That left 19-year-old Nathan Leopold, from the exclusive neighborhood of Kenwood, on Chicago's South Side. Beth Cohen Narrator: Loeb corroborated his friend's alibi. Leopold fell in love with Richard Loeb and idolized him and Loeb felt it was nice to have an acolyte. The Clarence Darrow Digital Collection/ University of Minnesota Law Library Simon Baatz, Historian: The two boys were originally held separately in separate rooms, and Robert Crowe first went to Richard. There was Loeb, who was sleek and his lapels could cut you like a knife. Crowe found it odd: if Leopold and Loeb were homosexuals, why would they have spent an evening chasing girls? Also sign me up for FanMail to get updates on all things movies: tickets, special offers, screenings + more. Although it seemed doubtful that the boy had had any hand in the murder, Crowe sent three detectives to the Leopold home with orders to bring Nathan in for questioning. There are no featured audience reviews for Perfect Crime at this time. Clarence Darrow (James Cromwell, audio): Before I would tie a noose around the neck of a boy I would try to call back into my mind the emotions of youth... The brain of the child is the home of dreams, of castles, of visions, of illusions and delusions, and whether they take one shape or another shape depends not on the dreamy boy, but on what surrounds him. Richard Loeb was then 15. With Alfred Hitchcock, Vincent Price, James Gregory, Gavin Gordon. The judge had tears in his eyes when Darrow was done. Everybody is listening around the world, not just in the United States. Olivier Manchon In the Leopold and Loeb case, he knows he has this amazing spotlight. No free will. Nebraska State Historical Society During the... See full summary ». John A. Farrell, Writer: One of the most interesting things about Judge Caverly's ruling is how, in the end, how little all that scientific testimony, all the alienists' testimony, that talk about glandular secretions, how little it all mattered. And when his relative came in to identify the body he said, "Well, those aren't his glasses." Your Honor stands between the past and the future. He was worth about $10 million by 1924. Liberty, Bash, and their friend Jesse served together in a war in Central America. Narrator: Leopold and Loeb were sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Bobby Franks, plus 99 years for the kidnapping. Chumphon/ Shutterstock When two privileged boys from a wealthy Chicago suburb confessed to a brutal murder, the story made national headlines. It was 10am, and though the already sweltering courtroom was filled to capacity, the crowd was mostly silent. John Logan, Playwright: Leopold was seen as the monster. As expected, he entered a not guilty plea, which gave him several weeks to prepare his defense. Simon Baatz, Historian: Robert Crowe was very politically ambitious, and his ambition was eventually to become mayor of Chicago, to become one of the most powerful men in the city. Noel Powell/ Pond5 And he felt he was not in the common run of humanity. When Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, two well-educated college students from a wealthy suburb of Chicago, confessed to the brutal murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks, the story made headlines across the country. They never said sorry. See All Audience Reviews Perfect Crime Quotes. Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan It was his intention, Darrow told Judge Caverly, to show that his clients were diseased, both physically and mentally, and therefore not responsible for their actions. He was dazzlingly handsome. In 1991, Detlev Karsten Rohwedder, the man given the … Crime movies have been popular as long as movies have been around, and the world keeps providing ever stranger real-life material for them to use. After Leopold and Loeb confessed to the murder of Bobby Franks, their families hired famed defense attorney, Clarence Darrow to try to save the boys from the hangman's noose.Â. Get the latest on new films and digital content, learn about events in your area, and get your weekly fix of American history. Dana Kupper They drive up behind Bobby Franks. Narrator: When the sentencing hearing got underway on the morning of July 23rd, 1924, the stifling courtroom was so thronged with spectators that reporters commandeered the empty jury box. Guy plays Darnell like an angel in all her flashback roles - I'm sure she was a lovely person in real life but it's laid on very thick here. When Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, two well-educated college students from a wealthy suburb of … He introduces more than 80 witnesses, and when he's done, there's absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind that Leopold and Loeb committed these offenses. The Loeb family was represented by one of Loeb's brothers. The mother who looks into the blue eyes of her little babe cannot help but wonder what will be the end of this child, whether it will be crowned with the greatest promises which her mind can imagine, or whether he may meet death from the gallows. Rated PG-13 for a scene of violence, and thematic elements involving spousal abuse. Simon Baatz, Historian: Crowe thought he had everything sewn up, that he was all ready for a plea by the defense of not guilty on account of insanity. The Perfect Crime Synopsis. That small transgression had bound the boys together, put them in league against the rest of the world, but Richard longed to play more dangerous games. Read Full Synopsis Cast + Crew Previous Cast Members More Cast Members. The shocking story of Richard Leopold and Nathan Loeb, two wealthy college students who murdered a 14-year-old boy in 1924 to prove they were smart enough to get away with it. It didn't seem to make any sense. Narrator: What would end with the murder of Bobby Franks had begun almost innocently, with a scheme Richard devised to cheat at cards. Before leaving the courtroom, Leopold and Loeb shook Darrow's hand. TMDb Score. Perfect Crime. The truth of the matter, of course, is the complete opposite. He had a tremendous capture of the law. You may hang these boys; you may hang them by the neck until they are dead, but in doing it you will turn your face towards the past. Leopold who was intense and brooding and his hair was always shining and he was very sort of well put together. As in Glengarry Glen Ross, humor in The Perfect Crime is a bit morbid, especially when the two sales reps must cram Don Antonio's body into an incinerator. And what at first seemed a simple matter of evil gradually would give way to a complex assessment of the murderers' minds, and a searing indictment of the forces that had shaped them. What could have happened to Darnell?! And it just grabbed the American public. Calling his team of experts to the stand one by one, Darrow spelled out for the court the findings from the elaborate pre-trial examinations of Leopold and Loeb, offering a catalogue of the boys' abnormalities. 40min | Documentary, Crime | TV Series (2020) Episode Guide. It is not your average mystery drama in my opinion, but rather similar to the popular criminal documentary programs in as much as it doesn't follow a regular fictional-Hollywood type plot but takes on a … For the prosecutor to demand such an execution was barbarous, Darrow said, and evidence of the savagery the recent world war had unleashed. There are no approved quotes yet for this movie. Narrator: On May 22nd, 1924, just hours after the body of Bobby Franks was found, the hunt for his killers got underway. Simon Baatz, Historian: One of the things that was very striking was their absence of remorse. Then they'd driven out to the wetlands near Lake Michigan, stopping along the way for hot dogs and root beer, poured acid over Bobby's face and genitals to obscure his identity, and pushed him into the drainage pipe where he'd been found. John Logan, Playwright: One of the terrifying implications of the case in 1924 was, if the boys who had everything in the world ahead of them could do this act, why could not other people do this act? Narrator: There were plenty of Americans who agreed with Crowe that the boys' guilt was all that mattered. John Logan, Playwright: It was crime that fascinated Loeb. It's actually quite dull and predictable. A Desert Penguin Pictures, LLC. Sign up for the American Experience newsletter! John A. Farrell, Writer: Clarence Darrow was, at this point in his life, 67 years old. Chicago Film Archives G.R.O.W. Clarence Darrow (James Cromwell, audio): We are used to blood, your Honor... we have not only had it shed in bucketsful, we have it shed in rivers, lakes and oceans, we have delighted in it, we have preached it... until the world has been drenched in blood and has left its stains of blood upon every human heart. This docuseries investigates the 1991 killing of politician Detlev Rohwedder, an unsolved mystery at the heart of Germany's tumultuous reunification. The Process, a documentary film that takes the audience for an inside, behind the scenes look of world renowned acting and directing coach, Larry Moss. He even went so far as to insinuate -- without any conclusive evidence -- that there had been a sexual motive for the crime. A Perfect Murder is based on Frederick Knott's play Dial M for Murder, filmed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1954. Alfred Hitchcock was no stranger to a perfect … Paula Fass, Historian: They were a couple of boys playing a strange and sadistic game. Leigh Moran Armstrong Heinonline Narrator: Concerned for his clients' image, Darrow sent men into the streets of Chicago to gauge public opinion. I think they never came to grips with what had happened. So long as their parents were cooperating, certain that their sons had been involved in no wrongdoing, Crowe planned to keep Leopold and Loeb in custody. Watch this urban crime drama which has received awards and fabulous reviews! Framepool Narrator: On August 18th, after two and half weeks of testimony, the defense rested. Here are the best movie … One witness testified to their dysfunctional endocrine glands; another to the delusions that had led to their crime. What about my child? He was the kind of guy I think you'd instantly take a dislike to at a party. Crowe, hoping to build his case and cement the boys' guilt in the public mind, now had Leopold and Loeb retrace their steps on the day of the murder, leading investigators and a caravan of journalists from the hardware store where they'd purchased the chisel all the way to the spot where they'd disposed of the body. Title: Although the whole thing is poorly scripted and doesn't provide any interest or insight the actors must shoulder some of the blame. He read detective novels, pulp periodicals, he devoured the newspapers for stories of crime. Also, 'Dial M for Murder' is one of the movies Rafael bought to plan the crime. Narrator: Darrow was by no means alone. Given the forces upon them or upon any of us, what are we capable of? Narrator: By the time Darrow arrived, Leopold and Loeb had been in Crowe's custody for three days, talking all the while. As for the night of Franks' murder, he'd spent it driving around town in his red Willys-Knight with his good friend Richard Loeb. Narrator: If Judge Caverly was leaning one way or the other when the hearing finally concluded on its 32nd day, he gave no indication. Paula Fass, Historian: Nathan Leopold was studying for law school. He wore clothes incredibly well. (TV Movie 1997). 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