MURDER OF MARY PHAGAN, THE {PART 2 OF 2} (TV)
Summary
This two-part miniseries tells the true story of factory superintendent Leo Frank's 1913 trial for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan. The second installment begins in 1915 as Leo writes letter from his cell and Dorsey announces that the Supreme Court has denied his appeal. William J. Burns, the self-proclaimed "world's greatest detective," arrives and promises to help Leo prove his innocence, though elsewhere Watson again denies any anti-Semitic sentiment and shows a number of Northern reporters around the pencil factory, urging them to remember Mary and the unfairness of her death. Dorsey asks the prison board to finally set a date for Leo's execution, though they quickly observe that he is trying to ensure that Leo will die before Slaton leaves office. Slaton realizes that Dorsey has manipulated the situation and that the final decision will lay with him, while elsewhere Burns talks to Brent, noting that he has observed the entire saga. Burns then visits Conley, still in prison, and Newt, who admits that he is still unsure whose story to believe. At a dinner, Watson confidently states that Slaton is sure to become Senator soon, and Dorsey reminds Slaton to "do his job." Lucille publicly confronts Watson with a group of supporters from many states, urging him to do the right thing and save Leo, but he dismisses them.
Burns crashes a local wedding and talks to Doreen, who explains that she was sure of Leo's guilt simply because he was "that kind." He then attempts to question Alonzo, but the townsfolk realize his scheme and chase him off. Conley flirts with the prison maid, Annie, observed closely by the guard at Burns' request. Slaton decides to allow his successor to handle the Leo matter after all, though he continues to receive letters of both support and condemnation. Watson asks him what he plans to "do about the Jew" and sternly orders him to carry out Leo's death sentence, reminding him of his responsibility as governor to follow the law. Leo and Lucille talk, struggling to hold onto hope, and Slaton agrees to hear Rosser's final petition, in which he asks that Leo's sentence be commuted to life in prison. Dorsey objects, but Burns interjects that Conley's testimony is suspect, partially because of his criminal record. Despite Dorsey's arguments, Slaton decides to question Conley himself. Conley continues making crude advances on Annie and then heads to court, where he talks about his time on a chain gang and repeats his story about Leo forcing him to assist in hiding Mary's body. He vows that he is telling the truth despite having changed his story multiple times, but admits that Dorsey assisted him in preparing his testimony.
Slaton and his wife Sally prepare to vacate the governor's house, and he is offended when Watson sends him a "gift" of a horse and carriage to make the point that he was elected to power only because of Watson's help. Slaton next interviews Doreen, who reiterates that Leo "bothered" her, but Slaton suggests that she was less than truthful because she enjoyed the attention of being a witness. Slaton receives threatening letters from "the Knights of Mary Phagan," and though he is told that pursuing the case will be "political suicide," he grows more determined to uncover the truth. He greets a mob singing hymns outside his home as Lucille and Leo pray together at his cell, while elsewhere Conley continues harassing Annie, giving her letters that he has written regarding his intentions. Slaton questions Alonzo about what he saw that day, surprised to learn that he actually saw Mary at the factory shortly before her death. The medical examiner then admits that he is unsure about the physical evidence "proving" that she died near Leo's office, saying that the hair and blood found may not have been Mary's.
Slaton then finally questions Leo directly, and he again swears that he did not know Mary and that Conley has lied about everything, starting with the notes found by the body, and states that child murder is simply "not in him." Slaton narrowly escapes an attack from an angry crowd, and Dorsey admits that he "finessed" some of the witnesses, but strongly urges Slaton to put an end to the matter and execute Leo. Annie meets with Burns at a church and hands over Conley's letters, explaining that she dislikes him and hopes that she can assist in keeping him in prison. Burns takes the letter to Brent, who studies the language and explains that Conley must have written the original "murder notes" himself, rather than taking down Leo's dictation as he claimed, meaning that he is the true murderer.
Slaton frets that the evidence is still insufficient, however, and visits the factory himself to look for minor clues. He brings Conley to the prison, where Conley retells his story about how he disposed of Mary's hat and umbrella on Leo's orders. Slaton quickly deduces that he is lying and that Mary was in fact killed in the basement, angrily accusing Dorsey of mishandling the case. Leo is stunned to learn that his sentence has been commuted after all, and he is moved to a prison farm. Slaton acknowledges that he himself is now likely to be hanged by the furious townspeople, though Sally voices her support of him. Watson publicly declares that Slaton is a traitor, and when he passes the governor seal to his successor, Slaton compares himself to Pontius Pilate and explains why his morals would not allow him to let Leo die. Slaton and Sally soon leave town for good, and Lucille visits Leo at the farm, hopeful that they can soon try for a full pardon. Later, however, the "Knights of Mary Phagan" break into the prison and kidnap Leo in the night, declaring that they intend to carry out his original sentence. Leo is calm, wondering only what will happen to his wife, and he hands over his wedding ring and proclaims his innocence one final time before he is hanged. Lucille is devastated to hear the news, and Brent later gives her the ring. Leo was eventually buried in Brooklyn, and Lucille stayed in the South, where she died in 1957. Slaton was never again elected to public office, and Conley was released from prison and was never formally accused of the murder. Burns served in an early iteration of the FBI, and Watson was elected Senator and Dorsey Governor of Georgia. In 1982, an elderly Alonzo returned to the South and finally confessed that he witnessed Conley alone with Mary's body at the factory that day, and Leo was eventually awarded a posthumous pardon. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: January 26, 1988 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:56:04
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:58881
- GENRE: Drama, historical
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, historical; Murder (trials); Miniseries
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1988
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- George Stevens Jr. … Producer, Writer
- Caroline Stevens … Associate Producer
- Billy Hale … Director
- Jeffrey Lane … Writer
- Larry McMurtry … Writer
- Maurice Jarre … Music by
- Gwendolyn Glenn … Choreographer
- Jack Lemmon … Cast, Gov. John Slaton
- Richard Jordan … Cast, Hugh Dorsey
- Robert Prosky … Cast, Tom Watson
- Peter Gallagher … Cast, Leo Frank
- Kathryn Walker … Cast, Sally Slaton
- Rebecca Miller … Cast, Lucille Frank
- Paul Dooley … Cast, William Burns
- Charles Dutton … Cast, Jim Conley
- Kevin Spacey … Cast, Wes Brent
- Cynthia Nixon … Cast, Doreen
- Kenneth Welsh … Cast, Luther Rosser
- Daniel Benzali … Cast, Coroner
- William C. Crawford … Cast, Witness
- Loretta Devine … Cast, Annie Maude Carter
- Barbara Eda-Young … Cast, Mrs. Phagan
- Sam Gray … Cast, Sigmond Montag
- Brent Jennings … Cast, Newt Lee
- W.H. Macy (see also: William H. Macy) … Cast, Randy
- Jordan Marder … Cast, Alonzo
- Nicholas Wyman … Cast, Lund
- Wendy J. Cooke … Cast, Mary Phagan
- Penny Allen … Cast
- Thomas Anderson … Cast
- Dylan Baker … Cast
- Nesbitt Blaisdell … Cast
- Beeson Carroll … Cast
- David Cromwell … Cast
- William Duff-Griffin … Cast
- Jennifer East … Cast
- Gwyllum Evans … Cast
- Carl Gordon … Cast
- Richard Hamilton … Cast
- Heather McAdam … Cast
- William Newman … Cast
- Owen Rackleff … Cast
- Bill Raymond … Cast
- Fred Sadoff … Cast
- Raynor Scheine … Cast
- Brian Smiar … Cast
- Kate McGregor Stewart … Cast
- Jimmie Ray Weeks … Cast
- Ron Weyand … Cast