What Makes Sammy Run? – DVD Review

DVD Reviews, Reviews

whatmakessammyrun

We imagine TV in the 1950s as being as wholesome and family friendly as Father Knows Best. Hindsight swears there was no darkness emitting from the black and white picture tube. But there were adult moments broadcasted across American. What Makes Sammy Run? pushed the envelope to a level that wouldnt be passed on TV until the birth of HBO. Budd Schulbergs novel about the movie business was a sensation in 1941. The tale of a lowly weasel who rises to studio chief was too much for Hollywood to capture on celluloid. In the fall of 1959, NBCs Sunday Showcase turned this unfilmable novel into a two-part TV event.

What Makes Sammy Run? charts the career of Sammy Glick (Larry Blyden). Hes not the most likable of guys, but hes a driven dreamer. He rises quickly from a copyboy to a columnist at a New York City newspaper. He uses his new showbiz contacts to sell a script from another newspaper writer. Hes not going to merely be a reviewer. Sammy is going to get in the game. Al Manheim (John Forsythe) is the papers drama critic who finds himself obsessed by his co-worker who is bent on climbing the ladder. Sammy flies out to Hollywood to work on his film. He erases the name of the original writer so theres no confusion as to who wants the credit more. Sammy is pure ambition, little heart and even less imagination. Hollywood loves Sammy Glick.

He has no time for discovering new and original scripts. He twists the plot of recent hits just enough to create cheap knock-offs. If you like Typhoon and Rain, youll love Sammys Monsoon. He brings Manheim out west to help him trace the latest hit. Manheim doesnt mind the money, but he wants more from his writing than the opportunities presented in the sausage factory. Theres a strange threeway love affair between Sammy, Manheim and Kit Sargent (Barbara Rush), a screenwriter. Sammy proves that power is a powerful aphrodisiac. The success of his B-movies allows Sammy to be a studio producer. He betrays another mentor to make a bigger power grab. Sammy does fall in love with Laurette Harrington (Dina Merrill). Her father is the money behind the studio. Sammy sees their marriage as the icing on his business and romantic desires. However he discovers the true flavor of the cake on his wedding night. Its a shocker for prudish eyes.

What Makes Sammy Run? is very risque TV for its time. Your grandmother might remind you how they couldnt say pregnant on TV. This production goes beyond that. While nothing is blunt, an adult can easily unveil whats being said. A female is outed as a lesbian. Sammy asks his date about arranging a threesome. We even get to see a wife in bed with her new boytoy. The wife and boytoy arent in separate twin beds when the husband interrupts them. This must have aired after your grandmother went to bed.

This was shot live on video instead of as a filmed production. In 1959, you couldnt edit on video. They switched between three cameras during a scene. Theyre capturing a stage play. The cast nails the interactions required of the live-to-tape format. It doesnt come off as too stagey. Larry Blyden keeps Sammy from being a complete unsympathetic monster. Hes a man overwhelmed by his ambitions. But who wouldnt grab at the brass rings at his fingertips? He understands that in showbiz, theres only room for one name. Isnt a check enough thanks to the little people? What Makes Sammy Run? is a daring piece of TV from an era of prudish behavior.

The video is 1.33 full frame. The image is rather poor since its a black and white kinescope from a broadcast nearly half a century ago. The roughness of the frame does match the tone of the show. The audio is Dolby Digital Mono. The levels are good even for a show that didnt have any major ADR post production tweaks. The subtitles are in English.

Commentary Track featuring Barbara Rush and Dina Merrill. The two actresses give plenty of details about what it took to make this adult drama please the censors without losing its debauchery.

Budd Schulberg (28:32) is from October 2008. Budds a little weak in his voice, but they subtitle him. Besides Sammy, Budd also wrote On the Water Front and A Face In the Crowd. Budd is very open in discussing elements of the book. He also speaks of his time as a communist in Hollywood.

Reference Guide is a DVD booklet that has real information beside chapter titles. They explain how hard it was to find the existing tape that had been misplaced for decades. There are also the original reviews from the broadcast.

What Makes Sammy Run? is a portrait of blind ambition in Hollywood. Hes not going to let the meek inherit his earth. He isnt satisfied until you know his name. Its a thrill to see a TV program that dares to let a character be so conniving without softening them with lame comic pratfalls. This is prime viewing for people who enjoy showbiz tales. Its invigorating to finally see this lost work on DVD.

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Koch Vision presents What Makes Sammy Run?. Starring Larry Blyden, John Forsythe, Barbara Rush and Dina Merrill. Directed by: Delbert Mann. Screenplay by: Budd & Stewart Schulberg. Running Time: 105 minutes. Released on DVD: February 10, 2009. Available at Amazon.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.