Hot Date

Star Henry Fonda was looking for a movie project that would give him the rush of a stage performance.  He found it in 12 Angry Men.  A TV version was broadcast on CBS in 1954 and the Reginald Rose penned teleplay would provide juicy film roles for Fonda and a stable of seasoned New York theatre actors.  Unfortunately Rose and Fonda couldn't get any studio interested in a feature property most felt audiences wouldn't pay for after being broadcast free nationwide.  It's one room location and talky screenplay probably didn't help either.  Rose and Fonda eventually founded production company Orion-Nova and made the film themselves and brought on TV veteran Sidney Lumet to direct his first feature.  Although a box office failure, the film was nominated for three Academy Awards and is now considered a masterpiece.  Fonda, however, would never produce another film and shuttered Orion- Nova soon after.     In addition to giving the classic film lots of love and discussing their own jury duty experiences, Dan and Vick