The United States Steel Hour
The Oddball
TV Flash files “The Oddball” as hour 202 of 259 in the TV Flash guide — The United States Steel Hour (1953–1963) on ABC/CBS, season 8, episode 18, aired 1961-04-05, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S08E18: listed hour 202 of 259 in the The United States Steel Hour guide, hour 18 of 28 in season 8. It aired 1961-04-05 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “The Intervener” (S08E17). Next is “The Shame of Paula Marsten” (S08E19).
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Oddball sit in the The United States Steel Hour guide?
S08E18 is listed hour 202 of 259 — hour 18 of 28 in season 8, season 8 episode 18.
When did The United States Steel Hour S08E18 air?
The Oddball aired 1961-04-05 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 8 hub