In reality, however, the knife he brought into the jury room would be enough for a mistrial, and Fonda could be jailed for contempt. The knife is not in evidence.

Lee Cobb was such an amazing character actor

@@PhilCarson-ge8nd He was. Did a great job as the gangster in On the Waterfront. Apparently won some kind of award on stage for Death of a Salesman.

always like Cobb's roles in the movies, never knew this about him, thanks for educating me on him. Elia Kazan - who was a great (one of the greatest IMO) was a sellout and sold out his friends sadly. It in no way make his movies less, his movies are top tier, but the man behind the movie less so. I'd like to think that such a man that had the tallant to make great movies was great in his core and not only sold his friends out, but sold himself out in the end. I can never walk in another's shoes, and so will not try to with Kazan, but I am sad about what he did - and assume he did so out of cowardice rather than malice. Only God know what i would have done were i in his shoes - I would hope to follow Cobb's example, but I might have pussed out and played Kazan instead. ;-/.

@@gaffo7836 Cobb eventually did provide some names that the FBI already had just as a matter of survival ritual. He needed to feed his kids. This is from Wiki: Later, Cobb explained why he "named names", saying: When the facilities of the government of the United States are drawn on an individual it can be terrifying. The blacklist is just the opening gambit-being deprived of work. Your passport is confiscated. That's minor. But not being able to move without being tailed is something else. After a certain point it grows to implied as well as articulated threats, and people succumb. My wife did, and she was institutionalized. The HUAC did a deal with me. I was pretty much worn down. I had no money. I couldn't borrow. I had the expenses of taking care of the children. Why am I subjecting my loved ones to this? If it's worth dying for, and I am just as idealistic as the next fellow. But I decided it wasn't worth dying for, and if this gesture was the way of getting out of the penitentiary I'd do it. I had to be employable again. - Interview with Victor Navasky for the 1980 book Naming Names (a great book by the way!) Arthur Miller had a falling out with Kazan over it all and sent Kazan a copy of his play "A View from the Bridge" saying "I wanted to let you know what I think of stool-pigeons." He was blacklisted himself and thought that someone like Kazan could have broken the blacklists, the way Kirk Douglass did a few years later with the Spartacus project. They did reconcile later in life according to Navasky. But he had nothing against Cobb, and told Cobb he was honored when Cobb asked to play the main part in Death of a Salesman.

@@Kunsoo1024 Thanks for reply and education on those 3-4 men, who's names I know of, but not the particulars. Codd was right - but not quite as dark as it can get when gov., is allowed to have full power and are smart about using it - they would not threaten his life, but the life of his family (of course even the most evil gov germany of the 30-40's and Stalins of the same time - did not kill members of the familiy, just the offending memeber (but other gov may have - and I don't know if they did - but knowing history - suspect PolPot's gov did so, and prob, the Hutu one in the 90's during the civil war agaisn the Tutsi (as well as the Serbians) - I don't know this personally, just suspect so and would not be surprised if they did. We all know the German's did so with families of the Jews and Gypies (but out of habit, so no offense by a Patriach was even need for them!). As for Kirk Douglas, I used to like his persona (seeing him on talk shows decades ago - as an Actor thought he was a bit "overacter" (sort of like Shatner and Heston (Shatner aways seemed a dick to me per what i saw in interviews - Heston seemed like a nice man (I'm a liberal, but my best buddies are mostly conservatives, they are not be buddies due to them being conservative, but due to their character and mine aligning - so I don't give a crap per political leanings who I call my friends). I'm digressing here, anyway, last year I ran across a YT channel that talk about Natalie Wood and Kirk Douglas - and it basically said Douglas raped Wood, then Douglas told her to keep her trap shut or you will loose your future acting career. And knowing the nature of power and status (Catholic Bishops anyone? - esp in Canada and Boston) - I'll side with Wood on this one. I'm MGTOW BTW, so not "progressive" in any way and have issues with women personally. just laying out my perspective on the matter here. again, God bless Cobb (he was in many great 50's movies - "Theives Highway" was one for sure - seems utterly forgotten today - he played a Martian in a 50's era TV episode of "Tales of Tomorrow",(they even made an X-Minus One Radioplay of the same story in the 50's - great radiodrama BTW /as is the old TV show BTW - so ya Cobb was great! and thanks for reply Sir! ;-).

No wonder he later became a defense attorney! (joke, E.G. Marshall would star in "The Defenders").

​@@stuartwald2395 The Defenders was one of my mother's all time favorite tv shows E G Marshall one of her favorite actors. Same with Jack Krugman as she watched Quincy faithfully

If you check out their IMDB entries, most of them have a long history with acting.

But I do, but then again I am 69 years old

It is a bit bittersweet. Try grabbing 12 of the best actors and characters actors today and you would recreate this cast. Time has gone by and modern audiences probably couldn't even name 3 of them.

Agreed! They each embraced their roles so well, you get lost in the story…and revel in each line they deliver. I love how you think it’s about the murder, then slowly realize that you’re getting to know each juror more than anything. I enjoy that plot twist. 🖤

@@kissmy_butt1302 They remade this as a TV movie in 1997, 40 years after this was made. I recognize 6 of the jurors and another 3-4 are in the "they look familiar" camp. (and one "Oh, he's the barbarian's voice in Diablo 3?") So even with 25 years distance, some are already slipping into obscurity.

He was great in the early 60s TV show The Defenders. I also like his stern line and look "I have a reasonable doubt now."

The Prisoner would really be a deep dive. A great but very unorthodox series

He was good in Oliver stones nixon too

Juror 4 kept order throughout on the guilty side, not swayed by personal emotion like 3 or flat out bigotry like 10.

@@stormhawk3319 Exactly! You could see him getting annoyed with his "allies" when they put the discussion off track. And that's what made his shutdown of Juror #10 so epic. It's worth mentioning that E. G. Marshall was also the long-time host of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater, some episodes of which can be found on KZfaq.

same. I was in a high school business class in the late 90s. started out rolling our eyes at a black and white movie, by the end of the movie we were a bunch of ghetto kids with our jaws on the floor, almost applausing. it was amazing

Both of these comments are testimonies to the power of this great film.@@rosgill6

Same

"This is just an outdated boring film. Doesn't mean anything to us!" - Begins listening to the dialogue. Step-by-step. Becomes enraptured. "This is such an important film!" - Most by the end. If only juries deliberated this seriously.

@@jmsmys13ify I have been on more than one jury and in fact, was the foreman on a jury in a murder case, and I can tell you that, in my experience, most took their deliberations very seriously. In the aforementioned murder case, there was no doubt as to the guilt of the defendant, we were all agreed on that, but we spent six hours in that jury room debating the degree of guilt. Much like the movie, emotions ranged from the disinterested to the passionate. Once that door is closed behind you and you're left with only the evidence and your collective thoughts, most become very serious about their deliberations.

Interesting comment. Thanks

Same story in my business school

Just after she said he was "entitled", which I don't agree with. He was in fact, in a great personal conflict and sorrow that manifested itself in a very bad way.

Fiedler was also in some episodes of the Bob Newhart Show in the 1970s as one of Dr. Hartley's patients.

I have always had anger issues. I related to his angry denial. I give people who struggle to change their view a lot of credit because it is so difficult. He had to change the most, so he had the hardest work to do. I liked seeing Fonda's character helping him with his jacket at the end. Kind gesture. No judgement.

"Arena" has always been one of my favorite S.T. episodes..😉

He spoke for the father who had been murdered (by whomevern) and he felt like payback was in his reach, as another father who had been attacked by his son. He must have realized the mistakes he made and that his son did not deserve this. After all, he believed that a father's duty was to make a man out of his son and he failed in that.

@@captbunnykiller1.0 Yes, and imagine what was drilled into him as a child. He did not deserve it either.

@@Vlasko60 Absolutely, the grandfather must have been even worse.

Very much true, and well said

Well, men weren't, or aren't, allowed to admit to experiencing any pain directly, so it comes out as anger.

The source of all humor is anger. Anger is a defense against pain; but behind it is fear; fear of pain.

Anger is a confession of fear as well. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering and then death.

It's also born from frustration and injustice.

Terrific profiles - Thank you.

I was really happy to see our actor Jiří (George) Voskovec as "Juror 11" in this great movie. He immigrated to the USA in 1948 with the onset of the National Socialist and Stalinist regimes, respectively, in Czechoslovakia.

I remember walking by Lincoln Center in NY (March, '77) and seeing Voskovec's name on the billboard outside, appearing in a production of Chekov's "The Cherry Orchard"; "Hey, it's Juror #11" I said to myself. I wish I had bought a ticket to actually see him live....one of the most respected stage actors of the era.@@nar_by_marek300

Francis Albert winked at my mom at a show in Buffalo. He knew how to make people feel special.

Strong script + Strong acting = Greatness

Yep! No CGI, car crashes, gratuitous sex and violence, political correctness, etc. Amazing isn't it?

That's a lesson that Hollywood forgot and refuses to relearn.

More like great acting makes a decent script come alive!

@@PeterMaranci Unfortunately even if you don’t forget, that doesn’t mean you get good scripts. Talented writers are rare.

And it's terribly funny as well

This movie was a flop when it came out as were some other greats. Likely ahead of its time.

I think it was a TV play, not a stage play. Back in the day they did broadcast live TV plays.

@@macroman52 I looked it up, and you're right. It was a tv play in 1954, then adapted for the stage. After that came the movie. So... you're both right!

Reginald Rose was inspired by his jury duty experience in NYC in a manslaughter case when he recognized the conflicts and dynamic elements of the jury process would make a great setting for a teleplay, which he wrote for the Legendary 60-minute TV Anthology, Studio One and won an Emmy. Based on this success, he wrote and fleshed out a broadway stage play which became a hit and finally wrote the Oscar nominated screenplay for this movie.

Yes, Madison, thanks for not talking over the dialogue. Too many reviewers do this and spoil some of the most salient points of the movie.

Lee J. Cobb created the persona of Willy Loman in one of America's greatest plays, Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman." Miller won 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. It's been revived on Broadway and around the world many times. (Film version 1951). He also co-starred in "On the Waterfront" with Marlon Brando.

Any Charles Laughton film is a good watch. He often played variations on a blubbery, hapless slob, but he was so charismatic.

Yes yes yes Witness for the Prosecution is AWESOME

For me, the great moment was when he says "No, nobody sleeps with glasses" (or something to that effect). He is truly focused on truth, to the point where he is willing to provide facts that he knows would help his opponents.

Great suggestion. Kurosawa's movies should be more widely seen they are classics.

Agreed. Rashomon does pair nicely with 12 Angry Men, on a few levels. Random mention for Redbeard, one of my favorite Kurosowa films that doesn't get enough love, in my opinion. Think that one also pairs nicely with 12 Angry Men, in the sense that they both have strong themes of change.

If you like one shot takes and masterpiece movies you need to do yourself a favor and watch 'children of men'

Body Heat is great. Kathleen Turner and William Hurt in a noir, psychological thriller. Plus plenty of sweat. 🙃

In fact it was the pilot episode, and once Sumner (Diane's boyfriend) mentioned Cool Hand Luke the bar all agreed.

Sidney Poitier: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, In The Heat of The Night

Thank you very much, Martin!

I disagree about the 1997 Friedkin version; it's darn good, with the great Jack Lemmon as Juror #8, the great George C. Scott as Juror #3, Edward James-Olmos and Juror #11, Hume Cronyn as #9, and James Gandolfini (the Sopranos) as Juror #6. Script was almost exactly the same, as was the staging. For me, it's a close call to choose the better of the two versions.