I am old enough to have seen the Federick March depiction of Willy Loman in the 1951 TV production of Death of a Salesman, but young enough to remember it well. It was fantastic, and no other actor has come close to March's superb rendition. All the other actors were perfect for their roles as well. I've also seen the Lee J. Cobb and the Dustin Hoffman versions, but they pale in comparison. Actually, as much as I like Hoffman, he was just not effective in this role. And Cobb didn't seem vulnerable enough. Another commenter said that Arthur Miller did not like this 1951 March-acted version, but I must disagree strongly with the Maestro of Drama. Sometimes artists just don't know...they create; we watch, observe, absorb. My partner is an artist (a painter) and although he is a genius, in regards to the creation of his work,his ideas of which ones are the strongest or most affective works just don't jive with the publics' or my perception. I think that's what must have been going on when Miller gave the opinion about this 1951 TV play. I would give up all my Woody Allen, Fellini and Scorsese DVDs for one copy of this masterpiece. Let me know if you find it in DVD or VHS(or 16mm!) It was one of the best things ever produced for TV --- EVER.
Review of Death of a Salesman
