Editing The Man with the Golden Arm (section)

==Production==
[[File:Paramount Theatre ad - 17 February 1956, Glens Falls, NY.jpg|thumb|150px|Theatre advertisement, February 17, 1956]]
Screen rights to Algren's novel were first acquired in 1949 on behalf of [[John Garfield]], who planned to star in the film version. However, production was delayed because the [[Motion Picture Production Code|Production Code Authority (PCA)]] refused to approve the script, with [[Joseph Breen]] stating that the basic story was "unacceptable" because of the Code's prohibition on showing illegal drug trafficking and drug addiction. The ability to obtain PCA approval was critical because at that time, many movie theaters would not show films that had not received approval. The PCA further predicted that the subject would also be unacceptable to the [[National Legion of Decency]] (a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] film censor board), Federal authorities, and state and local censor boards in the United States and abroad. Garfield died in 1952 and the film rights were acquired by [[Otto Preminger]] from his estate.<ref name=afi />

Preminger had previously released ''[[The Moon Is Blue (film)|The Moon Is Blue]]'' (1953), which succeeded at the box office despite being denied the [[Production Code]] seal of approval due to its sexual subject matter.<ref name=phillips /> He told [[Peter Bogdanovich]] why he was attracted to Algren's novel: "I think there's a great tragedy in any human being who gets hooked on something, whether it's heroin or love or a woman or whatever."<ref>{{cite book|last=Bogdanovich|first=Peter|title=Who the Devil Made It: Conversations with Legendary Film Directors|year=1997|publisher=Alfred A. Knopf|location=New York|isbn=0-679-44706-7}}</ref> Although [[United Artists]] (UA) had a distribution contract with Preminger, a clause in the contract allowed them to withdraw if a film failed to get Code approval. Preminger stated that in that event, he would set up his own company to handle distribution of ''The Man with the Golden Arm''. Preminger continued to have problems with the PCA during the making of the film.<ref name=afi />

Although the [[The Man with the Golden Arm (novel)|novel]]'s author, [[Nelson Algren]], was initially brought to Hollywood to work on the screenplay, he and Preminger were incompatible from the start and the situation did not improve.<ref name="O'Hagan">{{cite news|last=O'Hagan|first=Andrew|url=https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2019/11/07/nelson-algren-singing-back-streets/|title=Singing the Back Streets|work=The New York Review of Books|date=November 7, 2019|access-date=October 21, 2019}} {{subscription required}}</ref> Algren was quickly replaced by [[Walter Newman (screenwriter)|Walter Newman]].<ref name="Reader" /><ref name="TCM">{{cite web |url= https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3720/the-man-with-the-golden-arm#articles-reviews|last=Thompson | first=Lang |title=The Man with the Golden Arm (1956) |publisher=[[Turner Classic Movies]] |access-date= 2022-11-07}}</ref> Preminger and Newman made significant changes to Algren's original story,<ref name=fujiwara>{{cite book |last=Fujiwara |first=Chris |date=2008 |title=The World and Its Double: The Life and Work of Otto Preminger |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z-2-CQAAQBAJ&pg=PA184 |location=[[New York City]] |publisher=[[Faber and Faber]] |pages=184–187 |isbn=978-0-86547-995-1}}</ref>

Frank Sinatra jumped at a chance to star in the film before reading the entire script. The script was given to [[Marlon Brando]] around the same time as Sinatra, who still harbored some anger at Brando for beating out Sinatra for the lead role in ''[[On the Waterfront]]''.<ref name=fuji187>Fujiwara, [https://books.google.com/books?id=z-2-CQAAQBAJ&pg=PA187 p. 187].</ref> To prepare for his role, Sinatra spent time at [[drug rehabilitation]] clinics observing addicts going [[cold turkey]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cantarini|first1=Martha Crawford |last2=Spicer |first2=Chrystopher J. |title=Fall Girl: My Life as a Western Stunt Double |year=2010 |publisher=McFarland & Company |location=Jefferson, N.C. |page=70 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LOo2-O1maYgC&pg=PA70 |isbn=978-0-679-44706-1}}</ref> He also learned to play drums from drummer [[Shelly Manne]].<ref name=afi /> The picture was shot in six weeks at [[RKO Pictures|RKO]] Studios in Hollywood from September 26 through November 4, 1955.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.varietyultimate.com/search/?page=9&startYear=1955&endYear=1955&search=Golden+Arm+Otto&searchType=&sortBy=DATE&searchDate=&showAll= |title=Variety Archives |date=23 February 1993 |publisher=Varietyultimate.com |access-date=2015-11-03}}</ref>

[[Saul Bass]] designed the crooked arm symbol used in the film's advertising campaign, which Preminger liked so much that he threatened to pull the picture if an exhibitor changed the advertisements. Bass also created the animated title sequence for the film, the first of many such sequences that he created for films by Preminger, [[Alfred Hitchcock]], and others.<ref>Fujiwara, [https://books.google.com/books?id=z-2-CQAAQBAJ&pg=PA193 pp. 193–194].</ref>