2 ‘Crimes of the Century,’ rich in myth and metaphor
How many “Crimes of the Century” took place in the 20th century? Fans of such epoch-def ining crimes and trials are in luck tonight.
The exquisitely entertaining “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” (9 p.m., FX) returns for a second episode. Tonight we revisit the infamous Bronco ride, the event that all but defined the first phase of this trial and media circus.
Meanwhile, “American Experience” (8 p.m., WKNO-TV Channel 10) revisits the Leopold and Loeb murder trial of 1924. “Perfect Crime” recalls how two supremely gifted and precocious students from the most privileged backgrounds murdered a 14-year-old neighborhood boy, just for the “thrill” of pulling off a perfect crime.
Quickly captured and broken under interrogation, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb would take peculiar pride in confessing their elaborate plot. Obviously guilty and completely without remorse, they were tried and convicted on the front pages of every paper in America. They seemed assured of a trip to the gallows.
Like the O.J. story, the Leopold and Loeb affair was not so much about guilt or innocence, but about how the crime was held up as a mirror of its time. The 199495 Simpson saga reverberated with questions of racism, misogyny, media and celebrity. Contemporary pundits saw the Chicago killings as an indictment of Jazz Age immorality, of flaming youth immolated by fast times, “over-education” and easy pleasures.
And both stories come down to legal strategies. While the “Dream Team” segment of the FX drama is yet to come, “Perfect Crime” dwells on the tactics of Leopold and Loeb’s lawyer, Clarence Darrow. His decision to have his clients plead guilty shocked everyone, most notably the Chicago prosecutor who thought a long case would make his career.
In the end, Darrow was arguing not so much to save the “thrill-kill teens” but to end the death penalty itself, a form of punishment that Darrow and many others considered arbitrary and barbaric.
As with its earlier segment on Bonnie and Clyde, “American Experience” ignores Leopold and Loeb’s place in popular culture. In movies alone, the story would inspire in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1948 thriller “Rope” as well as the 1959 drama “Compulsion” starring Orson Welles.
While Darrow hinted that Leopold and Loeb would be his final case, he would return for another “Trial of the Century,” the very next year, the 1925 Scopes trial.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
■ A new “New Girl” (Megan Fox) may sublet Jess’ space on “New Girl” (7 p.m., WHBQ-TV Channel 13).
■ A question of tactics on “Outsiders” (8 p.m., WGN).
■ Dean appears out of control on “The Grinder” (8:30 p.m., WHBQ-TV Channel 13).
■ A twit’s brain leaves Liv undernourished on “iZombie” (8 p.m., WLMTTV Channel 30).
■ A victim’s robotic helper may be the only murder witness on “Limitless” (9 p.m., WREG-TV Channel 3).
■ “Frontline” (9 p.m., WKNO-TV Channel 10) examines the rise of fantasy sports sites and prosecutor’s attempts to define them as thinly disguised outlets for illegal gambling.
Like the O.J. story, the Leopold and Loeb affair was not so much about guilt or innocence, but about how the crime was held up as a mirror of its time.