On this day in movie history - Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)

Odds Against Tomorrow

directed by Robert Wise,

written by Abraham Polonsky and Nelson Gidding,

based on the novel by William P. McGivern,

was released in the United States on October 13, 1959.

Music by John Lewis.

Cast:

Harry Belafonte, Robert Ryan, Shelley Winters, Ed Begley, Gloria Grahame, Will Kuluva, Kim Hamilton, Mae Barnes, Richard Bright, Carmen De Lavallade, Lew Gallo, Lois Thorne, Wayne Rogers, Zohra Lampert, Allen Nourse.

On this day in movie and book history - 12 Angry Men (1957)

12 Angry Men

directed by Sidney Lumet,

written by Reginald Rose,

based on the 1954 teleplay Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose,

was released in the United States on April 10, 1957.

Music by Kenyon Hopkins.

Cast:

Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman, Edward Binns, Jack Warden, Henry Fonda, Joseph Sweeney, Ed Begley, George Voskovec, Robert Webber, Rudy Bond, Tom Gorman, James Kelly, Billy Nelson, John Savoca, Walter Stocker.

Recommended reading:

 

Twelve Angry Men

Teleplay by Reginald Rose.
Introduction by David Mamet.
 
Filmed as:
12 Angry Men (1957), directed by Sidney Lumet.
12 Angry Men (1997), directed by William Friedkin.

Paperback.
Published by Penguin Classics.
First published 1954.

ISBN 13: 9780143104407
ISBN 10: 0143104403
ASIN: 0143104403
 
Description:

A blistering character study and an examination of the American melting pot and the judicial system that keeps it in check, Twelve Angry Men holds at its core a deeply patriotic faith in the U.S. legal system. The play centers on Juror Eight, who is at first the sole holdout in an 11-1 guilty vote. Eight sets his sights not on proving the other jurors wrong but rather on getting them to look at the situation in a clear-eyed way not affected by their personal prejudices or biases. Reginald Rose deliberately and carefully peels away the layers of artifice from the men and allows a fuller picture to form of them—and of America, at its best and worst.

After the critically acclaimed teleplay aired in 1954, this landmark American drama went on to become a cinematic masterpiece in 1957 starring Henry Fonda, for which Rose wrote the adaptation. More recently, Twelve Angry Men had a successful, and award-winning, run on Broadway.

Born on this day – Ed Begley:

Ed Begley

Actor

March 25, 1901 – April 28, 1970

On this day in movie and book history - Warning Shot (1967) and 711 - Officer Needs Help (1965)

Warning Shot

directed by Buzz Kulik,

written by Mann Rubin,

based on the novel 711 - Officer Needs Help by Whit Masterson,

was released in the United States on January 18, 1967.

Music by Jerry Goldsmith.

 

Cast:

David Janssen, Ed Begley, Keenan Wynn, Sam Wanamaker, Lillian Gish, Stefanie Powers, Eleanor Parker, George Grizzard, George Sanders, Steve Allen, Carroll O’Connor, Joan Collins, Walter Pidgeon, Vito Scotti, David Garfield, Robert Williams, Jerry Dunphy, Dorothy Abbott, Leon Alton, Jackie Andre, Rodney Bingenheimer, Thordis Brandt, Jeff Brown, Ron Burke, Jean Carson, Sheila Cave, Phil Chambers, Spencer Chan, Dick Cherney, Norma Clark, Donald Curtis, Geno Danella, Mimi Dillard, Michael Donovan, Brian Dunne, Lars Hensen, Freda Jones, Pat Jones, Bobbi Jordan, Susan Little, Karl Lukas, Mike Mahoney, Walter Maslow, Patrick McCall, William Meader, Gigi Michel, Don Mitchell, John Mitchum, Daniel Nunez, Robert Osterloh, Kathy Patterson, Bob Peoples, Richard Raymond, Mark Russell, Bernard Sell, Sammy Shack, Claude Stroud, Tiki, Arthur Tovey, Dale Van, Fred Villani, Lanetta Wahlgren, Bobbi Whitby, Jerry Wills, Jason Wingreen, Kai J. Wong, Grant Woods, John Zimeas.

Recommended reading:

711 - Officer Needs Help

by Whit Masterson.

Filmed as Warning Shot (1967), directed by Buzz Kulik.

ASIN: B000CC6L22

Published by Popular Library.

First published 1965.

Paperback.

Description:

A Man on the run for his life...

A suspense novel to startle and shock...

Detective Sergeant Tom Valens was a tough man in a tough business--with an unblemished record, a long scar in his gut to prove his integrity and a beautiful ex-wife to prove his devotion to the Force.

Then one night he made a cop's worst mistake--and found himself alone, with ten days to clear his name and save his life. Ten chilling days which led to a gorgeous redhead named Liz, a secret potent enough to blow half of Los Angeles society sky-high, and a psychotic killer who would stop at nothing...including triple murder.

On this day in movie and book history - On Dangerous Ground (1951)

On Dangerous Ground

directed by Nicholas Ray and Ida Lupino,

written by A. I. Bezzerides and Nicholas Ray,

based on the novel Mad with Much Heart by Gerald Butler,

was released in the United States on December 12, 1951.

Music by Bernard Herrmann.

Cast:

Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Ward Bond, Charles Kemper, Anthony Ross, Ed Begley, Ian Wolfe, Sumner Williams, Gus Schilling, Frank Ferguson, Cleo Moore, Olive Carey.

Recommended reading:

Mad with Much Heart

by Gerald Butler.
 
First published 1945.
ASIN: B0006AQZEY

Published by: Rinehart & company, inc.
Hardcover.
 
Description:
 
Filmed as On Dangerous Ground (1951), directed by Nicholas Ray and Ida Lupino.