Telephone Spotlight on Texas, Baylor Theater (1958)

Duration: 12:43

Year Published: 1958

Format: 16mm

Sound: sound

Description: This film made its way to TAMI through the British Film Institute, who received this 16mm copy of a television program produced by Southwestern Bell Telephone Company after its discovery during a routine house clearance among other materials related to Charles Loughton and Orson Welles. The 16mm film was addressed to Charles Loughton from Paul Baker, the innovative Director of the Theater Department at Baylor University from 1934-63. Baker built Baylor’s historic Studio One, a home for a more progressive approach to theater, where Laughton saw a performance of “Othello” which he called “the most exciting piece of theater in America,” describing Baker as “a fantastic genius” who “could change the whole course of the theater.” Laughton later encouraged his friend, actor Burgess Meredith, to perform in a similar Baylor production of “Hamlet” in 1956. Meredith and Laughton both took up residence in Waco for 2 months while Meredith rehearsed and performed 16 sold-out shows. This television program, Telephone Spotlight on Texas, profiles the Baylor Theater program and Studio One, highlighting its innovative staging and seating and the methods employed by Paul Baker and his team.