What Makes Sammy Run? in Los Angeles
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Los Angeles, CA—The Museum of Television & Radio in Los Angeles presents a Members-Only screening of the recently discovered and restored complete two-part broadcast of the 1959 production of What Makes Sammy Run?, which has not been seen in Los Angeles since its original airdate. Long considered one of television's "lost" treasures, the program was discovered and restored with the assistance of the Library of Congress. What Makes Sammy Run? will be presented in its entirety on Monday, May 9, 2005, at 7:00 p.m., at the Los Angeles Museum location, with special guests, cast members Dina Merrill and Barbara Rush, and introduced by the program's director Delbert Mann and cowriter Budd Schulberg. The program will be available for viewing at individual consoles beginning May 10, 2005.
Budd Schulberg's scathing tale of a preternaturally driven hustler who bulldozes his way to the top of the Hollywood food chain caused a sensation when it was published in 1941, and no studio dared bring it to the screen—which made it perfect for television. An abridged adaptation with José Ferrer in the title role aired in the late forties; however, it is the 1959 production, cowritten by Schulberg (with his brother Stuart) and directed by Delbert Mann for the prestigious anthology series Sunday Showcase, that remains the definitive version. Starring John Forsythe, Barbara Rush, Dina Merrill, and—in the performance of his career as Sammy Glick—Larry Blyden.
According to Stuart N. Brotman, president of The Museum of Television & Radio, "The complete broadcast of the original television production of What Makes Sammy Run? has been among the most important lost programs that the Museum has been searching for since we opened our doors in 1976. We are very pleased to have made this exciting discovery and to now include it as a vital part of our preeminent programming collection at both our Los Angeles and New York locations."
The Museum Members-Only event will be held at The Museum of Television & Radio, located at 465 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, and is free to Museum Members. The event will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m. and the screening will start at 7 p.m. For more information about the event, please call (310) 786-1000 from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. daily.
The Museum of Television & Radio, with locations in New York and Los Angeles, is a nonprofit organization founded by William S. Paley to collect and preserve television and radio programs and advertisements and to make them available to the public. Since opening in 1976, the Museum has organized exhibitions, screening and listening series, seminars, and education classes to showcase its collection of over 100,000 television and radio programs and advertisements. Programs in the Museum's permanent collection are selected for their artistic, cultural, and historic significance.
The Museum of Television & Radio in New York, located at 25 West 52 Street in Manhattan, is open Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 6:00 p.m. and until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays. The Museum of Television & Radio in California, located at 465 North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills is open Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 5:00 p.m. Both Museums are closed on New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Suggested contribution: Members free; $10.00 for adults; $8.00 for senior citizens and students; and $5.00 for children under fourteen. Admission is free in Los Angeles. The public areas in both Museums are accessible to wheelchairs, and assisted listening devices are available. Programs are subject to change. You may call the Museum in New York at (212) 621-6800, or in Los Angeles at (310) 786-1000. Visit the Museum's website at www.mtr.org.