The first live two-hour telecast in color of a Shakespeare play. It is preserved only on a black-and-white kinescope. The 1960 production, also starring Maurice Evans and Dame Judith Anderson, was shot on film in color, and so was able to be preserved in its original form.
The 1954 and 1960 versions of "Macbeth", both made for the Hallmark Hall of Fame, are often erroneously considered to have had the same cast and technical staff. This is actually not true. Of the 1954 cast, only Maurice Evans and Dame Judith Anderson appeared in the 1960 version, and the rest of the cast of the 1960 version was made up of British players who seldom appeared on American television. The cast of the 1954 version was largely made up of American players who often appeared on early live television. The technical staff of each production was entirely different, except for George Schaefer, who directed both versions.
The first color telecast of a William Shakespeare play.