The life of Reginald Rose and the story of 12 Angry Men, from its inspiration, to its performance on television and in motion pictures, to its life on stage.
Reginald Rose’s jury room drama, 12 Angry Men, is best known for the 1957 movie starring Henry Fonda and directed by Sidney Lumet. Acclaimed by critics and beloved by the public, it has become a favorite of two professions: the legal profession admires its portrayal of ordinary citizens reaching a just verdict, and business schools use it to teach group dynamics and human relations.
This book tells the story of Reginald Rose, one of the finest writers in the early days of television, bringing his life and accomplishments into view at long last. It also traces the story of Rose’s finest work, beginning with the chance experience that inspired Rose to write a jury room drama, to its performance on live television in 1954, to the making of the feature film in 1956, and to its life on stage, where it remains a riveting drama, performed by professionals and amateurs around the world.
A native of New York City, Reginald Rose (1920–2002) was one of the most important writers in the early years of television, ranking with Paddy Chayefsky and Rod Serling as the “Mount Rushmore of live television writing.”
Rose began by writing 30-minute stories for Danger, a CBS melodrama directed by Sidney Lumet, and in 1952 began to adapt novels for CBS’s dramatic anthology, Westinghouse Studio One. His first original teleplay, “The Incredible Incident at Carson Corners,” was performed in early 1954. Between 1954 and 1957, Rose wrote thirteen original dramas for Studio One, including “Thunder on Sycamore Street,” “Twelve Angry Men,” and “The Defender,” which inspired his 1960s television series, The Defenders.
In early 1954, Rose was summoned for jury duty at Foley Square in Lower Manhattan. The case that inspired him was very likely the manslaughter trial of William Viragh, held in late March 1954, for a fatal altercation on East Ninth Street.
Rose’s outline about a jury’s deliberations was accepted by Studio One, and soon he completed the teleplay. Unusually, the twelve jurors were not given names, but referred to by their number. At first the defendant was Jack Davis and his father, the victim, Harry Davis, but eventually those names were dropped, too. As for the defendant’s ethnic or religious identity, Rose was adamant they would remain unknown.
“Twelve Angry Men” was the season premiere of Westinghouse Studio One, performed live and broadcast on Monday, September 20, 1954. It was highly praised and received three Emmy Awards, including one for Robert Cummings in the role of Juror 8, and one for the writer, Reginald Rose.
In early 1955, Henry Fonda viewed a kinescope of the Studio One production of “Twelve Angry Men.” The role of Juror 8 seemed ideal, and he formed a joint venture, Orion-Nova Productions, to coproduce the movie with Reginald Rose.
Sidney Lumet was chosen to direct an ensemble cast that included Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, E.G. Marshall, Jack Warden, Jack Klugman, and Martin Balsam. Filming took place over four weeks in July 1956 at Fox Movietone Studios in New York City.
12 Angry Men opened at the Capitol Theater on Broadway in April 1957. Although the movie did not fare well on its initial release, it was warmly received in Europe, winning the top prize at the 1957 Berlin International Film Festival. By year end, it garnered Academy Award nominations for best picture, best actor, and best director, losing all three to Bridge on the River Kwai.
Today, 12 Angry Men is considered a classic movie, ranked in the top 100 by the American Film Institute. As well, it continues to be performed around the world as a stage play, by professionals and amateurs alike.
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I first encountered 12 Angry Men as a business student at UCLA in the 1970s, where it was used to illustrate groups dynamics, interpersonal influence, the power of conformity, and other concepts from social psychology. I loved it immediately, and when I became a business school professor, used it in my courses. Its lessons remain compelling and powerful.
Soon I became intrigued by the story behind the movie. Who was the author, what had inspired him, and how was the movie created and produced? In 2014, I began to research the writing of the movie, finding versions of the screenplay at the University of Wisconsin. Over the next years, I conducted research in Los Angeles, New York, Madison, and New Haven. I interviewed the last remaining members of the crew – art director Bob Markell and assistant director Donald Kranze – as well the eldest son of Reginald Rose, Jonathan Rose.
Reginald Rose and the Journey of 12 Angry Men was published by Fordham University Press in 2021. The paperback edition was renamed 12 Angry Men: Reginald Rose and the Making of an American Classic.
A review in the Los Angeles Review of Books on Reginald Rose and the Journey of 12 Angry Men by screenwriter John Romano, published in 2022, can be found here.
In November 2021, I was interviewed by the American Bar Association regarding my book Reginald Rose and the Journey of 12 Angry Men.
“Discover the man behind ’12 Angry Men’ and the real-life case that inspired him”
