Though some audiences at the first Death of a Salesman film didn't want to see a story about a man chasing the American Dream of financial wealth and falling short, stage audiences have always welcomed the show, and this cautionary tale about putting money over family remains more timely than ever. His story of a man coming to terms with his failings toward the end of his life was sharp and poignant in the 50s and has only gotten more so with time.
Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman became a near-instant classic when the play premiered in 1949.