This is an interesting installment of "Screen Directors Playhouse" because it is directed by John Ford and stars John Wayne. Ward Bond (another Ford regular), Vera Miles, James Gleason and Patrick Wayne (John's son) co-star in this one.When the show begins, Mike Cronin (Wayne) is a sports writer at a newspaper. He doesn't like this particular paper and is looking to make a name for himself so he can find a better newspaper job. His big chance occurs when he notices a similarity between a hot new rookie and a guy who was banned from baseball. Could the two be related? What's next? Give this excellent episode a look and see for yourself.Overall, this is a well-written and worth addition to the show. Plus, it's John Wayne's TV debut...with John Freakin' Ford directing! So of course it's worth your time!

As posted by others, I caught this on TCM and was amazed ! A half hour TV drama with John Wayne, directed by John Ford. From the date, I'll place this just after Wayne's I Love Lucy appearance. Instead of the actor/director craft, I'd just like to mention the timing. Right on the cusp of the movie/TV revolution/evolution. The stars of the biggest, co-existing with the craft of, the smallest. John Wayne went on to more TV later on, mostly as a guest on friend's shows, Red Skelton, Jack Benny, Dean Martin, etc. But, John Ford, being a director, went on to unheralded roles as the same. Check out a long sought after episode of Wagon Train, or, Flashing Spikes, (which I actually saw with baseball commentary by a long gone uncle). In the early days, the film stars avoided TV, as earlier stage stars avoided film !?! Yeah, right !

John Ford was already beginning his decline (see, for example, his "The Horse Soldiers") but he still had an eye for a good story.And he knew how to assemble a top-notch cast.According to show biz legend, John Wayne was asked to be Marshal Matt Dillon but he declined and recommended James Arness. The Duke made a few appearances on shows such as the abysmal Joey Bishop and even "Laugh In," as well as the famous bit on "I Love Lucy." But this was his first and, I think, only dramatic role.His frequent co-star, and eventual TV mega-star, Ward Bond, and another frequent co-star, the beautiful and very talented Vera Miles, and his frequent co-star and son, Patrick, all appeared in "Rookie," as well as that wonderful veteran, James Gleason.Them were the good ol' days, the true Golden Age of Television, and if this entry in "Screen Directors Playhouse," or, really, any of the entries, comes around again, most likely on Turner Classic Movies, be sure to watch. This is classic.

I was excited when I saw this was going to be shown on TCM yesterday. I'm a huge John Wayne fan, and this was one of the very few things Wayne had done that I hadn't seen. It hadn't been seen on TV in over 50 years, and I was ready to be blown away. A 30 minute teleplay directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, Ward Bond, and Vera Miles.I guess I over-anticipated. With so much talent crammed into 30 minutes on the small screen, I think it just overwhelmed and smoked the script. Don't get me wrong, it was a decent watch, but Ford and Wayne avoided TV for good reason- they were just too big for the average 12 to 15 inch B&W screens of 1955 (anyone remember horizontal hold?).The story was an overly sentimental tale of baseball, betrayal, and redemption. It also had a couple of rather cornball gimmicks thrown in, one of which was obviously placed there to make sure you stayed tuned in through the commercials.A must see for fans of the John's. Those who aren't fans won't need to keep an eye out for this episode of Screen Directors Playhouse next time it appears on TCM (and it WILL show up again). This was definitely not the best work of any of those involved.