AMERICAN PLAYHOUSE: BROTHER'S KEEPER (TV)

Summary

A documentary account of the real-life trial of Delbert Ward for the murder of his brother William in Munnsville, New York. This film tells the story of the four elderly Ward brothers -- Delbert, William, Lyman and Roscoe -- uneducated, barely literate farmers in upstate New York. By focusing on Delbert's trial and the remarkable display of community support that the people of Munnsville provided, the film depicts the struggle between rural and urban lifestyles. The brothers have always been outcasts in Munnsville, but when Delbert is accused of suffocating his brother William in his bed, police interrogation tactics lead many in town to believe that the authorities are manipulating the Wards in order to get them off valuable land. Interviews with neighbors reveal a general consensus that Delbert isn't capable of murder. Even if he did kill William, the townsfolk conclude, circumstances may have justified his actions. The film ends with family and community reactions to Delbert's acquittal and includes clips of actual news broadcasts about the case and trial.

Acquisition and cataloging of this program was made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Details

NETWORK: PBS
DATE: May 2, 1994 9:00 PM
RUNNING TIME: 1:56:42
COLOR/B&W: Color
CATALOG ID: T:32079
GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/Documentaries; True crime; Trials (murder); Farmers
SERIES RUN: PBS - TV, 1994
COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

Lindsay Law … Executive Producer
Joe Berlinger … Executive Producer, Producer, Director
Bruce Sinofsky … Producer, Director
Nicholas Gottlieb … Associate Producer
Jay Ungar … Music by
Molly Mason … Music by
Delbert Ward
Roscoe Ward
Lyman Ward
Walt Geisler
Ken Elmer
John Teeple
Dave Goff
Loszynski, Capt. Joseph F.
Harry Thurston
Cognetti, Ralph A
Maynard A. Cosnet
John W. Graham
Robert J. Killough
Donald F. Cerio
Dr. Cyril Wecht
Connie Chung
Paula Garell
Donna Speziale