American Playhouse

1. 1. The Shady Hill Kidnapping

   Jan 12, 1982

   John Cheever's comedy of a supposedly kidnapped five-year-old boy. At first, the police aren't interested until a ransom note is discovered. Then the town goes into action to support the finding of Toby.

2. 2. King of America

   Jan 19, 1982

   Hot-tempered Greek immigrant Andreas arrives in 1915 America, and finds work on a railroad. However, after giving his corrupt foreman Mekakis a savage beating, Andreas flees and makes his way west.

3. 3. Seguin

   Jan 26, 1982

   In 19th-century Texas, soldier Juan Nepomuceno Seguin fought at the Alamo and became a highly respected politician to insure better living conditions for his people. Frustration arose when American ranchers move into the flatlands bringing prejudice and bigotry against the Mexican populations.

4. 4. Who Am I This Time?

   Feb 2, 1982

   Shy hardware store employee Harry Nash decides to step out of his comfort zone, and takes part in a local amateur theatre troupe, where he becomes the character he plays—literally. Helene Shaw is new in town, a lonely itinerant telephonist. On a whim, she auditions for and gets the part of Stella in the troupe's production of A Streetcar Named Desire, opposite Harry's Stanley. Before anyone realizes the growing affection between the two, Helene falls in love with the charming brute, unaware of the man Harry really is.

5. 5. Any Friend of Nicholas Nickleby Is a Friend of Mine

   Feb 9, 1982

   The arrival in a small town of a stranger who calls himself 'Charles Dickens' makes a magical and lasting change in the lives of an imaginative 12-year-old boy and a loving young woman.

6. 6. Come Along with Me

   Feb 16, 1982

   Recently widowed Mabel Lederer sells all her belongings and leaves home to start a new life. Mabel believes she has powers to see into the future and to conduct seances. She changes her name to 'Angela Motorman' and moves into a boarding house where she interacts with the strange residents.

7. 7. For colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf

   Feb 23, 1982

   Nameless women identified by color (e.g., Lady in Red, Lady in Blue) share their experiences with racism, sexism, abuse, and abandonment, ultimately finding strength and sisterhood.

8. 8. Echoes and Silences

   Mar 2, 1982

   In search of Carl Sandburg, actor John Cullum travels to the poet's native home, Galesburg, IL, speaking with close friends and family. Through a remarkable recently discovered trove of period photographs of Galesburg, the small-town America of Sandburg's childhood – the horse carriages, the ice-man delivering ice, a Fourth of July celebration – is revived in vivid detail.

9. 9. Fifth of July

   Mar 9, 1982

   Ken Talley is 32, strong, goodlooking and a Vietnam vet with both legs shot off seven years earlier. His lover Jed is bigger and stronger, a gardner, a good listener. On Independence Day 1977, Ken's home in Lebanon Missouri is visted by his army buddies. Much of their past relationships, pre- and post-Vietnam, must be pulled up and examined before any of them can decide their future.

10. 10. The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters

    Mar 16, 1982

    Teenage Ralph recounts the Fourth of July and similar chaoses with his family and friends. Based on the writings of Jean Shepherd.

11. 11. Pilgrim, Farewell

    Mar 23, 1982

    A woman suffering from terminal cancer determines to resolve several relationships in her life, especially with her daughter.

12. 12. Northern Lights

    Mar 30, 1982

    On a North Dakota wheat farm at the turn of the 20th century, Ray Sorenson builds his world around childhood sweetheart Inga. Then Ray sees his plans come apart when the bank forecloses on his family's farm.

13. 13. Medal of Honor Rag

    Apr 6, 1982

    A Medal of Honor-winning Vietnam vet has difficulty readjusting to civilian life, and turns to a psychiatrist for help when he finds himself descending to robbery.

14. 14. Working

    Apr 13, 1982

    A musical following American workers from diverse backgrounds, from gravediggers to studio heads, exploring their feelings, frustrations, and search for meaning in their jobs.

15. 15. Weekend

    Apr 20, 1982

    A drifting, affluent couple spend a weekend at their country home, where the husband cheats on his complacent wife as they host guests for their son's first birthday.

16. 16. Private Contentment

    Apr 27, 1982

    A young soldier attends his mother's funeral just before he's shipped out to serve in World War II.

17. 17. My Palikari

    May 4, 1982

    A middle-aged Greek immigrant visits his native village, with his American-born son in tow. The elder finds that the place he remembered as paradise on Earth now seems like a desolate wasteland, while the son, who has mede this journey reluctantly, falls in love with his ancestral homeland.

18. 18. Oppenheimer (1)

    May 11, 1982

    1938: Robert Oppenheimer meets and decides to marry the hard-drinking, much-divorced Kitty, although his friends and relatives dislike her.

19. 19. Oppenheimer (2)

    May 18, 1982

    1942: America is at war. Now in charge of the top-secret Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer's left-wing politics mean that he's constantly under surveillance by the FBI and others.

20. 20. Oppenheimer (3)

    May 25, 1982

    1943: Oppenheimer is appointed director of Los Alamos, but his past Communist associations alert the FBI. Meanwhile, his extramarital relationship with the neurotic Jean Tatlock comes to a tragic end.

21. 21. Oppenheimer (4)

    Jun 1, 1982

    Summer 1944: With the death of President Roosevelt, the future of the Manhattan Project seems doubtful. Oppenheimer finds himself more and more at loggerheads with Teller.

22. 22. Oppenheimer (5)

    Jun 8, 1982

    May 1945: The European war is over but the conflict with Japan rages on. Oppenheimer discusses the almost completed atomic bomb with the Secretary of War. However, his colleagues have misgivings.

23. 23. Oppenheimer (6)

    Jun 15, 1982

    1949: A few years after the war, Oppenheimer finds himself regarded as a security risk, and must face the HUAC committee.

24. 24. Oppenheimer (7)

    Jun 22, 1982

    December 1953: Oppenheimer's examination by the committee proves disastrous and his career with the AEC is finished, whilst that of his rival Teller flourishes.

25. 25. The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez

    Jun 29, 1982

    In 1901, Mexican American farmer Gregorio Cortez is forced on the run from Texas Rangers, evading a massive manhunt on horseback for days following a heated misunderstanding leads to the death of a lawman.

About

American Playhouse is an anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service in the United States.

First aired

1982-01-12

Era

80s

Length

13 seasons · 211 episodes

Genres

Drama, Comedy