Playhouse 90, a 90-minute dramatic television anthology series, was telecast on
CBS from 1956 to 1961 for a total of 133 episodes. Since live anthology drama series of the mid-1950s were hour-long shows, the title highlighted the network's intention to present something unusual, a weekly series of hour-and-a-half dramas rather than 60-minute plays.
Background
The producers were
Martin Manulis,
John Houseman, Russell Stoneman,
Fred Coe,
Arthur Penn and Hubbell Robinson. The leading director was
John Frankenheimer (27 episodes), followed by
Franklin Schaffner (19 episodes). Other directors included
Sidney Lumet,
George Roy Hill,
Delbert Mann and
Robert Mulligan.