I got the opportunity to see the "Playhouse 90" version of "The Days of Wine and Roses" when I was a teenager on my local PBS station in Los Angeles. I had no idea, then, that there'd been any other version than the 1962 film. Not taking anything away from the film but the "Playhouse 90" version stunned me with the honesty of the portrayals of alcoholism by Cliff Robertson and Piper Laurie. Unlike Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick, Robertson and Laurie seemed all too honest in their portrayals of the damage that alcoholism wreaks on themselves and loved ones. The vulnerability with which Cliff Robertson played the scene in the greenhouse leaves chills in me every time I see it. I was shocked (pleasantly) at how frank the script gets in revealing Kristen's resorting to prostitution to get her drinks. This frankness for a television drama, in 1958! Unbelievable! The production values beautifully fit the increasing economic and emotional limitations of the husband and wife as their disease progresses. Although the music used in the episode came from stock music in the CBS music library, it somehow feels as if it had been written for this episode, so right it seems. The photography is noir-like, very effective, as in film noir, to document the progress of alcoholism. Robertson and Laurie now seem ideal for their roles. Of course, they were not box-office names at the time the film was made.
I hope this version of "The Days of Wine and Roses" gets wider exposure and assumes its rightful place as one of the very best examples of American television programming ever.
I hope this version of "The Days of Wine and Roses" gets wider exposure and assumes its rightful place as one of the very best examples of American television programming ever.