The United States Steel Hour
Hour of the Rat
TV Flash files “Hour of the Rat” as hour 123 of 259 in the TV Flash guide — The United States Steel Hour (1953–1963) on ABC/CBS, season 5, episode 19, aired 1958-05-21, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S05E19: listed hour 123 of 259 in the The United States Steel Hour guide, hour 19 of 26 in season 5. It aired 1958-05-21 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “A Man in Hiding” (S05E18). Next is “A Family Alliance” (S05E20).
Viewer FAQ
Where does Hour of the Rat sit in the The United States Steel Hour guide?
S05E19 is listed hour 123 of 259 — hour 19 of 26 in season 5, season 5 episode 19.
When did The United States Steel Hour S05E19 air?
Hour of the Rat aired 1958-05-21 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Where should I start?
Start with surviving prestige teleplays — Griffith's No Time for Sergeants breakout if you can get it. Live industrial-sponsor drama is the brief.
In the series
Why this series still plays
The United States Steel Hour was live Golden Age drama with an industrial giant's sheen: serious teleplays, launched stars, theatrical punch. Andy Griffith's No Time for Sergeants breakout happened here. Watch it in 2026 as corporate-sponsored theater of the air — proof a steel company once bankrolled the kind of play networks now fear.
The silhouette is industrial sheen on a live play: a steel logo as a curtain, theatrical punch in a living room, hard-hat prestige. The United States Steel Hour (ABC then CBS, 1953–1963) was Golden Age drama with an industrial giant's polish — serious teleplays, launched stars, The Theatre Guild and U.S. Steel, 259 episodes, ten seasons. Andy Griffith's No Time for Sergeants breakout happened on this stage of the air (1955). **This was not a commercial break; this was a hard launch in corporate light.** Proof a…
Open the The United States Steel Hour package · Season 5 hub