

Finalist, 2021 Wall Award (Formerly the Theatre Library Association Award)
The untold story behind one of America’s greatest dramas
In early 1957, a low-budget black-and-white movie opened across the United States. Consisting of little more than a dozen men arguing in a dingy room, it was a failure at the box office and soon faded from view.
Today, 12 Angry Men is acclaimed as a movie classic, revered by the critics, beloved by the public, and widely performed as a stage play, touching audiences around the world. It is also a favorite of the legal profession for its portrayal of ordinary citizens reaching a just verdict and widely taught for its depiction of group dynamics and human relations. Few twentieth-century American dramatic works have had the acclaim and impact of 12 Angry Men.
Reginald Rose and the Journey of “12 Angry Men” tells two stories: the life of a great writer and the journey of his most famous work, one that ultimately outshined its author. More than any writer in the Golden Age of Television, Reginald Rose took up vital social issues of the day—from racial prejudice to juvenile delinquency to civil liberties—and made them accessible to a wide audience. His 1960s series, The Defenders, was the finest drama of its age and set the standard for legal dramas. This book brings Reginald Rose’s long and successful career, its origins and accomplishments, into view at long last.
By placing 12 Angry Men in its historical and social context—the rise of television, the blacklist, and the struggle for civil rights—author Phil Rosenzweig traces the story of this brilliant courtroom drama, beginning with the chance experience that inspired Rose, to its performance on CBS’s Westinghouse Studio One in 1954, to the feature film with Henry Fonda. The book describes Sidney Lumet’s casting, the sudden death of one actor, and the contribution of cinematographer Boris Kaufman. It explores the various drafts of the drama, with characters modified and scenes added and deleted, with Rose settling on the shattering climax only days before filming began.
Drawing on extensive research and brimming with insight, this book casts new light on one of America’s great dramas—and about its author, a man of immense talent and courage.
Author royalties will be donated equally to the Feerick Center for Social Justice at Fordham Law School and the Justice John Paul Stevens Jury Center at Chicago-Kent College of Law.
- Price: $70.00
- Pages: 314
- Carton Quantity: 28
- Publisher: Fordham University Press
- Imprint: Empire State Editions
- Publication Date: 5th October 2021
- Trim Size: 6 x 9 in
- Illustration Note: 48 b/w illustrations
- ISBN: 9780823297740
- Format: Hardcover
- BISACs:
SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / Urban
PERFORMING ARTS / Film & Video / History & Criticism
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Entertainment & Performing Arts
An engaging, insightful study of a landmark film and its surprisingly long-term impact.---Beverly Gray, author of Seduced by Mrs. Robinson: How "The Graduate” Became the Touchstone of a Generation
Reginald Rose was one of the architects of an exciting era of powerful, socially conscious dramas using the new medium of television. Phil Rosenzweig's compelling book recounts the struggles and successes of a time that brought issues like human rights, urban poverty, abortion and racial justice into our living rooms and daily conversations.---Glenn Frankel, author of Shooting Midnight Cowboy: Art, Sex, Loneliness, Liberation, and the Making of a Dark Classic
[W]e’re in [Rosenzweig's] debt for bringing the virtues of this imperishable movie before us once again — and not a moment too soon.- Los Angeles Review of Books
...[A] fascinating book about Rose’s masterpiece...- The Economist
This book by Phil Rosenzweig tells two stories: the life of Reginald Rose, and how '12 Angry Men' became a classic that sits on the American Film Institute’s list of the best movies ever made.---Penny A Parrish, The Free Lance-Star
Drawing on his extensive research and years of teaching management courses, the author traces the evolution of one of the most celebrated dramas of the 20th century in this first biography of NYC’s Reginald Rose (a lead writer in the mid-century’s Golden Age of Television) and study of his courtroom masterpiece championing socially conscious themes of legal justice and civil rights . . . the book is filled with fascinating information, photos, and insights into the man and his work’s socio-historical context.- DC Metro Theater Arts
A very smart look at the influence of one particular television show and its movie version on many different, and surprising, parts of society, not only in America, but around the world.---Tom Stempel, Professor Emeritus in Film at Los Angeles City College, author of Storytellers to the Nation: A History of American Television Writing
Phil Rosenzweig's excellent book tells the story of Reginald Rose, the chief creator of two of American pop culture's most enduring law-related works - the film 12 Angry Men and the television series The Defenders. More so than any other works of the mid-twentieth century, 12 Angry Men and The Defenders capture both the inspiring promise and the endangered status of the proverbial rule of law.---David Ray Papke, Marquette University
A detailed account of the cauldron of creativity, placing the reader into the early days of television, a period that gave rise to some of the most celebrated talents of the mid-20th century. Absorbing . . . the reconstruction of Rose’s jury service was fascinating.---Aubrey Solomon, Television writer and film historian
Introduction | 1
Part I: Origins
1. Dreams of a Writer | 11
2. Getting Started (1952 to Summer 1953) | 23
3. Two Programs, Two Movies (1952 to 1954) | 34
4. Original Dramas for Studio One (Summer 1953 to Spring 1954) | 46
Part II: The Television Program
5. A Visit to Foley Square (Spring 1954) | 57
6. “Twelve Angry Men” (Summer 1954) | 71
7. Gaining Momentum (Fall 1954 to Spring 1955) | 81
Part III: The Movie
8. Henry Fonda and the Deal for 12 Angry Men (Spring and Summer 1955) | 95
9. Developing the Screenplay (Fall 1955 to Spring 1956) | 103
10. Assembling the Team (Spring 1956) | 113
11. Six Weeks of Work (Summer 1956) | 122
12. Release and Reviews (Fall 1956 to Spring 1958) | 133
Part IV: The Defenders
13. New Directions (1957 to 1960) | 145
14. The Defenders (1960 to Spring 1962) | 155
15. The Defenders (Fall 1962 to 1965) | 166
16. After The Defenders | 179
Part V: The Journey of 12 Angry Men
17. A Life on Stage | 193
18. A Lesson in the Law | 208
19. A Masterclass in Human Behavior | 220
20. New Versions, New Meanings | 230
Epilogue | 239
Appendix: “Twelve Angry Men” (TV Featurette) | 245
Acknowledgments | 251
Notes | 257
Selected Bibliography | 291
Index | 297
Photographs follow pages 102 and 198
Finalist, 2021 Wall Award (Formerly the Theatre Library Association Award)
The untold story behind one of America’s greatest dramas
In early 1957, a low-budget black-and-white movie opened across the United States. Consisting of little more than a dozen men arguing in a dingy room, it was a failure at the box office and soon faded from view.
Today, 12 Angry Men is acclaimed as a movie classic, revered by the critics, beloved by the public, and widely performed as a stage play, touching audiences around the world. It is also a favorite of the legal profession for its portrayal of ordinary citizens reaching a just verdict and widely taught for its depiction of group dynamics and human relations. Few twentieth-century American dramatic works have had the acclaim and impact of 12 Angry Men.
Reginald Rose and the Journey of “12 Angry Men” tells two stories: the life of a great writer and the journey of his most famous work, one that ultimately outshined its author. More than any writer in the Golden Age of Television, Reginald Rose took up vital social issues of the day—from racial prejudice to juvenile delinquency to civil liberties—and made them accessible to a wide audience. His 1960s series, The Defenders, was the finest drama of its age and set the standard for legal dramas. This book brings Reginald Rose’s long and successful career, its origins and accomplishments, into view at long last.
By placing 12 Angry Men in its historical and social context—the rise of television, the blacklist, and the struggle for civil rights—author Phil Rosenzweig traces the story of this brilliant courtroom drama, beginning with the chance experience that inspired Rose, to its performance on CBS’s Westinghouse Studio One in 1954, to the feature film with Henry Fonda. The book describes Sidney Lumet’s casting, the sudden death of one actor, and the contribution of cinematographer Boris Kaufman. It explores the various drafts of the drama, with characters modified and scenes added and deleted, with Rose settling on the shattering climax only days before filming began.
Drawing on extensive research and brimming with insight, this book casts new light on one of America’s great dramas—and about its author, a man of immense talent and courage.
Author royalties will be donated equally to the Feerick Center for Social Justice at Fordham Law School and the Justice John Paul Stevens Jury Center at Chicago-Kent College of Law.
- Price: $70.00
- Pages: 314
- Carton Quantity: 28
- Publisher: Fordham University Press
- Imprint: Empire State Editions
- Publication Date: 5th October 2021
- Trim Size: 6 x 9 in
- Illustrations Note: 48 b/w illustrations
- ISBN: 9780823297740
- Format: Hardcover
- BISACs:
SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / Urban
PERFORMING ARTS / Film & Video / History & Criticism
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Entertainment & Performing Arts
An engaging, insightful study of a landmark film and its surprisingly long-term impact.---Beverly Gray, author of Seduced by Mrs. Robinson: How "The Graduate” Became the Touchstone of a Generation
Reginald Rose was one of the architects of an exciting era of powerful, socially conscious dramas using the new medium of television. Phil Rosenzweig's compelling book recounts the struggles and successes of a time that brought issues like human rights, urban poverty, abortion and racial justice into our living rooms and daily conversations.---Glenn Frankel, author of Shooting Midnight Cowboy: Art, Sex, Loneliness, Liberation, and the Making of a Dark Classic
[W]e’re in [Rosenzweig's] debt for bringing the virtues of this imperishable movie before us once again — and not a moment too soon.– Los Angeles Review of Books
...[A] fascinating book about Rose’s masterpiece...– The Economist
This book by Phil Rosenzweig tells two stories: the life of Reginald Rose, and how '12 Angry Men' became a classic that sits on the American Film Institute’s list of the best movies ever made.---Penny A Parrish, The Free Lance-Star
Drawing on his extensive research and years of teaching management courses, the author traces the evolution of one of the most celebrated dramas of the 20th century in this first biography of NYC’s Reginald Rose (a lead writer in the mid-century’s Golden Age of Television) and study of his courtroom masterpiece championing socially conscious themes of legal justice and civil rights . . . the book is filled with fascinating information, photos, and insights into the man and his work’s socio-historical context.– DC Metro Theater Arts
A very smart look at the influence of one particular television show and its movie version on many different, and surprising, parts of society, not only in America, but around the world.---Tom Stempel, Professor Emeritus in Film at Los Angeles City College, author of Storytellers to the Nation: A History of American Television Writing
Phil Rosenzweig's excellent book tells the story of Reginald Rose, the chief creator of two of American pop culture's most enduring law-related works - the film 12 Angry Men and the television series The Defenders. More so than any other works of the mid-twentieth century, 12 Angry Men and The Defenders capture both the inspiring promise and the endangered status of the proverbial rule of law.---David Ray Papke, Marquette University
A detailed account of the cauldron of creativity, placing the reader into the early days of television, a period that gave rise to some of the most celebrated talents of the mid-20th century. Absorbing . . . the reconstruction of Rose’s jury service was fascinating.---Aubrey Solomon, Television writer and film historian
Introduction | 1
Part I: Origins
1. Dreams of a Writer | 11
2. Getting Started (1952 to Summer 1953) | 23
3. Two Programs, Two Movies (1952 to 1954) | 34
4. Original Dramas for Studio One (Summer 1953 to Spring 1954) | 46
Part II: The Television Program
5. A Visit to Foley Square (Spring 1954) | 57
6. “Twelve Angry Men” (Summer 1954) | 71
7. Gaining Momentum (Fall 1954 to Spring 1955) | 81
Part III: The Movie
8. Henry Fonda and the Deal for 12 Angry Men (Spring and Summer 1955) | 95
9. Developing the Screenplay (Fall 1955 to Spring 1956) | 103
10. Assembling the Team (Spring 1956) | 113
11. Six Weeks of Work (Summer 1956) | 122
12. Release and Reviews (Fall 1956 to Spring 1958) | 133
Part IV: The Defenders
13. New Directions (1957 to 1960) | 145
14. The Defenders (1960 to Spring 1962) | 155
15. The Defenders (Fall 1962 to 1965) | 166
16. After The Defenders | 179
Part V: The Journey of 12 Angry Men
17. A Life on Stage | 193
18. A Lesson in the Law | 208
19. A Masterclass in Human Behavior | 220
20. New Versions, New Meanings | 230
Epilogue | 239
Appendix: “Twelve Angry Men” (TV Featurette) | 245
Acknowledgments | 251
Notes | 257
Selected Bibliography | 291
Index | 297
Photographs follow pages 102 and 198