Twelve Angry Men

Studio One in Hollywood: Twelve Angry Men (1954)

Studio One was one of the most important shows in television history and they were the first to bring this classic play to the screen. This episode has pretty much been forgotten over the years due to Sidney Lumet's masterpiece film with Henry Fonda but this episode is certainly worth watching.

I will freely admit that there's nothing here that comes close to the movie. To me the movie is one of the greatest ever made and it features some of the greatest performances ever captured on film. This television version does feature the same compelling story and there's no question that director Franklin J. Schaffner handles the material quite well. The performances here are all quite good and fans of the film will see Joseph Sweeney and George Voskovec would appear in the movie in the same roles. You've also got Edward Arnold and Franchot Tone, both great character actors, and Normal Fell who would become well-known for Three's Company.

Episode: B+