Anatomy of a Murder (1959) | Presenting Hitchcock Podcast

Gooooood evening. In this month’s episode of Presenting Hitchcock, Cory and Aaron have a defence to mount as they discuss Anatomy of a Murder.

Written by: Wendall Mayes

Based on the novel by John D. Voelker (as Robert Traver)

Starring: James Stuart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O’Connell, Eve Arden, Kathryn Grant, George C. Scott, Orson Bean, Russ Brown, and Murray Hamilton

Directed by: Otto Preminger

Trailer:

Our Favourite Trivia:

Hitchcock Comparisons

• Murder! / Mary
• The Paradine Case
• Vertigo

Saul Bass designed the titles/poster for both this film and Vertigo (1958). The image of the body is very similar in both.

The True Inspiration:

On July 31, 1952, Lt. Coleman A. Peterson shot and killed Maurice Chenoweth at a tavern in Big Bay, Michigan. Voelker (also the author of the book the film is based on) was retained as defense attorney a few days later. Peterson’s wife Charlotte had claimed Chenoweth raped and beat her. 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.

Independently made, the film was shot in several locations in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (Big Bay, Marquette, Ishpeming, and Michigamme). Some scenes were filmed in the Thunder Bay Inn in Big Bay, one block from the Lumberjack Tavern, the site of the 1952 murder that inspired much of the novel.

The language used during the film startled Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, and his police commissioner. As a result, the film was temporarily banned in the heavily Catholic city. Preminger filed a motion in federal court in Illinois and the mayor’s decision was overturned. The film was allowed to be exhibited after the court determined that the clinical language during the trial was realistic and appropriate within the film’s context. Variety claimed that the film contained words never before heard in American films with the Motion Picture Production Code seal such as “contraceptive”, (sexual) “climax” and “spermatogenesis”.

Anatomy of a Murder has been well received by members of the legal and educational professions. In 1989, the American Bar Association rated this as one of the 12 best trial films of all time. In addition to its plot and musical score, the article noted: “The film’s real highlight is its ability to demonstrate how a legal defense is developed in a difficult case. How many trial films would dare spend so much time watching lawyers do what many lawyers do most (and enjoy least) – research?” The film has also been used as a teaching tool in law schools, as it encompasses (from the defense standpoint) all of the basic stages in the U.S. criminal justice system from client interview and arraignment through trial. 

This was James Stewart’s last Oscar-nominated performance. It also was George C. Scott’s first Oscar-nominated performance.

Otto Preminger sued Columbia Pictures and its TV subsidiary Screen Gems when it sold this film in a package of 60 films to television for $10 million. In New York, ABC interrupted the 160-minute film 13 times with 36 commercials. Preminger was furious that his film was being mutilated and took them to court in a highly publicized case. He lost.

The Random Draw for Next Picture:

Next up, we’ll be discussing The Wrong Guy

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