O. Henry decides to try his hand at writing for the theater and pitches his story to a Broadway producer. His plot centers on celebrated playwright Carson Chalmers (Tom Conway) who suspects his wife of infidelity. O. Henry enlists the aid of an eccentric tramp (John Carradine) to prove he is wrong. The tramp turns out to be a celebrated artist able to capture the true spirit of a person by drawing a sketch of their face. A twist ending reveals whether the artist's portrait of the wife will save the marriage.

"The O. Henry Playhouse" is a 1957 single season, 39-episode TV series. O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) is considered one of America's greatest writers of short stories. His writings are laced with humor and irony and often end with a sly twist ending. Veteran character actor Thomas Mitchell stars in each episode as writer O. Henry himself as he relates his stories to his publisher, his housekeeper, a barber, a bartender, or the cop on the beat. In some episodes, O. Henry meets his characters as he discovers firsthand the story he will later write. This unique storytelling method gives great insight into the famous author's creative process.

You can read the original literary version of "A Madison Square Arabian Knight" HERE and compare it with the many changes in the film adaptation. "A Madison Square Arabian Knight" is one of 13 episodes in volume three of "The O. Henry Playhouse." The films have been beautifully restored on DVD by the home video label ClassicFlix!