"The Hostess with the Mostes'" is a most unusual installment of "Playhouse 90". It's a biography of Perle Mesta, a woman who managed to become quite the famed hostess for Washington, DC parties in the 1930s-60s...as well as being appointed Ambassador to Luxembourg by President Truman.
This was apparently Shirley Booth's TV debut, though she'd already made a name for herself in films as well as Broadway. She seemed very natural in this leading role and you'd never suspect she was a TV newbie. I'm sure it helped her that this was a live teleplay...and she was a veteran with plays.
As you'd expect, this is a very good teleplay. After all, "Playhouse 90" was probably the best of the many weekly teleplay series during its run. And, it sticks reasonably close to Mesta's life...which is pretty unusual.
By the way, if you want to see a somewhat biopic of Mesta, try watching the musical "Call Me Madam". The names and details have often been changed, but it clearly is her life story...at least as Hollywood does life stories!
At the end, be sure to keep watching. The real life Perle Mesta talks to the audience and it's a rare treat!
