You're probably familiar with the 1960 motion picture, Inherit the Wind. Adapted from the play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, it starred Spencer Tracy as maverick lawyer Henry Drummond and Fredric March as his courtroom opponent, Matthew Harrison Brady. It was about the trial of a Tennessee schoolteacher for teaching evolution and everyone knew it was a fictionalized (somewhat) version of the 1925 trial of teacher John Thomas Scopes for daring to do such a thing. The character of Drummond was obviously based to some extent on Scopes' lawyer, Clarence Darrow, and Brady was not unlike William Jennings Bryan.
What you may not have known is that there have been four filmed versions of the play. The 1960 one directed by Stanley Kramer was the first. Then came the 1965 TV Movie version which cast Melvyn Douglas as Drummond and Ed Begley (Senior) as Brady. Begley had originated the role of Brady on Broadway (opposite Paul Muni as Drummond) and this filming, which I've never seen, was hailed for preserving his historic performance. This one also featured Dick York, who played the teacher in the 1960 version, in the same role.
Then came a 1988 TV Movie of Inherit the Wind with Jason Robards in the Drummond role and Kirk Douglas as Brady. This one turns up often on cable and although it won a couple of Emmys, I didn't think much of it. Robards seemed to me to be on auto-pilot and Douglas sounded like the Frank Gorshin impression. I like both actors a lot but didn't care for them in this match-up.
Which brings us to the 1999 TV Movie version which had Jack Lemmon as Drummond and George C. Scott as Brady. I only saw a little of this one a few years ago but I thought what I saw was outstanding. I've just set my TiVo to snare the whole thing. It's on Showtime tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. That's what I wanted to alert you about.
Scott seemed born to play the role…but he also could have played Drummond. In fact, he did — in a 1996 Broadway revival produced at Tony Randall's National Actors Theater, with Charles Durning as Brady. I wanted very much to see that so when I planned a New York trip during its run, I ordered tickets. Before I even went east though, it hit the press that Scott was missing performances and that Mr. Randall (!) had stepped into the role, playing it with script in hand. I couldn't imagine what that would be like…and still can't. The night I went to see it, the performance was cancelled. I'm still not sure if that was a lucky break or not.
Anyway, you might want to see Lemmon and Scott have at it. It's a great play…and sadly, one that remains relevant.