| Series: | Westinghouse Studio One |
| Season: | 7 |
| Episode: | 1 |
| Producer: | Felix Jackson |
| Director: | Franklin Schaffner |
| Length: | 60 minutes |
| Guests: |
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| Episode List: | List of Studio One episodes |
| Prev: | The Cliff |
| Next: | The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N |
"Twelve Angry Men" is a 1954 teleplay directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and written by Reginald Rose for the American anthology television series Studio One. It follows the titular twelve members of a jury as they deliberate a supposedly clear-cut murder trial, and details the tension among them when one juror argues that the defendant might not be guilty. Initially staged as a CBS live production on September 20, 1954, the drama was later rewritten for the stage in 1955 under the same title, and as a feature film in 1957 titled 12 Angry Men. The episode garnered three Emmy Awards for writer Rose, director Schaffner, and Robert Cummings as Best Actor.[1] [2] [3]
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 (Robert Cummings) is the holdout voting not guilty. Juror #3 (Franchot Tone) 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 switchblade, 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 is a very strange knife. When the knife is brought into the jury room, Juror #8 pulls an identical knife from his pocket, and reveals he bought one from a junk shop around the corner from the defendant's house, suggesting it is less "strange" than what the shopkeeper thought.
Juror #8 asks for a secret ballot. If there are still 11 guilty votes, Juror #8 will go along. But if anyone votes not guilty, they will stay and talk it out. The votes are handed in.
The Foreman then reads the votes to everyone and, to their surprise, finds that another juror voted “not guilty”. There are now only 10 guilty votes. Juror #10 demands to know who it was, & Juror #3 believes it was #5 and berates him for it. Juror #9 (Joseph Sweeney) defends him and 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 notes the old man was confused during the trial and suggests he may not have been precise when he stated it was 15 seconds. 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 #2 times him with a watch and reveals the reenactment took 41 seconds. #8 then tells everyone that the old man must have assumed it was the defendant as soon as he heard footsteps before opening the door. Juror #3 complains about Juror #8's dishonesty and insists the defendant must face punishment. When Juror #8 calls Juror #3 a sadist, Juror #3 lunges and threatens to kill him.
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 knowledge about switch blades, having seen a knife fight, and says they are typically used with an underhand motion, but the wound here was from an overhand motion. Juror #7 changes his vote out of boredom of all the discussion. Juror #11 is disappointed and calls him out for playing with the boy’s life and his lazy reasoning. He demands the #7 take it seriously and provide a legitimate vote and reasoning for it. 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, insisting the defendant must be guilty because, among other assumptions, "There isn't one of them that's got any good in them." The other jurors react in shock at Juror #10's tirade, and Juror #4 threatens Juror #10 to not speak again for the rest of the deliberation.
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.
The cast included performances by:[4]
Betty Furness presents Westinghouse appliances in breaks after each of the acts.[4]
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 recording was made for rebroadcast later on the west coast.[4]
It was written by Reginald Rose especially for Studio One. Felix Jackson was the producer and Franklin Schaffner the director. Wes Laws was the set decorator, and Willard Levitas provided the settings.[4]
The production won three Emmy Awards: for Rose's writing, Schaffner's direction, and for Robert Cummings as Best Actor.
The performance received generally positive reviews. In 1997, Steve Rhodes wrote: "Cummings gives the best of several outstanding performances."[5]