Anatomy of a Murder
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Otto Preminger
Produced by	Otto Preminger
Written by	Story: John D. Voelker Screenplay: Wendell Mayes
Starring	James Stewart Lee Remick Ben Gazzara Arthur O'Connell George C. Scott
Music by	Duke Ellington
Cinematography	Sam Leavitt, ASC
Editing by	Louis R. Loeffler
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	July 1, 1959
Running time	160 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Anatomy of a Murder is an American 1959 trial court drama film directed by Otto Preminger and written by Wendell Mayes based on the best-selling novel of the same name written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker under the pen name Robert Traver. Traver based the novel on a 1952 murder case in which he was the defense attorney.^[1] The picture stars Jimmy Stewart, George C. Scott, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O'Connell, Eve Arden, Kathryn Grant, Orson Bean, and Murray Hamilton.^[2] Otto Ludwig Preminger (December 5, 1906 – April 23, 1986) was a film director. ... John D. Voelker (June 19, 1903 -- March 19, 1991), better known by his pen name Robert Traver, was an attorney, judge, and writer. ... Wendell Mayes (July 21, 1919, Hayti, Missouri - March 28, 1992, Santa Monica, California) was a Hollywood screenwriter. ... For other persons named James Stewart, see James Stewart (disambiguation). ... Lee Remick Lee Remick (December 14, 1935 - July 2, 1991), was an American actress admired for her versality and her great beauty. ... Ben Gazzara (born Biagio Anthony Gazzara on August 28, 1930, in New York City) is an American actor in television and motion pictures. ... Arthur OConnell ( March 29, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an American actor. ... George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 - September 22, 1999) was a stage and film actor, director, and producer. ... This article is about the American Jazz composer and performer. ... Louis R. Loeffler (February 24, 1897–April 22, 1972) was an American Academy Award-nominated film editor. ... The Columbia Pictures logo from 1993 to the present Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... See also: 1958 in film 1959 1960 in film 1950s in film 1960s in film years in film film Events The Three Stooges make their 180th and last short film, Sappy Bullfighters. ... A trial court or court of first instance is the court in which most civil or criminal cases begin. ... A drama film is a film that depends mostly on in-depth character development, interaction, and highly emotional themes. ... Otto Ludwig Preminger (December 5, 1906 – April 23, 1986) was a film director. ... Wendell Mayes (July 21, 1919, Hayti, Missouri - March 28, 1992, Santa Monica, California) was a Hollywood screenwriter. ... The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the State of Michigan, that is the court of last resort. ... John D. Voelker (June 19, 1903 -- March 19, 1991), better known by his pen name Robert Traver, was an attorney, judge, and writer. ... John D. Voelker (June 19, 1903 -- March 19, 1991), better known by his pen name Robert Traver, was an attorney, judge, and writer. ... For other persons named James Stewart, see James Stewart (disambiguation). ... George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 - September 22, 1999) was a stage and film actor, director, and producer. ... Lee Remick Lee Remick (December 14, 1935 - July 2, 1991), was an American actress admired for her versality and her great beauty. ... Ben Gazzara (born Biagio Anthony Gazzara on August 28, 1930, in New York City) is an American actor in television and motion pictures. ... Arthur OConnell ( March 29, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an American actor. ... Eve Arden (April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning American actress, who established a lengthy career as a supporting and character actor rather than as a lead actress due, in large part, to the fact, that while tall and slim, she was not... Kathryn Crosby (1933 - ) born as Olive Kathryn Grandstaff is an American actress and singer who performed her most memorable roles under the name Kathryn Grant. ... Bean on The Match Game Orson Bean (born July 22, 1928) is an American film, television, and stage actor, as well as an author. ... Murray Hamilton (March 24, 1923 – September 1, 1986) was an American stage, screen, and television character actor. ...

Plot

from the trailer for the film.

In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, small-town lawyer Paul Biegler (James Stewart), a district attorney who lost his re-election bid, takes the case of loutish Army Lieutenant Frederic Manion (Ben Gazzara), charged with first degree murder for shooting a barkeeper who allegedly raped Manion's flirtatious wife, Laura (Lee Remick). Matched against a high-powered big city prosecutor (George C. Scott) sent by the Governor to help out the local D.A. (Brooks West), Biegler and his alcoholic colleague Parnell McCarthy (Arthur O'Connell) and sardonic secretary Maida Rutledge (Eve Arden) try to win Manion's freedom with a defense of irresistible impulse. Biegler's folksy speech and laid-back demeanor hide a sharp legal mind and a propensity for courtroom theatrics that have the visiting judge (real life lawyer Joseph N. Welch, of Army-McCarthy hearings fame, in his only film role) busy keeping things under control. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that comprise the U.S. state of Michigan. ... For other persons named James Stewart, see James Stewart (disambiguation). ... Ben Gazzara (born Biagio Anthony Gazzara on August 28, 1930, in New York City) is an American actor in television and motion pictures. ... Lee Remick Lee Remick (December 14, 1935 - July 2, 1991), was an American actress admired for her versality and her great beauty. ... George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 - September 22, 1999) was a stage and film actor, director, and producer. ... Arthur OConnell ( March 29, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an American actor. ... Eve Arden (April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning American actress, who established a lengthy career as a supporting and character actor rather than as a lead actress due, in large part, to the fact, that while tall and slim, she was not... In jurisprudence, irresistible impulse is a defense by excuse, in this case some sort of insanity, in which the defendant argues that they should not be held criminally liable for actions which broke the law, because they couldnt control their actions. ... Early in 1954, the U.S. Army accused Senator Joseph R. McCarthy (Republican, Wisconsin), and his chief counsel, Roy Cohn, of pressuring the Army to give favorable treatment to former McCarthy aide and friend of Cohns, G. David Schine. ...

Production

The movie, inspired by a 1952 Big Bay Lumberjack Tavern murder trial in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, was adapted by Wendell Mayes from the novel by Robert Traver (pen name of John D. Voelker, a Michigan Supreme Court judge from 1957-1959). This article is about the U.S. State. ... The Upper Peninsula of Michigan, also known as The Upper Peninsula, The U.P. (or The UP), and Above the Bridge by Michiganders, refers to the northern peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. ... John D. Voelker (June 19, 1903 -- March 19, 1991), better known by his pen name Robert Traver, was an attorney, judge, and writer. ... John D. Voelker (June 19, 1903 -- March 19, 1991), better known by his pen name Robert Traver, was an attorney, judge, and writer. ...

It was filmed in Big Bay, Marquette, Ishpeming, and Michigamme, Michigan. Some scenes were actually filmed in the Thunder Bay Inn in Big Bay, Michigan, one block from the Lumberjack Tavern, the site of a murder that had inspired much of the novel. The murder occurred at Big Bay Point Light. Big Bay is an unincorporated community located in Marquette County, Michigan. ... Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Ishpeming is a city located in Marquette County, Michigan. ... Michigamme is an unincorporated community located in Marquette County, Michigan. ... The Big Bay Point Light is a lighthouse which stands on a rocky point halfway between Marquette and the Keweenaw Portage Entry. ...

The movie was directed by Otto Preminger, and was noted for featuring unusually frank dialogue for 1959. It was among the first Hollywood films to challenge the Production Code, along with Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot (1959) and Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960). Otto Ludwig Preminger (December 5, 1906 – April 23, 1986) was a film director. ... The Production Code (also known as the Hays Code) was a set of industry guidelines governing the production of American motion pictures. ... Billy Wilder (June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-born, Jewish-American journalist, screenwriter, film director, and producer whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. ... Some Like It Hot is a 1959 comedy film directed by Billy Wilder. ... See also: 1958 in film 1959 1960 in film 1950s in film 1960s in film years in film film Events The Three Stooges make their 180th and last short film, Sappy Bullfighters. ... Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (August 13, 1899 â€“ April 29, 1980) was an iconic and highly influential British-born film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... Psycho is a 1960 suspense/horror film directed by auteur Alfred Hitchcock from the screenplay by Joseph Stefano about a psychotic killer. ... The year 1960 in film involved some significant events. ...

The role of the judge was offered to both Spencer Tracy and Burl Ives, but ultimately went to Joseph Welch, a real-life lawyer who had made a name for himself when representing the United States Army in hearings conducted by Senator Joseph McCarthy. It was Welch who famously asked of McdCarthy, "Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" Spencer Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was a two-time Academy Award-winning American film and stage actor who appeared in 74 films from 1930 to 1967. ... Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (14 June 1909 –14 April 1995) was an Academy Award winning American actor and acclaimed folk music singer and author. ... Joseph Nye Welch (October 22, 1890 – October 6, 1960) was the head attorney for the United States Army while it was under investigation by Joseph McCarthys Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations for Communist activities. ... The United States Army is the largest, and by some standards oldest, established branch of the armed forces of the United States and is one of seven uniformed services. ... This article is about the U.S. senator from Wisconsin (1947-1957). ...

Cast

Lee Remick, Eve Arden, Arthur O'Connell and James Stewart in court.

• James Stewart as Paul Biegler
• Lee Remick as Laura Manion
• Ben Gazzara as Lt. Frederick Manion
• Arthur O'Connell as Parnell Emmett McCarthy
• Eve Arden as Maida Rutledge
• Kathryn Grant as Mary Pilant
• George C. Scott as Asst. State Atty. Gen. Claude Dancer
• Orson Bean as Dr. Matthew Smith
• Russ Brown as George Lemon
• Murray Hamilton as Alphonse Paquette
• Brooks West as Dist. Atty. Mitch Lodwick
• Ken Lynch as Det. Sgt. James Durgo
• John Qualen as Deputy Sheriff Sulo
• Howard McNear as Dr. Dompierre
• Alexander Campbell as Dr. W. Gregory Harcourt
• Joseph N. Welch as Judge Weaver

Cast notes
Chicago newspaper columnist Irv "Kup" Kupcinet has a small uncredited role in the film, and Joseph Welch's wife appears as a juror, also uncredited. Duke Ellington appears as "Pie-Eye", the owner of a roadhouse, with whom Jimmy Stewart's character plays piano. For other persons named James Stewart, see James Stewart (disambiguation). ... Lee Remick Lee Remick (December 14, 1935 - July 2, 1991), was an American actress admired for her versality and her great beauty. ... Ben Gazzara (born Biagio Anthony Gazzara on August 28, 1930, in New York City) is an American actor in television and motion pictures. ... Arthur OConnell ( March 29, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an American actor. ... Eve Arden (April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning American actress, who established a lengthy career as a supporting and character actor rather than as a lead actress due, in large part, to the fact, that while tall and slim, she was not... Kathryn Crosby (1933 - ) born as Olive Kathryn Grandstaff is an American actress and singer who performed her most memorable roles under the name Kathryn Grant. ... George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 - September 22, 1999) was a stage and film actor, director, and producer. ... Bean on The Match Game Orson Bean (born July 22, 1928) is an American film, television, and stage actor, as well as an author. ... Murray Hamilton (March 24, 1923 – September 1, 1986) was an American stage, screen, and television character actor. ... John Qualen in Casablanca John Qualen (December 8, 1899 - September 12, 1987) was a film character actor. ... Howard McNear (January 27, 1905 – January 3, 1969) was an American film, television and radio character actor. ... Alexander Campbell is one of the most prevalent personal names in Scotland and among Scottish emigrant populations. ... Irv Kupcinet (July 31, 1912-November 10, 2003) was a Chicago Sun-Times columnist and broadcast personality based in Chicago, Illinois. ... This article is about the American Jazz composer and performer. ...

Soundtrack

Soundtrack cover

Anatomy of a Murder is noteworthy for being one of the first films to extensively feature jazz in the musical score – the entire musical soundtrack was composed by Duke Ellington and played by his orchestra. Several of the Ellington band's sidemen, notably Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney, Russell Procope, and William "Cat" Anderson, are heard prominently throughout the film, and Ellington himself appears briefly as "Pie-Eye," the owner of a roadhouse where Paul Biegler (Stewart) and Laura Manion (Remick) have a confrontation. For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... This article is about the American Jazz composer and performer. ... Johnny Hodges in concert, Feb. ... Paul Gonsalves (1920-1974), a Brazilian-American jazz tenor saxophonist, was considered one of the best and most tasteful players on his instrument. ... Harry Carney (1910 - 1974) was a jazz baritone saxophone player best known for his 45 year tenure in Duke Ellingtons band. ... Russell Procope (11 August 1908–21 January 1981), an American clarinettist and alto saxophonist, was known best for his long tenure in the reed section of Duke Ellingtons orchestra, where he was the sections leader and one of its two signature clarinet soloists. ... William Alonzo Anderson, known as Cat Anderson (12 September 1916–29 April 1981) was an American jazz trumpeter best-known for his long period playing with Duke Ellingtons orchestra, and for his extremely wide range (more than five octaves), especially his playing in the higher registers. ...

The soundtrack, containing thirteen tracks, was released on May 29, 1959. A CD was released on April 28, 1995.
is the 149th day of the year (150th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 1958 in film 1959 1960 in film 1950s in film 1960s in film years in film film Events The Three Stooges make their 180th and last short film, Sappy Bullfighters. ... CD may stand for: Compact Disc Canadian Forces Decoration Cash Dispenser (at least used in Japan) CD LPMud Driver Centrum-Demokraterne (Centre Democrats of Denmark) Certificate of Deposit České Dráhy (Czech Railways) Chad (NATO country code) Chalmers Datorförening (computer club of the Chalmers University of Technology) a 1960s... is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The year 1995 in film involved some significant events. ...

Legal aspects

Facade of the Lumberjack Tavern, scene of the actual crime the movie is based on.

The film examines the apparent fallibility of the human factor in jurisprudence. In various ways all of the human components – the counsels for defense and prosecution, the defendant and his wife, and the witnesses – have different positions on what is right or wrong, and varying perspectives of what constitutes integrity and justice. For the jurisprudence of courts, see Case law. ...

One controversial legal issue in this film is possible witness coaching, a violation of legal canons. The only plausible defense Lt. Manion has – the insanity defense – is virtually spelled out to a befuddled Manion by his prospective counsel. Witness coaching by the prosecution is even more blatant as they call in other jail inmates awaiting sentencing to testify against Manion, and is portrayed as subornation of perjury to an extent. The first suggests that the defendant may be concealing the truth and manipulating his story in order to obtain the best possible verdict, and the latter that the prosecution dangled a possible lighter sentence as an incentive to perjury.^[3] Legal ethics refers to an ethical code governing those in the practice of law. ... In criminal trials, the insanity defenses are possible defenses by excuse, by which defendants argue that they should not be held criminally liable for breaking the law, as they were legally insane at the time of the commission of alleged crimes. ... Subornation of perjury is a legal term describing the act of an attorney who presents testimony (or an affidavit) the attorney knows is materially false to a judge or jury as if it were factual. ...

In protracted litigation, confabulated memory – filling in the blanks and recreating memories – is common, and research has documented the tendency. Repetitive and suggestive questioning tends to plant the seeds of memory.^[4] This book and the movie are among the most cogent examples of the lawyers' dance. “Horse shedding" of witnesses is well known, if controversial and potentially unethical; it is not just an occasion to directly orchestrate perjury. More problematical, it is probable to reach a point where “if you believe it, then it isn’t a lie.” Thus, even letter-perfect bona fide certainty of belief is not equivalent to a certification of accuracy or even truthfulness. This process is called "horse shedding," "sandpapering" or "wood shedding" – the first and last names relating to the place of the "collaboration." ^[5] Look up confabulation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A person is deemed to be suggestible if they accept and act on suggestions by others. ...

Comparisons of film to novel

The issue of the insanity defense was more thoroughly explored in the novel, and a key scene in which Biegler destroys the credibility and professionalism of the prosecution's psychiatric expert for proffering an opinion without examining the subject is watered down in the film almost to insignificance. In criminal trials, the insanity defenses are possible defenses by excuse, by which defendants argue that they should not be held criminally liable for breaking the law, as they were legally insane at the time of the commission of alleged crimes. ... An MRI scan of a human brain and head. ...

Critical reception

The film was well received by film critics and at the film festivals where it was presented.

UCLA law professor, Michael Asimow, calls the picture "probably the finest pure trial movie ever made."^[6] Binomial name Ucla xenogrammus Holleman, 1993 The largemouth triplefin, Ucla xenogrammus, is a fish of the family Tripterygiidae and only member of the genus Ucla, found in the Pacific Ocean from Viet Nam, the Philippines, Palau and the Caroline Islands to Papua New Guinea, Australia (including Christmas Island), and the...

A reading of a great many reviews shows virtually unanimous positive feedback. Critics note, among other things, the stark moral ambiguity, where small town lawyers triumph by guile, stealth and trickery. They note that this may be Preminger's finest movie, and laud the performances (especially of Jimmy Stewart in his "finest performance") and highly-regarded performances by Lee Remick and George C. Scott. The movie is frank, even brutal in its approach. Language and sexual themes are direct, forceful and unblinking, at variance with the times (and other movies) when it was produced. The black and white palette is seen as a complement to the harsh Upper Peninsula landscape.^[7] The Upper Peninsula of Michigan, also known as The Upper Peninsula, The U.P. (or The UP), and Above the Bridge by Michiganders, refers to the northern peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. ...

New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther thought the film was an excellent example of how trial courtroom dramas should be filmed, and wrote, The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Bosley Crowther (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American film critic. ...

After watching an endless succession of courtroom melodramas that have more or less transgressed the bounds of human reason and the rules of advocacy, it is cheering and fascinating to see one that hews magnificently to a line of dramatic but reasonable behavior and proper procedure in a court. Such a one is Anatomy of a Murder, which opened at the Criterion and the Plaza yesterday. It is the best courtroom melodrama this old judge has ever seen. . . . Outside of the fact that this drama gets a little tiring in spots—in its two hours and forty minutes, most of which is spent in court—it is well nigh flawless as a picture of an American court at work, of small-town American characters and of the average sordidness of crime.^[8]

In 1989, the American Bar Association rated this as one of the twelve best trial movies of all time.^[9] American Bar Associations Washington, DC office The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. ... Trial movies is a film Genre of movies . ...

Awards

Wins

• New York Film Critics Circle Awards: NYFCC Award Best Actor, James Stewart, Best Screenplay, Wendell Mayes; 1959.
• Venice Film Festival: Volpi Cup; Best Actor, James Stewart; 1959.
• Grammy Awards: Grammy; Best Soundtrack Album, Background Score from Motion Picture or Television, Duke Ellington; 1959.
• Laurel Awards: Golden Laurel; Top Drama; Top Male Dramatic Performance, James Stewart; Top Male Supporting Performance, Arthur O'Connell; 1960.

Nominations New York Film Critics Circle Awards are given annually to honor excellence in cinema worldwide by an organization of film reviewers from New York City-based publications. ... The Venice Film Festival ( ) is the oldest film festival in the world. ... Grammy Award statuette The Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music...

• Academy Awards: Oscar; Best Actor in a Leading Role, James Stewart; Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Arthur O'Connell; Best Actor in a Supporting Role, George C. Scott; Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Sam Leavitt; Best Film Editing, Louis R. Loeffler; Best Picture Otto Preminger; Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Wendell Mayes; 1960.
• British Academy of Film and Television Arts: BAFTA Film Award, Best Film from any Source, Otto Preminger, USA; Best Foreign Actor, James Stewart, USA; Most Promising Newcomer, Joseph N. Welch, USA; 1960.
• Directors Guild of America: DGA Award Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, Otto Preminger; 1960.
• Golden Globe Award: Golden Globe; Best Motion Picture - Drama; Best Motion Picture Actress - Drama, Lee Remick; Best Motion Picture Director, Otto Preminger; Best Supporting Actor, Joseph N. Welch; 1960.

Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... BAFTA Award The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organisation that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... Director Guild of America building on Sunset Boulevard. ... The Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ...

See also

• Trial movies

Trial movies is a film Genre of movies . ...

References

Notes

For the in-memory database management system, see In-memory database. ... is the 326th day of the year (327th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Bibliography

• Robert Traver. Anatomy of a Murder New York: St. Martin's Press, 1958. ISBN 978-0517204450

External links

• Anatomy of a Murder at the Internet Movie Database
• Anatomy of a Murder at Allmovie
• Anatomy of a Murder at the TCM Movie Database
• Anatomy of a Murder at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Detroit News, "When Hollywood Came to the Upper Peninsula," by Vivian M. Baulch
• Anatomy of a Murder trailer at You Tube

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