March was no slouch as an actor, having won two Academy Awards during his career, but he was not a box office star and the role of the pathetic Willy Loman was radically different from anything he previously played.īut this unlikely casting was a stroke of genius. Why Cobb was passed over is not certain, nor is it clear why Fredric March was signed to play Willy Loman. Cobb, who originated the role on Broadway. But for the main role of Willy Loman, Kramer did not call on Lee J. Kramer brought three of the stars of the original Broadway cast to the film: Mildred Dunnock as the long-suffering mother Linda Loman and Kevin McCarthy and Cameron Mitchell as her less-than-stellar sons. Indeed, many critics would grouse “Death of a Salesman” looked cheaply made and they laid the blame on director Laszlo Benedek, although he was not at fault.Ĭhoosing “Death of a Salesman” for a film adaptation was a no-brainer, given its importance and commercial success as a Broadway play. The tight financial restrictions limited the scope of what Kramer could create, so he opted to limit himself to tightly-crafted works which did not require opulent sets or big casts. From the beginning, there were problems: Kramer’s contract with Columbia prohibited his features from going over $980,000 in their budget. “Death of a Salesman” was the first of a series of films which independent producer Stanley Kramer was signed to create for Columbia Pictures. I would also add it is the single finest interpretation of the Miller text ever made. The film in question is the 1951 adaptation of Miller’s masterpiece, “Death of a Salesman.” It is a production with a remarkably troubled history, but unlike many controversy-inducing flicks it is also a work of great dramatic power and searing emotionalism. But it is an important contribution in regard to quality.
Admittedly, it is a small contribution in regard to quantity.
Strangely, no obituary bothered to mention Miller’s contribution the world of films that are only available on bootleg videos. When Arthur Miller croaked on February 11, all of his obituaries cited the obvious: his contributions to the American theater, his social activism, his tumultuous marriage to Marilyn Monroe, etc.
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