The Man in the Funny Suit
- Episode aired Apr 15, 1960
- 1h
IMDb RATING
9.0/10
37
YOUR RATING
A behind-the-scenes drama concerning Ed Wynn's performance as Army in Requiem for a Heavyweight (1956).A behind-the-scenes drama concerning Ed Wynn's performance as Army in Requiem for a Heavyweight (1956).A behind-the-scenes drama concerning Ed Wynn's performance as Army in Requiem for a Heavyweight (1956).
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis drama depicts the making of Requiem for a Heavyweight (1956), which was likewise directed by Ralph Nelson. Nelson played himself in this production, as did Ed Wynn, Keenan Wynn, Rod Serling and Red Skelton, among others.
- ConnectionsReferences Ziegfeld Follies (1945)
Featured review
The Making Of The Playhouse 90 Version Of Requiem For A Heavyweight!
Several years ago, a new category of "movie book" began to appear. These books dealt with the making of a particular film----one that had attained a certain amount of celebrity status. Although many of these books are now available, they vary considerably in their scholarship, credibility and entertainment value. My favorite at the moment is "The Making of the Wizard of Oz" by Aljean Harmetz (1977). The Man in the Funny Suit (TMITFS) is a rare video version of one such effort to tell the full story of how a certain classic filmed television play actually came to life..
While the Playhouse 90 production was sometimes sad, it also was often sweet and optimistic---and finally offered hope that Mountain (Jack Palance) and the sympathetic employment counselor (Kim Hunter) would find a better and brighter future. It is not difficult to understand why the Playhouse 90 production--even with all its well known creative and technical problems---was such a huge popular and critical success.
We do know quite a bit about how the Playhouse 90 version came into being because of TMITFS. In 1960--four years after it was first broadcast---many of the Playhouse 90 version's original creative principals came together once more for a remarkable video reunion that shared this behind the scene tale. The Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse production of TMITFS was an extraordinary television event. The viewer was given the privilege to feel somewhat like "being a fly on the wall" during the creative process that ultimately resulted in the original RFAH. With the participation of original director Ralph Nelson, writer Rod Serling and actors Ed and Keenan Wynn among others, the Desilu drama is probably as definitive an explanation of the story as we are likely to ever receive. It involves serendipity---a fortuitous combination of great talent and good luck during an opportune moment in time, and is well worth your effort to seek it out on YouTube.
As for the Playhouse 90 version of RFAH, there is little to add to what has already been said. It was an astonishing achievement during the dawn of the Golden Age Of Television. Jack Palance's performance is probably the finest work of his career--a towering accomplishment. And the Wynns also delivered in roles that represented acting at the highest level. Kim Hunter was most believable in her supporting part, and Ralph Nelson's direction inspired all the creative talent to do their very best to match the quality of Serling's play. Those of us who were fortunate enough to have seen it as a live broadcast probably didn't realize we were witnessing a major event in the history of television. And seeing it again recently in its restored kinescope format fully confirms just how great that moment really was. RFAH set a very high bar for everything that was yet to come from the TV medium. It all began with RFAH! And thanks to TMITFS, we have a remarkable opportunity to explore the unusual circumstances that resulted in this amazing gem.
While the Playhouse 90 production was sometimes sad, it also was often sweet and optimistic---and finally offered hope that Mountain (Jack Palance) and the sympathetic employment counselor (Kim Hunter) would find a better and brighter future. It is not difficult to understand why the Playhouse 90 production--even with all its well known creative and technical problems---was such a huge popular and critical success.
We do know quite a bit about how the Playhouse 90 version came into being because of TMITFS. In 1960--four years after it was first broadcast---many of the Playhouse 90 version's original creative principals came together once more for a remarkable video reunion that shared this behind the scene tale. The Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse production of TMITFS was an extraordinary television event. The viewer was given the privilege to feel somewhat like "being a fly on the wall" during the creative process that ultimately resulted in the original RFAH. With the participation of original director Ralph Nelson, writer Rod Serling and actors Ed and Keenan Wynn among others, the Desilu drama is probably as definitive an explanation of the story as we are likely to ever receive. It involves serendipity---a fortuitous combination of great talent and good luck during an opportune moment in time, and is well worth your effort to seek it out on YouTube.
As for the Playhouse 90 version of RFAH, there is little to add to what has already been said. It was an astonishing achievement during the dawn of the Golden Age Of Television. Jack Palance's performance is probably the finest work of his career--a towering accomplishment. And the Wynns also delivered in roles that represented acting at the highest level. Kim Hunter was most believable in her supporting part, and Ralph Nelson's direction inspired all the creative talent to do their very best to match the quality of Serling's play. Those of us who were fortunate enough to have seen it as a live broadcast probably didn't realize we were witnessing a major event in the history of television. And seeing it again recently in its restored kinescope format fully confirms just how great that moment really was. RFAH set a very high bar for everything that was yet to come from the TV medium. It all began with RFAH! And thanks to TMITFS, we have a remarkable opportunity to explore the unusual circumstances that resulted in this amazing gem.
helpful•10
- malvernp
- Jul 28, 2021
Details
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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