The Marcus-Nelson Murders

I love true stories, especially this one. Based on the book by author Selwyn Raab, (a New York Times reporter) "Justice in the Back Room". This film was intense and very close to the book. The main character Louis Humes was played by Gene Woodbury who played the part perfectly as a shy uneducated black kid that was unjustly accused of an attempted rape, a murder in Brooklyn and also implicated in a double homicide in Manhattan. The newspapers in 1963 dubbed this as the Career Girl Murders. The film calls it the Marcus Nelson murders. The story rubbed me the wrong way because at the end, the narration said Humes was still in jail. It also said the prosecutor was elected an assemblyman. I wanted to know about this and read the book. Humes(not his real name) was finally cleared but the NY police tried to pin a mugging charge against him when he was in south Jersey. He was cleared of that too. Kojak is a composite of Selwyn Raab and some police officers that care.

I came across this movie whilst channel surfing and boy was I pleasantly surprised. I was expecting an episode of the TV series but instead got a gritty 70'd classic. This a low down story of Police and the systems corruption which is still relevant today. Telly Savalas is superb as Kojack the only decent cop in New York who is prepared to see the set up that is taking place. A slow reveal with excellent supporting cast makes this a recommendation for everyone. This is truly an undiscovered gem that if it was a cinema movie would still be lauded today. This is a movie that really needs wider exposure. Now how to I go about getting the to show it at the BFI?

Who loves you, baby? Took in another TV movie with the excellent The Marcus-Nelson Murders (1973). Based on the true story of the murder of two girls in NYC and the law's attempt to railroad an innocent suspect, it also serves as the debut on Lt. Theo Kojak, a character that would go on to become an iconic TV detective. Creator-writer Abby Mann (Judgment at Nuremberg) sticks close to the 1963 Wylie-Hoffert murders and the course of events unfold with infuriating intensity. Telly Savalas is unusually subdued as Kojak, perhaps still full from chewing the scenery in Horror Express (1972). Director Joseph Sargent does a fantastic job of unpacking the complex story, even doing the opening murders in POV fashion and including some Rashomon-esque flashbacks as different stories are given for the interrogation. There is a stellar supporting cast including Allen Garfield as a prosecutor; Jose Ferrer as a defense attorney; Gene Woodbury as the accused; Marjoe Gortner as a junkie; Roger Robinson as a drug dealer; Lorraine Gary as Kojak's ex; and Ned Beatty, William Watson and Val Bisoglio as the detectives who illicit the false confession. It ends on a bleak note, but proves to be a perfect launch for the burned out detective who would soon be a household name. The saddest indictment here is that this is almost 50 years old and we're still dealing with the same issues. At least Harlem no longer looks like a bombed out war zone.

This is amazing. Kojak is more low-key here than in the series. His voiceover, especially at the end, is excellent. It's got a semi-documentary tone, thanks to the narration, comparing favorably with The Naked City. The collection of actors is good too --Jose Ferrer, Ned Beatty, Marjoe Gortner, Bruce Kirby, Allen Garfield, etc. This is a little-remembered gem, like so many forgotten pilots for successful TV shows.

If this had been released theatrically, it could have been a candidate for some Oscars, and likely on most "10 best" film lists for 1973. Probably can be easily said that it's at least one of the 10 best TV films ever made, and ranks right up there with DUEL. It's Telly Savales' best performance, and that means he's superb. It's the role he was meant to play and no wonder it became the popular KOJAK television series. I saw this when first broadcast in 1973, and found it completely absorbing, at a time when I was more interested in action and horror stuff, like most kids, and when I could barely sit still for anything dramatic, but Savales held my attention, and the storyline never sagged. Everything in the film is top-notch, and a later second viewing years afterward only confirmed this. You won't be disappointed!