Seven Against the Wall

{{Infobox television episode

| series = Playhouse 90

| image = Seven Against the Wall (Playhouse 90).jpg

| image_size = 200

| alt =

| caption =

| season =

| series_no = 3

| episode = 11

| director = Franklin J. Schaffner

| writer = David Davidson

| story = Howard Browne

| teleplay =

| narrator =

| presenter = Edward G. Robinson

| music =

| photographer =

| editor =

| production =

| airdate = {{Start date|1958|12|11}}

| length = 90 mins

| guests =

| prev = Free Weekend

| next = The Nutcracker

| season_article =

| episode_list =

}}

"Seven Against the Wall" is an episode of the American anthology series Playhouse 90. It was about the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre''.

Cast

Paul Lambert as Al Capone
Dennis Patrick as George "Bugs" Moran
Frank Silvera as Nick Sorrello
Paul Stevens as Jack "Machine Gun Jack" McGurn
Dennis Cross as Pete "Goosey" Gusenberg
Barry Cahill as Frank "Tight Lips" Gusenberg
Richard Carlyle as Reinhardt Schwimmer
Al Ruscio as Albert "Gorilla Al" Weinshank
George Keymas as James Clark
Milton Frome as Adam Heyer
Wayne Heffley as John May
Nesdon Booth as Mike "The Pike" Heitler
Joe de Santis as Charlie "Trigger Happy" Fischetti
Tige Andrews as Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti
Lewis Charles as Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik
Paul Burke as Paul Salvanti
Don Gordon as "Bobo" Borotta
Richard Sinatra as John Scalise
Tito Vuolo as Albert Anselmi
Karl Lukas as Willie Marks
Warren Oates as Ted Ryan
Nicholas Georgiade as Rocco
Sid Cassel as Angelo
Joe Abdullah as Joey
Robert Cass as O'Meara
Paul Maxwell as Cooley
Arthur Hanson as Mueller
Connie Davis as Mrs. Walsh
Jean Inness as Mrs. Greeley
Celia Lovsky as Mrs. Schwimmer
Louise Fletcher as Pete's Girl
Richard Venture as Passerby

Production

The show was based on a book by Howard Browne.{{Cite news|author=Wolters, L.|title=WHERE TO DIAL TODAY|date=Aug 4, 1958|work=Chicago Daily Tribune|id={{ProQuest|182093769}}}}

Reception

The Los Angeles Times called it "a serviceable documentary" with "some extremely effective moments."{{Cite news|author=Smith, C.|title=THE TV SCENE|date=Dec 15, 1958|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|167373285}}}}

The show was very popular and John Houseman claimed it helped revive the popularity of gangster films. "There hadn't been a real Al Capone gangster film for a long time and this brought them back again, both at the cinema and on television", he said.{{Cite news|title=OBITUARY john houseman 'late starter' was 30 before artistic debut, then won an oscar |date=Nov 1, 1988|work=The Globe and Mail|id={{ProQuest|385828917}}}}

Howard Browne later wrote other film versions of the story, including The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967) and Capone (1975).{{Cite news|author=Norma, L. B.|title='Not just another tinseltown gangster film'.|date=Jun 25, 1967|work=Chicago Tribune|id={{ProQuest|179212065}}}}

=Lawsuit=

Industrialist Titus Haffa sued the show's makers for $10 million for libel and defamation complaining the show showed a headline "Titus Haffa gets two years" associating him with crime.{{cite news|date=Sep 25, 1959|title=$10,000,000 SOUGHT IN A TV LIBEL SUIT.|work=New York Times|id={{ProQuest|114899036}}}} Haffa later issued a second complaint.{{Cite news|title=HAFFA AGAIN SUES CBS FOR TEN MILLIONS|date=Dec 10, 1959|work=Chicago Daily Tribune|id={{ProQuest|182431734}}}} A person called Abe Bernstein also sued claiming the show said "Abe Bernstein" was head of The Purple Gang.{{Cite news|title=ASKS MILLION IN GANG SHOW USE OF NAME|date=Dec 5, 1959|work=Chicago Daily Tribune|id={{ProQuest|182457400}}}}

References

External links

{{IMDb episode|0675604}}
[https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=seven&p=5&item=B:44887 Seven Against the Wall] at the Paley Center for Media

Category:1958 American television episodes

Category:1958 television plays

Category:Playhouse 90 season 3 episodes