Omnibus
Season 2
Not Rated
Omnibus was a television program that sought to provide the best of what television could provide as the highest common denominator of intellectual curiosity and interest. This level of programing excellence has not been achieved again.
Where to Watch Season 2
24 Episodes
- Glory in the FlowerE1
Glory in the FlowerThe program has five segments: (1) "Glory in the Flower" (story based on William Inge play), (2) "The Little Kitty Stayed Cool" (James Thurber short story), (3) "The Little Fugitive" (interview with the 8-year-old star of the prizewinning film), (4) "Excerpts from Oklahoma" (selections from Rodgers and Hammerstein's record-breaking musical), and (5) "Struggle for Survival" (showing of 1944 Swedish wildlife film). - The BattlerE2
The BattlerThe program has five segments: (1) "The Battler" (adaptation of an Ernest Hemingway story), (2) "Lola Flores and Her Flamenco Dancers" (Spanish dance and music), (3) "Operation Hurricane" (showing of a 1953 film documentary on the development and explosion of the first British atomic bomb in the Pacific in 1952), (4) "Preview of King Lear" (featuring a rehearsal and discussion of the Shakespeare play to be shown in the following edition), and (5) "The Automatic Pinspotter" (a look at machines for clearing and resetting pins in a bowling alley). - King Lear
E3King LearKing Lear is a 1953 live television adaptation of the Shakespeare play with stage direction by Peter Brook and starring Orson Welles. It was aired on CBS as part of the U.S. television series Omnibus, and preserved on kinescope. A heavily abridged version of the play, this production condensed the play by eliminating the Edgar-Edmund subplot. Welles returned to America to star in this presentation. He was guarded by IRS agents, prohibited to leave his hotel room when not at the studio, prevented from making any purchases, and the entire sum he earned went to his tax bill. Welles returned to England after the broadcast. The cast included Micheál Mac Liammóir and the British actor Alan Badel. It was hosted by Alistair Cooke. - ToineE8
ToineThe program has five segments: (1) "Toine" (adaptation of a Guy De Maupassant story), (2) (concert by London's St Paul's Cathedral Choir), (3) (interview with an Arctic explorer about his life with the Eskimos), (4) (demonstration of X-ray motion picture techniques), and (5) "Place Names in the United States" (tracing the impact of 19th-century settlers' westward movement on various US town names). - The Horn Blows at Midnight
E9The Horn Blows at MidnightThe program has three segments: (1) "The Horn Blows at Midnight" (adaptation of the 1945 Jack Benny comedy film), (2) "Introduction to William Shakespeare" (talk on the Shakespearean theater), (3) "The California Condor" (showing of excerpts from a 1953 film dealing with this rare bird). - The Nature of the BeastE11
The Nature of the BeastThe program has five segments: (1) "The Nature of the Beast" (scene from unfinished Moss Hart play), (2) "Animals in Rocket Flight" (showing of US Air Force documentary film), (3) "Birth of a Band" (music from a progressive jazz band), (4) "The Psychology of Taste" (discussion on taste perception), and (5) "Cut-Rite" (a look at paper products). - Mom and LeoE12
Mom and LeoThe program has five segments: (1) "Mom and Leo" (drama), (2) "Irish Linen" (story), (3) "Mary's Baby" (reading of a Christmas poem), (4) "The 51st Dragon" (reading of a fantasy story), (5) "The Young Fighter" (documentary on new developments in camera and sound equipment), and (6) "The Dispatcher" (unknown content). - The SojournerE13
The SojournerThe program has three segments: (1) "The Sojourner" (dramatization of play), (2) "Chicken Little" (operetta), and (3) "Melies the Magician" (showing of a 1952 French documentary film short about Georges Melies, the early pioneer film producer, and his ingenious trick film techniques). - Nobody's FoolE14
Nobody's FoolThe program has four segments: (1) "Nobody's Fool" (filmed play from John Steinbeck story), (2) "Village Incident - India" (living newspaper-type drama), (3) "Benediction" (reading of a short poem to greet the New Year), and (4) "Palle Alone in the World" (a repeat showing of the 1949 Swedish fantasy film from Season 1). - The Duchess and the SmugsE16
The Duchess and the SmugsThe program has three segments: (1) "The Duchess and the Smugs" (adaptation of Pamela Frankau novel), (2) "Henry A. Barnes, Traffic Engineer" (feature on metropolitan traffic control), and (3) "Undersea Archaeology" (showing of a film short by Jacques Yves Cousteau on underwater exploration). - Nothing So MonstrousE17
Nothing So MonstrousThe program has five segments: (1) "Nothing So Monstrous" (dramatized adaptation of a John Steinbeck story), (2) "E=MC2" (celebration of the 15th anniversary of splitting the first uranium atom with the Columbia University cyclotron), (3) "The Hunter" (showing of a Swedish film on nature and wildlife), (4) "Signs" ( interview with an animated sign maker), and (5) "The Garage" (a look at bus maintenance and repair). - The Confidential ClerkE19
The Confidential ClerkThe program has four segments: (1) "The Confidential Clerk" (selection from T.S. Eliot's play and discussion of the poet), (2) "The Whale Who Wanted to be a Submarine" (narration of humorous story), (3) "Azuma Kabuki Dancers and Musicians" (Japanese dancing and drama), and (4) "Paso Doble" (Budd Schulberg story). - A Time Out of WarE20
A Time Out of WarThe program has four segments: (1) "A Time Out of War" (showing of 1954 film which won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject), (2) "Yale Shakespeare Festival" (featuring a tour of the festival and scenes from Shakespeare), (3) "South African Folk Songs" (a medley of popular local songs), and (4) "Consumer Research" (short feature). - The HouseE22
The HouseThe program has four segments: (1) "The House" (dramatization of John Steinbeck story), (2) "Letters to be Answered" (Alistair Cooke replies to letters of comment and inquiry), (3) "Treason, 1780" (story of Benedict Arnold's betrayal of his country), and (4) "Jonathan Winters" (comic monologues). - Three SketchesE23
Three SketchesThe program has four segments: (1) "Three Sketches (comedy sketches), (2) "Shoot the Nets" (showing of a 1950 Dutch film about fishermen bringing in the season's first herring catch), (3) "The Gambler, the Nun and the Radio" (adaptation of Hemingway short story), and (4) "Scenicruiser" (unknown content). - Tell Me If It HurtsE24
Tell Me If It HurtsThe program has six segments: (1) "Tell Me If It Hurts" (showing of a 1934 English comedy film about a visit to the dentist), (2) "Ballet Girl" (portraying the rigorous training of a young would-be ballerina), (3) "Arteriosclerosis" (short documentary on the causes and effects of hardening of the arteries), (4) "Village Festival" (featuring native dances of Hawaii), (5) "The New York Times" (a remote telecast to the newspaper's central offices, documenting the numerous activities which go into the preparation of the morning edition), and (6) "The Chemist" (short feature). - The Apollo of BellacE25
The Apollo of BellacThe program has three segments: (1) "The Apollo of Bellac" (adaptation of a Jean Giraudoux play, (2) "Omnibus in Retrospect" (featuring highlights from Omnibus' second season), and (3) "The Phoenix Project" (looking at the preservation of food by radiation).
