The Atlanta Child Murders (miniseries) explained

Starring:	Calvin Levels Morgan Freeman^[1] James Earl Jones Rip Torn Jason Robards^[2] Lynne Moody Ruby Dee Gloria Foster Paul Benjamin Martin Sheen Andrew Robinson Bill Paxton
Country:	United States
Network:	CBS
Director:	John Erman
Producer:	Bill Finnegan Abby Mann Sheldon Pinchuk Carl Pingitore Gerald Rafshoon^[3]
Runtime:	245 minutes
Language:	English
Music:	Billy Goldenberg

The Atlanta Child Murders is an American television miniseries^[4] that aired on February 10 and 12, 1985 on CBS.^{[5] [6] [7] [8]} The miniseries is a dramatization of the "Atlanta child murders" in which 29 African American children were murdered in Atlanta from summer 1979 through spring 1981. City officials, who had opted not to participate in the production, expressed disappointment at it.^{[9] [10]}

Cast

• Calvin Levels as Wayne Williams
• Morgan Freeman as Ben Shelter
• James Earl Jones as Major Walker
• Rip Torn as Lewis Slaton
• Jason Robards as Alvin Binder
• Lynne Moody as Selena Cobb
• Ruby Dee as Faye Williams
• Gloria Foster as Camille Bell
• Paul Benjamin as Homer Williams
• Martin Sheen as Chet Dettlinger
• Andrew Robinson as Jack Mallard
• Bill Paxton as Campbell

Plot summary

Between the summer of 1979 and the spring of 1981, 29 African American children, adolescents and adults were murdered in Atlanta, Georgia. The killings gained nationwide attention, with many suspecting that they were the work of the Ku Klux Klan or a similar white supremacist group. However, in June 1981, a 23-year-old African American named Wayne Williams was arrested for first-degree murder in the deaths of 27-year-old Nathaniel Carter and 29-year-old Jimmy Ray Payne. Eight months later, Williams was convicted of both killings and sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment. Some parties speculate that Williams was not the real killer, and that local law enforcement officials used him as a scapegoat to bring a seemingly unsolvable case to a close. However, it is generally presumed that Williams was the culprit in most of the murders, if not all of them. No one was ever tried in connection with the other killings.

Reception

• Atlanta officials criticized^{[11] [12]} The Atlanta Child Murders, claiming that it distorted^[13] the facts^[14] of the case.^[15] After a series of negotiations, CBS executives agreed^[16] to insert a disclaimer^[17] alerting viewers that the film is “not a documentary, but a drama based on certain facts surrounding the murder and disappearance of children in Atlanta” ^[18] and includes fictionalized events and characters.^[19]
• In a February 10, 1985 review of The Atlanta Child Murders, the New York Times questioned whether the program should have been made at all, calling it "an irresponsible piece of work."^[20]
• In 2000, Showtime aired a similarly-themed movie entitled Echo of Murder, starring James Belushi and Gregory Hines. When released on DVD, it was retitled Who Killed Atlanta's Children?

Notes and References

1. News: Hill. Michael E.. February 10, 1985. MORGAN FREEMAN/Narrator Expresses Doubts About 'Atlanta'. The Washington Post.
2. News: Corry. John. February 10, 1985. TV VIEW; 'THE ATLANTA CHILD MURDERS': A TRIAL BY TV. The New York Times.
3. News: Clark. Kenneth R.. February 10, 1985. CHILD MURDERS: A MINI-SERIES SURE TO SHOCK. Chicago Tribune.
4. News: Wilson. Joycelyn. The Music of the Murders. The Bitter Southerner.
5. Book: Cook, Gomery, Lichty, Philip S., Douglas, Lawrence Wilson. American Media: The Wilson Quarterly Reader. 1989. Woodrow Wilson Center Press. 182. 9780943875095.
6. Book: Bogart, Leo. September 29, 2017. System and the Public Interest. Routledge. 9781351527613.
7. News: Kempton. Murray. March 14, 1985. Misjudgment at Atlanta. The New York Review.
8. News: February 6, 1985. Experts Debate 1983 Atlanta Murders. The Harvard Crimson.
9. Web site: Clark . Kenneth . CHILD MURDERS: A MINI-SERIES SURE TO SHOCK . Chicago Tribune . February 10, 1985 . 24 December 2022.
10. Web site: Rosenberg . Howard . 'MURDERS': TENSE DRAMA, LIGHT ON DOCUMENTARY . Los Angeles Times . February 6, 1985 . 24 December 2022.
11. News: Lohmann. Bill. February 12, 1985. Wayne Williams views film of Atlanta child murders. UPI.
12. News: Kelley. Bill. February 10, 1985. ATLANTA MURDERS; MINISERIES CREATES A STORM OF PROTEST. Sun Sentinel.
13. News: Schmidt. William E.. February 1, 1985. TV MOVIE ON ATLANTA CHILD KILLINGS STIRS DEBATE AND CASTS DOUBT ON GUILT. The New York Times.
14. News: August 19, 2019. Atlanta child murders: A chronology of the missing and murdered cases. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
15. Web site: THE ATLANTA CHILD MURDERS CONTROVERSY #541777. February 13, 1985. Vanderbilt Television News Archive.
16. News: Harris. Art. February 10, 1985. Reliving the Murders in Atlanta. The Washington Post.
17. News: Levine. Bob. March 11, 1985. Atlanta's long nightmare. Maclean's.
18. Joseph Drolet, The Pursuit of the Atlanta Child Killer: Facts, Fibers, and Forensics (Alpharetta, Ga.: Booklogics, 2022), p. 313.
19. News: Sally Bedell Smith. TV Notes; CBS Turning Cameras on Its Decision-Makers. The New York Times. 1985-02-09.
20. John Corry, "TV View: 'The Atlanta Child Murders': A Trial by TV," New York Times, Feb 10, 1985.