12 Angry Men Page #6

two dollars.

[NO. 8 looks hard at NO. 3 and then turns to NO. 9]

NO. 8:
(softly). Why might the old man have lied? You have a right to be heard.

NO. 9:
It's just that I looked at him for a very long time. The seam of his jacket was split under the arm. Did

you notice that? He was a very old man with a torn jacket, and he carried two canes. I think I know him better

than anyone here. This is a quiet, frightened, insignificant man who has been nothing all his life, who has never

had recognition—his name in the newspapers. Nobody knows him after seventy-five years. That's a very sad

thing. A man like this needs to be recognized. To be questioned, and listened to, and quoted just once. This is

very important.

: It's just that I looked at him for a very long time. The seam of his jacket was split under the arm. Did

you notice that? He was a very old man with a torn jacket, and he carried two canes. I think I know him better

than anyone here. This is a quiet, frightened, insignificant man who has been nothing all his life, who has never

had recognition—his name in the newspapers. Nobody knows him after seventy-five years. That's a very sad

thing. A man like this needs to be recognized. To be questioned, and listened to, and quoted just once. This is

very important.

NO. 12:
And you're trying to tell us he lied about a thing like this just so that he could be important?

NO. 9:
NO. He wouldn't really lie. But perhaps he'd make himself believe that he heard those words and

recognized the boy's face.

NO. 3:
(loudly). Well, that's the most fantastic story I've ever heard. How can you make up a thing like that?

What do you know about it?

NO. 9:
(low). I speak from experience.

[There is a long pause. Then the foreman clears his throat]

FOREMAN:
(to NO. 8) All right, is there anything else?

[NO. 8 is looking at NO. 9: NO. 2 offers the foreman a box of cough drops. The foreman pushes it away.]

NO. 2:
(hesitantly) Anybody . . . want a cough . . . drop?

FOREMAN:
(sharply). Come on. Let's get on with it.

NO. 8:
I'll take one. (NO. 2 almost gratefully slides him one along the table.) Thanks.

[NO. 2 nods, and NO. 8 puts the cough drop into his mouth]

NO. 8:
Now. There's something else I'd like to point out here. I think we proved that the old man couldn't have

heard the boy say, "I'm going to kill you," but supposing he really did hear it? This phrase: how many times has

each of you used it? Probably hundreds. "If you do that once more, Junior, I'm going to murder you." "Come on,

Rocky, kill him!" We say it every day. This doesn't mean that we're going to kill someone. ~

NO. 3:
Wait a minute. The phrase was "I'm going to kill you," and the kid screamed it out at the top of his

lungs. Don't try and tell me he didn't mean it. Anybody says a thing like that the way he said it—they mean it.

NO. 10:
And how they mean it!

NO. 8:
Well let me ask you this. Do you really think the boy would shout out a thing like that so the whole

neighborhood would hear it? I don't think so. He's much too bright for that.

NO. 10:
(exploding). Bright! He's a common, ignorant slob. He don't even speak good English!

NO. 11:
(slowly). He doesn't even speak good English.

[NO. 10 stares angrily at NO. 11, and there is silence for a moment. Then NO.6 looks around the table

nervously.]

NO.5:
I'd like to change my vote to not guilty. I'd like to change my vote to not guilty.

[NO. 3 gets up and walks to the window, furious, but trying to control himself.]

FOREMAN:
Are you sure?

NO. 5. Yes. I'm sure.

FOREMAN:
The vote is nine to three in favor of guilty.

NO.7:
Well, if that isn't the end. (To NO. 5) What are you basing it on? Stories this guy (indicating NO. 8)

made up! He oughta write for American Detective Monthly. He'd make a fortune. Listen, the kid had a lawyer,

didn't he? Why didn't his lawyer bring up all these points?

NO.5:
Lawyers can't think of everything.

NO.7:
Oh, brother! (To NO. 8) You sit in here and pull stories out of thin air. Now, we're supposed to believe

that the old man didn't get up out of bed, run to the door, and see the kid beat it downstairs fifteen seconds after

the killing. He's only saying he did to be important?

NO. 8:
Did the old man say he ran to the door?

NO. 7:
Ran. Walked. What's the difference? He got there.

NO. 5:
I don't remember what he said. But I don't see how he could run.

NO. 4:
He said he went from his bedroom to the front door. That's enough, isn't it?

NO. 8:
Where was his bedroom again?

NO.10:
Down the hall somewhere. I thought you remembered everything. Don't you remember that?

NO. 8:
No. Mr. Foreman, I'd like to take a look at the diagram of the apartment.

NO. 7:
Why don't we have them run the trial over just so you can get everything straight?

NO. 8:
Mr. Foreman....

FOREMAN:
(rising). I heard you.

[The foreman gets up, goes to door during following dialogue. He knocks on door, guard opens it, he whispers

to guard, guard nods and closes door.]

NO. 3:
(to NO. 8). All right. What's this for? How come you're the only one in the room who wants to see

exhibits all the time?

NO. 5:
I want to see this one, too.

NO. 3:
And I want to stop wasting time.

NO. 4:
If we're going to start wading through all that nonsense about where the body was found....

NO. 8:
We're not. We're going to find out how a man who's had two strokes in the past three years, and wh: We're not. We're going to find out how a man who's had two strokes in the past three years, and who

walks with a pair of canes, could get to his front door in fifteen seconds.

NO. 3:
He said twenty seconds.

NO. 2:
He said fifteen.

NO. 3:
How does he know how long fifteen seconds is? You can't judge that kind of a thing.

NO. 9:
He said fifteen. He was very positive about it.

NO. 3:
(angry). He's an old man. You saw him. Half the time he was confused. How could he be positive about

anything?

[NO. 3 looks around sheepishly, unable to cover up his blunder. The door opens and the guard walks in

carrying a large pen and ink diagram of the apartment. It is a railroad flat. A bedroom faces the el tracks.

Behind it is a series of rooms off a long hall. In the front bedroom is a diagram of the spot where the body was

found. At the back of the apartment we see the entrance into the apartment hall from the building hall. We can

see a flight of stairs in the building hall. The diagram is clearly labeled, and included in the information on it

are the dimensions of the various rooms. The guard gives the diagram to the foreman.]

GUARD:
This what you wanted?

FOREMAN:
That's right. Thank you.

[The guard nods and exits. NO. 8 goes to FOREMAN and reaches for it.]

NO. 8:
May I?

[The foreman nods. NO. 8 takes the diagram and sets it up on a chair so that all can see it. NO. 8 looks it over.

Several of the jurors get up to see it better. NO. 3, NO. 10, and NO. 7, however, barely bother to look at it.]

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