Editing Sam Peckinpah (section)

===''Noon Wine''===
Peckinpah caught a lucky break in 1966 when producer [[Daniel Melnick]] needed a writer and director to adapt [[Katherine Anne Porter]]'s short novel ''[[Noon Wine]]'' for television. Melnick was a big fan of ''The Westerner'' and ''Ride the High Country'', and had heard Peckinpah had been unfairly fired from ''The Cincinnati Kid''. Against the objections of many within the industry, Melnick hired Peckinpah and gave him free rein. Peckinpah completed the script, which Porter enthusiastically endorsed, and the project became [[Noon Wine#1966 Television|an hour-long presentation]] for ''[[ABC Stage 67]]''.

Taking place in turn of the century [[West Texas]], ''Noon Wine'' was a dark tragedy about a farmer's act of futile murder which leads to suicide. Starring [[Jason Robards]] and [[Olivia de Havilland]], the film was a critical hit, with Peckinpah nominated by the [[Writers Guild of America|Writers Guild]] for Best Television Adaptation and the [[Directors Guild of America]] for Best Television Direction. Robards kept a personal copy of the film in his private collection for years as he considered the project to be one of his most satisfying professional experiences. A rare film which had no home video release until 2014, ''Noon Wine'' is today considered one of Peckinpah's most intimate works, revealing his dramatic potential and artistic depth.{{sfn|Weddle|pp=280–95}}{{sfn|Simmons|pp=76–80}}{{sfn|Noon Wine|IMDB}}