Ronald Reagan Appears in "Schlitz Playhouse of Stars" - Season 3, Episode 30: The Edge of Battle

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars is a weekly anthology television series telecast Friday nights on CBS from 1951 until 1959.

The series presented both comedies and drama. The series was sponsored by Schlitz beer. The series name was shortened to Schlitz Playhouse, beginning with the fall 1957 season.

Initially, the show was broadcast live, but starting in the summer of 1953, some of the episodes were filmed in advance. Beginning with the 1956-57 season, all of the shows were filmed.

Between October 1951 and March 1952, the hour-long show was shown at 9pm. In April 1952, the running time was reduced from an hour to 30 minutes. The series moved to 9:30pm in the 1955 fall season.

Two episodes served as pilots for later NBC series: The Restless Gun with John Payne (March 29, 1957 pilot) and Tales of Wells Fargo with Dale Robertson. The Restless Gun pilot was based on the radio series The Six Shooter, and Payne's character had the same name, Britt Ponset, as the radio character; that name was changed to Vint Bonner when the actual series began.

For the 1958-59 season, the series alternated weeks with the Lux Playhouse.

Guest stars included the child actress Beverly Washburn, who appeared in episodes entitled "The Closed Door" (1953) and "One Left Over" (1957). Dayton Lummis appeared as editor Cartwright in "The Last Pilot Schooner" and as Arthur Healy in "Ambitious Cop" (both 1955).

Lieutenant Random and three soldiers are taking shelter in a home during the Battle of the Bulge. Random sends two out to scout information while he stays with the injured Burnett. Bitter at offficers in general and Random in particular, the injured man attacks the lieutenant, planning to kill him and then assume his identity.