A wonderful film, but--apparently--when it was first released to theaters in 1957, it was considered a financial failure, even though the entire budget for the film was only $350,000. It probably should have been released on the art house circuit, where it could have built up an audience. Instead it immediately went into general release and--apparently--general audiences didn't know what to make of it, for they stayed away in droves.
I think this is an excellent and important point. People in the old days wanted sh!t as much as they do today. People have not become less discerning, they just have more sh!t to choose from.
...One last piece of trivia. Of the twelve actors who portrayed the jurors in this film, the only one still living is Jack Klugman.
I love
JACK KLUGMAN.
Great comments,
BoyScoutKevin.