The Atlanta Child Murders (miniseries)

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The Atlanta Child Murders
Written byAbby Mann[1][2]
Directed byJohn Erman
StarringCalvin Levels
Morgan Freeman[3]
James Earl Jones
Rip Torn
Jason Robards[4]
Lynne Moody
Ruby Dee
Gloria Foster
Paul Benjamin
Martin Sheen
Andrew Robinson
Bill Paxton
Music byBilly Goldenberg
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersBill Finnegan
Abby Mann
Sheldon Pinchuk
Carl Pingitore
Gerald Rafshoon[5]
Running time245 minutes
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseFebruary 10 (1985-02-10) –
February 12, 1985 (1985-02-12)

The Atlanta Child Murders is an American television miniseries[6] that aired on February 10 and 12, 1985 on CBS.[7][8][9][10] Inspired by true events, the miniseries examines the so-called "Atlanta child murders" of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Cast[]

Plot summary[]

Between the summer of 1979 and the spring of 1981, 29 African American children, adolescents and adults were murdered in Atlanta, Georgia. The killings gained nationwide attention, with many suspecting that they were the work of the Ku Klux Klan or a similar white supremacist group. However, in June 1981, a 23-year-old African American named Wayne Williams was arrested for first-degree murder in the deaths of 27-year-old Nathaniel Carter and 29-year-old Jimmy Ray Payne. Eight months later, Williams was convicted of both killings and sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment. Some parties speculate that Williams was not the real killer, and that local law enforcement officials used him as a scapegoat to bring a seemingly unsolvable case to a close. However, it is generally presumed that Williams was the culprit in most of the murders, if not all of them. No one was ever tried in connection with the other killings.

Reception[]

  • Atlanta officials criticized[11][12] The Atlanta Child Murders, claiming that it distorted[13] the facts[14] of the case.[15] After a series of negotiations, CBS executives agreed[16] to insert a disclaimer[17] alerting viewers that the film is based on fact but contains fictional elements.[18]
  • In 2000, Showtime aired a similarly-themed movie entitled Echo of Murder, starring James Belushi and Gregory Hines. When released on DVD, it was retitled Who Killed Atlanta's Children?

References[]

  1. ^ Rosenberg, Howard (July 16, 2000). "When the Media Burned Atlanta". Los Angeles Times.
  2. ^ Swan, Christopher (February 8, 1985). "Controversial docudrama grapples with the Atlanta child murders". The Christian Science Monitor.
  3. ^ Hill, Michael E. (February 10, 1985). "MORGAN FREEMAN/Narrator Expresses Doubts About 'Atlanta'". The Washington Post.
  4. ^ Corry, John (February 10, 1985). "TV VIEW; 'THE ATLANTA CHILD MURDERS': A TRIAL BY TV". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Clark, Kenneth R. (February 10, 1985). "CHILD MURDERS: A MINI-SERIES SURE TO SHOCK". Chicago Tribune.
  6. ^ Wilson, Joycelyn. "The Music of the Murders". The Bitter Southerner.
  7. ^ Cook, Gomery, Lichty, Philip S., Douglas, Lawrence Wilson (1989). American Media: The Wilson Quarterly Reader. p. 182. ISBN 9780943875095.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Bogart, Leo (September 29, 2017). System and the Public Interest. ISBN 9781351527613.
  9. ^ Kempton, Murray (March 14, 1985). "Misjudgment at Atlanta". The New York Review.
  10. ^ "Experts Debate 1983 Atlanta Murders". The Harvard Crimson. February 6, 1985.
  11. ^ Lohmann, Bill (February 12, 1985). "Wayne Williams views film of Atlanta child murders". UPI.
  12. ^ Kelley, Bill (February 10, 1985). "ATLANTA MURDERS; MINISERIES CREATES A STORM OF PROTEST". Sun Sentinel.
  13. ^ Schmidt, William E. (February 1, 1985). "TV MOVIE ON ATLANTA CHILD KILLINGS STIRS DEBATE AND CASTS DOUBT ON GUILT". The New York Times.
  14. ^ "Atlanta child murders: A chronology of the missing and murdered cases". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. August 19, 2019.
  15. ^ "THE ATLANTA CHILD MURDERS CONTROVERSY #541777". Vanderbilt Television News Archive. February 13, 1985.
  16. ^ Harris, Art (February 10, 1985). "Reliving the Murders in Atlanta". The Washington Post.
  17. ^ Levine, Bob (March 11, 1985). "Atlanta's long nightmare". Maclean's.
  18. ^ Sally Bedell Smith (February 9, 1985). "TV Notes; CBS Turning Cameras on Its Decision-Makers". The New York Times.

External links[]


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