The Jet Propelled Couch (Playhouse 90)

"**The Jet Propelled Couch**"
"The Jet Propelled Couch"
Playhouse 90 episodes
	Cast of "The Jet Propelled Couch"
Episode nos.	Season 2; Episodes 10
Directed by	Burgess Meredith and James Clark
Written by	Stanley Roberts (adaptation), Robert M. Lindner (story)
Original air date	November 14, 1957
Guest appearances
	Donald O'Connor as Dr. Robert Harrison; David Wayne as Dr. Kirk Allen; Peter Lorre as Dr. Ostrow;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Clouded Image"	Next →; "The Troublemakers"

"The Jet Propelled Couch" is an American television play broadcast on November 14, 1957, as part of the second season of the CBS television series Playhouse 90. Burgess Meredith and James Clark directed. Donald O'Connor, David Wayne, and Peter Lorre starred.

Plot

A psychoanalyst, Dr. Robert Harrison, is called on by the government to treat a noted atomic physicist, Dr. Kirk Allen, who believes that he lives in two separate worlds—on Earth as a scientist in a government research laboratory, and on another planet where he is the dominant authority and has powers of telepathy and teleportation. The story concerns Dr. Harrison's "adventure into outer space" as he "becomes too involved in the other world of his patient."^[2] The two of them end up "visiting a celestial asteroid".^[3] In the other world, there are two or more girls for every man, wishes are undisputed, and every-day troubles are eliminated.^[4]

Cast

The following performers received screen credit for their performances:^[1]

Donald O'Connor as Dr. Robert Harrison
David Wayne as Dr. Kirk Allen
Peter Lorre as Dr. Ostrow
Gale Gordon as Gen. Milton Dagby
Phyllis Avery as Eleanor Harrison

Production

Burgess Meredith and James Clark directed the production, and Martin Manulis was the producer. Stanley Roberts wrote the teleplay based on a story by Robert M. Lindner, best known as the author of Rebel Without a Cause.^[1] Lindner's original story was first published by Harper's Magazine in its December 1954 issue.^[5]^[6] An extended version of the story was published in 1955 as part of Lindner's book, The Fifty-Minute Hour.^[7]

The teleplay was broadcast on November 14, 1957, as part of the second season of the anthology television series, Playhouse 90.^[1] It was broadcast shortly after the launch of Sputnik and as Sputnik 2 orbited the Earth.^[3] Director Burgess Meredith noted, "Publicity-wise the Russians have really come to our aid."^[8]

Burgess Meredith made his television directorial debut on the production.^[9] One of the challenges facing the producers was in the depiction of the alien creatures on the other planet. Meredith noted at the time that they wanted the women to be "different, but not too different."^[8] They hired Miss Color TV, Vampira, and a number of Miss Americas to play the roles of the alien women.^[8]^[10]

Donald O'Connor played the role of the psychiatrist. The role was a departure from his usual song-and-dance roles. O'Connor noted: "Naturally, I'm very nervous about this dramatic role. It's not heavy drama, though, and I'm very glad that Burgess Meredith is directing it."^[3]

Phyllis Avery, known for her role as Ray Milland's wife in the sitcom Meet Mr. McNutley, was cast as Dr. Harrison's wife. She said of the role, "It's nice to be a nice girl again . . . I guess I like being a wife best of all."^[11]

Reception

In The New York Times, critic Jack Gould found the production to be in "rather questionable taste" as it shifted moods from playful satiric humor to serious issues of psychiatry and the depiction of the scientist as a troubled human being. Gould concluded: "Mixing psychiatry and comedy calls for a surer and subtler touch than was evidenced last night."^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Playhouse 90, Season 2". Classic TV Archive. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
^ Bob Cronin (November 10, 1957). "'Playhouse 90' Returns to Normalcy". The Vermont Sunday News. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c "TV With Hal Humphrey". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. November 11, 1957. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b Jack Gould (November 15, 1957). "TV: 'Jet-Propelled Couch'; Wayne, O'Connor, Meredith in Adaptation of '50-Minute Hour' on 'Playhouse 90' Miss Truman in Drama". The New York Times. p. 55.
^ Robert Mitchell Lindner (December 1954). "The Jet-Propelled Couch". Harper's Magazine.
^ "'Playhouse 90' Lists Psychiatry Story, 'Jet Proelled Couch,' for Fall Showing". The New York Times. June 28, 1957.
^ Robert Lindner (1955). The Fifty-Minute Hour: A Collection of True Pschoananalytical Tales. Rinehart.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Playhouse 90 To Offer 'Jet Propelled Couch'". The Troy Record. November 13, 1957. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Meredith To Bow As Video Director". The Bridgeport Post. October 27, 1957. p. 40 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Steven H. Scheuer (November 13, 1957). "'Jet-Propelled Couch' To Be on Television". Lansing State Journal – via Newspapers.com.
^ Walter Ames (November 14, 1957). "Stereo Broadcast for Philharmonic Orchestra Opening". Los Angeles Times. p. II-14 – via Newspapers.com.

[CTVA-1] "Playhouse 90, Season 2". Classic TV Archive. Retrieved February 24, 2021.

[2] Bob Cronin (November 10, 1957). "'Playhouse 90' Returns to Normalcy". The Vermont Sunday News. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.

[HSB-3] "TV With Hal Humphrey". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. November 11, 1957. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.

[NYT-4] Jack Gould (November 15, 1957). "TV: 'Jet-Propelled Couch'; Wayne, O'Connor, Meredith in Adaptation of '50-Minute Hour' on 'Playhouse 90' Miss Truman in Drama". The New York Times. p. 55.

[5] Robert Mitchell Lindner (December 1954). "The Jet-Propelled Couch". Harper's Magazine.

[6] "'Playhouse 90' Lists Psychiatry Story, 'Jet Proelled Couch,' for Fall Showing". The New York Times. June 28, 1957.

[7] Robert Lindner (1955). The Fifty-Minute Hour: A Collection of True Pschoananalytical Tales. Rinehart.

[TR57-8] "Playhouse 90 To Offer 'Jet Propelled Couch'". The Troy Record. November 13, 1957. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.

[BP-9] "Meredith To Bow As Video Director". The Bridgeport Post. October 27, 1957. p. 40 – via Newspapers.com.

[10] Steven H. Scheuer (November 13, 1957). "'Jet-Propelled Couch' To Be on Television". Lansing State Journal – via Newspapers.com.

[11] Walter Ames (November 14, 1957). "Stereo Broadcast for Philharmonic Orchestra Opening". Los Angeles Times. p. II-14 – 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