HOUR OF STARS: THE LATE GEORGE APLEY (TV)
Summary
One in this dramatic anthology series, a remastering of the 1955 "The 20th Century Fox Hour" anthology series adapting both original content and popular films as television plays.
This episode presents a television version of the 1947 film adaptation of “The Late George Apley.” The story begins in Boston, Massachusetts in 1912, where George Apley, an upper-class and traditional fellow of the town, is quite dissatisfied with his children going about their “activities” rather than adhering to his traditions. He discovers his son John has been having a relationship with a woman in secret, and coldly forbids him from seeing her, believing that the relationship is a betrayal of their family traditions. Meanwhile, George’s daughter Eleanor Apley is involved with a discussion group expounding on the science of Freudian psychoanalysis, particularly the sexual element. One of the group members is Howard Boulder, an English professor from New York lecturing at Harvard, who is in love with Eleanor, although she is unsure of whether to return his affections. She agrees to go out to dinner with him, and she grows attached to him, inviting him to Thanksgiving dinner with the Apley family. She notes that she would pursue Howard even if her family doesn’t approve of him.
George waits up for Eleanor and gets into an argument with her about coming home late. He is most displeased to learn of her affection for Howard and for what he views as insubordinate behavior on her part. George, Eleanor, and her mother Catherine get into an argument about her invitation to Howard for Thanksgiving; they convince him to allow Howard to join them so he can meet him in person. George meets Howard during the Thanksgiving meal, and is unhappy when he hears about Howard’s background: he worked his way through college as a waiter until he received his professorship at Yale. Eleanor gets into an argument with her father about her cousin’s coming-out party, calling the idea “barbarous.” George becomes further irked when Eleanor and Howard begin discussing Freudian thought again, which strikes an awkward tone over the proceedings. Howard continues to inadvertently anger George with his thoughts on great American authors, and George privately takes something of a vendetta against him.
The next day, George attends one of Howard’s lectures at Emerson Hall along with Howard’s fellowship sponsor, Buzzy Loring, in an attempt to prove his assertion that Howard is unfit to be lecturing there for his “dangerous” ideas. George convinces Buzzy to withdraw his support, which will force him out of Harvard. Eleanor is furious at this turn of events and plans retaliation. To that end, she enlists the aid of Howard’s friend William Bradford, editor-in-chief of the Harvard Crimson newspaper, to publicize the issue and frame it as a matter of “academic freedom” against “snobbery.” John continues his own relationship, and George confronts him about it again, again asking him to break it off. Eleanor brings the newspaper story to George’s attention, and he dismisses it as libel. He forbids Eleanor from seeing Howard but she flatly refuses and leaves to meet Howard for lunch.
George is soon beset by the press about his personal motives behind arranging for Howard’s dismissal. He finds that the story is beginning to impede upon his social life. Howard leads a protest movement of Harvard students mocking George’s actions and their implications. They picket outside the Apley home, causing George a great deal of consternation. He is visited by Mr. Dole, the father of John’s girlfriend, who reveals that he has cautioned his daughter against seeing John in much the same manner as George has done to John, and that he has noted the various bad press surrounding George as of late. George feels personally slighted by the meeting, and furthermore feels as though recent events have shown that the values he holds in such high esteem are no longer applicable in modern society. The police break up the protest in front of the Apley home, but they are still determined and plan to gather outside of Emerson Hall.
Howard asks Eleanor to marry him that very day as a way of disproving her father’s notions, although she is reluctant to do so. However, she agrees and goes to see George, who states that the picketing will accomplish nothing and again demands that she stop seeing Howard. She informs him that she will be marrying Howard and will not be subject to George’s rules any longer. George is shocked by this, and Eleanor points out that George’s strict dictates to family duty and tradition have negatively impacted his children’s lives and relationships, preventing them from learning and growing as people. George breaks down, admitting that he has allowed his traditions to get the better of him, but that they are all that he knows. In light of this, Eleanor agrees not to marry Howard, but George talks with Catherine, and together they recount the people they fell in love with before they were married to each other, which seems to change George’s mind about the situation.
George invites Howard and Buzzy over to his house, along with the dean of Harvard. He has prepared a public statement admitting error in getting Howard fired and calling for his reinstatement, approved by those present. Howard approves as well, and is appreciative towards George for being able to change his mind about the matter. George also give Eleanor his permission to marry Howard, leaving her overjoyed. Commercials deleted.
(Originally aired under the title “The 20th Century Fox Hour” on CBS from 1955 to 1957; “The Late George Apley” was aired on November 16th, 1955 at 10:00 PM).
Details
- NETWORK: FOX Movie Channel
- DATE: November 30, 2001
- RUNNING TIME: 0:48:24
- COLOR/B&W: Color and B&W
- CATALOG ID: B:78442
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1955-1957; FX Movie Channel - TV series, 2002
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- For "Hour of Stars"
- Billy Hall … Executive Producer
- Rick Scott … Executive Producer
- Kenny Rhodes … Producer, Director, Writer
- Teresa Antista … Producer
- Jesse Marcus … Producer
- Nathan Furst … Music by
- Robert Wagner … Host
- For "The Late George Apley"
- Jules Bricken … Producer, Director
- Edward Hope … Writer
- John P. Marquand … Based on the novel by, Based on the play by
- Philip Dunne … Based on the screenplay by
- George S. Kaufman … Based on the play by
- Raymond Massey … Cast, George Apley
- Joanne Woodward … Cast, Eleanor Apley
- Ann Harding … Cast, Catherine Apley
- Arthur Franz … Cast, Howard Boulder
- Torin Thatcher … Cast, Roger Newcombe
- Carl Benton Reid … Cast, Mr. Dole
- Barry Coe … Cast, John Apley
- Katharine Warren … Cast, Amelia Newcombe
- Gerald Oliver Smith … Cast, Wilson
- Dee Carroll … Cast, Ethel
- Jimmy Hayes … Cast, Bradford
- Philip Tonge … Cast, Buzzy Loring
- Steven Hayes … Cast, Heywood
- Grandon Rhodes … Cast, Dean Ringwood