Newman, Wallach, Etc. Featured in PBS Our Town Special

When the new PBS special "Character Studies: Living and Dying in Our Town" premieres nationally this summer, it will present a unique opportunity to view three aspects of Paul Newman's long and distinguished career.  And with Newman's recent announcement that he will no longer take on any acting roles, the one-hour special offers a one-time chance to see his early work, his last Broadway role, and to hear his personal comments.

Available on most PBS stations across the country, the program showcases Newman as the young George Gibbs in Thornton Wilder's classic play Our Town, when Newman performed opposite Eva Marie Saint in a 1955 NBC-TV production.  "Clips from that production, which are included in the show, are not commercially available," pointed out executive producer Tony Vellela.  "Nearly half a century later, in 2002, Mr. Newman played the Stage Manager in the same play, and we also include scenes from that production."  In addition, the Oscar-winning actor, who rarely conducts interviews, conducted an extensive on-camera conversation session exclusively for this program.

Hosted by Eli Wallach, the program also features other theatre artists who have worked in productions of "Our Town," including Frances Conroy, Stephen Spinella, James Naughton and Cynthia Nixon.

The Character Studies series of programs was launched in 2005, bringing the stories of great theatre characters to PBS.  Past programs included Amanda from The Glass Menagerie, Rose from Gypsy and Ruth from A Raisin in the Sun, and featured Julie Harris, Olympia Dukakis, Ruby Dee, Sam Waterston, Bernadette Peters, Audra McDonald, Martha Plimpton and Phylicia Rashad.

Visit www.characterstudies.net for more information.

Photo of Paul Newman by Mark Rupp