NBC Matinee Theater was a daytime TV show that aired from 3 to 4 pm 5 days a week. It was an anthology show, with every episode a unique TV play, many of which were based on famous works. It had an enormous budget, which led to its cancellation after only 3 years: it was too expensive to produce. It ran from October 1955 to June 1958, and it was broadcast live, with most episodes in color. It won an Emmy award for its 1956 season, for "Best Contribution to Daytime Programming". It also won a Golden Globe for "Best TV Show" for its 1957 season.

Of course, since it was broadcast live, we can expect that few episodes have survived, and that is in fact the case. I found two episodes on the Internet Archive. This one, an adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" is from 1956, its Emmy-Award winning year. The copy I got has very washed-out color, so that's too bad. But I quickly recognized that this program must indeed have had a very healthy budget. It is a very professional and well-done piece. I loved it!! I actually enjoyed this more than the 1960 film "House of Usher" with Vincent Price. Highly recommended. As I said, it is on the Internet Archive if you want to pick it up.