Parade and Leo Frank

[Kevinoes]

Posted: 2/25/06 at 6:32pm

A friend of mine introduced me to this show and I think it's amazing. The score by our good old Jason Robert Brown is gorgeous and the "true" story is fascinating and unsettling. I'm just curious:
I did some searches and there seems to be a lot of mixed feelings about what really happened. Yes, Leo Frank was never cleared of the rape and murder of Mary, but many people seem to think that he was innocent - as the musical suggest. A few reviews I read said "based on the true life story of a man falsely accused". But I also found some really strange lyrics from other songs suggesting he did it. More interestingly was Mary Phagan's great grand niece saying that he did commit the crime. She investigated the case files, etc. and concluded he did it.

I don't know if I'm beating a dead horse or not. I can't stop thinking about this show. Any other thoughts/information?

[dry2olives]

Posted: 2/25/06 at 7:02pm

Although the audience is meant to sympathise with Leo Frank, the authors never directly show that he did not do it. The genius of Parade, especially the way Harold Prince directed it, is how it plays with the audience's emotions. Leo Frank is a closed-minded bigot. He moves from Brooklyn to Georgia and refuses to try and understand his new neighbors. He thinks all Jews should act the way he does. And he is presented as the victum. The people of Georgia, though they also are bigoted, base their bigotry on their interpretation of the Bible. They're depicted as sweet, kind, patriotic people who have been raised to believe that blacks are inferior and Jews are the devil. In convicting Leo Frank they believe they are doing what is good and are protecting their community. A major theme in Parade is that nobody believes they are on the side of evil.

[misto625]

Posted: 2/25/06 at 7:04pm

I studied this in US History. Leo Frank was wrongfully accused because of anti-Semitism in Atlanta, 1913. To give you an idea of how strong this anti-Semitism was, they passed over the black suspects in declaring Leo Frank responsible. I have only listened to parts of Parade on CD.

[MyNameInLights]

Posted: 2/25/06 at 7:22pm

Jim Conley. I believe that.

[Jon]

Posted: 2/25/06 at 7:47pm

By the way, Alfred Uhry, who wrote the libretto, has an actual connectionto the story. His grandmother - the inspiration for Driving Miss Daisy - was a close friend of Lucille Frank in her later years.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/26/06 at 8:25am

Saw this at Lincoln Center and it was amazing. Will never forget the Brent Carver and Caralee Carmello duet on the Tonys.
Would love to see the "Encores" series perform "Parade".

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 2/26/06 at 6:40pm

I could have sworn that I read that Jim Conley did it. Apparently a little boy saw him kill her and carry Mary Phagan away and Conley told the boy that if he told anybody he would kill him. Then when Conley was dead the boy told someone. I don't know if that's true, but...


ps. Parade is AMAZING. Anybody who hasn't heard the cast recording should .

[Jud Faginsky]

Posted: 2/26/06 at 11:29pm

A couple of weeks ago there was a really great discussion of Parade going on in the thread called Parade or Songs From a New World. The thread was started on February 2. I'll bump it to the top. I learned a lot from the posters on the site. One of the posters, Spork Goddess, had done an incredible amount of research on the Leo Frank story.

[isntitromantic]

Posted: 3/2/06 at 4:45pm

It says something about anti-Semitism in the south that Frank was a better target than Conley. It didn't help that he was from the north either. All evidence points to Conley.

[Kevinoes]

Posted: 3/2/06 at 5:14pm

Good lord. I can't stop thinking about it. Oh, I adore this show. I wish I had at least seen it...I'm about 7 years too late.

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 3/2/06 at 5:28pm

I know what you mean, Kevinoes. I always seem to discover shows that I LOVE after they've closed.

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 3/2/06 at 5:46pm

Leo Frank WAS cleared. Jim Conley told a boy that saw the rape never to tell anyone what he did. The boy, on his deathbed, admitted that Leo Frank was innocent. I learned about it last year.

[Jud Faginsky]

Posted: 3/2/06 at 6:00pm

Kevinoes,
Did you get a chance to read the thread called Parade or Songs From a New World? There was a whole bunch of stuff about Leo Frank. And I agree, I wish I had seen the show too. That always happens to me too. But there are so many shows that never get to tour, so if you don't happen to live in NY, then you never get to see them.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 3/2/06 at 6:15pm

Leo Frank WAS cleared. Jim Conley told a boy that saw the rape never to tell anyone what he did. The boy, on his deathbed, admitted that Leo Frank was innocent. I learned about it last year.

No, he wasn't. The state of Georgia never officially pardoned Leo Frank for the murder of Mary Phagan.

Kevinoes, check out the Amazon.com reviews of Mary Phagan's great niece's book- it's so incredibly biased and she doesn't a clue what she's talking about.

[Timmerbo]

Posted: 3/2/06 at 7:05pm

Really interesting if you can be bothered to read all of it.
The Leo Frank Case

[Kitzarina]

Posted: 3/2/06 at 7:44pm

Another great link from what is one of my favorite websites:

http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/not_guilty/frank/1.html

[Enjolras77]

Posted: 3/2/06 at 8:46pm

I did a lot of studying of this case, even to the point of going to Atlanta to visit the historical sites and to tour the Leo Frank exhibit at the Jewish Heritage Museum. There is overwhelming evidence that Leo Frank was innocent as presented in the books "The Leo Frank Case" be Leonard Dinnerstein and "And The Dead Shall Rise" by Atlanta newspaper writer Steve Oney. The book by Mary Phagan, on the other hand, is a biased, far-fetched account of the case. Even Amazon.com goes as far as to "not recommend this book". I have always felt that she has held on to the belief that Leo was the murderer because she wants to believe that justice was done and the murderer was punished. She doesn't want to accept the fact that the murderer got away and her ancestors and their friends were guilty of kidnapping and murdering an innocent man. You will find this is the case with many of the decendants of the Georgians who were dubiously involved. Tom Watson's grandson also holds the belief that Leo was guilty.

By the way, Leo Frank WAS pardoned for the crime. After Alonzo Mann's deathbed confession of Conley's guilt, the anti-defamation league petitioned to have Leo Frank pardoned. After rejecting it initially, the Georgia Board of Pardons on March 11, 1986 granted Leo a posthumous pardon more than 70 years after his lynching.

Updated On: 3/2/06 at 08:46 PM

[Kitzarina]

Posted: 3/2/06 at 8:50pm

Between your innate knowledge and the most gorgeous av on this board, you might be my new favorite!

[Enjolras77]

Posted: 3/2/06 at 8:56pm

Thanks!!! Anthony is the man!

BTW---the exhibit at the Musuem was fascinating. They had some of Leo's personal items on display as well as a lot of rare photographs. I also heard that they had the door from his prison cell at Milledgeville (the one that the lynch mob had to break through to get to him), but it was not displayed and only VIP's could see it. In Marietta, there is a plaque in honor of Leo on the side of the building that now stands in the spot where he was lynched.

[Becky]

Posted: 3/2/06 at 9:11pm

By the way, Leo Frank WAS pardoned for the crime.

Thanks for posting that. I knew I had read that he had been pardoned, but I couldn't remember the details. After seeing the musical, I did some extensive research myself - reading everything I could get my hands on. There isn't a doubt in my mind that Conley was the one. Not a doubt.

I read the literature presented by Mary's niece, and it's not even worth commenting on.

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 3/2/06 at 9:14pm

I knew Leo Frank was pardoned!

His case is really interesting, and Parade's an amazing musical.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 3/2/06 at 9:14pm

Sorry, I was thinking of the 1983 decision before, where they didn't pardon him for the murder, they just issued an official apology for not keeping him safe while in custody. I'm reading a book about it now. Funny how in 1986, Mary Phagan the great-niece said she wanted to live a quiet life and be left alone, then publishes a book about it 3 years later.

[Enjolras77]

Posted: 3/2/06 at 9:18pm

After seeing the performance on the 1999 Tony Awards, I was instantly hooked on the show. I read the Dinnerstein book and I read articles from the Atlanta Journal Constitution's archives. After my trip to Atlanta, one of my friends posted the photographs I took of the sites on her website. I never expected all of the Leo Frank and Parade related e-mails that I received as a result. All of a sudden I was some sort of Frank case expert. I had several actors who were going to be playing Leo in various productions e-mail me about historical facts or where to find the places in Atlanta. I still every once and a while have someone e-mail me for directions. It was so long ago now that I went, that I can't even remember anymore!

Updated On: 3/2/06 at 09:18 PM

[Kitzarina]

Posted: 3/2/06 at 9:20pm

I think I saw that website :)