The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd
| The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Paul Wendkos |
| Written by | |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Gerald Fried |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | CBS-TV |
Release date |
|
Running time | 145 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd is a 1980 historical drama film directed by Paul Wendkos. Based on a true story, it revolves around the 1865 assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Dennis Weaver plays the lead role of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, who was imprisoned for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth in the killing.[1]
Production
In 1979, during the filming of the movie on Monterey Square in Savannah, Georgia, preservationist and antiques dealer Jim Williams hung a flag of Nazi Germany outside of a window at his Mercer House home in an attempt to disrupt the shoot, after the film company declined to make a donation to the local humane society, as Williams had requested. The Congregation Mickve Israel, located across the square, complained to the city.[2][3] Williams was later the main subject of John Berendt's 1994 book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Historical accuracy
At the end of the film a written message appears stating that President Jimmy Carter "exonerated [Mudd] of all guilt in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln". Reviewer Bill Steigerwald stated this was misleading: Carter had written a letter to Mudd's grandson in 1979 saying that he (Carter) "personally felt that Dr. Mudd was innocent" but that this was "by no means an official act".[4][5] A response from the film's producers noted that Time magazine had also summarized events by remarking that "President Carter has exonerated [Mudd] of guilt".[6][7]
Cast
- Dennis Weaver as Dr. Samuel A. Mudd
- Susan Sullivan as Frances Mudd
- Richard Dysart as Edwin Stanton
- Michael McGuire as Captain Murdock
- Nigel Davenport as Colonel George St. Leger Grenfell
- Arthur Hill as General Thomas Ewing Jr.
- Larry Larson as Thorpe
- Bill Gribble as John Wilkes Booth
References
- ^ The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd, archived from the original on 2022-11-03, retrieved 2022-11-03
- ^ John Duncan discusses his "Midnight" collection, archived from the original on 2022-03-25, retrieved 2022-03-25
- ^ Savannah Morning News (March 25, 2010). "Jim Williams: The center of 'the Garden'". Savannah Morning News. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
- ^ Steigerwald, Bill (March 30, 1980). "Drama over Docu? Clear as 'Mudd'". Los Angeles Times – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jimmy Carter to Richard Mudd". U.S. National Archives. July 24, 1979. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ^ "Letters: Whose name is Mudd?". Los Angeles Times. April 13, 1980 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Trippett, Frank (September 17, 1979). "Time Essay: Some Cases Never Die, or Even Fade". Time.
