The Hiding Place (Playhouse 90)

"**The Hiding Place**"
"The Hiding Place"
Playhouse 90 episode
Episode no.	Season 4; Episode 12
Directed by	Sidney Lumet
Written by	Adrian Spies
Original air date	March 22, 1960
Guest appearances
	James Mason as Hans Frick; Richard Basehart as Martin Lambert; Trevor Howard as Robert Wilson; Kim Hunter as Maria; Helmut Dantine as Colonel;

"The Hiding Place" was an American television play broadcast on March 22, 1960, as part of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90. It was the 12th episode of the fourth season of Playhouse 90.

Plot

For six years following the end of World War II, a deluded and neurotic German clerk, Hans Frick, has held two British fliers as prisoners in his cellar. Frick cared for the fliers, sometimes with true kindness, but kept them imprisoned and ignorant of the war's conclusion. The fliers spend their time recalling the past and dreaming of escape. One of the fliers works on a book of his boyhood recollections.

Frick is stricken with a heart attack and releases his fliers. He feels a bond with the fliers and begs to be allowed to stay with them as their servant in England.

Production

Sidney Lumet was the director. Adrian Spies wrote the teleplay, which was adapted from an English novel by Robert Shaw.[1]

The cast included James Mason as Hans Frick, Richard Basehart as Martin Lambert, Trevor Howard as Robert Wilson, Kim Hunter as Maria, and Helmut Dantine as Colonel.

Reception

Kay Gardella in the New York Daily News called it a "well-acted, taut live TV drama."[2]

Aleene Barnes of the Los Angeles Times Wrote that it "hit the mark solidly". She also praised Mason for creating a character who both demanded the viewer's compassion and aroused hatred for his cruel deeds.[3]

Critic Ogden Dwight called it "a remarkable television exploit" and the most distinguished installment of Playhouse 90 of the season. He also praised Mason's performance as "a masterpiece of creative acting."[4]

Fred Remington in The Pittsburgh Press praised the performances of Mason, Basehart, and Howard, and called the production "a strange excursion into madness."[5]

References

"Richard Basehart Is a Jet-Age Actor". The Times. March 22, 1960. p. A4 – via Newspapers.com.
Kay Gardella (March 23, 1960). "CBS' 'The Hiding Place' Bares Television Need". New York Daily News. p. 66 – via Newspapers.com.
Aleene Barnes (March 23, 1960). "'Hiding Place' Comes Out in Open to Win a Battle". Los Angeles Times – via Newspapers.com.
Ogden Dwight (March 23, 1960). "On Television". The Des Moines Register – via Newspapers.com.
Fred Remington (March 23, 1960). "Playhouse 90 An Allegory Of Riddle Of Germany: James Mason Superb As Nazi Who Can't Grasp War's End". The Pittsburgh Press – via Newspapers.com.

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[1] "Richard Basehart Is a Jet-Age Actor". The Times. March 22, 1960. p. A4 – via Newspapers.com.

[2] Kay Gardella (March 23, 1960). "CBS' 'The Hiding Place' Bares Television Need". New York Daily News. p. 66 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] Aleene Barnes (March 23, 1960). "'Hiding Place' Comes Out in Open to Win a Battle". Los Angeles Times – via Newspapers.com.

[4] Ogden Dwight (March 23, 1960). "On Television". The Des Moines Register – via Newspapers.com.

[5] Fred Remington (March 23, 1960). "Playhouse 90 An Allegory Of Riddle Of Germany: James Mason Superb As Nazi Who Can't Grasp War's End". The Pittsburgh Press – via Newspapers.com.

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" "So Soon To Die" "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