They Were Happy Beyond Reasonable Doubt

The Scene: Monday’s premiere of Showtime’s “12 Angry Men” at the Motion Picture Academy. This film, airing at 9 p.m. on Sunday, is a remake of Reginald Rose’s famously tense 1957 jury room drama. “A classic is worthy of reinterpretation with every generation in which you can produce a good cast for it,” said director William Friedkin. “They didn’t leave ‘Hamlet’ alone after it was first done in 1609.”

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Who Was There: Friedkin with wife Sherry Lansing; stars Jack Lemmon, Ossie Davis, Tony Danza, Edward James Olmos, William Petersen and Courtney B. Vance; plus 1,000 guests, including Jackie Collins, Meatloaf, Kiefer Sutherland, Jean Stapleton and Gary Sinise. Elizabeth Perkins, Mark Johnson, Ira Reiner, Jeff Berg, Lou Pitt, Nick Reed, Dani Janssen and Frank Mancuso.

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Distinguished Predecessor: Showtime’s last big event was the Tyson-Holyfield “Sucker Munch” brawl, which was followed by a mini-riot in the MGM Grand’s casino. “The one thing I can guarantee,” said chairman Matt Blank, “is that no one will be bitten tonight.”

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Post-Party: True, no one was bitten. (Though one expected guest, Christian Slater, was charged earlier with assault after he allegedly bit a man on the stomach. The actor decided this was not a good night for a movie.) However, the academy’s lobby holds 400 comfortably and 1,000 were squeezed in, so there was ample inducement to bite.

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Chow: Eight buffets with Norwegian smoked salmon, jumbo shrimp and filet mignon. “This is about as non-jury duty food as you can get,” said Don Kreindler of 21 West catering.

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Resonant Theme: The idea that 11 men say yes, one says no and everything stops had a familiar ring to filmmakers. “It’s just like trying to get a movie made,” said one guest. “You get that close--just that close--then somebody holds things up.”

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Quoted: “The whole drama comes down to the premise of ‘beyond a reasonable doubt,’ ” said Olmos. “For me, it’s the key to the way we are. It’s why O.J. Simpson is walking the streets. ‘Beyond a reasonable doubt.’ ”

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Hollywood Viewpoint: “You want to know who the angriest men in Hollywood are?” asked an industry sage. “Former heads of studios who become producers. They sit in their offices screaming, ‘Nobody returns my calls!’ ”