A Man Is Ten Feet Tall
| "A Man Is Ten Feet Tall" | |
|---|---|
| Philco Television Playhouse episode | |
| Directed by | Robert Mulligan |
| Written by | Robert Alan Aurthur |
| Original air date | October 2, 1955 |
| Running time | 52 mins |
A Man is Ten Feet Tall is a 1955 American television play by Robert Alan Aurthur. It was adapted into the 1957 film Edge of the City.[1]
The play is considered a landmark in American television because it featured a friendship between a black man and a white man, as well as providing an early star role for Sidney Poitier.[2] Poitier wrote in his memoirs the role as a personal triumph for him, although he briefly forgot his lines during the broadcast.[3]
Cast
[edit]- Sidney Poitier
- Don Murray
- Florence Anglin
- Martin Balsam
- Joe Comadore
- Don Gordon
- Joanna Douglas
- Betty McDonald
- Kathleen Murray
- Hilda Simms
- Michael Strong
- Edward Walsh
- Meg Wyllie
Reception
[edit]Variety wrote "That’s not to say that it lacked exciting elements. But over and above the script itself (and a part of it, of course, as far as intentions go) was what seemed an unprecedented item that may be looked upon years hence in tv as parallel to a major decision of a higher tribunal. It may well be Aurthur’s supreme contribution to television."[4]
Donald Bogle noted the play was a landmark in its depiction of black characters although it "now looks like a prototype for Hollywood's fake idealized method for handling such Black/white friendships."[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Edge of the City". Variety. 2 January 1957. p. 6.
- ^ Battaglio, Stephen (2010). David Susskind : a televised life. p. 19-20.
- ^ Poitier, Sidney (2001). This life. p. 173-178.
- ^ "Tele follow up comment". Variety. 5 October 1955. p. 30.
- ^ Bogle, Donald (2001). Primetime blues : African Americans on network television. p. 64.
External links
[edit]- A Man is Ten Feet Tall at Letterbox DVD
- A Man Is Ten Feet Tall at IMDb