WEDNESDAY

SEPTEMBER 11

2019

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

AMC, 7:00 p.m. ET

I’ve recommended telecasts of this 1975 Steven Spielberg film many times this summer, but now that school is back in session and summer is over, there’s still a chance to enjoy this movie classic one more time this season. And now that I’ve just recently discovered that one of my closest friends has never seen this movie, because of a fear of sharks and swimming in dangerous waters. I’m hoping he’ll read this, decide to watch at least the opening scene, and finally take the plunge. So to speak.

12 ANGRY MEN

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

Earlier this week, I showed one of my TV History classes at Rowan University the 1954 live TV Westinghouse Studio One presentation of Reginald Rose’s 12 Angry Men, followed by the opening minutes of this 1957 film, in which Henry Fonda played the role of the persuasive juror played in the TV drama by Robert Cummings. Rose also adapted a Broadway play version of 12 Angry Men, which is revived often in New York and in local theaters – but this particular drama began on, and was written for, television in a version I believe is even better than this subsequent movie version. But the movie was directed by Sidney Lumet, a director of live TV shows (Mama, Danger) who went on to make such brilliant films as The Pawnbroker, Fail-Safe, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, and The Verdict.

IN THE SHADOW OF THE TOWERS: STUYVESANT HIGH ON 9/11

HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET

Filmmaker Amy Schatz has carved a specialized documentary career out of seeing dramatic, newsworthy, historical events through the eyes of young people, in such emotional, informative and inspiring programs as Song of Parkland andThe Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm. Tonight, on the 18^thanniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, she directs and produces a new documentary, focusing on students at Stuyvesant, the specialized high school located only blocks from the World Trade Center. Students are interviewed about what they saw, felt and lived through – as well as their emotions almost two decades later. For a full review, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower.

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David Bianculli

Founder / Editor

David Bianculli has been a TV critic since 1975, including a 14-year stint at the New York Daily News, and sees no reason to stop now. Currently, he's TV critic for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and is an occasional substitute host for that show. He's also an author and teaches TV and film history at New Jersey's Rowan University. His 2009 Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour', has been purchased for film rights. His latest, The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific, is an effusive guidebook that plots the path from the 1950s’ Golden Age to today’s era of quality TV.

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