Shakespeare on your TV before prestige TV existed—witches, blood, and Judith Anderson's terrifying eyebrows.
Macbeth (Maurice Evans), the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his King and takes the throne for himself.
Acting
Judith Anderson's Lady Macbeth: operatic, unhinged, unforgettable.
Production
Live TV aesthetic—visible seams make it feel dangerously immediate.
Director
George Schaefer
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was part of NBC's 'Hallmark Hall of Fame'—literally prestige TV before the term existed, complete with actual Hallmark card sponsorship.
Filmed in color but only black-and-white kinescopes survive—Lady Macbeth's 'damned spot' was originally blood-red.
US
GB
