"Twelve Angry Men" is a 1954

teleplay A teleplay is a screenplay or script used in the production of a scripted television program or series. In general usage, the term is most commonly seen in reference to a standalone production, such as a television film, a television play, or a ...

Reginald Rose Reginald Rose (December 10, 1920 – April 19, 2002) was an American screenwriter. He wrote about controversial social and political issues. His realistic approach was particularly influential in the anthology programs of the 1950s. Rose w ...

for the '' Studio One'' anthology American television series. Initially staged as a

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

live production on September 20, 1954, the drama was later rewritten for a feature film, ''

12 Angry Men ''Twelve Angry Men'' is an American courtroom drama written by Reginald Rose concerning the jury of a homicide trial. It was broadcast initially as a television play in 1954. The following year it was adapted for the stage. It was adapted for a ...

'' (1957) and the stage in 1964 under the same title. The episode garnered three Emmy Awards for writer Rose, director

Franklin Schaffner Franklin James Schaffner (May 30, 1920July 2, 1989) was an American film, television, and stage director. He won an Academy Award for Best Director for ''Patton'' (1970), and is known for the films ''Planet of the Apes'' (1968), ''Nicholas and Al ...

and

Robert Cummings Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings (June 9, 1910 – December 2, 1990) was an American film and television actor who appeared in roles in comedy films such as '' The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941) and ''Princess O'Rourke'' (1943), and in ...

as Best Actor.

Plot

Act I

The program opens as a judge instructs the jury in a murder case that their verdict must be unanimous. In the jury room, an initial vote is 11 to 1 in favor of guilty. Juror #8 (

) is the holdout voting not guilty. Juror #3 (

Franchot Tone Stanislaus Pascal Franchot Tone (February 27, 1905 – September 18, 1968) was an American actor, producer, and director of stage, film and television. He was a leading man in the 1930s and early 1940s, and at the height of his career was known ...

) criticizes Juror #8 as being "out in left field." They go once around the table, each juror having an opportunity to express his point of view. Juror #10 ( Edward Arnold) focuses on the neighbor who testified that she saw the defendant stab his father. Juror #7 ( Paul Hartman) focuses on the defendant's record – reform school at age 15 for stealing a car, arrested for knife fighting, and he comes from slums that are breeding grounds for criminals. Juror #5 ( Lee Phillips) takes offense and points out that he's lived in a slum his whole life – "maybe it still smells on me." Juror #8 asks for the alleged murder weapon, a switch knife, to be brought into the jury room. Juror #4 points out that the shopkeeper where the defendant purchased the knife testified that it was the only one he had in stock and that it's a very strange knife. When the knife is brought into the jury room, Juror #8 pulls an identical knife from his pocket. He had purchased it the prior night at the junk shop around the corner from the defendant's house. Juror #8 asks for a secret ballot. If there are still 11 guilty votes, Juror #8 will go along. The votes are handed in.

Act II

There are now only 10 guilty votes. Juror #9 ( Joseph Sweeney) admits that he was the one who changed his vote. Juror #8 focuses on the noise from the elevated train that passed by as the murder took place. One of the witnesses, an old man, claimed that he heard the defendant say, "I'm going to kill you," and then heard the body drop one second later. He questions how the witness could have heard these things, at a distance, with the train roaring by. Juror #5 changes his vote to not guilty. The vote is now 9–3. Juror #8 next questions how the old man who's had a stroke and walks with two canes could have gotten up out of bed and run through his apartment to see the defendant running down the stairs. The old man testified this happened only 15 seconds after the murder. Juror #3 says the old man may have been confused when he said 15 seconds: "He's an old man. You saw him. Half the time he was confused. How can he be positive about anything?" Juror #3 and the others pause, reacting to the import of Juror #3's question. Juror #8 performs a reenactment to show that the old man could not have gotten up and walked that distance in 15 seconds. Juror #3 complains about Juror #8's dishonesty and says the kid's got to burn. When Juror #8 calls Juror #3 a sadist, Juror #3 lunges and threatens to kill him.

Act III

A new vote is taken. It is now 6–6. Juror #2 ( John Beal) is troubled by the angle of the stab wound. Juror #5 has experience with switch blades and says they are typically used with an underhand motion, but the wound here was from an overhand motion. Another vote is taken, and it's 9–3 in favor of acquittal. Jurors 3, 4 and 10 are now the holdouts. Juror #10 focuses on race: "How can you believe that this kid is innocent? You know how these people lie ... They don't know what the truth is ... They don't need any big reason to kill someone either ... That's the way they are ... Human life doesn't mean as much to them as it does to us ... They haven't got any feelings .... There isn't one of them that's got any good in them." The other jurors walk away in shock at Juror #10's tirade. Juror #4 tells Juror #10 that if he opens his mouth again, Juror #4 will split his skull. Juror #4 is still persuaded by the old lady who said she saw the defendant stab his father. One of the jurors recalls that the old lady wore glasses. She wouldn't have been wearing her glasses in bed, which is where she said she was, tossing and turning. Juror #8 says that all the old lady could have seen, without her glasses and through the train windows, was a blur. Juror #3 is left as the only guilty vote, but he finally gives in. The defendant is found not guilty.

Cast

The cast included performances by:Credits are as listed on screen from the broadcast, as captured by the 16 mm film that has been preserved. *

as Juror #8 *

as Juror #3 * Edward Arnold as Juror #10 * Paul Hartman as Juror #7 * John Beal as Juror #2 *

Walter Abel Walter Abel (June 6, 1898 – March 26, 1987) was an American film, stage and radio actor. Life Abel was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the son of Christine (née Becker) and Richard Michael Abel. Abel graduated from the American Academy of ...

as Juror #4 * George Voskovec as Juror #11 * Joseph Sweeney as Juror #9 *

Bart Burns George Joseph Burns (born March 13, 1918 in New York City – died July 17, 2007, in West Hills, Los Angeles, California) was an American character actor. He is known mostly for playing Pat Chambers on the 1959 '' Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'' te ...

as Juror #6 *

Norman Fell Norman Fell (born Norman Noah Feld; March 24, 1924 – December 14, 1998) was an American actor of film and television, most famous for his role as landlord Mr. Roper on the sitcom ''Three's Company'' and its spin-off, ''The Ropers'', and his fi ...

as Foreman * Lee Phillips as Juror #5 * Will West as Juror # 12

Uncredited cast

* Vincent Gardenia as Bailiff

Betty Furness Elizabeth Mary Furness (January 3, 1916 – April 2, 1994) was an American actress, consumer advocate, and current affairs commentator. Early years Furness was born in Manhattan, the daughter of wealthy business executive George Choate Furness ...

presents Westinghouse appliances in breaks after each of the acts.

Production

The production was staged in New York City and aired live on September 20, 1954, as the first episode in the seventh season of the program, '' Studio One''. A

kinescope Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film, directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 194 ...

recording was made for rebroadcast later on the west coast. It was written by

especially for ''Studio One''.

Felix Jackson Felix Jackson (born Felix Joachimson; June 5, 1902 – December 7, 1992) was a German-born American screenwriter and film producer. Biography Jackson was born in Hamburg. He was a city editor in Germany at 21, then a dramatic and music critic, ...

was the producer and

the director. Wes Laws was the set decorator, and Willard Levitas provided the settings. The production won three Emmy Awards: for Rose's writing, Schaffner's direction, and for

as Best Actor.

Reception

The performance received generally positive reviews. In 1997, Steve Rhodes wrote: "Cummings gives the best of several outstanding performances."

References

Sources

* Revised link to article retrieved April 23, 2017. * Rose, Reginald
''Twelve Angry Men''
teleplay

External links

* * {{EmmyAward DramaWriting 1960s Black-and-white television episodes Television courtroom dramas 1954 television plays Television anthology episodes Juries in fiction Television shows written by Reginald Rose Emmy Award-winning programs Twelve Angry Men Studio One (American TV series) 1954 American television episodes