A new governess (played by Ingrid Bergman) arrives at Bly, the country house of a wealthy man.
She tells Mrs. Grose that the man has the clothes of a gentleman but a coarse face with queer whiskers, red hair, and sharp eyes.
The governess narrates: As autumn approaches, "an atmosphere of terror seemed to settle about the house like an evil twilight mist", but inside they lived "the lie of normality".
The cast consisted of:[1] The production was broadcast by NBC on October 20, 1959, as the third episode of the television series, Ford Startime.
[1] Two years after the program aired, the story was adapted into a feature film, The Innocents starring Deborah Kerr.
[6] In The New York Times, Jack Gould wrote that Bergman delivered a performance of "shattering and chilling power" in which her "fluidly mobile face .
projected the mounting horror" while at other times she evoked "warmth and sincerity" in bolstering the children.
Gould also praised John Frankenheimer's sometimes inspired direction and Costigan's screenplay for carefully building suspense and tension.
[7] Associated Press television critic Cynthia Lowry called it "superior entertainment, even if it didn't succeed in freezing us in horror."
Lowry also welcomed Bergman's American television debut in a performance delivered with "skill and conviction.
"[8] In the Oakland Tribune, TV critic Bill Fiset called it "a beautiful production and a credit to television."
[3] In The Miami Herald, Jack Anderson wrote that "Bergman was at her best" and concluded: "In every way, the production was as close to anything I have ever seen on television in all the years of watching it.
"[9] Author James Thurber praised Bergman's "memorable performance" of "a well-written, well-directed 'Turn of the Screw'".
[10] In an academic journal article reviewing all the adaptations of Turn of the Screw, Thomas M. Cranfill and Robert L. Clark, Jr. wrote: "[Bergman's] performance and the production in general were pronounced successes.
Bergman also won the Sylvania Award for outstanding performance by an actress in a starring role.