On M List of Movie Reviews

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Murder in Coweta County (1983)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 9/21

9/21: Andy Griffith...Johnny Cash...two black men carrying a dead body that's wrapped in burlap blanket on pole...Murder in Coweta County.

Spooky stuff. Based on the book by Margaret Anne Barnes, the film is as Southern Gothic as it gets. Solid police work makes for a straightforward case. The made-for-TV quality is obvious, but still, the acting is great with Andy Griffith taking top honors by playing against type. Johnny Cash is terrific, playing a very righteous character. The seer is played by his wife June Carter Cash.

The story happened for real in 1948. Coweta County is on the west side of Georgia that's directly north of Meriweather County, both not far from Atlanta. John Wallace was a wealthy white landowner who controlled everybody in Meriweather County including the sheriff. Wilson Turner's truck was supposed to have less than enough gas not to go past the county line, but he did, reaching Coweta County where everything started to unravel for Wallace.

Because the murder happened in the wrong county, Wallace had no control over the events, was subsequently found guilty of murder that got sealed by his unthinkable speech on the stand, and died on the electric chair. The case set two precedents: a wealthy white landowner could be punished by death and the testimony of two black men was taken seriously.

All in all, like In Cold Blood and The Onion Field, Murder in Coweta County is a factually true crime picture with inspired casting choices of Andy Griffith and Johnny Cash.

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