Arthur Penn's father hoped his son would become a watchmaker like himself, but by the time Arthur reached high school, Arthur had his own ideas. His dreams revolved around theater. Arthur began by acting in Joshua Logan's theater company, moving on to study at the Actor's Studio in Los Angeles. In 1951, he caught the television bug and got a job with NBC. In two years, Arthur was writing and directing live television productions for Philco Playhouse and Playhouse 90. The year 1958 saw Arthur's first effort in feature films, The Left Handed Gun, starring Paul Newman as Billy the Kid. Unfortunately, American audiences were unimpressed. Luckily, Arthur directed the Broadway smash, Two For the Seesaw, that same year. He continued an exceptional reputation on Broadway with incomparable hits like Toys in the Attic and All the Way Home.

Arthur's success in pictures would continue to be a roller coaster affair...