Robert J. Maxwell Based, more or less, in real events in 1913. Mary Phagan, a young girl who works in an Atlanta pencil factory, is found raped and murdered. The ambitious prosecutor (Jordan) manages to pin it on the factory's manager, Leo Frank (Gallagher), who happens to be a happily married Jew. Frank is convicted and sentenced to hang, based mostly on the testimony of a black factory worker (Dutton) and some help from other girls who seem to want their pictures in the paper.Should the governor (Lemon) commute the sentence to life imprisonment? Well -- yes and no. "Yes", because Lemon's own investigation reveals that Dutton has lied and the defense was practically incompetent so there is more than enough room for reasonable doubt, if not for Gallagher's innocence."No", because practically everybody in Georgia wants to see Gallagher get hanged. A commutation would kill Lemon's chances for the senate seat and assure him of complete obscurity.Lemon's is the most interesting character because he's in a conundrum of the sort that psychologists call an approach/avoidance conflict and Immanuel Kant would have seen as a choice between a categorical imperative (what's the moral thing to do?) and a hypothetical imperative (what's in it for me?). As Leo Frank, Gallagher is a tragic figure, a nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn who seems to have been railroaded by tribal sentiments, but he has no choice in the matter. He's like a guy who's just been run over accidentally by a car. Too bad. But Lemon is like the driver of the car who can take off at high speed or stop and face the consequences.It's a well-done TV movie with high production values -- great big ballrooms with balconies, lavish sets, hordes of extras, nifty writing and direction that doesn't shove the tragic or violent moments in our faces. Never -- never -- does the viewer see the jury foreman get to his feet and solemnly say, "Your honor, we find the defendant, Leo Frank, guilty of murder," as the camera zeroes in on the foreman's unshaven, redneck face. That's just one of many clichés avoided.And what a cast! Lemon, Gallagher, Kevin Spacey in a minor role, Bill Macy in an even smaller part, Paul Dooley, Robert Prosky, Cynthia Nixon. Among the best performances are those of Charles S. Dutton as a sly and savvy liar and Loretta Devine as the girl he flirts with in the jail. Frank's wife is played by Rebecca Miller, whose beauty combines conventional prettiness with elegance. And a musical score by Maurice Jarre that evokes the hymn, "What A Friend We Have In Jesus." I assume the use of the religious tune is meant to be ironic because, at the end, the good church-going folk string up Leo Frank and kill him.

Michael_Elliott Murder of Mary Phagen, The (1988) **** (out of 4)Extremely powerful drama about the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagen in the factory she worked out in Atlanta, 1913. A determined prosecutor (Richard Jordan) pins the crime on a Jewish manager (Peter Gallagher) who claims his innocence. He's eventually found guilty due in large part to the testimony of a black janitor (Charles S. Dutton) who would normally seem like an unlikely person to get to testify. All of this eventually ends up in the lap of Gov. John Slaton (Jack Lemmon) who will be leaving office soon but must decide whether or not to overturn the conviction, which looks to have been made because the man was Jewish. This story was altered and told in 1937 masterful THEY WON'T FORGET with Claude Rains but this version here is just as good and just as powerful. The movie clocks in at four hours if you include the commercial breaks so it's a long movie but it never felt that way as I was so caught up with what was going on that the movie seemed to run just a few short minutes. The masterful performances make this a must see but so does the story, which is as powerful as an courtroom drama that I've seen. I wasn't overly familiar with the case so I was really hanging on the edge of my seat all through the original case, the Governors investigation as well as the aftermath that followed. I was really shocked to see what type of racism was being used and how much of the bitterness of Atlanta went back to the Civil War days. From what I've read, this film was pretty faithful to the actual events, which makes one scratch their head and question everything that was done. I won't ruin the ending but how everything plays out is just incredibly sad and pathetic.This made-for-TV drama certainly has the drama down as the thing will leave you in suspense from the opening moments to the very final scenes. The performances are great from the veterans but we also get some fresh faces who would become quite famous over time. Kevin Spacey plays an alcoholic reporter who brings the case the media attention. William H. Mac has a small bit as a relative to the dead girl. Gallagher is extremely laid back in his role and delivers a marvelous performance as you can't help but feel sorry for him. The actor certainly digs deep and manages to bring out a lot of emotions without screaming or going over the top. Jordan is equally as great as the seedy prosecutor who might be hiding a few secrets of his own and Dutton nearly steals the film as the man with too many questions of his own to be a so-called witness. Robert Prosky and Kathryn Walker also turn in fine work. Then there's the legend Lemmon who turns in one of the best and most powerful performances of his career. I know that's saying a lot considering how many great roles he has had but he really delivers some strong emotion here and his final speech is extremely touching even if he doesn't say too much. The pain and anger in Lemmon's eyes is all we have to see to know what he feels. The way Lemmon invests himself into the role and the character's motives for trying to bring justice to this case was very believable and heartfelt.

malvernp This mini-series captures Jack Lemmon in a strong role as a real historical figure. Governor Slaton of Georgia risked (and ultimately lost) a promising political career in his search for the truth as to what really happened to Mary Phagan. Lemmon is heroic in an understated way----very different than many of the manic-like comedy performances that conspicuously dotted his long career.The story was filmed before in 1937 by Warner Brothers with Mervyn LeRoy directing as "They Won't Forget." This is the film that launched the career of Lana Turner as a major sex symbol. She played the very small Mary Phagan-like role when just a young teenager---and who could forget her famous stroll through town as she strutted her sexy stuff just before her murder? In "They Won't Forget," the story was changed significantly to eliminate any reference to the Leo Frank-like character as a Jew. Instead, he was depicted as a teacher (not a pencil factory manager) with apparently a Christian background."They Won't Forget" was a typical Warner Brothers social drama of the 1930s. It fudged on the facts but was quite gripping and engrossing. Claude Rains may have been somewhat over-the-top as the prosecuting attorney---but he commanded your attention.On the other hand, "The Murder of Mary Phagan" stays much closer to the true story. It's interesting to compare the two films to see just how much easier it was in 1988 to tell the whole narrative of the Leo Frank case than it was in 1937.For another source of information on this remarkable historical event, seek out Harry Golden's fine book of many years ago---"A Little Girl is Dead."

rt64 This movie involved one of my ancestors on my father's side of the family, Mary Phagan. Back in the 70's my uncle, Leo Phagan, had been researching our family tree and had learned about what happened to Mary Phagan. He shared the information with me and I thought it was a bizarre, yet fascinating story and was pleasantly surprised to see that they actually made a movie about it. Unfortunately, our family has no other claim to fame. It is a great movie with excellent acting and I would recommend it to anyone. I also agree with the previous reviewer that it would be an excellent movie to show in school to a history or sociology class. Hope you enjoy it.