CASE OF RAPE, A (TV)
Summary
This made-for-television drama film follows a housewife's quest for justice and closure after a dual sexual assault. The story begins as Ellen Harrod spends a pleasant day with her young daughter Kim and businessman husband David, who then departs on one of his frequent work trips. Ellen attends her textile design night-school class with her neighbor Marge at the local college; a man named Larry Retzliff begins chatting with the pair and eventually offers them a ride home. Larry then appears at Ellen's door and, claiming that his car has died, asks to use her phone – and then rapes her at knifepoint in the apartment. Shocked and traumatized, Ellen can't bring herself to contact the police, and she quickly showers and disposes of her clothes and the knife. In the morning, she attempts to maintain a normal demeanor for her daughter, though she is rattled when Kim mentions hearing someone, presumably her father, in the home the previous night.
Unable to explain the situation, Ellen begs David not to extend his work trip and then heads off to a clinic to be tested for venereal disease under a fake name, fearful of passing an infection to David. He soon returns home in high spirits and happily tells, amid their group of friends, about a promotion he will likely soon receive. Ellen, unable to articulate what happened to her, is annoyed when the men joke about the presumed promiscuity of their buxom friend Judy. Ellen learns that her blood test is clear, though she finds herself unable to be intimate with her husband. Scarcely a week after her assault, Larry grabs Ellen in the parking garage of her apartment building and violently assaults her again, briefly spotted by a nervous witness. This time Ellen goes straight to the hospital, where the doctor treats her with brusque disdain as he performs her rape exam and has clinical photos taken of her injuries. Detectives Parker and Riley are openly skeptical of her claim, particularly when she mentions being raped twice. They suggest that, like many other "hysterical females," she is exaggerating a consensual encounter that was "kind of thrilling" out of a desire to avoid angering her husband, though Ellen remains firm in her statements.
David, having learned the truth, briefly considers violent retribution against Larry, and then has the locks changed and takes Ellen out for a fancy date night, clearly wishing to move on at once. In bed, however, he finds himself emotionally distracted, telling her that the crime was "done to both of them." Larry is soon arrested – for the third time, as Ellen soon learns – and she immediately identifies him as her rapist, though no-nonsense prosecuting attorney Leonard Alexander warns her that the case is far from "open-and-shut." He explains that while the defense is allowed to comb through her sexual history, he is not legally permitted to mention Larry's past arrests for sexual crimes. Ellen decides to proceed with the trial despite David's uncertainty and is frustrated to see that Larry has retained a "lady attorney," Muriel Dyer. Alexander explains that juries are often under-educated and quick to judge women's personal lives by their own standards.
Ellen takes the stand and calmly describes the two assaults, explaining that she was too ashamed to contact the police or her husband the first time, though Dyer emphasizes the fact that Ellen willingly allowed Larry into her home before the "alleged" rape. David reflects on a story of vigilantism from his own childhood, and Dyer goes on to grill Mr. Osterley, the witness to the second assault, arguing that he can't be sure he actually saw a crime taking place. As the police describe questioning Larry near Ellen's home, David learns that he has been passed over for the promotion after all. Larry himself soon takes the stand, presenting a clean-cut image and claiming that he "strayed" from his loving fiancée by having two consensual encounters with "desperate" older woman Ellen, whom he claims aggressively pursued him. At home, Ellen is disappointed to find that Marge doesn't truly understand the parameters of non-consensual sex. Back in the courtroom, Alexander ruthlessly takes apart Larry's various lies, clearly voicing his disgust with the "animal" predator.
Ellen, gradually realizing that David "loves her when it's easy," is again called to the stand and forced to answer Dyer's insulting questions about her premarital "sexual episodes" with other men, as well as an evening spent with a male friend, Hendricks, after a hard-drinking Christmas party. Ellen strongly denies any sexual dalliance with the man. , When Dyer claims that she's falsely accusing Larry out of "passion and vindictiveness," Ellen loses her temper and furiously declares that she is a victim, not a criminal, and deserves empathy and justice. Awaiting the jury's decision, David admits his doubts about Ellen's story. She firmly informs him that she is no longer ashamed of what happened, as she was in no way in the wrong. The jury comes back with a not-guilty verdict, but Ellen, feeling empowered, coldly threatens to kill Larry should they ever meet again. Alexander closes the program by revealing that Larry was eventually convicted and imprisoned for another assault several months later, and Ellen went on to divorce David. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:36:03
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:03341
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Sexual harassment and rape; Trials; Marriage
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV, 1974
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- David Levinson … Executive Producer
- Louis Rudolph … Producer, Writer
- Steve Heilpern … Associate Producer
- Boris Sagal … Director
- Robert E. Thompson … Writer
- Elizabeth Montgomery … Cast, Ellen Harrod
- William Daniels … Cast, Leonard Alexander
- Cliff Potts … Cast, Larry Retzliff
- Rosemary Murphy … Cast, Muriel Dyer
- Ronny Cox … Cast, David Harrod
- Patricia Smith … Cast, Marge Bracken
- Ken Swofford … Cast, Detective Riley
- Alex Henteloff … Cast, Alex
- Robert Karnes … Cast, Judge
- Charles Macaulay … Cast, Dr. Marsden
- Mario Gallo … Cast, Photographer
- Lionel Johnston … Cast, Officer Kimble
- Anthony Carbone … Cast, Officer Rawlins
- Victor Izay … Cast, Night School Instructor
- Davis Roberts … Cast, Officer Kane
- Dennis Robertson … Cast, First Orderly
- J. Jay Saunders … Cast, Second Orderly
- Polly Middleton … Cast, Judy
- Tom Selleck … Cast, Stan
- Gerald Hiken … Cast, Mr. Osterley
- Jonathan Lippe … Cast
- Sandy Kenyon … Cast
- Debbie Lytton … Cast