Jane Eyre (Studio One)

"Jane Eyre" is a 1949 American television play adapting the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. It aired as an episode of Studio One and starred Charlton Heston as Rochester.^[1][2]

"Jane Eyre"
Studio One episode
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 14
Directed by	Franklin J. Schaffner
Written by	Sumner Locke Elliott
Based on	Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Original air date	December 12, 1949 (1949-12-12)
Running time	60 minutes

Premise

A woman, Jane Eyre, goes to work as a governess at Thornfield Hall, run by the mysterious Rochester.

Cast

• Charlton Heston as Rochester
• Mary Sinclair
• Viola Roache
• Ethel Remey
• Joan Wetmore
• Adelaide Klein

Production

The episode was Heston's sixth appearance for Studio One.^[3] He had previously made "Of Human Bondage" for the show; like that, this was adapted by Sumner Locke Elliott.

Reception

The episode was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, whose biographer wrote, "From the start of the show to its end, [producer Worthington] Miner's influence is apparent: Schaffner's camera is constantly on the move; in a few years he would be known for his long and graceful tracking shots. Oddly enough, none of the other networks used a moving camera to any extent."^[4]

The Independent called it "moving and well integrated."^[5]

Producer Hal B. Wallis was so impressed by Charlton Heston's performance he offered him a contract and put Heston in Dark City.^[6]