'' is a
1959 film which tells the story of a man charged with murdering a man who may have raped his wife; the bulk of the film's plot revolves around the drama as it unfolds in court. It stars
James Stewart as the man's defense lawyer and
George C. Scott as the prosecuting attorney.
Lee Remick ,
Ben Gazzara ,
Arthur O'Connell ,
Eve Arden ,
Kathryn Grant ,
Orson Bean , and
Murray Hamilton also star.
The movie, based on the 1952 Big Bay Lumberjack Tavern murder trial in
Michigan 's
Upper Peninsula , was adapted by
Wendell Mayes from the novel by
Robert Traver (pen name of
John D. Voelker , a Michigan Supreme Court judge from 1957-1959). It was filmed in
Big Bay (where the real murder had taken place),
Marquette ,
Ishpeming , and
Michigamee, Michigan . Some scenes were actually filmed in the Thunder Bay Inn in Big Bay, Michigan, which is still in existence and one block away from the Lumberjack Tavern, where the actual murder took place,.
The movie was directed by
Otto Preminger . The film was noted for featuring unusually frank (for
1959 ) dialogue, and was among the first Hollywood films that challenged the stringent
Hays Production Code .
It was nominated for
Academy Awards for
Best Actor In A Leading Role (James Stewart),
Best Actor In A Supporting Role , (Arthur O'Connell),
Best Actor In A Supporting Role (George C. Scott),
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White ,
Best Film Editing (
Louis R. Loeffler ,
Best Picture and
Best Writing, Screenplay Based On Material From Another Medium . Other awards include James Stewart's best actor award at the
Venice Film Festival and the
New York Film Critics Circle award for 1959.
The role of the judge was offered to both
Spencer Tracy and
Burl Ives , but finally was given to
Joseph Welch , a real-life lawyer who had made a name for himself when representing the
United States Army in hearings conducted by Sen.
Joseph McCarthy (it was he who uttered the famous line, "Have you no sense of decency, sir?" when addressing Senator McCarthy during the hearings).
The film was also noteworthy for being among the first to extensively feature jazz in the musical score--the entire musical soundtrack was played by the
Duke Ellington Orchestra (Ellington and his associate
Billy Strayhorn composed the music, and several of the Ellington band's sidemen, notably
Johnny Hodges ,
Paul Gonsalves ,
Harry Carney ,
Russell Procope , and
William "Cat" Anderson , are heard prominently throughout). Ellington also appears briefly in a cameo as "Pie-Eye," the owner of a roadhouse which features dancing and at which James Stewart and Lee Remick have a confrontation.
