Hollywood Tandem

"Hollywood Tandem"
The Philco Television Playhouse episode
Directed by	Delbert Mann
Written by	Sumner Locke Elliott David Shaw
Original air date	August 23, 1953 (1953-08-23)
Running time	60 mins

"Hollywood Tandem" is a 1953 episode of the American television series The Philco Television Playhouse. It consisted of two television plays, "Fade Out" and "The New Process", both of which were directed by Delbert Mann and produced by David Susskind. The show marked the television acting debut of Hedda Hopper.

"Fade Out" was written by Sumner Locke Elliott and is about an ageing movie star attempts to make a comeback. "The New Process" was written by Davis Shaw and is about a satire on the 3D craze.

Casts

Cast of "Fade Out"

• Jesse Royce Landis
• Sidney Blackmer
• Hedda Hopper as herself

Cast of "The New Process"

• Walter Matthau
• Carole Matthews
• Ernest Truex

Reception

Variety said Hopper "came through as a definite personality, completely at ease and with a certain intriguing charm. What Miss Hoppor unfortunately could not do was to improve the quality Of the show which, especially in its second part, suffered from a variety of serious shortcomings."

Radio version

Fade Out was adapted for radio by the Philco Radio Playhouse adapted by Paul Dudley. Many of the cast from the television production reprised their roles. It was the first production for the series.

Variety said it "was no great shakes as a dramatic vehicle, but its performances put it into the hit class."

Cast of radio version

• Jessie Royce Landis
• Sidney Blackmer
• Hedda Hopper
• Everett Sloane
• Joan Shea
• George Petrie
• Ann Tobin
• Peggy Lobbin
• Marian Brash
• Joseph Cotten - narrator