Anatomy of a Murder Movie

The 1959 court drama Anatomy of a Murder is a popular film adaptation of the novel of the same name by John D. Voelker (using the Robert Traver pen name). The movie centers on Paul Biegler (Jimmy Stewart), defense lawyer for suspected murderer Lieutenant Frederic Manion; Manion is accused of murdering his wife's rapist.

Fast Facts

1. Directed by Otto Preminger
2. Released: July 1, 1959
3. Run time: 160 minutes
4. Starring Jimmy Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O'Connell and George C. Scott
5. Music by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn
6. Soundtrack won a Grammy
7. Nominated for 7 Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Stewart and Best Supporting Actor for both O'Connell and Scott
8. Named one of the top 12 trial films of all time by the American Bar Association

Voelkner's Experience

Anatomy of a Murder made John D. Voelker a best-selling novelist under the name Robert Traver, but he was actually a Michigan Supreme Court justice before that and based Anatomy on a real 1952 murder case on which he served as a defense attorney.

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