MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO, THE: THE COMPLETE TWELVE ANGRY MEN {RECONSTRUCTION} (TV)

Summary

The Museum has had the first half of "Twelve Angry Men," as originally presented on "Westinghouse Studio One" on September 20, 1954, since 1976, having been donated to the Museum by CBS. The second half of this episode from the live dramatic anthology series has been missing for decades. The Museum just discovered a complete film recording in the archive of Marjorie Leibowitz Finch, daughter of Samuel Leibowitz. The Museum now presents the reconstructed "Twelve Angry Men," with the first half featuring the full opening and commercials; the drama's second half is taken from the Leibowitz copy.

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 reexamination 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. Includes commercials in the first half of the production.

Details

• NETWORK: CBS
• DATE: September 13, 1954 10:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 0:53:28
• COLOR/B&W: B&W
• CATALOG ID: T:76546
• GENRE: Drama, legal
• SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, legal
• SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1948-1958
• COMMERCIALS:
  • TV - Commercials - Westinghouse products
  • TV - Commercials - Westinghouse televisions

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
• Marjorie Liebowitz Finch
• Samuel Leibowitz