Sound effects artist Gus C. Bayz turns in yet another fine script, this one a jury room drama likely inspired by the success of the September 20, 1954 Studio One television play Twelve Angry Men. Bayz’ insight was that the story could be turned on its head.
Legal dramas that focused on jury room machinations were not done often and were rarely done on radio or television or the stage, especially with the focus and intensity of that telecast. Most legal dramas focused on the lawyers or the defendants. While people knew about juries, most considered what happened inside the jury room to be a mysterious process. The Studio One broadcast pulled back the curtain and created great interest in the genre. Interest was heightened especially after it won three Emmys in April 1955 for writing (Reginald Rose), direction (Franklin Schnaffner), and best actor (Robert Cummings).
An active jury room can be difficult to stage on radio. Characters talk over each other, and then a single conversation comes to the foreground and the others go to the background, and then another conversation takes its place, again and again. There are monologues, discussions of one character to the rest of the jury, as well. It can be difficult for the listeners to keep track of it all. This script, direction, and cast are successful in the presentation with an excellent broadcast.
The basic structure of the story is that a single juror is intent to stop a guilty verdict that they believe is wrong and will be a miscarriage of justice. That one person works to convince the others that the majority is wrong, and goes step by step through the evidence. The discussions slowly turn the jury, juror by juror, toward exoneration.
This Bayz script has a wonderfully executed turn at its conclusion, and is in, a sense, a warning against busybodies taking over jury rooms just to be contrary and be admired as heroic. Everyone listening would have believed they knew exactly how this story would end, making the surprise ending much more effective.
The surviving recording of this episode is not the best. It’s not clear what the origin is, but it seems to be an aircheck of some sort. It is not known if it is from a network broadcast or if it is from an AFRS or AFRTS broadcast that has been edited. This particular recording has been cleaned and enhanced, and is likely the best quality recording that classic radio fans may ever hear of this episode.
The reason for the recording’s unknown origin is that the opening and closing of the broadcast, and mid-show announcement, have been edited out. At around the 11:00 mark in the recording there is an extended musical bridge that sounds too long, indicating a middle announcement was removed and the bridges were joined together. It is hoped that an AFRS transcription may be found one day. The drama is definitely intact and can still be enjoyed without hearing the announcements.
The script for the program has survived. These are the openings and closings, with exact spellings and punctuations preserved:
Introduction
MUSIC: OPENING THEME
THOR: And now, tonight’s presentation of radio’s outstanding theatre of thrills...
MUSIC: WOODWIND CHORD
THOR: SUSPENSE!
MUSIC: TO SHOCK CHORD
THOR: Tonight the story of twelve men and women and the fate of an accused murderer. We call it, “The Holdout.” So now, starring Mister Harry Bartell, here is tonight's SUSPENSE play, “The Holdout.”
MUSIC: UP AND OUT
Closing
THOR: SUSPENSE! (MUSIC CHORD)
THOR: ...in which Mister Harry Bartell starred, in tonight’s presentation of “The Holdout.” Next week, the story of murder in a sealed coal mine. We call it, “The Cave-in.” That's next week on……...
MUSIC: KNIFE CHORD
THOR: SUSPENSE!
MUSIC: CHORD UP AND TO THEME UNDER
THOR: SUSPENSE is produced and directed by Antony Ellis. Tonight’s script was written by Gus Bayz. The music was composed by Rene Garriguenc and conducted by Lud Gluskin. Featured in the cast were: Parley Baer, Joyce McCluskey, Helen Kleeb, Dave Young, Will Wright, Jean Howell and Joe DuVal.
MUSIC: FILL TO 23:50
ANNCR: Saturday Nights, Join us in the "21ST PRECINCT" on ---- the CBS…. RADIO…. NETWORK.
For more background about the Studio One broadcast, the Wikipedia page has important details https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Angry_Men_(Westinghouse_Studio_One) The kinescope that was created for the west coast broadcast is available at the Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/StudioOne-TwelveAngryMen and at YouTube https://youtu.be/HlaXebUi72A The program was never aired again except for its initial broadcasts. Years later, it was featured and broadcast in the PBS Golden Age of Television series.
The Reginald Rose play was adapted to the stage and became an award-winning feature film starring Henry Fonda. There have been numerous productions and adaptations through the years, often changing the composition of the jury to reflect whatever social and demographic attributes were current of that time. Rose’s underlying story is resilient and such changes can be made without undermining the basic plotline. But the power of the breakthrough Studio One broadcast cannot be duplicated.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP550628
THE CAST
Harry Bartell (Gabe Donavan), Parley Baer (Muncy), Joyce McCluskey (Miss Keller), Helen Kleeb (Mrs. Carmichael), Dave Young (Mr. Vale), Will Wright (Mr. Smith), Jean Howell (Mrs. Medina), Joe DuVal (Bailiff), Larry Thor (Narrator)
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