Film

Shortly after opening, the Actors Studio had its own live TV anthology show, called, simply, Actors Studio. Largely forgotten today, Actors Studio featured casts drawn from the Studio’s ranks and helped the Method to gain a major foothold in the industry—even winning the first-ever Peabody for a television program. In this satirical, proto-Twilight Zone episode—one of only two that survive, and featuring future star Martin Balsam in a small role—McSween is a factory worker who builds a machine in his basement. The machine doesn't do anything. It just runs. Naturally, everyone thinks that it may be a doomsday device, and soon the government gets involved.

While today the Method is largely associated with men, in the late 1950s and 60s, many of its top actors were women. A Young Lady of Property features two of these women, the legendary Joanne Woodward, and the lesser-known Kim Stanley, who was considered the greatest American stage actress of the 1950s and sometimes dubbed “the Female Brando.” Variety called Stanley’s performance in this live production presented by the Philco Television Playhouse "a personal triumph.” Known for her intensity, vulnerability, and technical prowess, she starred in roles from Joan of Arc to Cleopatra. At the age of 28, she convincingly portrays a 15-year-old in A Young Lady of Property. Naive and lonely, her character’s deep attachment to a house that represents a safe and happy future comes under threat.