It was written in 1947 and was intended to be produced by Columbia Pictures Studio, Hollywood, and to be directed by Elia Kazan.
The screenplay was inspired by the true story of Pete Panto, a young dockworker who stood up against the corrupt Mafia-connected union leadership.
"[1] Kazan and Miller traveled to Los Angeles to pitch the screenplay to Harry Cohn, the notoriously controlling head of production at Columbia Pictures.
He returned home to a telegram from Cohn: "ITS INTERESTING HOW THE MINUTE WE TRY TO MAKE THE SCRIPT PRO-AMERICAN YOU PULL OUT.
[5] The drama's opening setting is in a cafeteria filled with longshoremen who are waiting to hear if the man in a beaver cap who is getting instructions over the phone will be putting together a ‘gang’ or team of men for the day’s work.
Phil hands out the brass counters which entitle each man to a day’s work and pay.
Rocky asks Louie to talk to the ship-owners, to get them to stop putting profits ahead of safety.
He tries to serve as a pallbearer but Marty, filled with indignation and grief does not allow him to touch Barney’s casket.
In private, Therese, Marty’s wife reprimands him for his behavior which could jeopardize his chances of future work.
Rocky is running a book and Piggy has taken up betting on horses because he can only find work one day a week at the docks.
Rocky wants to sever links with the mob, to regain a good name, and turn legitimate businessman.
He goes to Piggy, whose home is practically bare and whose wife has left him with five small children to care for.
Marty finds that in a back room of Piggy’s house the longshoremen are holding a meeting to determine how to overthrow Louie.
One of the longshoremen reverses the situation on Marty, reprimanding him for not leading the men in a revolt against Louie.
Incensed when his couch and television are repossessed, Marty takes action, nominating himself for local union leader.
Marty speaks to the people, promising to limit the sling load on the winches so that accidents like the one which killed Barney cannot happen again.
The workers are suspicious that once he is president he will no longer care about longshoremen, but Marty shows them that they are responsible for the type of leader they have, ‘You know why we got no democracy in this here union?
There’s nearly seven hundred in this here local.’ Louie, sensing that Marty may have a chance of winning the election, asks Rocky to stand for president in order to split the vote.
Rocky leaves angrily and informs Louie that Marty has money to publish a leaflet.
He shows Marty the pier beneath which the last clean union candidate’s body was found.
Louie tells Farragut to stuff the ballot box with phony votes because he fears Marty’s popularity.
Marty’s men protest, but Farragut delays them by asking them to find where in the union bylaws it says that the counting of the votes must be public.
Farragut starts counting the ballots, but with Marty and his men about to produce the bylaw that says they can watch the vote, Louie quickly stuffs the box.
He reasons that workers these days know their rights, they fought in the Great War, and they will achieve democracy.
The screenplay was adapted for the stage by Ron Hutchinson, directed by James Dacre and designed by Patrick Connellan for the Royal and Derngate Theatre, Northampton.
Dacre remarked that the play was especially relevant because of the increase in zero-hours contracting in the UK following the credit crunch and economic downturn.
It featured the voice talents of, amongst others, David Suchet, Eliot Cowen and Tim Piggot-Smith and was broadcast for the first time in October 2015.