The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)

Director and producer Otto Preminger lived a colorful personal life and enjoyed a tempestuous, dramatic professional career that has left a lasting mark on American culture. According to his autobiography, Preminger was born in Vienna on December 5, 1906, although other published sources suggest that his birth occurred one year earlier, in 1905. Taking the director at his word, the Academy is celebrating Preminger’s centennial this year.

The Academy is proud to present a newly restored print of The Man with the Golden Arm to a New York audience. Adapted by Walter Newman and Lewis Meltzer from the 1949 Nelson Algren novel, The Man with the Golden Arm stars Frank Sinatra as Frankie Machine, a poker dealer and recovering heroin addict struggling to stay clean in the big city. The cast also features Kim Novak, Eleanor Parker and Darren McGavin.

The Man with the Golden Arm received Oscar nominations for lead actor Sinatra, its score by Elmer Bernstein and art direction by Joseph C. Wright and Darrell Silvera. Award-winning cinematographer Sam Leavitt (The Defiant Ones) provided the black-and-white photography and legendary graphic artist Saul Bass designed the controversial opening title sequence, an animated cutout of a heroin addict’s arm, that caused quite a sensation during the film’s initial release.

The screening will be followed by an onstage discussion with Hope Preminger, wife of the late director.