Summary

One in this series of dramatic specials presented by Hallmark. This presentation is based on Maxwell Anderson's three-act play about the life of Queen Elizabeth I. In Act I, Elizabeth awaits the arrival of Lord Essex, who is returning from a victorious battle in Spain. When he arrives, she makes him promise never to leave her again. Meanwhile, Sir Robert Cecil and Sir Walter Raleigh plot to get rid of Essex. They challenge him to go to war in Ireland, and he breaks his promise to the Queen and leaves with his men. In Act II, Essex is losing to Tyrone's troops in Ireland. He wishes to stay and fight, but Elizabeth orders him to return home. In his love letters, he pleads for more supplies, but his letters are intercepted by Cecil and Raleigh. Enraged, Essex returns to challenge Elizabeth for her throne. When the two learn that their letters have been tampered with, they beg each other for forgiveness. Essex wishes to rule by Elizabeth's side, but she will not share her throne. She has her lover arrested because she cannot trust him. In Act III, Essex is confined to the tower waiting to be executed, and Elizabeth promises to free him if only he will ask. Includes commercials. (This is a black-and-white copy of a color telecast.)

("Hallmark Hall of Fame" aired on NBC from 1952 to 1978; network affiliation varies after 1978.)

(Beginning with the live telecast of the opera "Amahl and the Night Visitors" on December 24, 1951, Hallmark has sponsored a series of dramatic specials which, since 1952, has aired under the title "Hallmark Hall of Fame." From 1952 to 1955 Hallmark also presented "Hallmark Hall of Fame," a weekly half-hour or hour-long dramatic anthology series, usually hosted by Sarah Churchill. The first program, "Dr. Serocold," was televised in January 1952 under the title "Hallmark Television Theatre." This series also ran under the title "Hallmark Summer Theatre" in July and August 1952.)