Anatomy of a Murder (1959) Out of typecast James Stewart plays a smarmy Michigan lawyer defending Ben Gazarra, a veteran, for murder. Produced and directed by one of the finest of his generation, Otto Preminger based the movie on a novel written by a Michigan supreme court justice about a murder case he defended before he took the bench.
Anatomy of a Murder | |
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Produced by | Otto Preminger |
Starring | James Stewart Lee Remick Ben Gazzara Arthur O'Connell Eve Arden Kathryn Grant George C. Scott |
Jimmy goes to work with his uncle, the owner of a food factory. Before he gets there, he befriends an Irish family who happens to be his uncle's worst enemy because of their love for music and in-house band who constantly practices. Director: George Marshall | Stars: James Stewart, Paulette Goddard, Horace Heidt, Charles Winninger. Votes: 1,739.
Mar 23, 2022ย ยท In The Man who Shot Liberty Valence, Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne battle it out for the same girl. Stewart plays a lawyer from the city โฆ
Most movies make it clear throughout who's good and who's bad. "Anatomy of a Murder", on the other hand, keeps you guessing. Jimmy Stewart plays Paul Biegler, a lawyer hired to defend Lt. Fred Manion (Ben Gazzara), charged with murdering a man โฆ
Anatomy of a Murder A virtuoso James Stewart plays a small-town Michigan lawyer who takes on a difficult case: the defense of a young army lieutenant (Ben Gazzara) accused of murdering a local tavern owner who he believes raped his wife (Lee Remick).
The jazz score of Anatomy of a Murder was composed by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn and played by Ellington's orchestra. Several of Ellington band's sidemen, including Jimmy Hamilton, Jimmy Johnson, Ray Nance, and Jimmy Woode appear, and Ellington himself plays the character Pie Eye.
Anatomy of a Murder is a 1959 American courtroom drama crime film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Wendell Mayes was based on the 1958 novel of the same name written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker under the pen name Robert Traver.
On July 31, 1952, Lt. Coleman A. Peterson shot and killed Maurice Chenoweth in Big Bay, Michigan. Voelker was retained as defense attorney a few days later. The trial started on September 15, 1952, and Assistant Attorney General Irving Beattie assisted Marquette County Prosecuting Attorney Edward Thomas. Voelker used a rare version of the insanity defense called irresistible impulse that had not been used in Michigan since 1886. The jury deliberated for four hours on September 23, 1952, before returning a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. Two days later, after Peterson was examined by a psychiatrist who judged him sane, he was released. Peterson and his wife were divorced soon after the trial. Hillsdale Circuit Court Judge Charles O. Arch, Sr. tried the case because of the illness of a local judge.
In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, small-town lawyer Paul Biegler, a former district attorney who lost his re-election bid, spends most of his time fishing, playing the piano, and hanging out with his alcoholic friend and colleague Parnell McCarthy and sardonic secretary Maida Rutledge. One day, Biegler is contacted by Laura Manion, ...
After Traver's novel was published, St. Martin's Press planned to have it adapted for the stage, intending a Broadway production, which would then be made into a film. Before he died in December 1957, John Van Druten wrote a rough draft of the play adaptation. Some time after that, the publisher then made the film rights available, and these were purchased by Otto Preminger.