The Star and the Story


The Star and the Story is an American television anthology series which aired 1955–1956 in first-run syndication. A filmed half-hour series, episodes were approx. 25 minutes excluding commercials.
Produced by Four Star Productions, it was similar in some respects to Four Star Playhouse and Stage 7.
Henry Fonda was the host. With a new cast each week, the series featured a wide range of actors, often well-known character actors such as Edmond O'Brien and occasionally emerging stars such as Joanne Woodward. Notable directors included Blake Edwards and Robert Stevenson.
It appears the series has entered the public domain; a number of episodes appear on budget public domain DVD releases.

Overseas syndication

During the late-1950s it was exported to Australia where it often aired under the title Whitehall Playhouse. With limited television budgets Australian broadcasters were unable to produce a weekly anthology series of their own during the 1950s, and as such several American anthology series were shown there, along with a few British anthology series and at least one Canadian anthology. Others shown included Ford Television Theatre, Short Short Dramas and Science Fiction Theatre.