Rod Serling’s Playhouse 90: “A Town Has Turned to Dust”

In-person:

Post-screening Q&A with Molly A. Schneider, author of “Gold Dust on the Air: Television Anthology Drama and Midcentury American Culture.” Book signing before the screening.

Admission is free. No advance reservations. Your seat will be assigned to you when you pick up your ticket at the box office. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis. The box office opens one hour before the event.

In a Television Academy Hall of Fame career honored with six Emmy Awards and innumerous accolades, Rod Serling's original teleplay “A Town Has Turned to Dust” represents one of the prolific writer's most controversial and pointed works. Written especially for Playhouse 90, Serling originally drafted a contemporary drama that would directly reflect on the tragic, senseless murder of African American youth Emmett Till at the hands of white supremacists. However, nervous sponsors of the prestigious anthology series (fearful of alienating Southern viewers) demanded substantial script changes that infuriated Serling, which included shifting his script's setting to the 1890s and changing the race of the victim of a lynching. Labeled as "television's angry young man" for his well-publicized battles against censorship, Serling opined that by the time his retooled drama went before the cameras, “his script had turned to dust.” Such experiences would ultimately lead Serling to develop his cult-classic Twilight Zone series as a creative outlet to address serious social issues masked behind the veil of fantasy and science fiction allegories.

As noted by critics of the day, despite egregious interference in bringing “A Town Has Turned to Dust” to the small screen, Serling’s piercing drama emerged bold and effective. In their review, Variety proclaimed that “Serling poured out a fiery and spellbinding attack on racial discrimination”; the New York Times added that the work was “a raw, tough and at the same time deeply moving outcry against prejudice.” Serling's Emmy-nominated teleplay is propelled by the innovative direction of wunderkind John Frankenheimer and wrenching, indelible performances by leads Rod Steiger, William Shatner and Fay Spain. Viewed today, the live broadcast (preserved from an original 2 in. videotape) personifies the best of the golden age of television — an impeccable production with a profound and, sadly, still timely message.

—Mark Quigley, John H. Mitchell Television Curator

Playhouse 90: “A Town Has Turned to Dust”

U.S., 6/19/1958

With original commercials!

Originally conceived as a contemporary drama mirroring the senseless, horrific murder of Emmett Till, Rod Serling’s piercing teleplay concerns a small town in the 1890s whipped into a frenzy of racial violence by a bigoted storekeeper (William Shatner). In the aftermath, a damaged, ineffectual sheriff (Rod Steiger) must reckon with the deadly consequences. Directed by John Frankenheimer, the acclaimed live production represents a bold, powerful statement against prejudice despite significant censorship by sponsors.

DCP, b&w, 90 min. CBS. Production: CBS Television Network. Producer: Martin Manulis. Director: John Frankenheimer. Writer: Rod Serling. With: Rod Steiger, William Shatner, Fay Spain, James Gregory. Episode of Playhouse 90 courtesy of CBS Broadcasting Inc.