Fans of American television of a certain vintage will be pleased to know that Talking Pictures TV’s Encore service offers a range of 1950s/1960s programming. The majority of the offering originates from the library of Four Star Productions/Television.
The company was founded in 1952 by Hollywood actors Dick Powell, David Niven, Charles Boyer, and Joel McCrea. McCrea would later be replaced by English/American actress Ida Lupino. Prgrams produced by the company include Four Star Playhouse, Stagecoach West, The June Allyson Show, The Dick Powell Show, Burke’s Law, The Rogues and The Big Valley. The company went through a number of owners and mergers in the following decades. Today, the programming library is managed by The Walt Disney Company via 20th Television.
TPTV Encore offers a number of shows from the Four Star Productions library, available to stream for free via its ad-supported platform.
The list of streamable programs includes:
- The Westerner: A Western series starring Brian Keith that originally aired on NBC in 1960 for 13 episodes.
- Honey West: Crime Drama series, starring Anne Francis and John Ericson, that aired on ABC between 1965 and 1966.
- The David Niven Show: Anthology series, hosted by the English actor, ran on NBC for 13 episodes in 1959.
- Burke’s Law: Detective series, starring Gene Barry, which ran on ABC for 81 episodes over 3 seasons between 1963 and 1966.
- The Jeannie Carson Show (Also known as Hey Jeannie!) A Jeannie Carson-led sitcom which ran for 32 episodes over 3 seasons between 1956 and 1958.
- Turn of Fate: Anthology series. Originally broadcast on NBS between 1957 and 1960.
- Law of the Plainsman: Western series starring Michael Ansara, that aired on NBC for one season off 30 episodes between 1959 and 1960.
- The Dick Powell Show: Anthology series. It ran for 60 episodes on NBC between 1961 and 1963.
- Ensign O’Toole: Sitcom starring Dean Jones which ran for one season of 32 episodes between 1962 and 1963.
