Vacation Playhouse

The practice of television executives of ordering dozens of pilots for proposed television series each year – far more than their networks could possibly broadcast as series – created a sizable body of unsold pilots that had never aired.{{cite web |url=https://www.tvobscurities.com/articles/unsold_pilots_on_television_56_66/ |title=UNSOLD PILOTS ON TELEVISION, 1956–1966 |author= |date=15 August 2019 |website=tvobscurities.com |publisher=Television Obscurities |access-date= 3 June 2024}} Packaging these unsold pilots in anthology series and airing them during the summer provided television networks with a way of both providing fresh programming during the summer rerun season and recouping at least some of the expense of producing them. Vacation Playhouse was one such series, aired by CBS each summer from 1963 through 1967.

Vacation Playhouse premiered on July 22, 1963, airing as a summer replacement for the situation comedy The Lucy Show; a voiceover introduced each episode with "While Lucy's on vacation . . . it's Vacation Playhouse."{{cite book |last1=Monush |first1=Barry |title=Lucille Ball FAQ: Everything Left to Know About America's Favorite Redhead |date=2011-06-01 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-55783-940-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nNCGDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Vacation+Playhouse%22&pg=PT277 |access-date=May 27, 2021 |language=en}} In 1963, it consisted of unsold pilots for situation comedies. When it returned in 1964, again replacing The Lucy Show, it mostly aired previously unseen situation comedy pilots, but also included the pilot for a musical-comedy variety show and repeats of comedic episodes of General Electric Theater. In 1965, it replaced Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., and that summer it aired dramatic adventure and mystery episodes in addition to situation comedies. It again replaced The Lucy Show in 1966 and 1967 and returned to its earlier format of presenting situation comedy pilots, during each of those summers consisting of previously unaired pilots and repeats of episodes that it had aired in previous years.

Among episode directors were Richard Crenna, Jack Donohue, Don Taylor, {{Citation needed |date=August 2023}}, and Bud Yorkin. Producers included Donohue, Hal Kanter, Arthur Julian,{{Citation needed |date=August 2023}} and Norman Lear. Other directors included Bud Yorkin. Studios involved in the production of pilots aired on Vacation Playhouse included Bing Crosby Productions, Desilu Productions, Desilu Studios, Filmways, Four Star Television, Television City, and Universal Television.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}} Stars appearing in episodes of the series included Eve Arden, Orson Bean, Richard Benjamin, Charles Bronson, Edgar Buchanan, Wally Cox, James Franciscus, Ethel Merman, Barry Nelson, Suzanne Pleshette, Ginger Rogers, Soupy Sales, Brenda Vaccaro, Jerry Van Dyke, and Ed Wynn.

Two episodes of Vacation Playhouse aired twice on the series, two others aired three times, and the series also included a few repeats of episodes of other anthology series. Nonetheless, by the time Vacation Playhouse aired for the last time in August 1967, it had broadcast 47 unsold pilots since its 1963 premiere. Its five-season run made it the longest-lived series of unsold television pilots.

During 1963, Vacation Playhouse aired on Mondays from 8:30 to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, premiering on July 22 and concluding on September 23. It returned in the summer of 1964 in the same time slot, running from June 15 to September 14. During its third season in 1965, the series moved to Friday nights from 9:30 to 10:00 pm. Eastern Time from June 25 to September 10. It returned to its previous time slot on Monday nights in 1966, airing from July 4 and September 5, as well as for a final run in the summer of 1967 which began on July 3. Its final episode was broadcast on August 28, 1967.

Season 4's nine episodes included two repeats of previously aired episodes. Season 5's nine episodes included four repeats of previously aired episodes.

{{Episode table |background=#515151|season= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |episodes=

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 1

| Title = A Love Affair Just for Three

| DirectedBy = Norman Z. McLeod

| WrittenBy = Valentine Davies & {{nowrap|Norman Z. McLeod}}

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1963|7|22}}

| ShortSummary = A suitor falls for identical twin sisters – one an artist, the other a fashion designer – who help each other in times of need during their many misadventures. Starring Ginger Rogers (playing both sisters), Charles Ruggles, Cesare Danova, Warren Parker, Eugene Chan, Maureen Leeds, and Gardner McKay. Unsold pilot for The Ginger Rogers Show.{{cite web |url=https://www.tvobscurities.com/2009/04/status-guide-vacation-playhouse/ |title=Status of Vacation Playhouse |author=Robert Jay |date=18 April 2009 |website=tvobscurities.com |publisher=Television Obscurities |access-date= 16 June 2024}}{{cite news |title=Begin Vacation Playhouse |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-herald-vacation-playhouse/130094008/ |access-date=August 16, 2023 |work=The Times Herald |date=July 20, 1963 |location=Michigan, Port Huron |page=14|via = Newspapers.com }}[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19630722&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 22, 1963, p. 31.]{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/GingerRogersShowPilot |title=Ginger Rogers Show Pilot |author= |date= |website=archive.org |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=June 16, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/vacation_playhouse/s01/e01 |title=Vacation Playhouse – Season 1, Episode 1 A Love Affair Just for Three |author= |date= |website=rottentomatoes.com |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=June 16, 2024}}

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 2

| Title = Three Wishes

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1963|7|29}}

| ShortSummary = A pretty young woman finds herself in possession of a magic lamp that has transported a 1,000-year-old genie to the present. Starring Diane Jergens, Gustavo Rojo, Wallace Ford, and George Grizzard.{{cite news |title=Magic Lamp And Wishes Prove Jinx |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-vacation-playh/130138128/ |access-date=August 16, 2023 |work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |date=July 21, 1963 |page=84|via = Newspapers.com}}[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19630729&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 29, 1963, p. 33.]

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 3

| Title = Hide and Seek

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1963|8|5}}

| ShortSummary = A mystery writer can be scatterbrained, but she has an ineffable sense of logic, and she works together with her husband, a successful criminal defense attorney, to solve crimes. Starring Glynis Johns, Keith Andes, Michael Constantine, Mary Gregory, and Phyllis Love.{{cite news |title='Hide And Seek' Offered Aug. 5 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-progress-index-vacation-playhouse/130144939/ |access-date=August 16, 2023 |work=The Progress-Index |date=July 25, 1963 |location=Virginia, Petersburg |page=25|via = Newspapers.com }} This episode was the pilot for the proposed television series The Glynis Johns Show, which, after some cast changes, aired as the series Glynis during the 1962–1963 television season.{{cite book|last1=Leszczak|first1=Bob|title=Single Season Sitcoms, 1948–1979: A Complete Guide|date=2012|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786493050|page=58|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LaUqwWnpHLwC&q=%22Glynis+Johns+Show%22&pg=PA58|accessdate=12 August 2017|language=en}}

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 4

| Title = Mickey and the Contessa

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1963|8|12}}

| ShortSummary = An American football coach acquires a Hungarian countess as his housekeeper. Starring Mickey Shaughnessy and Eva Gabor.{{cite news |last1=Harris |first1=Harry |title='Mickey and Contessa' Is Surefire Comedy — But a Few Years Late |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-vacation-play/130146055/ |access-date=August 16, 2023 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=August 13, 1963 |page=10|via = Newspapers.com }}[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19630812&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 12, 1963, p. 35.]

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 5

| Title = The Big Brain

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1963|8|19}}

| ShortSummary = A bumbling inventor accidentally invents a machine that forces people to tell the truth. Starring Frank Aletter.{{cite news |title=Inventor |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-austin-american/130146792/ |access-date=August 16, 2023 |work=The Austin American |date=August 18, 1963 |page=76|via = Newspapers.com }}[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19630819&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 19, 1963, p. 35.]

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 6

| Title = Swingin' Together

| DirectedBy = Gene Reynolds

| WrittenBy = Howard Leeds

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1963|8|26}}

| ShortSummary = A rock band seeking its big break that travels around the United States on an old bus driven by its manager secures a booking at a country club benefit, but the benefit's organizer objects to their style of music and orders them off the stage. After their manager threatens a lawsuit, the organizer's father apologizes and the band resumes playing and eventually wins over the organizer to their music. Starring Bobby Rydell, James Dunn, Ben Bryant, Larry Merrill, Peter Brooks, Art Metrano, Stefanie Powers, Lloyd Corrigan, and Frank Cady, with singing appearances by Dennis Crosby, Lindsay Crosby, and Phillip Crosby.{{cite web |url= https://www.tvobscurities.com/spotlight/swingin-together/|title=Swingin' Together (Unsold Pilot)|publisher=Television Obscurities|date=May 20, 2010|accessdate=May 8, 2020}}

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 7

| Title = All About Barbara

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1963|9|2}}

| ShortSummary = A famous singer and musical comedy star gives up her career to marry a small-town college professor. Starring Barbara Nichols.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19630902&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 2, 1963, p. 37.]

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 8

| Title = Hooray for Love

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1963|9|9}}

| ShortSummary = A young couple that live on a houseboat and drive a motorcycle face a threat to their marriage when the husband must choose between working for his wealthy father-in-law or staying in college. Starring Beverly Wills.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19630909&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "TV Key Previews," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 9, 1963, p. 11.]

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 9

| Title = Come a-Runnin'

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1963|9|16}}

| ShortSummary = A small-town physician who has many heartwarming adventures and rarely is paid with money for his services faces a challenge when a couple prefers to use a midwife to deliver their first baby.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19630916&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "TV Key Previews," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 16, 1963, p. 39.]

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 10

| Title = Maggie Brown

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1963|9|23}}

| ShortSummary = A woman who owns a nightclub in the South Pacific patronized by sailors must keep 3,000 of them away from her daughter – and then is forced to make her own beer when her club is declared off limits. Starring Ethel Merman.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19630916&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "TV Key Previews," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 23, 1963, p. 33.][https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19670710&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 10, 1967, p. 33.]

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}}

{{Episode table |background=#515151|season= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |episodes=

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 1

| Title = Hey, Teacher

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1964|6|15}}

| ShortSummary = On his hectic first day on the job as the only male member of the teaching staff of an elementary school, a third-grade teacher enlists the aid of the school's jokester janitor to deal with a snake that has gotten loose while the rest of the school's staff makes bets on how many hours he will last in the job. Starring Dwayne Hickman.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19640615&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "TV Key Previews," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 15, 1964, p. 41.][https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19630729&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 28, 1967, p. 37.]

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 2

| Title = Hooray for Hollywood

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1964|6|22}}

| ShortSummary = In 1920s Hollywood, a temperamental actress who is the top box-office attraction threatens to quit after arguing with a movie mogul, prompting two movie studios to fight over her. Starring Herschel Bernardi.

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 3

| Title = Papa G.I.

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1964|6|29}}

| ShortSummary = A dancing United States Army sergeant stationed in South Korea has his hands full with two orphans who want him to adopt them. Starring Dan Dailey and Cherylene Lee.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19640615&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "TV Key Previews," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 29, 1964, p. 29.]

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 4

| Title = I and Claudie

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1964|7|6}}

| ShortSummary = A pair of traveling buddies whose only possession is a ramshackle makeshift trailer devise creative schemes to make a living. Starring Ross Martin and Jerry Lanning.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19640706&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 6, 1964, p. 33.]

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 5

| Title = He's All Yours

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1964|7|20}}

| ShortSummary = An American woman who moves to London with her daughter to manage a travel agency for a wealthy tycoon is forced to work with the owner's inept nephew – a crazy Englishman who turns the office into a madhouse with wild promotions he dreams up. Starring Eve Arden, Cindy Carol, Derek Bond, Jeremy Lloyd, Roger Avon, Katy Greenwood, Nicholas Parsons, Ambrosine Phillpotts, Howard Smith, and Pauline Chamberlain.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19640720&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "TV Key Previews," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 20, 1964, p. 29.]

| Line Color = 515151

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 6

| Title = Love is a Lion's Roar

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1964|7|27}}

| ShortSummary = A French dancer is determined to marry a handsome New York City millionaire bachelor who is equally determined not to get married. Starring James Franciscus and Suzanne Pleshette.{{cite news |title=Franciscus And Pleshette In New Comedy |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/portland-press-herald-vacation-playhous/130092391/ |access-date=August 16, 2023 |work=Portland Press Herald |date=July 26, 1964 |page=6 C|via = Newspapers.com }} A repeat[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19640727&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 27, 1964, p. 31.] of an episode of General Electric Theater that originally aired on March 19, 1961, it was a pilot for the proposed situation comedy Band of Gold.

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 7

| Title = At Your Service

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy = Cynthia Lindsay

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1964|8|3}}

| ShortSummary = An American tries to open a tourist service in Paris.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ziW8EwMpto0C&dat=19640803&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, August 3, 1964, p. 10.] Starring Van Johnson, Jan Sterling, Marcel Dalio, and Judi Meredith.

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 8

| Title = The Graduation Dress

| DirectedBy = Richard Young

| WrittenBy = William R. Cox & {{nowrap|William Faulkner}}

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1964|8|10}}

| ShortSummary = When a slick and lecherous city boy who works as a traveling photographer takes his camera into a rural area in the Tennessee hills to photograph a high school graduation, a beautiful country girl in need of a graduation dress captivates him, and he stirs up excitement when he tries to trade a dress for some favors.{{cite web |url=https://www.ebay.com/itm/183751251418 |title=1960 TV AD~G.E. THEATER 'GRADUATION DRESS' by WILLIAM FAULKNER~STELLA STEVENS |author= |date=October 30, 1960 |website= |publisher= |access-date=June 17, 2024 }}[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19640810&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "TV Key Previews," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 10, 1964, p. 31.][https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ziW8EwMpto0C&dat=19640810&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, August 10, 1964, p. 18.] Starring Hugh O'Brian, Stella Stevens, Ellen Corby, Buddy Ebsen, Tommy Nolan, and Suzanne Sydney. A repeat of an episode which aired originially on General Electric Theater on October 30, 1960.

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 9

| Title = The First Hundred Years

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1964|8|17}}

| ShortSummary = A young couple raises a baby while trying to finish college. Starring Nick Adams, Joyce Bulifant, and Roger Perry.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19640817&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 17, 1964, p. 31.][https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ziW8EwMpto0C&dat=19640817&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, August 17, 1964, p. 15.]

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 10

| Title = My Darling Judge

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1964|8|31}}

| ShortSummary = A judge tries to get away from his duties temporarily and overcome family obstacles so he can enjoy a fishing trip. Starring Fred Clark and Audrey Totter.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19640831&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 31, 1964, p. 33.][https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ziW8EwMpto0C&dat=19640831&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, August 31, 1964, p. 23.]

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 11

| Title = The Bean Show

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1964|9|7}}

| ShortSummary = A variety show starring Orson Bean, featuring improvisational comedy sketches by the comedy troupe The Beanbaggers (made up of Avery Schreiber, Mina Kolb, Dick Shael, and Arlene Golonka), and musical performances by the Serendipity Singers.{{cite news |title=Bean Show: Wild & Wacky |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-state/130093272/ |access-date=August 16, 2023 |work=The State |date=September 7, 1964 |location=South Carolina, Columbia |page=4 – A|via = Newspapers.com }}[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19640907&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "TV Key Previews," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 7, 1964, p. 67.]

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 12

| Title = The Ivy League

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1964|9|14}}

| ShortSummary = After his discharge from the military, a former United States Marine Corps sergeant enrolls as a college freshman. Starring William Bendix and Tim Hovey.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19640914&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 7, 1964, p. 43.][https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ziW8EwMpto0C&dat=19640914&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, September 14, 1964, p. 15.]

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{{Episode table |background=#515151|season= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |episodes=

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 1

| Title = Sybil

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1965|6|25}}

| ShortSummary = As punishment for her vanity, a young wood nymph is banished from her native habitat and sent to reside on Earth until she does 100 good deeds. Starring Suzy Parker.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19650625&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Friday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 25, 1965, p. 33.]

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 2

| Title = Alec Tate

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1965|7|2}}

| ShortSummary = The teenage sister of a bachelor who owns an apartment house arranges for him to meet an eligible young woman.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19650702&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Friday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 2, 1965, p. 29.]

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 3

| Title = The Barbara Rush Show

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1965|7|9}}

| ShortSummary = A housewife takes a job as a public stenographer to support her medical-student husband and three children. Starring Barbara Rush.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19650709&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Friday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 9, 1965, p. 29.]

| Line Color = 515151

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 4

| Title = Patrick Stone

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1965|7|16}}

| ShortSummary = An unusual request leads a private investigator into a series of complicated situations. Starring Keenan Wynn and Joanna Barnes.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ziW8EwMpto0C&dat=19650716&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, July 16, 1965, p. 13.]

| Line Color = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 5

| Title = Starr, First Baseman

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1965|7|23}}

| ShortSummary = Alternative titles "Starr" and "Starr of the Yankees." A rookie baseball player has an accident that almost ends his career before it can begin. Starring Martin Milner.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19650723&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Friday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 23, 1965, p. 31.][https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ziW8EwMpto0C&dat=19650723&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, July 23, 1965, p. 11.]

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 6

| Title = The Brave Duke

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1965|7|30}}

| ShortSummary = An expatriate American who operates a casino in Mexico becomes involved in a gun-smuggling plot by Mexican revolutionaries in 1870. Starring Gerald Mohr.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19650723&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Friday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 30, 1965, p. 29.][https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ziW8EwMpto0C&dat=19650730&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, July 30, 1965, p. 20.]

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 7

| Title = {{nowrap|Luke and the Tenderfoot, Part I}}

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1965|8|6}}

| ShortSummary = In the Old West, a traveling salesman and his inexperienced partner ride into a town being terrorized by a fearsome gunfighter. Starring Edgar Buchanan, Carleton Carpenter, and Charles Bronson.{{cite book |last1=Pitts |first1=Michael R. |title=Charles Bronson: The 95 Films and the 156 Television Appearances |date=2003-06-04 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-1702-5 |page=314 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=liiSCgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Vacation+Playhouse%22&pg=PA314 |access-date=May 27, 2021 |language=en}}[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19650813&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Friday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 13, 1965, p. 33.]

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 8

| Title = {{nowrap|Luke and the Tenderfoot, Part II}}

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1965|8|13}}

| ShortSummary = The conclusion of the story of a traveling salesman and his inexperienced partner who work together to stop a fearsome gunfighter in the Old West. Starring Edgar Buchanan, Carleton Carpenter, and Charles Bronson.

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{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 9

| Title = Coogan's Reward

| DirectedBy = Don Taylor

| WrittenBy = {{nowrap|Story: Richard Donovan}}* {{nowrap|Teleplay:Peggy Chantler Dick,}} {{nowrap|William Cowley,}} & {{nowrap|David Swift}}

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1965|8|20}}

| ShortSummary = An arrogant, conniving, and philandering war correspondent covering World War II in France prefers a hedonistic lifestyle to actually doing his job, so he never visits the front for his stories, preferring to enjoy life behind the lines and piece together phony stories from bits of information he gathers from other reporters. Starring Tony Randall, Jerry Barclay, Roxane Berard, Alan Carney, Alan Dexter, Robert Gist, Chet Stratton, and Jason Wingreen. A repeat of an episode of General Electric Theater that originally aired on January 5, 1959.

| Line Color = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 10

| Title = Three on an Island

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1965|8|27}}

| ShortSummary = Three young single woman help a boxer who cannot fight. Starring Pamela Tiffin, Julie Newmar, Monica Moran, and Jody McCrea.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19650827&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Friday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 27, 1965, p. 33.]

| Line Color = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 11

| Title = Cap'n Ahab

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1965|9|3}}

| ShortSummary = At the reading of a will, two women who are distant cousins learn that they will inherit money, a townhouse in New York City, and a conniving 97-year-old parrot named named Cap'n Ahab, but to qualify for the inheritance, they must live together and care for Cap'n Ahab. Starring Judy Canova and Jaye P. Morgan.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ziW8EwMpto0C&dat=19650903&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, September 3, 1965, p. 12.]

| Line Color = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 12

| Title = Down Home

| DirectedBy = Hal Kanter

| WrittenBy = Milt Josefsberg

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1965|9|10}}

| ShortSummary = After a soldier is discharged from the United States Army and returns to his home town to become the editor of a newspaper his aunt has inherited, the folksy humor in his writing so angers the town's banker that he tries to put the newspaper out of business. Starring Pat Buttram, El Brendel, Sara Haden, Jack Orrison, John Hale, and Mary Jane Saunders.

| Line Color = 515151

}}

}}

{{Episode table |background=#515151|season= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |episodes=

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 1

| Title = Hey, Teacher

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1966|7|4}}

| ShortSummary = On his hectic first day on the job as the only male member of the teaching staff of an elementary school, a third-grade teacher enlists the aid of the school's jokester janitor to deal with a snake that has gotten loose while the rest of the school's staff makes bets on how many hours he will last in the job. Starring Dwayne Hickman. A repeat of the episode previously aired on June 15, 1964.

| Line Color = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 2

| Title = The Good Old Days

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1966|7|11}}

| ShortSummary = In prehistoric times, a young caveman leaves home to live on his own and find adventure. Starring Darryl Hickman.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19660711&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 11, 1966, p. 35.][https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ziW8EwMpto0C&dat=19660711&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, July 11, 1966, p. 20.]

| Line Color = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 3

| Title = Maggie Brown

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1966|7|18}}

| ShortSummary = A woman who owns a nightclub in the South Pacific patronized by sailors must keep 3,000 of them away from her daughter – and then is forced to make her own beer when her club is declared off limits. Starring Ethel Merman. A repeat of the episode previously aired on September 23, 1963.

| LineColor = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 4

| Title = Frank Merriwell

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1966|7|25}}

| ShortSummary = The adventures of all-American hero Frank Merriwell, a Yale University student at the turn of the 20th century who excels at sports, solves mysteries, and rights wrongs. Starring Jeff Cooper and Tisha Sterling.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19660725&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 25, 1966, p. 31.][https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ziW8EwMpto0C&dat=19660725&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, July 25, 1966, p. 11.] Based on the character created by Gilbert Patten.

| LineColor = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 5

| Title = Where There's Smokey

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1966|8|1}}

| ShortSummary = A small-town fire chief's brother-in-law is an eager but ineffectual fireman who shares a home with the chief and the chief's wife, although the chief always is trying to get him move out of the house. The chief has a perfect record of fire safety and control until his brother-in-law unconsciously – but steadily – undermines the fire department′s operations. Starring Soupy Sales, Gale Gordon, and Jack Weston.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19660801&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 1, 1966, p. 35.][https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ziW8EwMpto0C&dat=19660801&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, August 1, 1966, p. 19.]

| LineColor = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 6

| Title = My Lucky Penny

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1966|8|8}}

| ShortSummary = Two couples spend a hectic two days guarding $15,000 in cash. Starring Richard Benjamin and Brenda Vaccaro.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ziW8EwMpto0C&dat=19660808&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, August 8, 1966, p. 19.]

| LineColor = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 7

| Title = The Hoofer

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1966|8|15}}

| ShortSummary = A pair of no-talent vaudeville performers searching for a great gig try a series of tricks to get a top agent and impresario in a Chicago hospital to see their act. Starring Donald O'Connor, Soupy Sales, and Jerome Cowan. Unsold pilot for The Donald O'Connor Show.{{cite book |last1=Terrace |first1=Vincent |title=Encyclopedia of Television Pilots: 2,470 Films Broadcast 1937–2019, 2d ed. |date=January 17, 2020 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-3810-2 |page=107 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=69-_DwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Vacation+Playhouse%22+CBS&pg=PA107 |access-date=August 16, 2023 |language=en}}[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19660815&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "TV Key Previews," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 15, 1966, p. 41.][https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ziW8EwMpto0C&dat=19660815&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, August 15, 1966, p. 12.]

| LineColor = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 8

| Title = My Son, the Doctor

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1966|8|22}}

| ShortSummary = A struggling young pediatrician faces challenges.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19660822&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 22, 1966, p. 41.]

| LineColor = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 9

| Title = The Two of Us

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1966|8|29}}

| ShortSummary = A young widow works as an illustrator, and her impressionable 7-year-old son imagines her drawings coming to life, preferring the world of fantasy he creates to making real friends. Starring Patricia Crowley and Bill Mumy.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ziW8EwMpto0C&dat=19660829&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, August 29, 1966, p. 22.]

| LineColor = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 9

| Title = Off We Go!

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1966|9|5}}

| ShortSummary = Eager to join the war effort during World War II, a 16-year-old boy who looks older than he is joins the United States Army Air Forces and quickly rises to the rank of colonel. Placed in command of a small air base in England, he deals with his commanding general while he and his squadron carry out their missions. Starring Michael Burns and Dick Foran.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19660905&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 5, 1966, p. M-3.]

| LineColor = 515151

}}

}}

{{Episode table |background=#515151|season= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |episodes=

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 1

| Title = You're Only Young Twice

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|7|3}}

| ShortSummary = A sweet old college professor invents a rejuvenation pill that makes anyone who takes it look 10 years younger, but only for a short time. He lets a pretty housewife try it, leading to an encounter with her errant husband in a nightclub and a teenage beach party at Malibu, California. Starring Ed Wynn in a posthumous role and Ethel Waters.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19670703&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 3, 1967, p. 35.][https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ziW8EwMpto0C&dat=19670703&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, July 3, 1967, p. 20.]

| Line Color = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 2

| Title = Maggie Brown

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|7|10}}

| ShortSummary = A woman who owns a nightclub in the South Pacific patronized by sailors must keep 3,000 of them away from her daughter – and then is forced to make her own beer when her club is declared off limits. Starring Ethel Merman. A repeat of the episode aired twice previously, on September 23, 1963, and July 18, 1966.

| Line Color = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 3

| Title = My Lucky Penny

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|7|17}}

| ShortSummary = Two couples spend a hectic two days guarding $15,000 in cash. Starring Richard Benjamin and Brenda Vaccaro. A repeat of the episode previously aired on August 8, 1966.

| LineColor = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 4

| Title = My Boy Goggle

| DirectedBy = Ralph Levy

| WrittenBy = Bill Manhoff

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|7|24}}

| ShortSummary = A father must deal with his son's behavior at school after the boy is accused of biting his music teacher. Starring Jerry Van Dyke, Teddy Eccles, Jeanne Rainier, Pamela Dapo, Alice Pearce, Lee Goodman, and Frances Robinson.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19660724&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 24, 1967, p. 31.] Filmed in 1964. Based on the novel This is Goggle, or the Education of a Father by Bentz Plagemann.

| LineColor = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 5

| Title = Alfred of the Amazon

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|7|31}}

| ShortSummary = A bumbling young man who owns a rubber plantation in South America and fights injustice as a jungle adventurer in his spare time sets off into the Amazon rainforest to rescue a dentist and a nurse – who also is the dentist's beautiful daughter – from headhunters who are holding them captive. Starring Wally Cox.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19670731&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 31, 1967, p. 33.][https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ziW8EwMpto0C&dat=19670731&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Television Highlights," Schenectady Gazette, July 31, 1967, p. 11.]

| LineColor = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 6

| Title = The Two of Us

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|8|7}}

| ShortSummary = A young widow works as an illustrator, and her impressionable 7-year-old son imagines her drawings coming to life, preferring the world of fantasy he creates to making real friends. Starring Patricia Crowley and Bill Mumy. A repeat of an episode previously aired on August 29, 1966.

| LineColor = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 7

| Title = Heaven Help Us

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|8|14}}

| ShortSummary = After the spirit of his late wife returns to help him find a new mate, a magazine editor ends up with two dates on the same night. Starring Barry Nelson and Joanna Moore.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19670814&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "TV Key Previews," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 14, 1967, p. 39.]

| LineColor = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 8

| Title = The Jones Boys

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|8|21}}

| ShortSummary = A man leads a boisterous team of maintenance men. Starring Mickey Shaughnessy.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=gL9scSG3K_gC&dat=19670721&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Complete Television Programs for Monday," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 21, 1967, p. 37.]

| LineColor = 515151

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 9

| Title = Hey, Teacher

| DirectedBy =

| WrittenBy =

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|8|28}}

| ShortSummary = On his hectic first day on the job as the only male member of the teaching staff of an elementary school, a third-grade teacher enlists the aid of the school's jokester janitor to deal with a snake that has gotten loose while the rest of the school's staff makes bets on how many hours he will last in the job. Starring Dwayne Hickman. A repeat of an episode aired twice previously, on June 15, 1964 and July 4, 1966.

| Line Color = 515151

}}

}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{IMDb title|0056792}}
• [https://ctva.biz/US/Comedy/VacationPlayhouse.htm Episode list at CTVA – The Classic TV Archive]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6PyCGMFHB4 Vacation Playhouse episode "My Boy Goggle"] on YouTube

Category:1963 American television series debuts

Category:1967 American television series endings

Category:1960s American comedy-drama television series

Category:1960s American anthology television series

Category:Black-and-white American television shows

Category:CBS original programming

Category:American English-language television shows

Category:Television pilots not picked up as a series

Category:CBS television dramas