Finding Success in Other People’s Misery
In a recent bonus episode (you’re welcome), we talked about 1955’s cinematic masterpiece The Man with the Golden Arm and its connection to the Beats. The production was fraught with controversy from the beginning, and director Otto Preminger had to jump through hoops and call in favors to ultimately get a film made that matched his vision.
In the end, his hard work paid off. We’re glad it did.
Along the way, his challenges taught us a few lessons about how heavy restrictions can lead to a more adventurous outcome.
The Man with the Golden Arm was one of the first films to challenge the Hays Code, a set of decency guidelines regulating American film content from the 1930s through the 1960s. Why? The story centers around jazz musician Frankie Machine (played by Frank Sinatra) who struggles with drug addiction (highly suggested as being heroin, true to many jazz musicians of the period). When mixed with blunt depictions of sex and violence — very controversial at the time — the film was initially rejected by the Production Code Administration (PCA).
Preminger fought to have his film released without any changes, arguing it was important social commentary on the issue of drug addiction and that censorship would undermine its message. In fact, Preminger threatened to release the film without the PCA’s seal of approval, creating great difficulty for any theater wanting to show the film, as it could get owners in some legal hot water.
Undeterred, United Artists invested $1 million (more than $11 million in today’s dollars) in the film's production and opted to distribute it as well, even though doing so could result in the company being fined $25,000 (around $280,000 today) by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). United Artists’ President, Arthur Krim, hoped the PCA would make an exception to its usual rules by granting the film its approval due to "immense potential for public service."
After the PCA initially denied a Code seal, United Artists resigned from the MPAA that same month (although the company re-joined a few years later).
As a result of the controversy, the MPAA investigated and revised production codes, allowing more freedom to deeply explore formerly taboo subjects such as drug abuse, kidnapping, miscegenation, abortion, and prostitution. You know, all the fun stuff.
The Man with the Golden Arm earned $4,100,000 (around $46.4 million today) at the North American box office and strong critical reception right along with it. Variety magazine stated, "Otto Preminger’s The Man with the Golden Arm is a feature that focuses on addiction to narcotics. Clinical in its probing of the agonies, this is a gripping, fascinating film, expertly produced and directed and performed with marked conviction by Frank Sinatra as the drug slave." You read that right. The drug slave. Damn.
The film was ultimately nominated for three Academy Awards: Sinatra for Best Actor in a Leading Role; Joseph C. Wright and Darrell Silvera for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White; and Elmer Bernstein for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture. Sinatra was also nominated for best actor awards by the BAFTAs and The New York Film Critics. The film has been placed in the public domain, and was added into the National Film Registry in 2020.
There was misery behind the scenes. There was misery on screen. But in the end, it all worked out. Risks were taken, norms were challenged, and a film was made that went head and shoulders above the competition, just like the Beats with their words, bop jazz musicians with their notes and abstract expressionists with their paint strokes.
There’s one more painful element we can’t leave out. Even after all the accolades, the author of the book the movie was based on, a guy named Nelson Algren, still hated it. Which reminds us of a core lesson in creativity (and podcasting): No matter how good your work is, you can’t please everyone.
So listen to our bonus episode for the full story. We hope you’ll give it your seal of approval.