This is a chronological listing of the titles that were showcased on the first four seasons of NBC Saturday Night at the Movies .
The first 30-week season (1961–1962) consisted of post-1948 titles from 20th Century Fox . Those films in the widescreen CinemaScope format were resized for the small screen. In terms of content, very little editing was done because the films met the broadcast standards of the time for the most part. There were several weeks when the films ran far beyond the scheduled 11pm end time. The list of films in the "episode guide" come from the TV Listings page of the Lima News , Lima, Ohio .
Episode #
Airdate
Movie Title and Year
Main Cast
Network TV Run Time
1
9/23/1961
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
Betty Grable , Marilyn Monroe , Lauren Bacall
2 hours
2
9/30/1961
The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952)
Gregory Peck , Susan Hayward , Ava Gardner
2 hours, 20 minutes
3
10/07/1961
Titanic (1953)
Clifton Webb , Barbara Stanwyck , Robert Wagner
2 hours
4
10/14/1961
Garden of Evil (1954)
Gary Cooper , Susan Hayward , Richard Widmark
2 hours
5
10/21/1961
The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951)
James Mason , Cedric Hardwicke , Jessica Tandy
2 hours
6
10/28/1961
There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
Ethel Merman , Donald O'Connor , Marilyn Monroe
2 hours, 25 minutes
7
11/04/1961
Soldier of Fortune (1955)
Clark Gable , Susan Hayward , Michael Rennie
2 hours
8
11/11/1961
Halls of Montezuma (1951)
Richard Widmark , Jack Palance , Robert Wagner
2 hours, 20 minutes
9
11/18/1961
Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)
Victor Mature , Susan Hayward , Michael Rennie
2 hours
10
11/25/1961
Dreamboat (1952)
Clifton Webb , Ginger Rogers , Anne Francis
2 hours
11
12/02/1961
Broken Arrow (1950)
James Stewart , Jeff Chandler , Debra Paget
2 hours
12
12/09/1961
Man on a Tightrope (1953)
Fredric March , Terry Moore , Gloria Grahame
2 hours
13
12/16/1961
Destination Gobi (1953)
Richard Widmark , Don Taylor , Max Showalter
2 hours
14
12/23/1961
O. Henry's Full House (1952)
John Steinbeck , Marilyn Monroe , Richard Widmark
2 hours, 25 minutes
15
12/30/1961
On the Riviera (1951)
Danny Kaye , Gene Tierney , Corinne Calvet
2 hours
16
1/06/1962
What Price Glory (1952)
James Cagney , Corinne Calvet , Robert Wagner
2 hours, 15 minutes
17
1/13/1962
People Will Talk (1951)
Cary Grant , Jeanne Crain , Hume Cronyn
2 hours, 15 minutes
18
1/20/1962
5 Fingers (1952)
James Mason , Danielle Darrieux , Michael Rennie
2 hours, 15 minutes
19
1/27/1962
Cheaper by the Dozen (the 1950 version)
Clifton Webb , Jeanne Crain , Myrna Loy
2 hours
20
2/03/1962
The Frogmen (1951)
Richard Widmark , Dana Andrews , Robert Wagner
2 hours
21
2/10/1962
With a Song in My Heart (1952)
Susan Hayward , Rory Calhoun , Robert Wagner
2 hours, 20 minutes
22
2/17/1962
Monkey Business (1952)
Cary Grant , Ginger Rogers , Marilyn Monroe
2 hours
23
2/24/1962
Stars and Stripes Forever (1952)
Clifton Webb , Debra Paget , Robert Wagner
2 hours
24
3/03/1962
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951 film)
Michael Rennie , Patricia Neal , Sam Jaffe
2 hours
25
3/10/1962
The Black Rose (1950)
Tyrone Power , Orson Welles , Michael Rennie
2 hours, 15 minutes
26
3/17/1962
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
Dana Andrews , Gene Tierney , Gary Merrill
2 hours
27
3/24/1962
No Highway in the Sky (1951)
James Stewart , Marlene Dietrich , Glynis Johns
2 hours
28
3/31/1962
Bird of Paradise (1951)
Debra Paget , Louis Jourdan , Jack Elam
2 hours
29
4/07/1962
It Happens Every Spring (1949)
Ray Milland , Jean Peters , Ed Begley
2 hours
30
4/14/1962
Diplomatic Courier (1952)
Tyrone Power , Patricia Neal , Karl Malden
2 hours
The second season (1962–1963) began on September 22, 1962, just as the first season started off, with Marilyn Monroe , this time with the television debut of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes . The broadcast had become a special tribute to Monroe, who had died just a month earlier. It was also a second season of 30 titles from 20th Century Fox .
Episode #
Airdate
Movie Title and Year
Main Cast
Network TV Run Time
31
9/22/1962
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
Jane Russell , Marilyn Monroe , Charles Coburn
2 hours
32
9/29/1962
Broken Lance (1954)
Spencer Tracy , Robert Wagner , Richard Widmark
2 hours
33
10/06/1962
The Egyptian (1954)
Jean Simmons , Victor Mature , Gene Tierney , Edmund Purdom
2 hours, 45 minutes
34
10/13/1962
Three Coins In The Fountain (1954)
Clifton Webb , Dorothy McGuire , Louis Jourdan
2 hours
35
10/20/1962
River of No Return (1954)
Robert Mitchum , Marilyn Monroe , Rory Calhoun
2 hours
36
10/27/1962
Mister Scoutmaster (1953)
Clifton Webb , Edmund Gwenn , Frances Dee
2 hours
37
11/03/1962
Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953)
Robert Wagner , Terry Moore , Richard Boone
2 hours
38
11/10/1962
The Desert Rats (1953)
Richard Burton , James Mason , Robert Newton
2 hours
39
11/17/1962
White Witch Doctor (1953)
Susan Hayward , Robert Mitchum , Walter Slezak
2 hours
40
11/24/1962
Sailor of the King (1953)
Jeffrey Hunter , Michael Rennie , Wendy Hiller
2 hours
41
12/01/1962
Night People (1954)
Gregory Peck , Broderick Crawford , Buddy Ebsen
2 hours
42
12/08/1962
No Down Payment (1957)
Joanne Woodward , Tony Randall , Jeffrey Hunter
2 hours, 5 minutes
43
12/15/1962
Désirée (1954)
Marlon Brando , Merle Oberon , Michael Rennie
2 hours, 10 minutes
44
12/22/1962
Red Skies of Montana (1952)
Richard Widmark , Jeffrey Hunter , Richard Boone
2 hours
45*
12/29/1962
Rawhide (1951 film, no relation to the CBS-TV series)
Tyrone Power , Susan Hayward , Jack Elam
2 hours
46
1/5/1963
Decision Before Dawn (1951)
Richard Basehart , Gary Merrill , Hildegard Neff
2 hours, 25 minutes
47
1/12/1963
The Sun Also Rises (1957)
Tyrone Power , Ava Gardner , Errol Flynn
2 hours, 35 minutes
48
1/19/1963
Woman's World (1954)
Van Heflin , Lauren Bacall , Clifton Webb
2 hours
49
1/26/1963
Deadline - U.S.A. (1952)
Humphrey Bogart , Kim Hunter , Ed Begley
2 hours
50
2/2/1963
Niagara (1953)
Marilyn Monroe , Joseph Cotten , Jean Peters
2 hours
51
2/9/1963
Kangaroo (1952)
Maureen O'Hara , Peter Lawford , Richard Boone
2 hours
52
2/16/1963
The Long Hot Summer (1958)
Paul Newman , Joanne Woodward , Orson Welles
2 hours, 15 minutes
53
2/23/1963
The President's Lady (1953)
Susan Hayward , Charlton Heston , John McIntire
2 hours
54
3/2/1963
The Roots of Heaven (1958)
Errol Flynn , Juliette Gréco , Eddie Albert
2 hours, 25 minutes
55
3/9/1963
In Love and War (1958)
Robert Wagner , Hope Lange , Jeffrey Hunter
2 hours, 10 minutes
56
3/16/1963
A Certain Smile (1958)
Rossano Brazzi , Joan Fontaine , Johnny Mathis
2 hours, 5 minutes
57
3/23/1963
Fraulein (1958)
Dana Wynter , Mel Ferrer , Theodore Bikel
2 hours
58
3/30/1963
Ten North Frederick (1958)
Gary Cooper , Geraldine Fitzgerald , Stuart Whitman
2 hours
59
4/6/1963
Night and the City (1950)
Richard Widmark , Gene Tierney , Herbert Lom
2 hours
60
4/13/1963
I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (1951)
Susan Hayward , Rory Calhoun , Gene Lockhart
2 hours
To avoid confusion with the TV series Rawhide , 20th Century Fox renamed the film, Desperate Siege for television.
The third season (1963-1964) began on September 21, 1963. For the third season in a row, the network opened its Saturday night movie series with a Marilyn Monroe -starring film, 1955's The Seven Year Itch . By this time, NBC had added a second movie night, Monday, to its prime-time schedule. A new package of films were acquired at a cost of $14 million to the network consisting of 42 titles from 20th Century Fox , as well as 35 post 1950 films from MGM to fill both nights. For the most part, heavy dramatic films, such as The Diary of Anne Frank (1959 film) were chosen for season three of Saturday Night At The Movies, while lighter fare, such as comedies and musicals were reserved for the new Monday Night series. [1]
Episode #
Airdate
Movie Title and Year
Main Cast
Network TV Run Time
61
9/21/1963
The Seven Year Itch (1955)
Marilyn Monroe , Tom Ewell , Evelyn Keyes
2 hours, 10 minutes
62
9/28/1963
The Journey (1959)(First post-1950 MGM film to air on network TV)
Yul Brynner , Deborah Kerr , Jason Robards
2 hours, 25 minutes
63
10/5/1963
Ask Any Girl (1959)
David Niven , Shirley MacLaine , Gig Young
2 hours
64
10/12/1963
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
Sterling Hayden , Jean Hagen , Sam Jaffe
2 hours, 15 minutes
65
10/19/1963
The Tall Men (1955)
Clark Gable , Jane Russell , Cameron Mitchell
2 hours, 25 minutes
66
10/26/1963
Something of Value (1957)
Rock Hudson , Dana Wynter , Sidney Poitier
2 hours, 15 minutes
67
11/2/1963
Let's Make Love (1960)
Marilyn Monroe , Yves Montand , Tony Randall
2 hours, 20 minutes
68
11/9/1963
The Diary of Anne Frank (1959 film)
Millie Perkins , Joseph Schildkraut , Shelley Winters , Ed Wynn
3 hours, 20 minutes
69
11/16/1963
Untamed (1955)
Tyrone Power , Susan Hayward , Richard Egan
2 hours, 10 minutes
N/A
11/23/1963
Pre-empted due to continuing NBC News coverage of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy
70
11/30/1963
Count Your Blessings (1959)
Deborah Kerr , Rossano Brazzi , Maurice Chevalier
2 hours
71
12/7/1963
The Left Hand of God (1955)
Humphrey Bogart , Gene Tierney , Lee J. Cobb
2 hours
72
12/14/1963
The Opposite Sex (1956)
June Allyson , Joan Collins , Leslie Nielsen
2 hours, 20 minutes
73
12/21/1963
A Man Called Peter (1955)
Richard Todd , Jean Peters , Les Tremayne
2 hours, 15 minutes
74
12/28/1963
The Secret Partner (1961)
Stewart Granger , Haya Harareet , Bernard Lee
2 hours
75
1/4/1964
Daddy Long Legs (1955)
Fred Astaire , Leslie Caron , Fred Clark
2 hours, 25 minutes
76
1/11/1964
Imitation General (1958)(Rescheduled from 11/23/1963)
Glenn Ford , Taina Elg , Red Buttons
2 hours
77
1/18/1964
The Naked Spur (1953)
James Stewart , Janet Leigh , Robert Ryan
2 hours
78
1/25/1964
Until They Sail (1957)
Jean Simmons , Paul Newman , Joan Fontaine
2 hours, 15 minutes
79
2/1/1964
Lust for Life (1956)
Kirk Douglas , Anthony Quinn , Pamela Brown
2 hours, 30 minutes
80
2/8/1964
The Band Wagon (1953)
Fred Astaire , Cyd Charisse , Oscar Levant
2 hours, 10 minutes
81
2/15/1964
Edge of the City (1957)
John Cassavetes , Sidney Poitier , Ruby Dee
2 hours
82
2/22/1964
The Story of Three Loves (1953)
Pier Angeli , Ethel Barrymore , Kirk Douglas
2 hours, 25 minutes
83
2/29/1964
Violent Saturday (1955)
Victor Mature , Sylvia Sidney , Lee Marvin
2 hours
84
3/7/1964
Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958)
Paul Newman , Joanne Woodward , Jack Carson
2 hours
85
3/14/1964
Black Widow (1954)
Ginger Rogers , Van Heflin , Gene Tierney
2 hours
86
3/21/1964
Man on Fire (1957)
Bing Crosby , Inger Stevens , E. G. Marshall
2 hours
87
3/28/1964
Wild River (1960)
Montgomery Clift , Lee Remick , Albert Salmi
2 hours, 15 minutes
88
4/4/1964
Fourteen Hours (1951)
Richard Basehart , Barbara Bel Geddes , Paul Douglas
2 hours
89
4/11/1964
The Vintage (1957)
Pier Angeli , Mel Ferrer , Theodore Bikel
2 hours
90
4/18/1964
The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955)
Ray Milland , Joan Collins , Farley Granger
2 hours, 10 minutes
In the spring and summer of 1964, NBC elected to rebroadcast select titles previously seen on the Monday Night at the Movies series, in hopes of better ratings. The films seen for the first time on Saturday are listed below.
Episode #
Airdate
Movie Title and Year
Main Cast
Network TV Run Time
91
4/25/1964
"The Reluctant Debutante (film) " (1958) [Rebroadcast from 11/18/1963]
Rex Harrison , Sandra Dee , John Saxon
2 hours
92
5/9/1964
"Executive Suite " (1954) [Edited version, Rebroadcast from 9/30/1963]
William Holden , June Allyson , Fredric March
2 hours
93
5/16/1964
"Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (film) " (1955) [Rebroadcast from 9/16/1963]
William Holden , Jennifer Jones
2 hours
94
7/18/1964
"The View from Pompey's Head (film) " (1955) [Rebroadcast from 3/16/1964]
Richard Egan (actor) , Marjorie Rambeau , Dana Wynter
2 hours
95
8/8/1964
"The Rains of Ranchipur " (1955) [Rebroadcast from 1/14/1964]
Lana Turner , Richard Burton , Fred MacMurray
2 hours, 15 minutes
96
9/19/1964
"The Mating Game (film) ' (1959) [Rebroadcast from 10/21/1963]
Debbie Reynolds , Tony Randall , Paul Douglas (actor)
2 hours
With 20th Century Fox no longer providing movies to NBC for the 1964-1965 season, the peacock network struck a new deal with Paramount Pictures for 31 high profile films from the 1950's, many of them in the widescreen VistaVision format, now re-sized for the small screen. They also acquired 29 more films from MGM, for a total of 60 titles over two nights, including the new Wednesday Night at the Movies . The 4th season premiere on October 3, 1964, was also the first Paramount Picture to debut on NBC: 1955's Strategic Air Command (film) . This season also saw the TV Debut of White Christmas (film) (1954). The film would become a Saturday Night Holiday tradition on NBC, well into the 1970's
Episode #
Airdate
Movie Title and Year
Main Cast
Network TV Run Time
97
10/3/1964
Strategic Air Command (film) (1955)
James Stewart . June Allyson , Frank Lovejoy
2 hours, 20 minutes
98
10/10/1964
Escape from Fort Bravo (1953)
William Holden , Eleanor Parker , John Forsythe
2 hours
99
10/17/1964
Never So Few (1959)
Frank Sinatra , Gina Lollobrigida , Steve McQueen
2 hours, 30 minutes
100
10/24/1964
Last Train from Gun Hill (1959)
Kirk Douglas , Carolyn Jones , Anthony Quinn
2 hours
101
10/31/1964
The Teahouse of the August Moon (film) (1956)
Marlon Brando , Glenn Ford , Machiko Kyō
2 hours, 30 minutes
102
11/7/1964
The Jayhawkers! (1959)
Jeff Chandler , Fess Parker , Nicole Maurey
2 hours
103
11/14/1964
Some Came Running (film) (1958)
Frank Sinatra , Dean Martin , Shirley MacLaine
2 hours, 40 minutes
104
11/21/1964
Three Violent People (1957)
Charlton Heston , Anne Baxter , Gilbert Roland
2 hours
105
11/28/1964
Designing Woman (1957)
Gregory Peck , Lauren Bacall , Dolores Gray
2 hours, 20 minutes
106
12/5/1964
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
Spencer Tracy , Robert Ryan , Anne Francis
1 hour, 45 minutes
107
12/12/1964
War and Peace (1956 film) *
Audrey Hepburn , Henry Fonda , Mel Ferrer
3 hours, 30 minutes
108
12/19/1964
White Christmas (film) (1954)
Bing Crosby , Danny Kaye , Rosemary Clooney
2 hours, 25 minutes
109
12/26/1964
Adam's Rib (1949)
Spencer Tracy , Katharine Hepburn
2 hours
110
1/2/1965
The Last Hunt (1956)
Robert Taylor (American actor) , Debra Paget , Stewart Granger
2 hours
111
1/9/1965
Just for You (1952)
Bing Crosby , Jane Wyman , Ethel Barrymore
2 hours
112
1/16/1965
The Swan (1956)
Grace Kelly , Alec Guinness , Agnes Moorehead
2 hours
113
1/23/1965
The Rainmaker (1956)
Burt Lancaster , Katharine Hepburn , Lloyd Bridges
2 hours and 30 minutes
114
2/6/1965
Don't Give Up the Ship (1959)
Jerry Lewis , Dina Merrill , Claude Akins
2 hours
115
2/13/1965
Betrayed (1954)
Clark Gable , Lana Turner , Victor Mature
2 hours, 15 minutes
116
2/20/1965
Les Girls (1957)
Gene Kelly , Mitzi Gaynor , Kay Kendall
2 hours, 15 minutes
117
2/27/1965
Riding High (1950)
Bing Crosby , Coleen Gray , Charles Bickford
2 hours, 15 minutes
118
3/6/1965
Battleground (1949)
Van Johnson , John Hodiak , Ricardo Montalbán
2 hours
119
3/13/1965
Li'l Abner (1959)
Peter Palmer , Leslie Parrish , Stubby Kaye
2 hours, 15 minutes
120
3/20/1965
The Caddy (1953)
Jerry Lewis , Dean Martin , Donna Reed
2 hours
121
3/27/1965
Trial (1955)
Glenn Ford , Dorothy McGuire , Arthur Kennedy
2 hours, 15 minutes
122
4/3/1965
Warpath (1951)
Edmond O'Brien , Polly Bergen , Forrest Tucker
2 hours
123
4/10/1965
Wild Is the Wind (1957)
Anna Magnani , Anthony Quinn , Anthony Franciosa
2 hours, 15 minutes
124
4/17/1965
Rhapsody (1954)
Elizabeth Taylor , Vittorio Gassman , John Ericson
2 hours, 15 minutes
125
4/24/1965
Annie Get Your Gun (1950)
Betty Hutton , Howard Keel , Louis Calhern
2 hours
The network showing of War and Peace had an early start of 8pm. Approx. 35 minutes had to be cut to fit the 3 hours, 30 minutes time slot
As with the previous season, the network borrowed a handful of films from it second movie night series (Wednesday Night At The Movies in this case) to make their Saturday debut. These films are listed below.
Episode #
Airdate
Movie Title and Year
Main Cast
Network TV Run Time
126
5/1/1965
To Catch a Thief (1955) [Rebroadcast from 9/16/1964]
Cary Grant , Grace Kelly , Jessie Royce Landis
2 hours
127
5/8/1965
The Naked Jungle (1954) [Rebroadcast from 2/10/1965]
Charlton Heston , Eleanor Parker , Abraham Sofaer
2 hours
128
5/15/1965
The Rack (1956) [Rebroadcast from 11/25/1964]
Paul Newman , Anne Francis , Walter Pidgeon
2 hours
129
6/26/1965
Detective Story (1951) [Rebroadcast from 1/27/1965]
Kirk Douglas , Eleanor Parker , William Bendix
2 hours
130
7/3/1965
Atlantis, the Lost Continent (1961) [Rebroadcast from 12/23/1964]
Joyce Taylor , John Dall
2 hours
131
7/17/1965
But Not for Me (1959) [Rebroadcast from 10/28/1964]
Clark Gable , Carroll Baker , Lee J. Cobb
2 hours
132
8/7/1965
The Catered Affair (1956) [Rebroadcast from 3/10/1965]
Bette Davis , Ernest Borgnine , Debbie Reynolds
2 hours
In later seasons, films such as The Time Machine (MGM, 1960), Sunset Boulevard (Paramount, 1950), and Sorry, Wrong Number (Paramount, 1948), would occasionally be shown. All three made their television debuts on Saturday Night at the Movies .
[1] UPI Interview with Don Bays, in charge of movies at NBC. Western Kansas Press, Great Bend, April, 27, 1963
Motion picture television series on NBC
Movie umbrella titles