12 ANGRY MEN
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
Earlier this week, I showed one of my TV History classes at Rowan University the 1954 live TV Westinghouse Studio One presentation of Reginald Rose’s 12 Angry Men, followed by the opening minutes of this 1957 film, in which Henry Fonda played the role of the persuasive juror played in the TV drama by Robert Cummings. Rose also adapted a Broadway play version of 12 Angry Men, which is revived often in New York and in local theaters – but this particular drama began on, and was written for, television in a version I believe is even better than this subsequent movie version. But the movie was directed by Sidney Lumet, a director of live TV shows (Mama, Danger) who went on to make such brilliant films as The Pawnbroker, Fail-Safe, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, and The Verdict.