The 20th Century Fox Hour (1955)
The 20th Century Fox Hour is an American drama anthology series televised in the United States on CBS from 1955 to 1957. Some of the shows in this series were restored, remastered and shown on the Fox Movie Channel in 2002 under the title Hour of Stars. The season one episode Overnight Haul, starring Richard Conte and Lizabeth Scott, was released in Australia as a feature film.
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Episode 1 - Child of the Regiment
Release Date: 1956-10-03After his wife suffers a miscarriage during an earthquake in Japan, he finds that a young Japanese girl is parentless and homeless and decides to take her in. Hoping of course that his wife will overcome her grief over the loss of their own child. He is reassigned to Honolulu and there he encounters problems with his superior who is extremely racist against his daughter and causes trouble for him and his outfit.
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Episode 2 - Stranger in the Night
Release Date: 1956-10-17A sensitive widow of delicate constitution falls in love with a cottage by the sea previously owned by Captain Robert Wilton who commited suicide. Feeling a ghostly prescence she becomes enchanted with him and he helps her to overcome her fears.
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Episode 3 - The Money Maker
Release Date: 1956-10-31Mrs. Miller is elderly with no money, she makes a living by counterfeiting one dollar bills. This leads to trouble with the US government who can't believe it.
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Episode 4 - Smoke Jumpers
Release Date: 1956-11-14Only the leader of a firefighter unit survives a forest fire and is accused of saving himself at his men's expense. After his recovery he goes out again this time to prove everyone wrong.
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Episode 5 - The Last Patriarch
Release Date: 1956-11-28Emil Markheim employs the same ruthless authority in running the bank he founded that he imposes on his own family. His sons hate him enough to want to destroy him. The son who loves him ends up in jail for trying to bride a juror after his father winds up on the bank examiners wrong side. After doing 5 years in Sing Sing upon his release the other brothers try to destroy him.
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Episode 6 - Men Against Speed
Release Date: 1956-12-12A family auto-racing team, father and two sons, intent upon proving that their American vehicle is the superior to any foreign job. The trio enters an important Italian road competition. A press agent upsets things, when she can't choose between brothers.
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Episode 7 - Operation Cicero
Release Date: 1956-12-26Based on the true story of a World War II spy with access to top secret information in the British embassy in Turkey, this episode follows the brief but bright career of an English valet, code-named Cicero, who seized his chance to sell expensive secrets to the Germans, including details about D-Day's Operation Overlord. The Nazi government, the British ambassador, and a Polish countess all dance on strings even as British counteragents close in.
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Episode 8 - End of a Gun
Release Date: 1957-01-09Jimmy Ringo an ex-gunfighter tries to settle down to a normal life but is constantly challenged to gun fights. As he tries to reconnect with his wife and son in Cayenne, his life is in danger when several attempts are made on his life. Distraught he tells the sheriff his friend not to pursue the attempts, to let the gunnies find out themselves what kind of life it is to be an outlaw.
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Episode 9 - False Witness
Release Date: 1957-01-23A mother places an ad in the newspaper claiming the innocence of her son. A reporter checks out the story.
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Episode 10 - Springfield Incident
Release Date: 1957-02-06A young Abe takes on a case where the only witness to the crime is the mother of two young men who are wrongfully accused in the stabbing death of the town deputy.
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Episode 11 - Man of the Law
Release Date: 1957-02-20In Vaquero County at the Wells Fargo Office, Anse Trumbull is shot and killed in a bank hold up. This endangers the only witness to the crime, the sheriff's stepson. The sheriff is faced with a difficult decision whether to protect the boy and possibly lose his respect or risk the boys life.
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Episode 12 - City in Flames
Release Date: 1957-03-06During the time of the great Chicago fire, the two O'Leary brothers become bitter political and romantic rivals for the beautiful stage actress, one brother is a notorious gambler and the other a pious reformer. After Mrs. O'Leary's cow knocks over the fabled lantern, we are treated to generous stock footage from In Old Chicago's climatic conclusion.
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Episode 13 - Deadline Decision
Release Date: 1957-03-20Ben Macready son of John Macready owner and editor of the ""Hollisfield Herald"" has been asked by Police Chief Swanson to keep a lid on a kidnapping of Jimmie Elgin son of the Bank Manager George Elgin under wraps for 18 hours. Ben agrees, however his father doesnt and goes ahead with the story. The townspeople turn on Macready when it is learned that the river was dragged and a body was found. Fearing the worst, Macready embarks on a mission to capture the kidnapper. Offering him money for the story and trapping him only to discover that little Jimmie is alive and is exchanged for the reward. The police are able to arrest the kidnapper.
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Episode 14 - The Still Trumpet
Release Date: 1957-04-03During the Civil War, imprisoned Confederate soldiers are paroled to help protect pioneers from Indians.
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Episode 15 - Men in Her Life
Release Date: 1957-04-17Retired schoolteacher pays a visit to a former pupil she taught many years ago. He is a candidate running for governor. She tells him about how difficult he was as a boy and her attempts to help him interfered with the man she loved and accusations concerning that man.
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Episode 16 - Deep Water
Release Date: 1957-05-01The ruthless head of an underwater demolition team, aka the frogmen, is unpopular with his men when he comes head to head with his chief petty officer just as an enemy torpedo lodges, unexploded, in a section of the ship's sick bay.
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Episode 17 - The Great American Hoax
Release Date: 1957-05-15John Hodges has been a printer devoted to his work. Now, at 65, he is automatically retired by his firm. But Hodges isn't ready for retirement -he feels he has many years of productivve employment ahead. Furthermore,life without a job becomes tedious. He feels unwanted in the house and finally flees to the park where he sits, contemplates the injustice of his retirement, and plots ways to be reinstated. Finally he hits on a daring maneuver. Knowing that the president of the parent company is a mysteriously remote figure, Hodges decides to impersonate him, change some of the rules and get his job back. Excited, he starts to compose an interesting letter!
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Episode 18 - Threat to a Happy Ending
Release Date: 1957-05-29Police captain's daughter is threatened when a gangster resolves to make sure that the Captain and his family are held responsible.
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Episode 19 - The Marriage Broker
Release Date: 1957-06-12A mischievous, well meaning, meddling busy body opens up an agency to bring couples together. After years of being a scorned woman Mae decides to turn the tables on her nemisis after her ex-husbands death. A variation of Hello Dolly!