, Paddy Chayefsky, Sumner Locke Elliott, Horton Foote, Tad Mosel, William Templeton, Arnold Schulman, and Gore Vidal. Its most famous drama was Chayefsky's Marty (May 24, 1953), which starred Rod Steiger and was later made into a movie that won an Academy Award for Ernest Borgnine. Critical reception The trade publication Variety commended the Playhouse's "Pride and Prejudice" episode (January 23, 1949) and generalized, "It's getting so that viewers can take for granted this show's superior taste and overall production excellence. This is video at its adult best." Regarding that specific production, the review praised Samuel Taylor's adaptation, Fred Coe's direction, Harry Sosnick's musical score, and the acting of Madge Evans and Viola Roache. U.S. television ratings Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of The Philco Television Playhouse on NBC. In popular culture In 2006, the NBC series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip referenced The Philco Television Playhouse