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- Errol Morris on Harris execution
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- Connie Walker
This is a shorter, edited version of an earlier file uploaded to the PRX.org site. Essentially, Oscar-winning documentarian Errol Morris reflects on the execution of David Ray Harris, a Texas inmate who figured prominently in his 1988 film, "The Thin Blue Line".
Initially, a drifter named Randall Adams was convicted of the 1976 murder of a Dallas policeman, with Harris as the primary witness. But filmmaker Morris suspected Harris was the actual culprit and delved into the case. A year following the release, Randall Adams was freed from Death Row, while Harris - was sentenced to death for another murder.
Morris reflects on his strange relationship with Harris, his difficult interactions with Adams (who tried to sue Morris after he was released), and shares his thoughts on capital punishment and the darker aspects of human nature.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
This is a shorter, edited version of an earlier file uploaded to the PRX.org site. Essentially, Oscar-winning documentarian Errol Morris reflects on the execution of David Ray Harris, a Texas inmate who figured prominently in his 1988 film, "The Thin Blue Line". Initially, a drifter named Randall Adams was convicted of the 1976 murder of a Dallas policeman, with Harris as the primary witness. But filmmaker Morris suspected Harris was the actual culprit and delved into the case. A year following the release, Randall Adams was freed from Death Row, while Harris - was sentenced to death for another murder. Morris reflects on his strange relationship with Harris, his difficult interactions with Adams (who tried to sue Morris after he was released), and shares his thoughts on capital punishment and the darker aspects of human nature.
Broadcast History
A spot news piece aired on this topic on Wisconsin Public Radio, 7/9/04.
Transcript
Late last month (June 30th), Texas inmate David Ray Harris was executed by lethal injection, for the 1985 murder of Mark Mays in Vidor, Texas. Harris figured prominently in Errol Morris' documentary, "The Thin Blue Line", which examined another case -- the shooting death of a Dallas police officer in 1976. Harris was the primary witness against Randall Dale Adams, who was convicted of the murder and spent ten years on death row. Filmmaker Morris suspected that Harris was the actual culprit, and "the fresh-faced Kid" eventually recanted his testimony against Adams. Adams was freed in 1989, a year after the release of "The Thin Blue Line". Despite what Morris refers to as an "adversarial" relationship, he and Harris stayed in touch over the years, corresponding through sporadic FAXes and emails. Morris was involved in several television projects when Harris was executed, but had been try...
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Timing and Cues
IV lasts 20:16
IC: "I was in New York....(Morris)
OC: "....wasn't in the cards." (Morris)
Musical Works
No works, but Phillip Glass did the score to "The Thin Blue Line" which would make good outcue music if available.
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Jackson Braider
Posted on July 14, 2004 at 07:54 AM | Permalink
Review of Errol Morris on Harris execution
There is great stuff in this story -- Morris is a wonderfully articulate man and he does not fail to be so here.
Yet between the technical issues -- over 20 minutes on a phoner -- and the lack of set-up in the piece itself, it takes three or four minutes to grasp what's happening, this is work to listen to. Tape should be pure, of course, but a little EQ would take the edge off Morris's tracks.