On Monday, May 9, 2005, the Museum of Television & Radio (MTR) in Beverly Hills presented a members-only premiere screening of the recently discovered and restored two-part broadcast of What Makes Sammy Run? Directed by DGA Past President Delbert Mann, the 1959 production was co-written by brothers Bud and Stuart Schulberg, from a novel by Bud Schulberg.
Unseen since its original airdate, the biting story of Sammy Glick, a hyper-ambitious newspaper copyboy who claws and backstabs his way to the top of the Hollywood heap, was long considered one of television's "lost" treasures until it was re-discovered and restored with the assistance of the Library of Congress.
Originally broadcast over two nights on the prestigious anthology series Sunday Showcase, the production starred John Forsythe, Barbara Rush, Dina Merrill, and Larry Blyden as Glick. In his book, Delbert Mann: Looking Back... at Live Television and Other Matters, Mann said, “What Makes Sammy Run? remains the definitive novel about Hollywood and some of its characters. Larry Blyden gave what may have been his best performance as Sammy Glick, heel par excellence.”
Mann continued the praise of his cast during the program’s introduction, which was also attended by Budd Schulberg, and cast members Rush and Merrill. “The joy of working with that cast, it was so superb,” said Mann. “I don’t think a director ever had a group like this.”
|
