Made-for-TV Movies

Re “A Quarter-Century of Television Movies . . . the Good, the Bad, the Significant,” April 23:

It’s high time someone set the record straight on when the first TV movie was made and broadcast. Alvin Marrill in his book “Movies Made for Television” states that it was “See How They Run,” so everyone accepts that as gospel.

In point of fact, the first movie made for television was “The Pied Piper of Hamelin,” starring Van Johnson and Claude Rains. It runs 87 minutes, was shot in color and was first broadcast on NBC on April 16, 1957. Stagebound though this show is, it is a movie and it is feature-length. It is also now available on home video.

However, this movie did not trigger an era of similar productions, so that is why the era of the TV movie is said to date from the premiere of “See How They Run.” Nevertheless, let us give credit for being the first where it is due. Van Johnson played a dual role in the movie, which is why it was shot on film, rather than done live, as was the custom for musical specials on network TV in the late 1950s.

J. S. BOYD

Los Angeles