Alcoa Theatre was an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1957 through 1960. Alternative titles under which the series was broadcast include Turn of Fate. Alcoa Theatre was syndicated together with Goodyear Theatre as Award Theater.
The series featured a number of veteran and emerging actors over the years, including Jack Lemmon, Cliff Robertson, John Cassavetes, Brandon deWilde, Cornel Wilde, Agnes Moorehead, Jack Carson, Walter Slezak and Gary Merrill.
Frank Sinatra (Cpt. Tom Reynolds), Gina Lollobrigida (Carla Vesari), Peter Lawford (Cpt. Grey Travis), Steve McQueen (Corporal Bill Ringa), Richard Johnson (Cpt. Danny de Mortimer), Paul Henreid (Nikko Regas), Brian Donlevy (General Sloan), Dean Jones (Sgt. Jim Norby), Charles Bronson (Sgt. John Danforth), Philip Ahn (Nautaung of the Kachin), Robert Bray (Colonel Fred Parkson), George Takei (Soldier in Hospital), Kipp Hamilton (Margaret Fitch), James Hong (General Chao), Mako (Soldier in Hospital), Maria McClay (Jeanine)
In 1943 Burma, a unit of American and British forces under the Office of Strategic Services joins with the native Kachin to hold back the Japanese Army. The unit, under the joint command of American captain Tom C. Reynolds (Frank Sinatra) and British captain Danny De Mortimer (Richard Johnson), with guidance from Kachin leader Nautaung (Philip Ahn), remains frustrated by their grueling duty, limited supplies and lack of medical care.
Maria McClay as French-speaking Eurasian girl Jeanine, being introduced by wealth business man Nikko Regas (Paul Henreid) to Captains Tom Reynolds (Frank Sinatra) and Danny de Mortimer (Richard Johnson).
While Maria’s role is a short one as French speaking Eurasian girl Jeanine at wealth business man Nikko Regas’ Burmese country retreat at the base of the Himalayan mountains, it allowed to her to share the screen with two of the all-time greats, Frank Sinatra and Paul Henreid.
In fact, the entire movie’s cast is a veritable smorgasboard and who-is-who of movie stardom, both current at the time and newly arising. Besides Sinatra and Henreid this movie features the unforgettable Gina Lollobrigida, a younger Steven McQueen and Charles Bronson as well as the inimitable George Takei and the ever-present James Hong, who probably shared the screen with Maria more than any other actor.
Scenes Featuring Maria
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Another American Western television series Maria appeared in was “Bat Masterson”, a fictionalized account of the life of the very real marshal, gambler and dandy Bartholemew William Barclay “Bat” Masterson (1853-1921), a US Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, journalist, gunfighter and sheriff in the Old West.
Gene Barry as Bat Masterson
The series ran in 107 episodes over three seasons from 1958 to 1960 and portrayed Bat Masterson as a ladies man, often dressed in Eastern clothing with a preference for solving problems with his walking cane rather than his gun.
An old friend asks Bat to San Francisco to look into the background of her daughter’s fiancée. Bat learns she is a frequent visitor at a casino where she seems to win but her fiancée seems to lose – even his life. Maria appears as a card dealer employed by the casino who refuses to hand more chips to the dubious fiancée, when he busts out and finds himself broke at the table.
Gene Barry (Bat Masterson), Myron Healy, Audrey Dalton, Jack Hogan, Ernestine Barrier, David Thursby, James Hong, Maria Tsein (sic) (Card Dealer)
Maria McClay as a card dealer in a San Francisco casino
An old friend asks Bat to San Francisco to look into the background of her daughter’s fiancée. Bat learns she is a frequent visitor at a casino where she seems to win but her fiancée seems to lose – even his life. Maria appears as a card dealer employed by the casino who refuses to hand more chips to the dubious fiancée, when he busts out and finds himself broke at the table.
This is one of Maria’s more limited roles with very few lines and not a lot of screen time. On the other hand she gets to wear a rather fancy outfit while staring down Bat Masterson as she deals the House 21 and takes his money.
One thing that must be pointed out is that whoever was responsible for proof reading the credits messed up greatly and left her name on screen as “Maria Tsein” instead of “Tsien”.
Scenes Featuring Maria
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Minneapolis Morning Tribune, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, May 20th, 1959
Mike Connolly
Maria is mentioned in a quick blurb as part of a Hollywood gossip column that does a run-down of various bits of more or less newsworthy items. In the case of Maria it mentions her playing a Japanese role in Alcoa Theatre‘s “Medals for Harry”. A very similar blurb had run a couple of weeks earlier in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, May 8th, 1959
(Unknown Author)
A brief blurb mentioned Maria playing her first Japanese role in Alcoa Theatre‘s “Medal For Harry” and quotes her as being happy about being out of a type-casting rut. A very similar blurb ran in the Minneapolis Star Tribune a couple of weeks later on May 20th.
Maria is mentioned in a quick blurb as part of a Hollywood gossip column that does a run-down of various bits of more or less newsworthy items. In the case of Maria it mentions her playing a Japanese role in Alcoa Theatre‘s “Medals for Harry” and her being happy to be out of a type-casting rut.
