By the time The Loretta Show swung into its fifth season, the popular anthology was running like a well-oiled machine, turning out first-rate work each and every week, with star Loretta Young seemingly more beautiful and versatile than ever. So smoothly did the machinery operate that one would never suspect that there was turmoil off-camera, as Loretta Young was in the process of divorcing her husband and co-producer Tom Lewis (their production company Lewislor would, however, remain in business until the series' finale three years later). Season five opens with "A Dollar's Worth," teaming the ageless Loretta Young with a talented teenager named Susan Seaforth (who, under her married named Susan Hayes, would later achieve soap opera superstardom on Days of Our Lives). In subsequent episodes, Young's characterizations ran the gamut from a Japanese maiden in "Innocent Conspiracy" to an Italian countess in "Faraway Island." On those episodes in which Young did not star, a number of prominent actresses are showcased, including Anita Louise, Laraine Day, Julie Adams, Karen Sharpe, and that quintessential "golden hearted gold digger," Veda Ann Borg. Also, in addition to the usual crop of handsome male leading men for Loretta, season five featured such gifted character actors as Hume Cronyn, Gary Merrill, and Wally Cox.
by Hal Erickson
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