Tim Robbins shares film, opinions

STAMFORD, Conn., March 20 (UPI) -- A Stamford, Conn., crowd got a chance to view "Cradle Will Rock," a 1999 Tim Robbins film that won praise at festivals but didn't spark box office enthusiasm.

The movie, written and directed by Robbins, failed to gain momentum, partly because Walt Disney Studios, his backer, was losing its chief executive officer about the time the film was released, the Stamford (Conn.) Advocate said Tuesday. Because of the studio turmoil, "Cradle Will Rock" wasn't properly promoted or marketed, said Robbins, a Westchester County, N.Y., resident.

During a post-screening discussion, Robbins said he was inspired when he learned the story behind "Cradle Will Rock," a pro-union play shut down by the federal government in 1937.

Before Monday's screening, Robbins dined with Robert Schnitzer, a 100-year-old Stamford resident who was assistant to Hallie Flanagan, national director of the Federal Theatre Project.

"We talked a little bit about Hallie Flanagan and who he knew in the federal theater and what was going on in that day. It was very interesting to hear about it from his perspective," Robbins said in the Advocate article.