The Cruel Day

"**The Cruel Day**"
"The Cruel Day"
Playhouse 90 episode
Episode no.	Season 4; Episode 10
Directed by	Franklin Schaffner
Written by	Reginald Rose
Original air date	February 24, 1960
Running time	88 minutes
Guest appearances
	Van Heflin as the captain; Cliff Robertson as Lt. Carvet; Thano Rama as the prisoner; Nehemiah Persoff as the prisoner's father; Phyllis Thaxter as the captain's wife; Raymond Massey as Father Ruquoi; Charles Bronson as Sgt. Meras; Peter Lorre as a cafe owner;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "To the Sound of Trumpets"	Next →; "Tomorrow"

"The Cruel Day" was an American television play broadcast on February 24, 1960, as part of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90. It was the tenth episode of the fourth season of Playhouse 90 and the 127th episode overall.

Plot

A French Army captain arrives with his wife and son at an outpost in a small town in Algeria during the Algerian War. Upon his arrival, rebels stage bomb a house, resulting in the massacre of a local family. The French forces capture a rebel courier, a handsome and intelligent 15-year old boy. When a lieutenant recommends torturing the boy to elicit information on the rebels, the captain faces a crisis of conscience. He debates the dilemma with himself, the prisoner, the prisoner's father, a priest, his wife, and his fellow soldiers. Frustrated at the captain's indecision, the lieutenant fails to act and allows a sniper to shoot and kill the captain.^[1]^[2]

Production

Herbert Brodkin was the producer. Franklin Schaffner was the director, and Reginald Rose wrote the teleplay.^[1]

The cast included Van Heflin as the captain, Cliff Robertson as Lt. Carvet, Phyllis Thaxter as Nicole (the captain's wife), Raymond Massey as Father Ruquoi, Charles Bronson as Sgt. Meras, Peter Lorre as a cafe owner, Nehemiah Persoff as the Algerian father, and Thano Rama as Yazid Boussena (the prisoner).^[1]

The production was Lorre's first role after being away from television for a year due to a health incident that Lorre described as sun stroke.^[3]

Reviews

Harry Harris in The Philadelphia Inquirer described it as "a stunning drama that helped regain for 'Playhouse 90' much of its onetime luster."^[2] Harris also praised Schaffner's direction and Brodkin's overall production as "beyond reproach".^[2]

Larry Wolters of the Chicago Tribune called it "a sensitive, moving, and suspenseful drama."^[4]

Fred Danzig of the UPI praised the cast as excellent and opined that its treatment of profound questions made the play "one of unusual importance."^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Playhouse 90: The Cruel Day". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c Harry Harris (February 25, 1960). "'Playhouse 90' Regains Luster In 'Cruel Day'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Steven H. Scheuer (February 24, 1960). "Peter Lorre Says He's Very Well: Stars Tonight On Playhouse 90". Mansfield News-Journal. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Larry Wolters (February 25, 1960). "Miss Lillie Shines in Spoofery". Chicago Tribune. p. V-6 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Fred Danzig (February 25, 1960). "Television in Review". The Coshocton Tribune. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.

[Paley-1] "Playhouse 90: The Cruel Day". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved September 16, 2020.

[HH-2] Harry Harris (February 25, 1960). "'Playhouse 90' Regains Luster In 'Cruel Day'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] Steven H. Scheuer (February 24, 1960). "Peter Lorre Says He's Very Well: Stars Tonight On Playhouse 90". Mansfield News-Journal. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] Larry Wolters (February 25, 1960). "Miss Lillie Shines in Spoofery". Chicago Tribune. p. V-6 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] Fred Danzig (February 25, 1960). "Television in Review". The Coshocton Tribune. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.

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v t e Playhouse 90
People	John Frankenheimer Martin Manulis Franklin J. Schaffner Rod Serling
Season 1	"Forbidden Area" "Requiem for a Heavyweight" "Sizeman and Son" "Rendezvous in Black" "The Country Husband" "The Big Slide" "Heritage of Anger" "Eloise" "Confession" "Made in Heaven" "Sincerely, Willis Wade" "The Family Nobody Wanted" "Massacre at Sand Creek" "Snowshoes: A Comedy of People and Horses" "The Ninth Day" "So Soon to Die" "The Star Wagon" "The Greer Case" "The Miracle Worker" "The Comedian" "The Coat of White" "The Blackwell Story" "Invitation to a Gunfighter" "The Last Tycoon" "The Hostess with the Mostes'" "Charley's Aunt" "Clipper Ship" "If You Know Elizabeth" "Three Men on a Horse" "Four Women in Black" "Child of Trouble" "Homeward Borne" "Helen Morgan" "Winter Dreams" "Circle of the Day" "Without Incident" "Clash by Night" "Ain't No Time for Glory" "The Fabulous Irishman"
Season 2	"The Death of Manolete" "The Dark Side of the Earth" "Topaze" "A Sound of Different Drummers" "The Playroom" "Around the World in 90 Minutes" "The Mystery of Thirteen" "The Edge of Innocence" "The Clouded Image" "The Jet Propelled Couch" "The Troublemakers" "Panic Button" "Galvanized Yankee" "The Thundering Wave" "For I Have Loved Strangers" "The Lone Woman" "Reunion" "The Last Man" "The 80 Yard Run" "Before I Die" "The Gentleman From Seventh Avenue" "The Violent Heart" "No Time at All" "Point of No Return" "Portrait of a Murderer" "The Last Clear Chance" "The Male Animal" "The Right Hand Man" "Turn Left at Mount Everest" "The Dungeon" "Verdict of Three" "Rumors of Evening" "Not the Glory" "Nightmare at Ground Zero" "Bomber's Moon" "Natchez" "The Innocent Sleep" "A Town Has Turned to Dust" "The Great Gatsby" "A Bitter Heritage"
Season 3	"The Plot to Kill Stalin" "Days of Wine and Roses" "The Time of Your Life" "The Long March" "Shadows Tremble" "Word From a Sealed-Off Box" "Heart of Darkness" "Old Man" "The Return of Ansel Gibbs" "Free Weekend" "Seven Against the Wall" "The Nutcracker" "Face of a Hero" "The Wings of the Dove" "The Blue Men" "The Velvet Alley" "A Quiet Game of Cards" "Child of Our Time" "The Second Man" "The Raider" "The Dingaling Girl" "Made in Japan" "For Whom the Bell Tolls" "A Trip to Paradise" "In Lonely Expectation" "The Day Before Atlanta" "Judgment at Nuremberg" "A Corner of the Garden" "Dark December" "Diary of a Nurse" "A Marriage of Strangers" "Out of Dust" "The Rank and File" "The Killers of Mussolini" "Project Immortality" "Dark as the Night" "The Second Happiest Day"
Season 4	"Target for Three" "The Sounds of Eden" "Misalliance" "The Hidden Image" "The Grey Nurse Said Nothing" "The Tunnel" "The Silver Whistle" "A Dream of Treason" "To the Sound of Trumpets" "The Cruel Day" "Tomorrow" "The Hiding Place" "Alas, Babylon" "Journey to the Day" "The Shape of the River" "In the Presence of Mine Enemies"
Revivals	CBS Playhouse CBS Playhouse 90