The Preppie Murder

Last updated
The Preppie Murder
The Preppie Murder.jpg
UK DVD cover
GenreCrime
Drama
Written byJohn Herzfeld
Irv Roud
Story byIrv Roud
Directed by John Herzfeld
Starring Danny Aiello
William Baldwin
Lara Flynn Boyle
Theme music composer Chris Isaak
Simon Rogers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producer Jack Grossbart
Producers Sydell Albert
Paul Pompian
Production locations Los Angeles
New York City
Cinematography Steven Shaw
Editor Janet Bartels-Vandagriff
Running time100 minutes
Production company Jack Grossbart Productions
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseSeptember 24, 1989 (1989-09-24)

The Preppie Murder is an American television film directed by John Herzfeld, written by Herzfeld and Irv Roud, and starring William Baldwin as Robert Chambers and Lara Flynn Boyle as Jennifer Levin. The film aired on ABC in 1989. It was based on the events of a murder committed by Robert Chambers, nicknamed the "Preppie Killer". The film co-stars Danny Aiello, Joanna Kerns, and William Devane.

Contents

Plot

The film reenacts Robert Chambers' murder of Jennifer Levin. Robert Chambers, a man who attended prep schools on a scholarship, kills Jennifer Levin, who herself was of a privileged background after they leave a trendy Manhattan bar together. When Detective Mike Sheehan arrests him, Chambers claims that he killed her in self-defense after rough sex got out of hand. In the ensuing trial, Chambers' attorney, Jack Litman, attacks Levin's personal history. Chambers eventually pleads guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

Cast

Production

The film was shot mostly in Los Angeles, but some exterior shots took place in New York City. Mike Sheehan, who investigated the case, served as a consultant. Jennifer Levin's parents declined involvement; her father called it "exploitative". Linda Fairstein and Jack Litman also declined involvement. [1] Director John Herzfeld wanted to tell Jennifer Levin's story and "clear a little of the mud off her". [2]

Release

The Preppie Murder aired September 24, 1989, on ABC. [2] It was released on home video in November 1993. [3]

Reception

Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times called it "vexing, powerful and heartbreaking—yet strangely enigmatic". [2] John Leonard of New York called it "pointless" and compared it negatively to Linda Wolfe's book, Wasted: The Preppie Murder . [4] John J. O'Connor of The New York Times wrote that the film's denunciation of the press as exploitative was ironic, as it "merely warms up the old headlines it pretends to abhor." [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Baldwin</span> American actor (born 1963)

William Joseph Baldwin is an American actor and the second-youngest of the four Baldwin brothers. He has starred in the films Flatliners (1990), Backdraft (1991), Sliver (1993), Virus (1999), The Squid and the Whale (2005), Forgetting Sarah Marshall, in which he portrayed himself, and the Netflix show Northern Rescue (2019). Baldwin is married to singer Chynna Phillips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lara Flynn Boyle</span> American actress (born 1970)

Lara Flynn Boyle is an American actress. She is known for playing Donna Hayward in the television series Twin Peaks (1990–1991). After appearing in Penelope Spheeris's comedy Wayne's World (1992), Boyle had a lead role in John Dahl's neo-noir film Red Rock West (1993), followed by roles in Threesome (1994), Cafe Society (1995), Happiness (1998), and the villainous Serleena in Men in Black II (2002). From 1997 to 2003, she starred in the ABC series The Practice, for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

<i>The Practice</i> American legal drama television series (1997–2004)

The Practice is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Outstanding Drama Series, and spawned the spin-off series Boston Legal, which ran for five more seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Devane</span> American actor (born 1939)

William Joseph Devane is an American actor. He is known for his role as Greg Sumner on the primetime soap opera Knots Landing (1983–1993) and as James Heller on the Fox serial dramas 24 (2001–2010) and 24: Live Another Day (2014). He is also known for his work in films such as Family Plot (1976), Marathon Man (1976), Rolling Thunder (1977), Payback (1999), and Space Cowboys (2000).

Robert Emmet Chambers Jr. is an American criminal. Dubbed the Preppy Killer and the Central Park Strangler, Chambers gained notoriety for the August 26, 1986, strangulation death of 18-year-old Jennifer Levin in New York City's Central Park, for which he was originally charged with second degree murder. Chambers changed his story several times during the course of the ensuing investigation, ultimately claiming that Levin's death was the accidental result of him pushing her off of him as she purportedly sexually assaulted him, an account that was characterized by media accounts as one of "rough sex". Chambers later pleaded guilty to manslaughter after a jury failed to reach a verdict after nine days of deliberation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Morgenthau</span> American lawyer, District Attorney for New York County, New York

Robert Morris Morgenthau was an American lawyer. From 1975 until his retirement in 2009, he was the District Attorney for New York County, having previously served as United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York throughout much of the 1960s on the appointment of John F. Kennedy. At retirement, Morgenthau was the longest-serving district attorney in the history of the State of New York.

<i>Rolling Thunder</i> (film) 1977 film directed by John Flynn

Rolling Thunder is a 1977 American psychological thriller film directed by John Flynn, from a screenplay by Paul Schrader and Heywood Gould, based on a story by Schrader. It was produced by Norman T. Herman, with Lawrence Gordon as executive producer. The film stars William Devane alongside Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Haynes, James Best, Dabney Coleman, and Luke Askew in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audrey Horne</span> Fictional character

Audrey Horne is a fictional character from the ABC television series Twin Peaks, played by Sherilyn Fenn. The character was created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. She was introduced in the pilot. The daughter of Ben and Sylvia Horne, sister of Johnny Horne, her storylines focused on her infatuation with the series protagonist Dale Cooper, infiltrating the brothel/casino One Eyed Jacks and becoming an activist through civil disobedience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linda Fairstein</span> American attorney and author (born 1947)

Linda Fairstein is an American author, attorney, and former New York City prosecutor focusing on crimes of violence against women and children. She was the head of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's office from 1976 until 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Hallahan</span> American actor (1943–1997)

Charles John Hallahan was an American film, television, and stage actor. His films include Going in Style and Nightwing (1979), The Thing (1982), Silkwood and Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), Vision Quest and Pale Rider (1985), P.K. and the Kid (1987), Cast a Deadly Spell (1991), Dante's Peak (1997), and Mind Rage (2001). On television he appeared in The Rockford Files, Happy Days and Hawaii Five-O, played Chet Wilke in Lou Grant (1979–1982), M* A* S* H and Hill Street Blues (1981), The Equalizer (1985), and as Capt. Charlie Devane in Hunter from 1986 to 1991.

<i>Land of the Blind</i> 2006 British film

Land of the Blind is a 2006 British-American drama film starring Ralph Fiennes, Donald Sutherland, Tom Hollander and Lara Flynn Boyle.

<i>The January Man</i> 1989 film by Pat OConnor

The January Man is a 1989 American neo-noir thriller comedy film directed by Pat O'Connor from a screenplay by John Patrick Shanley.

<i>Susans Plan</i> 1998 American film

Susan's Plan is a 1998 American black comedy film written and directed by John Landis and starring Nastassja Kinski, Dan Aykroyd, Billy Zane, Rob Schneider, Lara Flynn Boyle and Michael Biehn. The plot revolves around Susan (Kinski)'s plan to kill her former husband and collect his life insurance.

<i>The Deliberate Stranger</i> Novel and American TV series

The Deliberate Stranger is a book about American serial killer Ted Bundy written by Seattle Times reporter Richard W. Larsen that was published in 1980. The book spawned a television miniseries of the same title, starring Mark Harmon as Bundy, that aired on NBC on May 4–5, 1986.

John Herzfeld is an American film and television director, screenwriter, actor and producer. His feature film directing credits include Two of a Kind, 2 Days in the Valley (1996), 15 Minutes (2001) and Escape Plan: The Extractors (2017). He has also directed numerous made-for-television movies, including The Ryan White Story (1989), The Preppie Murder (1989), Casualties of Love: The "Long Island Lolita" Story (1993) and Don King: Only in America (1997), for which he was nominated for an Emmy and won the DGA award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials. He won a Daytime Emmy Award for directing the 1980 ABC Afterschool Special titled Stoned.

<i>Blind Faith</i> (miniseries) 1990 film directed by Paul Wendkos

Blind Faith is a 1990 NBC miniseries based on the 1989 true crime book of the same name by Joe McGinniss. It follows the 1984 case in which American businessman Robert O. Marshall was charged with the contract killing of his wife, Maria. Adapted by John Gay and directed by Paul Wendkos, the miniseries was originally broadcast in two parts with a total runtime of 190 minutes.

Linda Wolfe was an American journalist, essayist, and fiction writer., best known for her award-winning work, Wasted: The Preppie Murder, an investigation of the so-called "rough sex" killer, Robert Chambers. Critic John Leonard called Wolfe a writer of "fierce intelligence." Wolfe was also a distinguished book critic and a founding member of the National Book Critics Circle.

Wasted: The Preppie Murder is a book by Linda Wolfe, published by Simon & Schuster in 1989.

The Million Dollar Rip-Off is a 1976 American made-for-television crime comedy film starring Freddie Prinze in his television film debut and his only film role of any kind. Directed by Alexander Singer and written by Andrew Peter Marin based on a screenplay by William Devane and John Pleshette, the film premiered on NBC on September 22, 1976.

<i>When They See Us</i> 2019 crime drama television miniseries

When They See Us is a 2019 American crime drama television miniseries created, co-written, and directed by Ava DuVernay for Netflix, that premiered in four parts on May 31, 2019. It is based on events of the 1989 Central Park jogger case and explores the lives and families of the five Black and Latino male suspects who were falsely accused then prosecuted on charges related to the rape and assault of a white woman in Central Park, New York City. The series features an ensemble cast, including Jharrel Jerome, Asante Blackk, Caleel Harris, Jovan Adepo, Michael K. Williams, Logan Marshall-Green, Joshua Jackson, Blair Underwood, Vera Farmiga, John Leguizamo, Felicity Huffman, Niecy Nash, Aunjanue Ellis, Marsha Stephanie Blake, and Kylie Bunbury.

References

  1. Kunen, James S. (September 25, 1989). "Art Imitates Death in The Preppie Murder". People . Vol. 32, no. 13. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Rosenberg, Howard (September 23, 1989). "'Preppie Murder' Drama Pleads Case for Victims". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  3. Cornell, Christopher (November 18, 1993). "Reforming In Seattle But 'Lost In Yonkers'". Philadelphia Inquirer . Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  4. Leonard, John (September 25, 1989). "Sex, Lies, and Videotape". New York . 22 (38): 126. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  5. O'Connor, John J. (September 22, 1989). "TV Weekend; Death in Central Park, Lives of 80's Youth". The New York Times . Retrieved February 24, 2014.

Further reading