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What Makes Sammy Run?

Play trailer What Makes Sammy Run? 1959 Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 3 Reviews 67% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings

Critics Reviews

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J. Hoberman Village Voice 02/18/2009
The adaptation pulls a few punches regarding ethnicity and union-organizing, but as primetime network fare, it's surprisingly "mature." Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 04/20/2009
B
The television production was carried by the blistering performance of Blyden. Go to Full Review
Phil Hall EDGE Boston 02/15/2009
5/5
A powerful production and a sterling reminder of the glory days of 1950s television. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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12/13/2010 Quite good. Standard teleplay idea, men who are willing to sell out, loss of morals, etc. Minimal melodrama which is surprising for the time. John Forsythe is excellent. See more 09/11/2010 Fun stuff, snappy and smart dialogue, some of which would never air on network television today, and Larry Blyden was sure handsome back then. See more 11/05/2009 Some people will do whatever it takes to get to the top then anything to stay there See more 08/20/2009 Based on the famous novel by the late Budd Shulberg, "What Makes Sammy Run" continues his obsession with success and it's cost. Budd Shulberg was, without a doubt, one of the best writers working in Hollywood throughout the 50's. His two most famous works, "A Face in the Crowd" and "On the Waterfront" also deal with duplicity used in the pursuit of fame and/or fortune. This is a 1959 television production, and is EASILY identifiable as such. The acting is not bad, per se, but is decidedly TV-caliber. The production values are cheap, but rarely distracting. The DVD contains the original introduction, including a commercial for toothpaste (Crest or Colgate- what's the difference?) and ramps for commercials, which do serve to remove the viewer somewhat from the film. But the story is there, though watered-down for the Sunday TV crowd (the film appeared on a program entitled 'Sunday Showcase'). If anything, this film piqued my interest in the novel, as I could see the potential for deep insight in several scenes but wish I heard the characters' internal monologues. The final lines are most definitely classic: Sammy: "What makes me run? That's not the real question. The real question is: 'What makes the rest of you run after me?'" Kitt: "That's a question for us to answer, for us to live with. But you know what, Sammy? At least we'll live..." See more 08/13/2009 Fantastic!!! It's a shame the image quality is so awful. DEFINITELY Budd Schulberg. See more Read all reviews
What Makes Sammy Run?

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Movie Info

Director
Delbert Mann