by Reginald Rose

Reginald Rose was born in New York City on December 10, 1920. After graduating from City College he worked at a series of odd jobs, including a receiving clerk, window cleaner, and camp counselor. He then served in the U.S. Army in World War II, completing his tour of duty as first lieutenant. In 1951 Rose sold his first teleplay, The Bus to Nowhere, and went on to write numerous television scripts in the 1950s and 1960s, including Twelve Angry Men. He later expanded the hour-long drama into a full-length movie, and received an Oscar nomination for co-producing the 1957 film. Known for focusing on current and biting social issues, Rose wrote Twelve Angry Men as a close-up examination of the American jury system.

Events in History at the Time of the Screenplay

The jury system. The system of trial-by-jury began to take its...