WESTINGHOUSE STUDIO ONE: TWELVE ANGRY MEN (TV)
Summary
This program, based on the play by Reginald Rose, concerns a jury's deliberations in the murder trial of a teenage boy accused of killing his father. Eleven of the twelve jurors believe the boy is guilty, but one juror insists that they are not weighing the evidence fairly. During their heated debate, the passions, prejudices, and private histories of each member of the jury are revealed.
As the drama opens, the judge informs the twelve men that the outcome of this long complex case, and the life of one man rest in their hands. He further instructs them that if anyone harbors any reasonable doubt about the defendant's guilt, then the jury must declare the accused not guilty, and that any guilty verdict must be unanimous. As the jury retires to deliberate in the intense summer heat of the jury room, the twelve men are eager to wrap up this seemingly iron-clad case, and one juror sums up the general feeling that the murder can easily be explained: "It must be the element."
The first vote is eleven to one, with the holdout wanting to discuss the evidence before making his decision. Each juror then presents his reason for his guilty vote and presents the facts: the boy threatened his father, an eyewitness saw the murder from across the street, the accused had a prior record of arrests, and the defendant purchased a switchblade knife on the night of the murder. The lone dissenter counters that he feels too many questions were left unasked in the defense counsel's questioning and requests a vote by secret ballot. The new vote is ten to convict, against two who harbor reasonable doubt.
After the jurors take a short break, the discussion continues with a re-examination of the case. Intense emotion and debate ensues as the jurors try to come to a conclusion. After more votes, the number of jurors believing in the guilty or not guilty verdicts fluctuates; eleven of the twelve jurors finally agree that there is indeed "reasonable doubt." Finally, broken and emotionally drained, the last juror concedes a "not guilty" decision and all twelve jurors are unanimous in their verdict. Commercials deleted.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by The Marc Haas Foundation, 2002/2003.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: September 20, 1954 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:50:36
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: T:73195
- GENRE: Drama, legal
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, legal
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1948-1958
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Felix Jackson … Producer
- William A. Altman … Associate Producer
- Franklin Schaffner … Director
- Reginald Rose … Writer
- John Cannon … Announcer
- Robert Cummings … Cast, Juror #8
- Franchot Tone … Cast, Juror #3
- Edward Arnold … Cast, Juror #10
- Paul Hartman … Cast, Juror #7
- John Beal … Cast, Juror #2
- Walter Abel … Cast, Juror #4
- Norman Fell … Cast, Foreman
- Lee Philips … Cast, Juror #5
- Bart Burns … Cast, Juror #6
- Joseph Sweeney … Cast, Juror #9
- George Voskovec … Cast, Juror #11
- Will West (See also: Larkin Ford) … Cast, Juror #12
- Vincent Gardenia … Cast, Bailiff