Death of a Salesman (1966 U.S. film) work, while a young Gene Wilder presents a comic but sensitive performance as Bernard. In general, critics spoke well of the Xerox-sponsored CBS adaptation The day after it aired Jack Gould praised it in "The New York Times" with a column that began "An evening of exalted theater came to television last night in a revelation of Arthur Miller's 'Death of a Salesman' that will stand as the supreme understanding of the tragedy of Willy Loman." Joan Crosby of "The Pittsburgh Press" praised all members of the Loman family for their performances and described the performance as "An evening of
Fredric March whereupon director Elia Kazan cast Lee J. Cobb as Willy, and Arthur Kennedy as one of Willy's sons, Biff Loman, two men that the director had worked with in the film "Boomerang" (1947). March later regretted turning down the role and finally played Willy Loman in Columbia Pictures's 1951 film version of the play, directed by Laslo Benedek, receiving his fifth and final Oscar nomination as well as a Golden Globe Award. March also played one of two leads in "The Desperate Hours" (1955) with Humphrey Bogart. Bogart and Spencer Tracy had both insisted upon top billing and Tracy withdrew,