(PEOPLE CLAMORING)
MAN: You did a wonderful job. Wonderful.
(SHUSHING)
MAN: You did it. You did it!
(MAN LAUGHING)
To continue, you've listened to a long and complex case, murder in the first degree.
Premeditated murder is the most serious charge tried in our criminal courts.
You've listened to the testimony,
. you've had the law read to you and interpreted as it applies in this case
It's now your duty to sit down and try and separate the facts from the fancy.
One man is dead.
Another man's life is at stake.
If there's a reasonable doubt in your minds as to the guilt of the accused,
a reasonable doubt, then you must bring me a verdict of not guilty.
If, however, there's no reasonable doubt, then you must, in good conscience,
find the accused guilty.
However you decide , your verdict must be unanimous.
In the event that you find the accused guilty,
the bench will not entertain a recommendation for mercy.
The death sentence is mandatory in this case.
You are faced with a grave responsibility . Thank you, gentlemen.
The alternate jurors are excused.
The jury will now retire.
(EXCLAIMS)
(EXHALES)
Want a piece of gum?
No, thanks.
JUROR #6: This thing isn't moving.
I'll give you a hand with that.
Oh, thank you. That's it.
(SIGHS)
You know something?
I called the Weather Burea u this morning.
This is going to be the hottest day of the year.
You'd think they'd at least air-condition these places.
What is your name, sir?
Oh, it's that one. Yeah.
Thank you very much. Okay, gentlemen. Everybody's here.
Now, if there's anything you want I'll be right outside the door. Just knock.
Okay.
(DOOR LOCKING)
Good morning. I never knew they locked the door.
Sure they lock the door. What did you think?
I don't know. It just never occurred to me.
What's that for?
Oh, I thought we might want to vote by ballot.
Great idea. Maybe we can get him elected senator.
(LAUGHING)
(COUGHING)
How'd you like it?
Oh, I don't know. It was pretty interesting.
Yeah? I almost fell asleep.
I mean, I've never been on a jury before.
No? I've sat on many juries.
What gets me is the wa y those lawyers talk and talk and talk,
even when it's an open-and-shut case like this one.
? I mean, did you ever hear so much talk about nothing
Well, I guess they're entitled.
They're entitled. It's the system, but, if you ask me,
I'd slap those tough kids down before they start any trouble.
? It saves a lot of time and money. Let's get started, huh
JUROR #4: Good idea. JUROR #7: Yeah. Let's get going, huh?
JUROR #7: We've probably all got things to do here.
I figured we'd start out with a five-minute break.
There's one gentleman in the bathroom.
All right. Are we going to sit in order?
Gee, I don't know. I guess so.
Buddy, you're in my seat.
Oh, excuse me.
That's all right.
Hey, that's not a bad view, huh?
What did you think of the case?
I mean, it had a lot of interest for me.
No real dead spots. You know what I mean?
I tell you, we were lucky to get a murder case.
I figured us for an assault or burglary.
Boy, they can be the dullest!
Hey, is that the Woolworth Building?
That's right.
Isn't that funny? I've lived here all my life. I've never been inside that.
JUROR #10: ...you had to sort out all that junk,
like that thing with the movies.
JUROR #7: Yeah, you can say that again. What about that business with the knife?
I mean, asking grown-up people to believe that kind of jazz.
You expect that. You know what we're dealing with.
Yeah, I guess so.
(BLOWING NOSE)
Well, your horn works. Now try your lights.
What, you got a cold? And how.
These hot-weather colds can kill you.
I can hardly touch my nose. You know what I mean?
Sure do. I just got over one.
Oh, come on! Mr. Foreman, let's go here.
Well, the guy's still in the bathroom.
What's new? I didn't get a chance to see a paper this morning.
I was only wondering how the market closed.
You got a seat on the exchange?
I'm a broker.
I run a messenger service. The Beck and Call Company.
The name was my wife's idea.
Got 37 men working. Started with nothing.
Okay, men. Let's take our seats, huh?
Yeah, we can all get out of here pretty quick, huh?
I don't know about the rest of you,
but I happen to have tickets to that ball game tonight.
Yanks and Cleveland.
We've got this kid Modjelewski in there.
He's a real bull, this kid. You know...
(IMITATING BALL ZIPPING)
Real jug handle. You know?
(IMITATING BALL ZIPPING)
You're a real baseball fan, aren't you?
Where do w e sit here?
I thought we'd sit in order, you know, by jury numbers.
One, two, three, four, five and so on around the table,
if that's okay with you gentlemen.
What's the difference?
I think it's reasonabl e to sit in order.
Let it be.
Number twelve, you sit down right here.
Yeah, we have 12. We go around... Start with you at one, right?
. Two, three, four, five, six. Two, three, four..
What was your impression of the prosecuting attorney?
I beg pardon?
I thought he was really sharp,
the way he handled all those points, one by one, in logical sequence.
I was very impressed.
I think he did an expert job.
A lot of drive, too, you know? Real drive.
Okay, fellows. Can we hold it down a minute?
Fellows? Say, we'd like to get started.
Gentleman at the window.
We'd like to get started. Oh, I'm sorry.
JUROR #10: Pretty tough to figure, isn't it?
The kid kills his father, just like that.
Oh, listen, you analyze the figures, you'll see it happens all the time.
I'm telling you, they let those kids run wild up there.
Well, maybe it serves him right. You know what I mean?
Is everyone here?
The old man is inside.
Would you knock on the door for him?
Yeah.
? Are you a Yankee fan
No, Baltimore.
Baltimore?
. It's like being hi t in the head with a crowbar once a day
(CHUCKLES)
Who have they got? I mean, who have they got besides good groundskeepers?
JUROR #1: Say, we'd like to get started.
Forgive me, gentlemen. I didn't mean to keep you waiting.
Baltimore?
Okay, gentlemen, if I can have your attention.
You fellows can handle this thing any way that you want to.
I'm... You know, I'm not going to make any rules.
We can, well, discuss it first, and then vote on it.
That's, of course... That's one way.
And, well, we can vote on it right now, then.
I think it's customary to take a preliminary vote.
Yeah, let's vote.
Who knows? Maybe we can all get out of here.
Uh-huh.
Okay. Then I think that, of course, you know that
we have a first-degree murder charge here,
and if we vote the accused guilty,
we've got to send him to the chair.
That's mandatory.
I think we know that.
Yeah, let's se e who's where.
JUROR #1: Okay. Anyone doesn't want to vote?
JUROR #12: It's fine with me.
Okay, then, just remember that this has to be 12 to nothing, either way.
That's the law. Okay, are we ready?
All those voting guilty, please raise your hands.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
eight, nine, ten, eleven.
. Okay, that's 11 guilty
Those voting not guilty?
One. Right.
. 11 guilty, one not guilty
Well, now we know where we are.
. Boy, oh, boy! There's always one
) (CHUCKLING
So, what do we do now?
I guess we talk.
JUROR #10: Boy, oh, boy!
You really think he's innocent?
I don't know.
You sat in court with the rest of us. You heard what we did.
The kid's a dangerous killer, you could see it.
He's 18 years old.
Well, that's old enough.
. He stabbed his own father four inches into the chest
They proved it a dozen different ways in court.
Would you like me to list them for you?
No.
Then what do you want?
I just want to talk.
What's there to talk about?
11 men in here think he's guilty.
No one had to think about it twice, except you.
I want to ask you something.
Do you believe his story?
I don't know whether I believe it or not. Maybe I don't.
So how come you vote not guilty?
There were 11 vote s for guilty.
It's not easy to raise my hand
and send a boy off to die without talking about it first.
Well, now, who says it's easy?
No one.
What? Just because I voted fast?
I honestly think the guy is guilty.
Couldn't change my mind if you talked for 100 years.
I'm not trying to change your mind.
It's just that...
We're talking about somebody's life here.
We can't decide it in five minutes. Supposing we're wrong?
Supposing we're wrong.
Supposing this building should fall down on my head?
You can suppose anything.
That's right.
What's the difference how long it takes?
Supposing we do it in five minutes? So what?
Let's take an hour. The ball game doesn't start till 8:00.
Who's got something to say?
I'm willing to sit for an hour.
Great. I heard a pretty good stor y last night...
That's not why we're sitting here.
All right, then you tell me.
What are we sitting here for?
I don't know. Maybe no reason.
Look, this kid's been kicked around all of his life.
You know, born in a slum, mother dead since he was nine.
He lived for a year and a half in an orphanage
when his father was serving a jail term for forgery.
That's not a very happy beginning.
He's a wild, angry kid, that's all he's ever been. And you know why?
Because he's been hit on the head by somebody once a day, every day.
He's had a pretty miserable 18 years.
I just think we owe him a few words, that's all.
I don't mind telling you this, mister. We don't owe him a thing.
He got a fair trial, didn't he?
What do you think that trial cost?
He's lucky he got it. Know what I mean?
Look, we're all grown-ups in here.
We heard the facts, didn't we?
You're not going to tell m e that we're supposed to believe this kid,
knowing what he is.
. Listen, I've lived among them all my life
You can't believe a word they say.
. You know that. I mean, they're born liars
Only an ignorant man can believe that.
Now, listen...
Do you think you were born with a monopoly on the truth?
I think certain things should be pointed out to this man.
JUROR #7: Come on, this isn't Sunday. We don't need a sermon.
JUROR #1: Come on, we have a job to do, now let's do it.
Rice Pops. It's a product I work on at the agency.
"The breakfast with the built-in bounce." I wrote that line.
Very catchy.
Say, do you mind?
Oh, I'm sorry.
I have this habit of doodling. It keeps me thinking clearly
We have all this work to do. There's no poin t staying here forever.
I'm sorry.
Okay.
Now perhaps if the gentleman down there who's disagreeing with us,
well, perhaps you could tell us why.
You know, let us know what you're thinking
and we might be able to show you where you're mixed up.
Well, look, maybe this is an idea.
Now, I haven't given it much thought,
but it seems to me that it's up to the group of us to convince this gentleman
that he's wrong and we're right.
Now, maybe if we each took a couple of minutes just to...
Well, it was just a quick idea.
No, no, no. That's a good one.
JUROR #1: Supposing we go once around the table?
I guess you're first.
Well I...
It's hard to put into words.
I just think he's guilty.
I thought it was obvious from the word go.
I mean, nobody proved otherwise.
Nobody has to prove otherwise. The burden of proof's on the prosecution.
. The defendant doesn't even have to open his mouth. That's in the Constitution
Oh, well, sure, I know that. What I meant was, is...
. Well, I just think he's guilty. I mean, somebody saw him do it
Okay. Here's what I think, and I have no personal feelings about this.
I just want to talk about facts.
Number one.
The old man lived downstairs under the room where the killing took place.
At 12:10 on the night of the killing, he heard loud noises.
Said it sounded like a fight.
And he heard the kid yell out, "I'm going to kill you."
A second later, he heard a body hit the floor.
Ran to the door, opened it up,
saw the kid running down the stairs and out of the house.
Called the police. They came in and found the old man with the knife in his chest.
The coroner fixed the time of death around midnight.
Now, these are facts.
You can't refute facts. The kid is guilty.
I'm just as sentimental as the next fellow. I know he's only 18.
But he's still got to pay for what he did.
JUROR #7: I'm with you.
JUROR #1: Okay. Are you finished?
Yeah. JUROR #1: Right. Next.
It is obvious to me, anyway, that the boy's entire story was flimsy.
He claimed he was at the movies during the time of the killing
and yet one hour later,
he couldn't remember the names of the films he saw or who played in them.
JUROR #3: That's right.
And no one saw him going in or out of the theater.
Listen, what about the woman across the street?
If her testimony don't prove it, nothing does.
That's right. She was the one who actually saw the killing.
JUROR #1: Now, fellows, please. Let's go in order here, huh?
Just a minute. Here's a woman...
(COUGHING)
Here's a woman who's lying in bed.
She can't sleep. She's dying with the heat. You know what I mean?
Anyway she looks out the window, and right across the street
she sees the kid stick the knife into his father.
The time is 12:10 on the nose. Everything fits.
Look, she's known the kid all his life.
His window is right opposite hers across the El tracks,
and she swore she saw him do it.
Through the windows of a passing El train.
Right. This El train had no passengers on it.
It was just being moved downtown.
The lights were out, remember?
And they proved in court that at night
you can look through the windows of an El train when the lights are out
and see what's happening on the other side. They proved it.
I'd like to ask you something.
You don't believe the boy' s story. How come you believ e the woman's?
She's one of them, too, isn't she?
You're a pretty smart fellow, aren't you?
JUROR #1: Okay, gentlemen. Now, gentlemen.
Come on, sit down. Sit down.
What's he so wise about? I'm telling you...
JUROR #1: Okay, now come on. Now we're not going to get anywhere fighting.
Whose turn is it next?
Oh, his. Number five.
Can I pass?
JUROR #1: Well, that's your privilege.
How about the next gentleman?
Oh. Well, I don't know.
I started to be convinced, you know, very early in the case.
You see, I was looking for a motive.
That's very important because if you don't have a motive,
where's your case, right?
Anyway, that testimony from those people
in the apartment across the hall from the kid's apartment,
. that was very powerful
, Didn't they say something about a fight, an argument
between the old man and his son around about 7:00 that night?
I mean, I could be wrong but...
It was 8:00, not 7:00. It was 8:00, that's right.
They heard an argument. They couldn't hear what it was about.
Then they heard the father hit the boy twice.
(COUGHING)
Finally they saw the boy run, angry, out of the house. What does that prove?
It don't exactly prove anything.
. It's just part of the picture
You said it provided a motive.
The prosecuting attorney said the same thing.
I don't think that was a very strong motive.
This boy has been hit so many times in his life that violence is practically...
It's a normal state of affairs with him.
I just can't see two slaps in the face provoking him into committing murder.
It may have been two too many. Everyone has a breaking point.
JUROR #1: Anything else?
(SIGHING) No.
JUROR #1: Okay. How about you?
I don't know. It's all been said.
You can talk here forever. It's still the same thing.
This kid is 5 for 0.
Well, look at his record.
When he was 10, he was in children's court.
He threw a rock at a teacher.
When he was 15, he was in reform school.
He stole a car.
He's been arrested for mugging.
He was picked up twice for knife fighting.
They say he's real handy with a knife.
Oh, this is a very fine boy.
Ever since he was five years old, his father beat him up regularly.
He used his fists.
So would I. A kid like that?
It's these kids, the way they are nowadays.
When I was a kid, I used to call my father "Sir".
That's right, "Sir". Do you ever hear a kid call his father that anymore?
JUROR #8: Fathers don't seem to think it's important anymore.
You got any kids?
JUROR #8: Three.
I got one.
He's 22 years old.
When he was nine years old , he ran away from a fight.
I saw it. I was so embarrassed, I almost threw up.
I said, "I'm going to make a man out of you if I have to break you in two trying."
Well, I made a man out of him.
. When he was 16 , we had a fight
Hit me in the jaw. He was a big kid.
I haven't seen him for two years.
(SCOFFS)
Kids.
You work your heart out...
Well, let's get going.
JUROR #4: I think we're missing the point here.
This boy, let's say he's the product of a broken home and a filthy neighborhood.
We can't help that.
We're here to decide whether he's innocent or guilty.
Not to go into the reasons why he grew up the way he did.
He was born in a slum. Slums are breeding grounds for criminals.
I know it and so do you.
It's no secret that children from slum backgrounds are potential menaces to society.
Now, I think... Brother, you can say that again.
The kids who crawl out of these places are real trash.
I don't want any part of them, I'm telling you.
Listen, I...
I've lived in a slum all my life.
JUROR #10: Wait a minute. Please. I...
I've played in backyards that were filled with garbage.
Maybe you can still smell it on me.
JUROR #10: Now, listen, sonny...
JUROR #1: Come on, now. There's nothing personal.
. No, there was something personal
Come on, fellow. He didn't mean you. Let's not be so sensitive.
This sensitivity I can understand.
Okay, look. Let's stop the arguing. We're only wasting time.
Your turn down there. Let's go.
I didn't expect a turn. I thought you were all going to try to convince me.
Wasn't that the idea?
JUROR #12: Check, that was the idea.
I forgot about that. He's right.
What difference does it make? He's the one who's keeping us in here.
Let's hear what he's got to say.
Now, wait a minute. We decided to do this a certain way.
I think we ought to stick to that way.
Oh, stop being a kid, will you?
What do you mean, "a kid"?
. What do you think I mean? K-I-D, kid
Listen, just because I'm trying to keep this thing organized?
Here, you take it. You take on the responsibility.
I'll just keep my mouth shut, that's all.
What are you getting so hot about? Calm down, will you?
Don't tell me to calm down. Here, you want to take the chair?
Just take the chair, that's all.
See if you can keep it running. Did you ever see such a thing?
Listen, you think it's funny or something?
Hey, forget it, fellow. The whole thing's unimportant. Come on.
Unimportant? Well, here, you try it.
No. Nobody wants to change. You're doing a beautiful job. Sit down.
JUROR #7: Yeah, you're doing great. Just great, fellow. You stay in there and pitch.
All right, let's hear from somebody.
JUROR #8: Well, if you want me to tell you how I feel about it, it's all right with me.
Boy, I don't care what you do.
All right. I don't have anything brilliant.
I only know as much as you do.
According to the testimony, the boy looks guilty. Maybe he is.
I sat there in court for six days listening while the evidence built up.
Everybody sounded so positive.
I began to get a peculiar feeling about this trial.
I mean, nothing is that positive.
There are a lot of questions I'd have liked to ask.
I don't know, maybe they wouldn't have meant anything but...
I began to get the feeling that the defense counsel
wasn't conducting a thorough enough cross-examination. I'm not...
He let too many things go by. Little things.
? What little things
Listen, when these fellows don't ask questions,
it's because they know the answers already and they figure they'll be hurt.
Maybe. It's also possible for a lawyer to be just plain stupid, isn't it?
I mean, it's possible.
You sound like you met my brother-in-law once.
(CHUCKLES)
(COUGHING)
I kept putting myself in the kid's place.
I'd have asked for another lawyer, I think.
I mean, if I was on trial for my life,
I'd want my lawyer to tear the prosecution witnesses to shreds, or at least try to.
Look, there was one alleged eyewitness to this killing.
Someone else claims he heard the killing, saw the boy run out afterwards,
. and there was a lot of circumstantial evidence
But actually those two witnesses were the entire case for the prosecution.
Supposing they're wrong?
What do you mean, "Supposing they're wrong?"
What's the point of having witnesses at all?
Could they be wrong?
What are you trying to say? Those people sat on the stand under oath.
They're only people. People make mistakes. Could they be wrong?
Well, no. I don't think so.
? Do you know so
Oh, come on, nobody can know a thing like that.
This isn't an exact science.
That's right, it isn't.
Okay, let's get to the point.
What about the switch knif e they found in the old man's chest?
Wait a minute, there's some people who haven't talked yet.
Shouldn't we go in order?
They'll get a chance to talk. Be quiet a second, will you?
Well, what about it?
The knife this fine, upright boy admitted buyin g the night of the killing?
Let's talk about it.
All right. Let's talk about it.
Let's get it in here and look at it.
I'd like to see it again. Mr. Foreman?
JUROR #3: We all saw what it looks like. Why do we have to see it again?
JUROR #4: The gentleman has a right to see exhibits and evidence.
Say, could you bring us the knife ? The knife?
Yeah. Thank you. Sure.
The knife and the way it was bought is pretty strong evidence, don't you think?
I do. Good.
Now suppose we take these facts one at a time.
One, the boy admitted going out of the house at 8:00 on the night of the murder
after being slapped several times by his father.
No, no, no, he didn't say "slapped." He said "punched."
. There's a difference between a slap and a punch
After being hit several times by his father.
Two, he went directly to a neighborhood junk shop where he bought one of those...
Switch knives.
Switchblade knives.
This wasn't what you'd call an ordinary knife.
It had a very unusual carved handle and blade.
The storekeeper who sold it to him
said it was the only one of its kind he had ever had in stock.
Three, he met some friends of his in front of a tavern about 8:45.
Am I right so far?
Yes, you are.
You bet he is.
He talked with his friends for about an hour, leaving them at 9:45.
During this time, they saw the switch knife.
Four, they identified the death weapon in court as that very same knife.
Five, he arrived home at about 10:00.
Now, this is where the stories offered by the State and the boy
begin to diverge slightly.
He claims that he went to a movie at about 11:30,
returning home at 3:10 to find his father dead and himself arrested.
JUROR #8: He also claims that the two detectives who arrested him
threw him down a half a flight of stairs.
Now, what happened to the switch knife?
He claims that it fell through a hole in his pocket on the way to the movie,
sometime between 11:30 and 3:10,
and that he never saw it again.
Now, there is a tale, gentlemen.
I think it's quite clear that the boy never went to the movies that night.
No one in the house saw him go out at 11:30.
No one at the theater identified him.
He couldn't even remember the names of the pictures he saw.
(DOOR OPENING)
What actually happened is this.
The boy stayed home, had another fight with his father,
stabbed him to death and left the house at 12:10.
He even remembered to wipe the knife clean of fingerprints.
Now are you trying to tell me that this knife really fell through a hole
in the boy's pocket, someone picked it up off the street,
went to the boy's house and stabbed his father with it just to test its sharpness?
No, I'm just saying it's possible the boy lost his knife
and that somebody else stabbed his father with a similar knife.
. It's just possible
Take a look at this knife.
It's a very unusual knife. I've never seen one like it.
Neither had the storekeeper who sold it to the boy.
Aren't you asking us to accept a pretty incredible coincidence?
I'm just saying a coincidence is possible.
And I say it's not possible.
Where did that come from?
It's the same knife!
What do you think you're doing?
Where did you get it?
I went out walking for a couple of hours last night.
I walked through the boy's neighborhood.
I bought that at a little pawn shop just two blocks from the boy's house.
It cost $6.
It's against the law to buy or sell switchblade knives.
That's right. I broke the law.
Listen, you pulled a real bright trick.
Now supposing you tell me what it proves.
Maybe there are 10 knives like that. So what?
Maybe there are!
What does it mean?
You found another knife like it. What's that?
The discovery of the age or something?
You mean you're asking us to believe that somebody else did the stabbing
? with exactly the same kind of knife
The odds are a million-to-one.
It's possible!
But not very probable.
JUROR #1: Okay, fellows. Let's take our seats.
There's no point standing around all over the place.
You know, it's interesting that he'd find a knife
exactly like the one the boy bought.
What's interesting about it? Interesting!
Well, I don't know, I just thought it was interesting.
. There are still 11 of us here who think he's guilty
JUROR #10: Right. What do you think you're going to accomplish?
You're not going to change anybody's mind.
So if you want to be stubborn and hang this jury, go ahead.
The kid will be tried again and found guilty , sure as he's born.
You're probably right.
So, what are you going to do? We could be here all night.
JUROR #9: It's only one night. A boy may die.
Well, why don't we just set up house here?
Someone send for Potsy the policeman to get a pinochle deck
and we'll just sweat the whole thing out right here.
(LAUGHING)
I don't think he ought to joke about it.
What do you want me to do about it?
Listen, I don't see what all this stuff about the knife has got to do with anything.
Somebody saw the kid stab his father. What more do we need?
You guys can talk the ears right off my head, you know what I mean?
I got three garages of mine going to pot while you're talking.
So let's get done and get out of here.
The knife was very important to the district attorney. He spent a whole day...
He's a 15th assistant or something. What does he know about it?
JUROR #1: Hey, let's hold it down.
These side arguments are only slowing us up.
JUROR #1: Well, what about it? You're the only one.
I have a proposition to make to all of you.
I'm going to call for another vote.
I want you 11 men to vote by secret written ballot.
I'll abstain. If there are 11 votes for guilty, I won't stand alone.
. We'll take in a guilty verdict to the judge right now
But if anyone votes not guilty,
we stay here and talk it out.
That's it. If you want to try it, I'm ready.
JUROR #7: All right. Let's do it the hard way.
That sounds fair. Everyone agreed? Anyone doesn't agree?
Fine, let's go. Pass these along.
"Guilty."
"Not guilty."
JUROR #1: "Guilty."
Boy, how do you like that?
And another chap flips his wings!
All right. Who was it? Come on, I want to know.
Excuse me. This was a secret ballot. We all agreed on that, no?
If the gentleman wants it to remain secret...
Secret? What do you mean, "secret"?
There are no secrets in a jury room. I know who it was.
Brother, you really are something.
You sit here, vote guilty like the rest of us,
then some golden-voiced preacher starts tearing your poor heart out
about some underprivileged kid
just couldn't help becoming a murderer and you change your vote.
If that isn't the most sickening...
Why don't you drop a quarter in his collection box?
Oh, now just wait a... Listen, you can't talk to me like that.
Who do you think you are?
Calm down, calm down.
JUROR #5: Who does he think he is? It doesn't matter.
He's very excitable. Sit down.
"Excitable"? You bet I'm excitable!
We're trying to put a guilty man in the chair, where he belongs.
Someone starts telling us fairytales and we're listening!
JUROR #1: Hey, come on.
What made you change your vote?
He didn't change his vote. I did.
JUROR #10: Oh, fine. JUROR #7: I knew it.
Would you like me to tell you why?
No, I wouldn't like you to tell me why.
Well, I'd like to make it clear anyway, if you don't mind.
? Do we have to listen to this
The man wants to talk.
Thank you.
This gentleman has been standing alone against us.
Now he doesn't say the boy is not guilty.
. He just isn't sure
It's not easy to stand alone against the ridicule of others.
So he gambled for support, and I gave it to him. I respect his motives.
The boy on trial is probably guilty, but I want to hear more.
Right now, the vote is 10-2.
! I'm talking here! You have no right to leave this room
He can't hear you. He never will. Let's sit down.
Shall we continue?
Well, I think we ought to take a break.
You know, one man's inside and I think we ought to wait for him.
Looks like we're really hung up here, huh?
I mean, that thing with the old man, that was pretty unexpected.
Wish I could figure out some way we could break it up.
(CHUCKLES)
You know, in advertising...
I told you I worke d in an agency?
Mmm-hmm.
You know, there's some pretty strange people working there.
Well, they're not strange, really.
I guess it's just they have peculiar ways of expressing themselves.
You know what I mean.
Well, of course, I suppose it's the same in your business too, huh?
What do you do?
I'm a watchmaker.
Really? I imagine the finest watchmakers in the world come from Europe.
Well, anyway, as I was telling you, in an agency, when we reach a point like this...
I'm telling him about in an ad agency when a point like this is reached in a meeting,
there's always some character ready with an idea, see.
And it kills me. It's the weirdest thing in the world
the way they sometimes precede their idea with a phrase, see, like,
some account exec will get up and he'll say,
"Okay, here's an idea. Let's
"run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes it."
I mean, it's idiotic, but it's funny.
Hey, I got a little excited back there.
I didn't mean to get nasty.
Glad you're not one of those who lets these emotional appeals influence him.
I don't know what's the matter with that fan. Can't seem to get it started.
(SCATTING)
Are you a salesman?
I'm an architect.
You know what the soft sell is?
Well, you've got it, believe me.
I've got a different technique.
Laughs, drinks, jokes, tricks. You know?
Yeah.
"Hit them where they live, " that's my motto.
I made 27 grand last year selling marmalade.
That's not bad. I mean, you know, considering marmalade.
What are you getting out of this? Kicks?
? Or did somebody bump you on the head one time and you haven't gotten over it
Maybe.
You know, you do-gooders are all alike.
You're always blowing your stacks over some guy that fanned.
But what are you wasting our time for?
Why don't you donate $5 to the cause and maybe it'll make you feel better.
This kid is guilty, pal.
It's as plain as the nose on your face.
So why don't we stop wasting our time here?
We're going to all get sore throats if we keep it up.
What difference does it make if you get it here or at the ball game?
No difference, pal.
No difference at all.
(WHISTLING)
Nice bunch of guys , huh?
They're about the same as anyone else.
(SIGHING)
Boy, what a murderous day.
Do you think we'll be much longer?
I don't know.
He's guilty for sure. Not a doubt in the whole world.
We should've been done already.
Oh, I don't mind, you know.
(CHUCKLES)
Beats working.
Uh...
You think he's not guilty, huh?
I don't know. It's possible.
Well, I don't know you, but I'm betting you've never been wronger in your life.
You're wasting your time. You ought to wrap it up.
Supposing you were the one that was on trial?
Well, I'm not used to supposing. I'm just a working man.
My boss does the supposing.
But I'll try one.
Supposing you talk us all out of this
and the kid really did knife his father, huh?
Are you ready?
Sorry, blue eyes.
Well, where else?
JUROR #1: Okay, fellows. Let's take our seats.
Looks like we'll be here for dinner, huh?
Okay, now let's get down to business.
Now who wants to start it off?
I will.
Okay, go.
You, down there.
The old man who lived downstairs says
he heard the kid yell out, "I'm going to kill you."
A second later, he heard the body hit the floor.
Now he ran to the door and he saw
the kid running down the stairs and out of the house.
What does that mean to you?
I was wondering how clearly the old man
could have heard the boy's voice through the ceiling.
He didn't hear it through the ceiling. The window was open.
So was the one upstairs. It was a hot night, remember?
It was another apartment. It's not that easy to identify a voice,
particularly a shouting voice.
JUROR #12: He identified it in court.
JUROR #3: That's right, and don't forget the lady across the street,
she looked right in the open window
and saw the boy stab his father. Isn't that enough for you?
No, it isn't.
Boy, how do you like this guy?
It's like talking into a dead phone.
JUROR #4: She said she saw the killing through
the windows of a moving elevated train.
There were six cars on the train. She saw the killing through the last two cars.
She remembered the most insignificant details.
I don't see how you can argue with that.
Has anybody here any idea how long it would take an el...
This isn't a game.
Did you see him?
The nerve! JUROR #1: All right. Listen to me.
The absolute nerve!
All right. Forget it. It's not important.
"This isn't a game"?
Who does he think he is?
JUROR #1: Forget it now.
Has anybody any idea how long it takes
an elevated train going at medium speed to pass a given point?
. What has that to do with anything? How long? Take a guess
I wouldn't have the slightest idea.
What do you think?
I don't know, maybe 10, 12 seconds?
I think that's a pretty good guess. Anyone else?
JUROR #11: That sounds right to me.
JUROR #10: Come on. What's the guessing game for?
What do you say? Ten seconds is about right.
All right. Say 10 seconds. What are you getting at?
This. It takes a six-car El train 10 seconds to pas s a given point.
Now, let's say the given point
. is the open window of the room where the killing took place
You can reach out of that window and almost touch the El tracks, right?
Now let me ask you this. Has anyone here ever lived near the El tracks?
. Well, I just finished painting an apartment that overlooked an El line
. I was there for three days
What was it like? Noisy? What do you mean? Oh, brother!
No matter, though. We were punchy.
I lived in a second floor apartment near the El line once.
When the window's open and the train goes by, the noise is almost unbearable.
You can hardly hear yourself think.
JUROR #3: All right, you can't hear yourself think.
Will you get to the point?
I will, now just a minute.
Let's take two pieces of testimony and try to put them together.
First, the old man in the apartment downstairs.
He says he heard the boy say, "I'm going to kill you,"
. and a split-second later heard a body hit the floor
One second later, right? JUROR #2: That's right.
Second, the woman across the street swore positively
she looked out of the window and saw the killing
through the last two cars of a passing elevated train, right?
The last two cars.
JUROR #3: Well, what are you giving us here?
Now, just a minute.
We've agreed that it takes 10 seconds for a train to pass a given point.
Since the woman saw the killing through the last two cars,
we can assume that the bod y hit the floor just as the train went by.
Therefore, the train had been roaring by the old man's window
a full 10 seconds before the body hit the floor.
The old man, according to his own testimony,
"I'm going to kill you," body hitting the floor a split-second later,
t would have had to hear the boy make this statemen
with the El roaring past his nose!
It's not possible he could have heard it.
That's idiotic, of course he heard it.
You think he could have heard it?
He said he yelled at the top of his voice, that's good enough for me...
Even if he heard something , he still couldn't have
. identified the voice with the El roaring by
You're talking about a matter of seconds! Nobody can be that accurate.
Well, I think testimony that could put a boy into the electric chair
should be that accurate.
Can I tell you something? I don't think he could have heard it.
Maybe he didn't hear it. I mean, with all that El noise.
JUROR #3: What are you people talking about?
JUROR #5: Well, it stands to reason he couldn't have heard it.
Why should he lie? What's he got to gain?
Attention, maybe.
You keep coming in with these bright sayings.
Why don't you send them in to a paper? They pay $3 apiece!
What are you talking to him like that for?
A guy talks like that to a n old man really ought to ge t stepped on, you know.
You ought to have more respect, mister.
You say stuff like tha t to him again, I'm goin g to lay you out.
Now you go ahead. You say anything you like.
Why do you think the old man might lie?
It was just that I looked at him for a very long time.
The seam of his jacket was split, under the shoulder.
Did you notice that? I mean, to come to court like that.
(JUROR #10 COUGHING)
He was a very old man in a torn jacket,
and he walked very slowly to the stand.
He was dragging his left leg and trying to hide it
. because he was ashamed
I think I know this man better than anyone here.
This is a quiet, frightened,
insignificant old man
who has been nothing all his life.
Who has never had recognition or his name in the newspapers.
Nobody knows him. Nobody quotes him.
Nobody seeks his advice after 75 years.
Gentlemen, that's a very sad thing, to mean nothing.
A man like this needs to be quoted, to be listened to.
To be quoted just once, very important to him.
It would be so hard for him to recede into the background.
JUROR #7: Wait a minute. What are you trying to do?
Tell us he'd lie just so he could be important once?
No. He wouldn't really lie.
But perhaps he made himself believe he heard those words
and recognized the boy's face.
That's the most fantastic story I've ever heard.
How can you make up a thing like that? What do you know about it?
Does anybody want a cough drop?
No, thanks. JUROR #8: I'll take one.
JUROR #12: You can say what you like,
but I still don't see how anybody can think he's not guilty.
There's something else I'd like to talk about for a minute.
Thanks.
I think we've proved that the old man couldn't have heard the boy say,
"I'm going to kill you." But supposing...
? You didn't prove it at all ! What are you talking about
Wait. Supposing he really did hear it?
This phrase, how many time s have all of us used it? Probably thousands.
"I could kill you for that, darling."
"Junior, you do that once more and I'm going to kill you."
"Get in there, Rocky, and kill him." We say it everyday.
That doesn't mean we're really gonna kill anybody.
Wait a minute. What are you trying to give us here?
The phrase was, "I'm going to kill you."
The kid yelled it at the top of his lungs.
Don't tell me he didn't mean it.
Anybody says a thing like that the way he said it, they mean it!
Well, gee, now I don't know.
o I remember I was arguing with the guy I work next t
at the bank a couple of weeks ago.
He called me an idiot, so I yelled at him.
Now listen, this guy is trying to make you believe things that aren't so!
The kid said he was going to kill him and he did kill him.
Let me ask you this, do you really think
the boy would shout it out a thing like that
so the whole neighborhood could hear him?
I don't think so. He's much too bright for that.
Bright? He's a common, ignorant slob.
He don't even speak good English.
. He doesn't even speak good English
Mr. Foreman, I'd like to change my vote to not guilty.
You what?
You heard me.
JUROR #1: Are you sure?
Yeah, I'm sure.
The vote is 9-3 in favor of guilty.
Well, if this isn't the living end!
What are you basing it on? Stories this guy made up?
You ought to write for one of those kooky detective magazines,
you'd make a fortune.
For crying out loud, the kid's own lawyer knew he didn't stand a chance.
Right from the beginning, his own lawyer knew, and you could see it.
Boy, oh, boy, I'm telling you. This guy here is really something.
Look, the kid had a lawyer , didn't he?
He presented his case, not you.
How come you got so much to say?
JUROR #5: Look, lawyers aren't infallible, you know.
Baltimore, please.
He was court-appointed.
Now what's that supposed to mean?
Well, it could mean a lot of things.
It could mean he didn't want the case or he resented being appointed.
It's the kind of case that brings you nothing,
no money, no glory, not even much chance of winning.
That's not a very promising situation for a young lawyer.
He'd really have to believ e in his client to put up any kind of a good case
and as you pointed out a minute ago, obviously he didn't.
Of course he didn't.
Who the heck could?
Except maybe some guy's mother or somebody, I...
Oh, look. Will you look at the time? Come on, for crying...
Pardon me. I have made some notes here,
and I would like, please, to say something.
I have been listening very carefully and
it seems to me that this man has some very good points to make.
From what was presented at the trial,
the boy looks guilty, on the surface.
But maybe if we go deeper...
Come on, will you?
There is a question I would like to ask.
Let us assume that the boy really did commit the murder.
Now, this happened at 12:10.
Now, how was he caught by the police?
He came back home at 3:00 or so,
and he was captured by two detectives in the hallway of his house.
Now, my question is, if he really had killed his father,
why would he come back hom e three hours later?
Wouldn't he be afraid of being caught?
He came home to get his knife.
It's not nice to go around leaving knives sticking in people's chests.
Yeah, especially relatives'.
(LAUGHING)
JUROR #4: I don't see anything funny about it.
The boy knew the knife could be identified as the one he had just bought.
He had to get it before the police did.
JUROR #11: But if he knew the knife could be identified,
why did he leave it there in the first place?
Well, I think we can assum e the boy ran out in a state of panic
after having just killed his father.
When he finally calmed down, he realized he'd left his knife there.
" This, then, depends on your definition of "panic.
He would have had to be calm enough
to see to it that there were no fingerprints left on the knife.
? Now, where did this panic start and where did it end
Look, you voted guilty . What side are you on?
I don't believe I have to be loyal to one side or the other.
I'm simply asking questions.
Well, this is just off the top of my head,
g but if I were the boy and I'd done the stabbing and everythin
I'd take a chance and go back for the knife.
I'll bet he figured that nobody had seen him running out
and that the body wouldn't be discovered till the next day.
After all, it was the middle of the night.
I'll bet he figured nobody would find the body till the next day.
Pardon. This is my whole point.
The woman across the street testified
that the moment after she saw the killing,
that is, a moment after the train went by,
she screamed, and then went to telephone the police.
Now, the boy certainly must have heard the scream,
so he knew that somebody saw something.
I just don't think that he would have gone back.
Two things. One, in his state of panic, he may not have heard the scream.
Perhaps it wasn't very loud.
Two, if he did hear it, he may not have connected it with his own acts.
Remember, he lived in a neighborhood where screams were fairly commonplace.
There's your answer.
Maybe. Maybe the boy did kill his father.
Didn't hear the scream, did run out in a panic,
did calm down
three hours later and come back to get the knife,
risking being caught by the police.
Maybe all of those things happened, but maybe they didn't.
I think there's enough doubt that we can wonder
whether he was there at all during the time the killing took place.
? What do you mean, "doubt"? What are you talking about
Didn't the old man see him running out of the house?
He's twisting the facts. I'm telling you.
Did or didn't the old man see the kid running out of the house at 12:10?
? Well, did or didn't he
. He says he did
Says he did? Boy, how do you like that?
Look, witnesses can make mistakes.
Sure, when you want them to they do.
Or when he wants them to they do! You know what I mean?
Keep the yelling down.
Oh, you keep saying that. Maybe what we need is a little yelling in here.
These guys keep going off every which way.
Did hear the scream, didn't hear the scream,
what difference does it make?
You people are talking only about the little details.
You're forgetting the important stuff. I mean, all of a sudden...
I'm gonna call for another vote.
I'm talking here!
Another vote called for.
Now let's take our seats.
I never saw so much time spent on nothing.
It only takes a second.
JUROR #1: Okay, I guess the fastest way is to find out who's voting not guilty.
All those voting not guilty, please raise your hands.
Still the same. One, two, three not guilty . Nine guilty.
JUROR #7: So now where are we?
I'll tell you, we can yakety-yak here till next Tuesday.
Where's it all getting us?
Pardon. I vote not guilty.
(JURORS EXCLAIMING)
What are you talking about?
I mean, we're all going crazy in here or something.
The kid is guilty. Why don't you listen to the facts?
Tell him, will you? This is getting to be a joke.
JUROR #1: The vote is 8-4 in favor of guilty.
Hey, what is this? "Love Your Underprivileged Brother" week or something?
I want you to get up and tell me why you changed your vote.
Come on, now, give me reasons.
I don't have to defend my decision to you.
There is a reasonable doubt in my mind.
What reasonable doubt? That's nothing but words.
. Here, look at this
The kid you just decided isn't guilty
was seen ramming this into his father!
Now what about this, Mr. Reasonable Doubt?
That's not the knife, don't you remember?
Oh, brilliant!
I'm telling you, this is the craziest.
I mean, what are we supposed to believe?
You're sitting here, you're pulling stories out of thin air, you know?
A guy like this, if he's sitting ringside at the Dempsey-Firpo fight,
he'd be trying to tell you that...
Look. Now what about the old man?
Are we supposed to believe that he didn't get up and run to his door
and see the kid tearing down the steps 15 seconds after the killing?
He's just saying so to be important, right?
What's the point of the whole thing? Hold on a second.
And the Baltimore rooter is heard from again, now.
And pop-ups are falling for base hits wherever we look.
Hey, hold on a second. Now, look.
Did the old man say he ran to the door?
Ran, walked, what's the difference?
He got there, didn't he? No, well, wait a second...
He said he ran. At least, I think he did.
Look, I don't remember what he said,
but I don't see how he could have run to the door.
He said he went from his bedroom to the front door. Now, isn't that enough?
Where was the bedroom? It was down the hall somewhere.
I thought you remembered everything. Don't you remember that?
. No. Mr. Foreman, I'd like to see a diagram of the apartment
JUROR #7: Look, why don't we have him run the trial all over again, so...
Mr. Foreman! How come you'r e the only one
in this room who wants to see exhibits all the time?
I want to see this one, too.
And I'd like to stop wasting time.
If we're going to start wading throug h all that nonsense
. about where the body was found
. We're not. Not unless somebody else wants to
But I'd like to find out if an old man
who drags one foot when he walks because he had a stroke last year
can get from his bedroom to his front door in 15 seconds.
. He said 20 seconds. He said 15
He said 20 seconds. What are you trying to distort?
JUROR #11: He said 15.
How does he know how long 15 seconds is?
You can't judge a thing like that.
JUROR #9: He said 15 seconds. He was very positive about it.
He was an old man! Half the time he was confused!
How could he be positive about anything?
I don't see what you'r e going to prove here.
The man said he saw the boy running out.
Well, let's see if the details bear him out.
As soon as the body hit the floor,
he said he heard footsteps upstairs, running toward the front door.
Heard the upstairs door open, the footsteps start down the stairs.
He said he got to his own front door as fast as he could
and he swore it couldn't have been more than 15 seconds.
Now if the killer began running immediately...
. JUROR #12: Maybe he didn't
The old man said he did.
. You ought to be at Atlantic City at that hair-splitters' convention
Hey, why don't you stop making smart remarks all the time, huh?
My friend, for your $3 a day, you have to listen to everything.
Now that you got that thing in here, what about it?
All right, here's the apartment where the killing took place.
The old man's apartmen t was directly beneath and exactly the same.
Here are the El tracks, the bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom,
here's the hall, here are the stairs.
. Now, the old man was in this bedroom right here
He says he crossed to the door, walked down the hall,
opened the front door just in time
to see the boy running down the stairs. Am I right so far?
JUROR #3: That's the story, for the 19th time.
15 seconds after the body hit the floor .
JUROR #11: Correct.
Now, let's see. It was...
It's 12 feet from the bed to the door. The hall is 43 feet.
He would have had to walk 12 feet, open the bedroom door,
walk 43 feet down and open the front door, all in 15 seconds.
You think he could have done it ?
JUROR #10: Sure he could have done it.
JUROR #11: He can walk only very slowly.
They had to help him into the witness chair.
JUROR #3: You make it soun d like a long walk.
For an old man who had a stroke, it is a long walk.
What are you doing?
I'm going to try it. See how long it took.
? What do you mean, you want to try it
Why didn't his lawyer bring it up if it's so important?
Maybe he just didn't think about it.
What do you mean he didn't think of it?
Do you think the man's an idiot or something?
It's an obvious thing. Did you think of it?
Listen, smart guy. It don't matter whethe r I thought of it.
He didn't bring it up because he knew it'd hurt his case.
What do you think of that?
Maybe he didn't bring it up because it would have meant bullying
and badgering a helpless old man.
You know that doesn't sit very well with a jury.
Most lawyers avoid it if they can.
So what kind of a bum is he then?
That's what I've been asking, buddy. Pass me that chair, will you?
Those two chairs are the old man's bed.
I just paced off 12 feet across the room.
This will be the bedroom door.
That's crazy. You can't recreate a thing like that.
The hall was 43 feet. I'll pace from that wall and back again.
This is absolutely insane. What are you wasting everybody's time in here for?
According to you, it'll only take 15 seconds. Now we can spare that, see.
(JUROR #7 WHISTLING)
Come on. Knock it off.
Okay. Okay, okay, killer.
Yeah.
Will you stand right there and mark the front door?
It was chain-locked according to the testimony, remember.
Has anybody got a watch with a second hand?
I have. When you want me to start,
stamp your foot. That'll be the body falling.
You can time me from there.
JUROR #7: What are we going to do, play Charades now?
JUROR #7: Come on! Okay, I'm ready.
JUROR #10: What are we waiting for?
. I want to wait till the second hand reaches 60
JUROR #7: Come on!
(STAMPS FOOT)
JUROR #10: Come on, speed it up. He can walk twice as fast as that.
If you want me to walk faster than that, I will.
Lock. Door. Stop.
JUROR #2: Right.
What's the time?
Exactly... 41 seconds.
41!
Here is what I think happened.
The old man heard the fight
between the boy and his father a few hours earlier.
Then when he's lying in his bed,
he heard the body hit the floor in the boy's apartment,
heard the woman scream from across the street,
got to his front door as fast as he could,
. heard somebody racing down the stairs and assumed it was the boy
I think that's possible. "Assumed"?
(LAUGHING)
Brother, I've seen all kinds of dishonesty in my day,
but this little display takes the cake.
r You all come in here with your hearts bleeding all over the floo
about slum kids and injustice.
You listen to some fairytales.
Suddenly, you start getting through to some of these old ladies.
Well, you're not getting through to me. I've had enough.
What's the matter with you guys?
You all know he's guilty! He's got to burn!
You're letting him slip through our fingers.
"Slip through our fingers" ? Are you his executioner?
I'm one of them.
Perhaps you'd like to pull the switch.
For this kid, you bet I would.
I feel sorry for you. What it must feel like to wanna pull the switch.
Ever since you walked into this room,
you've been acting like a self-appointed public avenger.
You want to see this boy die because you personally want it,
not because of the facts.
You're a sadist.
You...
Let me go! I'll kill him! I'll kill him!
You don't really mean you'll kill me, do you?
Anything wrong, gentlemen? I heard some noise.
No, everything's all right. We're just...
Friendly little argument.
Listen, we're through with that diagram.
You can take it if you want. Here you are.
Thank you.
What are you looking at?
JUROR #1: I suppose somebody has to start off again.
I beg pardon...
"I beg pardon." What are you so polite about?
For the same reason you're not.
It's the way I was brought up.
This fighting...
That's not why we are here, to fight.
We have a responsibility.
This, I have always thought, is a remarkable thing about democracy.
That we are...
What is the word?
Notified. That we are notified by mail to come down to this place
to decide on the guilt or innocence
of a man we have never heard of before.
We have nothing to gain or lose by our verdict.
This is one of the reasons why we are strong.
We should not make it a personal thing.
Thank you.
If nobody else has an idea , I might have a cutie here.
I mean, I haven't given it much thought,
. but let's throw it dow n on the stoop and see if the cat licks it up
"The cat licks it up"?
Yeah. The board...
(ALL LAUGHING)
Look how dark it's getting out there.
I bet we're gonna have a storm now.
Boy, oh, boy. It's really hot, huh?
Pardon me, but don't you ever sweat?
No, I don't.
Listen, I was wondering if...
Maybe we should take another vote.
Great. Maybe we can follow this one up with a little dancing and refreshments.
Mr. Foreman?
Well, that's okay with me. Anyone doesn't wanna vote?
Hey, come on.
Sorry.
I think we ought to have an open ballot. Call out our votes, you know?
Let's see who stands where.
Well, that sounds fair to me. Anyone object?
? Okay, I'll call off your jury numbers. One
Oh, that's me. I vote guilty. Two?
Not guilty.
Number three?
Guilty.
Number four?
Guilty.
Number five?
Not guilty.
Number six?
Not guilty.
Number seven?
Guilty.
Number eight?
Not guilty.
Number nine?
Not guilty.
Number ten?
Guilty.
Number 11?
Not guilty.
Number 12?
Number 12!
Guilty.
The vote is now 6-6.
And we go into extra innings here, huh?
(MUTTERING)
6-6! I'm telling you, some of you people in here must be out of your minds.
A kid like that!
. I don't think the kind of boy he is has anything to do with it
The facts are supposed to determine the case.
Don't give me that ! I'm sick and tired of facts.
You can twist them any way you like. You know what I mean?
That's exactly the point this gentleman has been making.
You keep shouting at the top of your lungs...
I'd like to be a few years younger. That man gets on my...
My, it's hot in here, isn't it?
Want a drink of water?
. No, no. Thanks. Thanks
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
It's gonna rain.
Well, how'd you figure that out, killer?
How come you changed your vote?
It just seemed to me there was room for doubt.
You haven't got a leg to stand on. You know that, I hope.
I don't feel that way.
There were a lot of details that never came out.
Yeah, well, good luck.
Come on. You're like everybody else.
You think too much, you get mixed up.
You know what I mean?
Listen, I don't think you have any right...
Loudmouth.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
Look at that come down, will you?
You know, this reminds me of a storm we had last...
Oh...
Was it November?
I don't know. Something.
It was quite a storm we had. It was right in the middle of a game.
. We were behind 7-6
But we'd just started to move the ball, made a real tackle.
It sort of cut right in, slash through,
slashed right in, cut right through.
And...
We had this kid, Slattery.
He was an ox. You know, a real ox.
I wish I had another one just like him.
I forgot to tell you. I'm the assistant head coach
at Andrew J. McCorkle High School.
Really? That's out in Queens.
And anyway, we're starting to move along real nice.
You know, their whole line is just coming apart.
And it starts to come down , cats and dogs, just like this.
Just... You know, right down.
Well, it was murder, you know?
. I swear, I nearly bawled. We couldn't go nowhere
Hey, what is it with this fan here ? How come...
Hey!
(CHUCKLES)
Must have been on the same switch with the lights.
Well, things are looking up here, huh?
Yeah.
Boy, that's better.
Hey! Two points.
Any of you guys ever go to the Garden?
That's a damn stupid thing to do.
Oh, I'm sorry. I...
You know?
Pardon me.
Well, how do you like it? Even-steven. Pretty surprising, isn't it?
Yes.
That business before, when that tall guy,
what's-his-name, was trying to bait me?
. That doesn't prove anything
I'm a pretty excitable person.
Where does he come off calling me a public avenger, a sadist, and everything?
Anyone in his right mind would blow his stack.
He was just trying to bait me.
He did an excellent job.
I'll tell you what I think , we're going nowhere here.
I'm ready to walk into court right now and declare a hung jury.
There's no point in this thing going on anymore.
Yeah, I go for that, too.
Listen, let's take it in to the judge
and let the kid take his chances with 12 other guys.
I don't think the judge will accept a hung jury.
We haven't been in here very long.
Well, let's find out.
JUROR #11: I am no t in favor of that.
Listen, this kid wouldn't stand a chance with another jury, and you know it.
Come on, we're hung. Nobody's gonna change his vote.
Let's take it inside.
You still don't think there's room for reasonable doubt?
No, I don't.
Pardon. Maybe you don't fully understand the term "reasonable doubt".
What do you mean, I don't understand?
How do you like this guy?
I'm telling you, they're all alike.
They come over here, running for their life,
and before they can take a deep breath,
they're telling us how to run the show.
Boy, the arrogance of this guy!
JUROR #1: All right.
Let's stop the arguing for about two minutes in here.
Now, who's got something constructive to say?
I'd like to go over something, if you gentlemen don't mind.
An important point for the prosecutio n was the fact that
s after the boy claimed he'd been at the movie
during the hours that the killing took place,
s he couldn't remember the names of the movie
or the stars who appeared in them.
This gentleman here ha s brought up that point in here several times.
That's correct.
It was the only alibi the boy offered,
and he himself couldn't back it up with any details at all.
, Putting yourselves in the boy's place
do you think you could remember details after an upsetting experience
? such as being slapped in the face by your father
I think so, if there were any special details to remember.
The boy couldn't remember the names of the movies he saw,
because he wasn't there that night.
According to the polic e testimony in court,
the boy was questioned by the detectives in the kitchen of his apartment,
while the body of his father was lying on the floor in the bedroom.
Do you think you could remember details under those circumstances?
I do. Under great emotional stress?
Under great emotional stress.
. He remembered them correctly in court
He named the pictures and the stars who played in them.
Yes. His lawyer took great pains to bring that out.
He had three months from the night of the murder
to the day of the trial in which to memorize them.
It's not difficult for a lawyer to find out
what played at a particular theater on a particular night.
I'll take the testimony of the policeman
who interrogated the boy right after the murder,
when he couldn't remember a thing about the movies, great emotional stress or not.
I'd like to ask you a personal question.
Go ahead.
Where were you last night?
I was home.
How about the nigh t before that?
JUROR #10: Come on . What is this?
No, it's all right.
I left the office at 8:30 and went straight home and to bed.
And the night before that?
That was Tuesday night.
The night of the bridge tournament. I played bridge.
Monday night?
JUROR #7: When you get down to New Year's Eve 1954, let me know.
Monday night?
Monday night, my wife and I went to the movies.
What did you see? The Scarlet Circle.
It is a very clever whodunit.
What was the second feature?
The...
I'll tell you in a minute.
The Remarkable Mrs...
Something...
Mrs. Bainbridge. The Remarkable Mrs. Bainbridge.
I saw that. It's called The Amazing Mrs. Bainbridge.
Yes. The Amazing Mrs. Bainbridge. I think that's right.
Who was in The Amazing Mrs. Bainbridge?
Barbara Long, I think it was. A dark, very pretty girl.
Ling, or Long. Something like that.
Who else?
I'd never heard of them before.
It was a very inexpensive second feature, with unknown...
And you weren't under an emotional stress, were you?
No.
I wasn't.
I think the point is made.
Big point.
You can talk till your tongue is dragging on the floor. The boy is guilty. Period.
Know what I mean, my friend?
You got those cough drops?
They're all gone, my friend.
Oh, boy. Look at that rain.
. There goes your ball game
It's only a shower.
Besides, they got the infield covered.
Say, could I see that knife a second, please?
? Well, we're still tied up 6-6. Who's got a suggestion
It's 6:05. Let's get some dinner.
Why don't we wait till 7:00? Give it another hour.
Okay with me.
There's something I'd like to say.
I mean, it's been bothering me a little, and as long as we're stuck...
There was this whole business about the stab wound and how it was made.
The downward angle of it, you know?
Don't tell me we're gonna start with that again.
They've been over it and over it.
I know they did, but I don't go along with it.
Now, the boy was 5'7" tall . His father was 6'2".
That's a difference of seven inches.
It's a very awkward thing to stab down into the chest
of someone who's more than half a foot taller than you are.
Give me that.
I'll give you a demonstration. Somebody get up.
I want you to watch this 'cause I don't wanna have to do it again.
I'll make myself about six or seven inches shorter. Okay?
That's about right. Maybe a little more.
Okay, a little more.
(ALL YELLING)
. Now, nobody's hurt
Right?
Right. Nobody hurt.
Now, this is the way I'd stab a man who was taller than I was.
Look at the angle. Down and in.
And this is the way it was done.
Now tell me I'm wrong.
Down and in. I guess there' s no argument.
Hold on a minute, will you?
Will you give me that?
Boy, I hate these things.
Did you ever see a knife fight? No.
. You? No
Anybody here ever see a knife fight?
Well, I have. You know, on my back stoop, the lot across the street, backyard.
Switchblades came with the neighborhood where I lived.
Funny I never thought of it before.
I guess you try to forget those things.
How do you use a switchblade?
Well, you'd never use it like this.
See, you'd lose too much time switching hands.
Here's how. Underhanded.
e Anyone who's ever used a switch knif
wouldn't handle it any other way.
Are you sure? I'm sure.
. It's why they're made to open like that
You'd say the boy was pretty handy with a knife?
Mmm-hmm.
You think he could have made the kind of wound that killed his father?
No. Not with the experience he got all his life handling these things.
I feel he'd have gone for him underhanded.
How do you know?
Were you in the room when the father was killed?
No. Neither was anybody else.
Then what are you giving us all this mumbo jumbo for? I don't believe it.
I don't think you can determine what type of wound
the boy might or might not have made
simply because he knew how to handle a knife.
What do you think?
I don't know.
What do you mean, you don't know?
I don't know.
How about you?
I don't know about the rest of them,
but I'm getting a little tired of this yakkety-yakking back and forth.
It's getting us nowhere. So I guess I'll have to break it up.
I'm changing my vote to not guilty.
You're what?
You heard me. I've had enough.
What do you mean you've had enough? That's no answer.
Listen, you just take care of yourself.
You know?
. He's right
That's not an answer.
What kind of a man are you?
You have sat here and voted guilty with everyone else
because there are some baseball tickets burning a hole in your pocket.
Now you have changed your vote because you say you're sick of all the talking here?
Now, listen, buddy...
Who tells you that you have the right to play like this with a man's life?
. Don't you care... Now, wait a minute
You can't talk like that to me.
I can talk like that to you.
If you want to vote not guilty,
then do it because you are convinced the man is not guilty,
not because you've had enough.
And if you think he is guilty, then vote that way.
Or don't you have the guts to do what you think is right?
Now, listen...
Guilty or not guilty?
I told you. Not guilty.
Why?
Look, I don't have to...
You do have to. Say it. Why?
I don't think he's guilty.
I want another vote.
JUROR #1: Okay, that's another vote called for.
I guess the quickest way is a show of hands. Anyone object?
Okay, all those voting not guilty, raise your hands.
One, two, three,
four, five, six, seven,
eight.
Um...
Nine.
All those voting guilty, raise your hands.
One, two, three.
Well, the vote's 9-3 in favor of acquittal.
I don't understand you people!
All these picky little points you keep bringing up, they don't mean nothing!
You saw this kid just like I did.
You're not gonna tell me you believe that phony story about losing the knife
and that business about being at the movies!
Look, you know how these people lie. It's born in them.
What the heck? I don't have to tell you.
They don't know what the truth is!
And let me tell you, they don't need
any real big reason to kill someone, either.
. No, sir. They get drunk
They're real big drinkers, all of them.
You know that. And bang! Someone's lying in the gutter.
Nobody's blaming them for it. That's the way they are, by nature.
You know what I mean? Violent.
Where are you going?
Human life don't mean as much to them as it does to us.
Look, they're lushing it u p and fighting all the time,
and if somebody gets killed, so somebody gets killed! They don't care!
Sure, there's some good things about them, too.
Look, I'm the firs t one to say that.
I've known a couple who were okay, but that's the exception.
You know what I mean?
Most of them, it's lik e they have no feelings! They can do anything!
What's going on here?
I'm trying to tell you.
You're making a big mistake, you people.
This kid is a liar. I know it. I know all about them.
Listen to me. They're no good.
There's not one of the m who's any good.
I mean, what's happening in here?
I speak my piece, and you...
Listen to me.
We're...
This kid on trial here . His type.
Well, don't you know about them?
There's a... There's a danger here.
These people are dangerous . They're wild.
Listen to me. Listen to me.
I have. Now, sit down and don't open your mouth again.
Some of the time... I tell you.
It's always difficult to keep personal prejudice out of a thing like this.
Wherever you run into it, prejudice always obscures the truth.
I don't really know what the truth is.
I don't suppose anybody will ever really know.
Nine of us now seem to feel that the defendant is innocent.
But we're just gambling on probabilities. We may be wrong.
We may be trying to le t a guilty man go free. I don't know.
Nobody really can.
, But we have a reasonable doubt
. and that's something that's very valuable in our system
No jury can declare a man guilty unless it's sure.
We nine can't understand how you three are still so sure.
Maybe you can tell us.
I'll try.
You've made some excellent points,
but I still believe the bo y is guilty of murder, and I have two reasons.
One, the evidence given by the woman across the street,
who actually saw the murder committed.
As far as I'm concerned, that's the most important testimony.
And two, the fact that she described the stabbing
d by saying she saw the boy raise his arm over his hea
. and stab down into the father's chest
She saw him do it, the wrong way.
That's absolutely right.
Let's talk about this woman for a moment.
She said she went to bed about 11:00 that night.
Her bed was next to the window,
and she could look out while lying down
and see directly into the boy's room across the street.
She tossed and turned for over an hour, unable to sleep.
Finally, she turned toward the window at about 12:10,
and as she looked out, she saw the killing
through the windows of a passing El train.
She said the lights went out immediately after the killing,
but that she got a good look at the boy in the act of stabbing his father.
As far as I can see it, this is unshakeable testimony.
Well, that's the whole case.
What do you think?
How about you?
I don't know. So much evidence to sift.
This is a pretty complicated business.
Frankly, I don't see how you can vote for acquittal.
It's not so easy to arrang e all the evidence in order.
JUROR #3: You can throw out all the other evidence!
The woman saw him do it! What else do you want?
Well, maybe... JUROR #8: Let's vote on it.
JUROR #1: Okay, there's another vote called for. Anyone object?
All right. I'm changing my vote. He's guilty.
Anybody else? The vote is 8-4.
? Why is this such a personal triumph for you, this one vote
Okay. I say we're a hung jury. I say we take it in to the judge.
. How about it? I wanna hear arguments
You, you're the leader of the cause. What about it?
. Let's go over it again
We've been over it again. The boy in the gray flanne l suit here
is bouncing backwards and forwards like a tennis ball.
There's no point in getting nasty.
You keep trying to turn this into a contest.
Okay.
. Maybe we can talk about setting some kind of time limit
Yeah. Once around for the deal, huh?
It's 6:15. Someone before mentioned 7:00.
I think that's a point at which we might begin to discuss the question
of whether we're a hung jury or not.
Don't you feel well?
I feel perfectly well, thank you.
I was saying that 7:00 would be a reasonable time...
The reason I asked about that was because you were rubbing your nose like...
Oh, I'm sorry for interrupting.
But you made a gesture that reminded me of something.
I'm trying to settle something here. Do you mind?
Well, I think this is important.
Thank you. Now, then, I'm sure you'll pardon me for this,
but I was wondering why you rub your nose like that?
Come on, will you?
At this point, I happen to be talking to the gentleman sitting next to you.
Now, why were you rubbing your nose like that?
If it's any of your business, I was rubbing it because it bothers me a little.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Is it because of your eyeglasses?
It is.
Now could we get onto something else?
Your eyeglasses made those two deep impressions on the sides of your nose.
I hadn't noticed that before.
That must be annoying.
It is very annoying.
I wouldn't know about that.
I've never worn eyeglasses . 20/20.
Listen, will you come on already with the optometrist bit?
The woman who testified that she saw the killing
had those same marks on the sides of her nose.
Holy smokes! You know, he's right.
Please. Just give me a minute, and I'll be finished.
I don't know if anyone else noticed that about her.
I didn't think of it then, but I've been going over her face in my mind.
She had those same marks.
She kept rubbing them in court.
He's right. She did do that a lot.
This woman was about 45 years old.
She was making a tremendous effort to look 35,
for her first public appearance.
Heavy make-up. Dyed hair.
Brand-new clothes that should have been worn by a younger woman.
No glasses. Well, women do that.
See if you can get a mental picture of her.
What do you mean, no glasses?
How do you know whether she wore glasses?
Just 'cause she was rubbing her nose?
She had those marks. I saw them.
So what? What do you think that means?
Listen, I'm getting so sic k of your yelling in here...
Come on. Forget it.
. Hey, listen. Listen, he's right. I saw them too
I was the closest one to her. She had these things on the side of her nose.
What do you call those , on the side?
What point are you making here?
She had dyed hair, marks on her nose. What does that mean?
Could those marks be made by anything other than eyeglasses?
No. They couldn't.
I didn't see any marks!
I did.
Strange, but I didn't think about it before.
What about the lawyer? Why didn't he say something?
There are 12 people in here concentrating on this case.
11 of us didn't think of it either.
What about the district attorney?
You think he'd pull a trick like that?
Have her testify without her glasses?
Did you ever see a woman who had to wear glasses
and didn't want to because she thinks they spoil her looks?
Okay, she had marks on her nose. I'm giving you that.
From glasses, right?
. She didn't wanna wear them out of the house so people would think she's gorgeous
. But when she saw this kid killing his father, she was in the house alone
That's all.
Do you wear glasses when you go to bed?
No, I don't.
No one wears eyeglasses to bed.
JUROR #8: It's logical to assume that she wasn't wearing them
when she was in bed, tossing and turning, trying to fall asleep.
How do you know?
I don't know. I'm guessing.
I'm also guessing that she probably didn't put her glasses on
. when she turned and looked casually out of the window
And she herself testified the killing took place just as she looked out.
The lights went off a split-second later.
She couldn't have had time to put them on then.
Wait a second... Here's another guess.
Maybe she honestly thought she saw the boy kill his father.
I say she only saw a blur.
How do you know what she saw? How does he know all that?
! How do you know what kind of glasses she wore? Maybe they were sunglasses
? Maybe she was far-sighted! What do you know about her
I only know the woman's eyesight is in question now.
She had to be able to identify a person 60 feet away, at night, without glasses.
You can't send someone off to die on evidence like that.
. Don't give me that
Don't you think the woman might have made a mistake?
No.
It's not possible?
No, it's not possible.
Is it possible?
Not guilty.
Do you think he's guilty?
I think he's guilty.
Do you?
No.
I'm convinced. Not guilty.
? What's the matter with you
I have a reasonable doubt now.
. It's 11 to one
What about all the other evidence? What about all that stuff?
? The knife? The whole business
Well, you said we could throw out all the other evidence.
JUROR #7: Well, what do we do now?
You're alone.
I don't care whether I'm alone or not. It's my right.
It's your right.
Well, what do you want? I say he's guilty.
We want to hear your arguments.
I gave you my arguments.
We're not convinced.
. We want to hear them again
We have as much time as it takes.
Everything. Every single thing that took place in that courtroom,
but I mean everything, says he's guilty.
What do you think? I'm an idiot or something?
Why don't you take that stuff about the old man.
The old man who lived there and heard everything!
Or this business about the knife.
What? 'Cause he found another one exactly like it?
The old man saw him! Right there, on the stairs.
What's the difference how many seconds it was?
Every single thing.
The knife falling through a hole in his pocket.
You can't prove he didn't get to the door!
Sure, you can take all the time, hobble around the room,
but you can't prove it!
And what about this business of the El? And the movies?
There's a phony deal if I ever heard one.
I'll bet you $5,000 I'd remember the movies I saw.
I'm telling you, everything that's gone on has been twisted and turned!
This business with the glasses? How do you know she didn't have them on?
This woman testified in open court!
And what about hearing the kid yell? Huh?
I'm telling you, I've got all the facts here.
Here...
Well, that's it. That's the whole case.
Well?
Say something!
. You lousy bunch of bleeding hearts
You're not gonna intimidate me.
I'm entitled to my opinion.
Rotten kids. You work your life out!
(MUTTERING)
No...
Not guilty.
(SOBBING)
Not guilty.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
(DOOR UNLOCKING)
JUROR #1: We're ready now.
Hey!
What's your name?
Davis.
. My name's McCardle
Well, so long.
So long.