Here is the section on the Tee Vee show Sightings that detailed the Lizzie Borden case.
Season 2, Episode 3, First Aired 10/21/1992
The United States District Court, District of Massachusetts, is the venue for the federal trademark lawsuit between the Lizzie Borden B&B/Museum in Fall River and The True Story of Lizzie Borden in Salem.
Lucky for us, the court offers a two day advance look at their court calendar. If you wish to see a day or two ahead of time when the case will be adjudicated, you can visit that portion of their site here. Look for the courtroom of Judge J. Young, Courtroom #18, 5th Floor.
In my list in the post before this one, I noted that there was an episode devoted to Lizzie Borden on a show called Second Verdict.
Here are some further details on that show: (from Wikipedia—so some or all of it may be bogus):
Second Verdict
Format Police procedural
Created by Troy Kennedy Martin, Elwyn Jones
Starring Stratford Johns, Frank Windsor
Country of origin UK
No. of episodes 6
Production
Running time 50 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel BBC
Original run May 27, 1976 – July 1, 1976Second Verdict was a six-part BBC television series from 1976, of dramatised documentaries in which classic criminal cases and unsolved crimes from history were re-appraised by fictional police officers. In Second Verdict, Stratford Johns and Frank Windsor reprised for a final time their double-act as Detective Chief Superintendents Barlow and Watt, hugely popular with TV audiences from the long-running series Z Cars, Softly, Softly and Barlow at Large. Second Verdict built on the formula of their 1973 series Jack the Ripper in which dramatised documentary was drawn together with a discussion between the two police officers which formed the narrative. Second Verdict also allowed for some location filming and, when the case being re-appraised was within living memory, interviews with real witnesses.
The episodes were:
“The Lindbergh Kidnapping” (27 May 1976)
“Who Killed the Princes in the Tower?” (3 June 1976)
“The French Bluebeard” (10 June 1976)
“Murder on the 10.27″ (17 June 1976)
“Lizzie Borden” (24 June 1976)
“Who Burned the Reichstag?” (1 July 1976).Although this was the last time Barlow and Watt would be seen together on British TV (and the last time Barlow would be seen at all), the Watt character would make one final appearance, in the last episode of Z Cars in September 1978.
The Lizzie Borden murder case has been examined in only one movie: the made for TeeVee film from 1975, The Legend of Lizzie Borden. It is the one we all remember. Elizabeth Montgomery played Lizzie to perfection, even if there were many anachronisms and mistakes in fact. Just watch the opening scene to observe the neighborhood surrounded by mountains (!) and the brick (!) house in which the Bordens reside. There is no John Morse in this film, and, like Oliver Stone’s JFK, the dialogue is mostly invented as we do not know what they said to one another in their private world.
However, it is a really wonderful movie. Scary and provocative in all the right places. Its ending is spooky and atmospheric and memorable.
BUT DID YOU KNOW . . . . that there were many other TeeVee Lizzie’s out there, just not in full-length form. TV.com has a nice list of titles that have been aired. Now to find them all and watch them! Please feel free to comment on any of the ones you remember.
1. Second Verdict (1976): Lizzie Borden.
Season 1, Episode 5, Aired 6/24/1976.
Episode Overview: Abby Durfee Borden was murdered with an axe on 4 August 1892. Ninety minutes later, her husband, Andrew Jackson Borden, was killed in the same way. Lizzie Andrew Borden was tried for the murder of her father and sepmother, but was acquitted due to a lack of evidence. Was she guilty? Barlow and Watt examine the evidence.
Writers: Elwyn Jones
Director: Michael Simpson
Stars:
Frank Windsor (Detective Chief Superintendent John Watt)
Stratford Johns (Detective Chief Superintendent Barlow)
Guest Star:
Tony Sibbald (Asst. Marshal Fleet)
Norwich Duff (Thomas Kieran)
Patti Love (Bridget Sullivan)
James Berwick (George Robinson)
Robert Henderson (Judge Blaisdell)
Rosemary Leach (Lizzie Borden)
David Healy (Hosea Knowlton)
Gordon Sterne (Dr. Dolan)
Christopher Malcolm (Mullaly)
2. GhostHunters: Shawshank Prison/Lizzie Borden
Season 2, Episode 12, First Aired 10/12/2005
Episode Overview: The TAPS gang tackle two famous locations in this hour. The Mansfield Reformatory in Ohio, the prison where Stephen King’s “Shawshank Redemption” was filmed, and the site of the infamous axe murder of Lizzie Borden’s parents.
3. Sightings: Lizzie Borden; demonic possession
Season 2, Episode 3, First Aired 10/21/1992
Host: Tim White
4. Actors Studio: Good Bye, Miss Lizzie Borden
Season 1, Episode 9, First Aired 11/21/1948
5. History’s Mysteries: The Strange Case of Lizzie Borden
Season 14, Episode 3, First Aired 1/1/2006
Host: Arthur Kent
6. The Armstrong Circle Theatre: Legend of Murder: The Untold Story of Lizzie Borden
Season 13, Episode 1, First Aired 10/11/1961
Stars: Ron Cochran (host narrator)
Guest Star:
Staats Cotsworth (Knowlton)
Ann Hegira (Emma)
Mary Doyle (Bridget)
Paul McGrath (Andrew)
Clarice Blackburn (Lizzie Borden)
7. Suspense: The Legend of Lizzie
Season 5, Episode 27, First Aired 3/10/1953
Episode Overview: This telling of the story of accused axe-murderer Lizzie Borden is based on the actual court transcripts. Flashbacks are used to jump from the courtroom to the day her parents were hacked to death in the family home.
Cast: Katharine Bard as Lizzie Borden
8. Unsolved Mysteries: Episode #462
Season 12, Episode 14, First Aired 7/23/2001
Host: Robert Stack
9. Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Older Sister
Season 1, Episode 17, First Aired 1/22/1956
Writers:
Lillian de la Torre and Robert C. Daniels
Director:
Robert Stevens
Stars:
Alfred Hitchcock (Host)
Recurring Role:
Carmen Mathews (Lizzie Borden)
Pat Hitchcock (Margaret)
Guest Star:
Kay Stewart (Neighbor)
Polly Rowles (Nell Cutt)
Joan Lorring (Emma Borden)
Wendy Winkelman (Little Girl)
10. Scariest Places on Earth: Urban Legends 2
Season 4, Episode 4, First Aired 10/23/2005
11. Monsterquest: Ghosts
Season 2, Episode 3, First Aired 6/11/2008
12. Cher: Show 10
Season 1, Episode 10, First Aired 4/20/1975
“Cher and Nancy portray the principle and nutritionist of the Lizzie Borden High School.”
Here is a blast from the past. Unsolved Mysteries on the Lizzie Borden case. Of course they take the paranormal route, not the unsolved murder route. This show added to the whole belief that the house is somehow haunted. From episode #462, first aired 7.23.2001.
Enjoy.
Deborah Allard penned an interesting piece tonight on the goings on in Salem. I quote a small part here but you should read the entire piece in the online paper.
Salem’s Lizzie Borden museum allowed to use trademarked name before trial
By Deborah Allard with AP reports
GateHouse News Service
Posted Sep 25, 2008 @ 05:46 PM
Boston —
A legal tug of war between Fall River and Salem came no closer to delivering a verdict on who has the right to use the Lizzie Borden “museum” trademark.
. . . .
He [Donald Woods] said he and Leonard Pickel, owner of the Salem museum, were not in court Thursday. . . . Young ordered the two sides to prepare for trial and said he may rule later on Wood’s plea for a temporary injunction. He did not immediately set a trial date.
“A trial could be nothing more than meeting with the judge,” Woods said.
. . . Authors continue to pen their views of the murder and construct Lizzie’s life.
I had to add that last line because it refers to us!
Just up on the wires:
Judge won’t issue ban in Lizzie Borden trademark dispute
5:24 PM Thu, Sep 25, 2008 | Permalink
By Mike McKinney Email this author | Email this entry
BOSTON — A federal judge declined today to temporarily ban a Salem business from using a name similar to one trademarked by the owner of the home where Lizzie Borden allegedly used a hatchet to kill her wealthy father and stepmother more than a century ago.Donald Woods of the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast in Fall River, which is run out of the home, said a new museum and gift shop in nearby Salem has ignored repeated warnings that its name infringes on his “Lizzie Borden Museum” trademark.
Woods filed a lawsuit last month and asked for a temporary injunction against Leonard Pickel, who owns The True Story of the Lizzie Borden Gift Shop and Museum. The Salem business owns the domain name http://www.lizziebordenmuseum.com and an e-mail address with a similar name, LizzieBordenMuseum@gmail.com.
U.S. District Court Judge William Young ordered the two sides today to prepare for trial and said he may rule later on Wood’s plea for a temporary injunction. He did not immediately set a trial date.
Wood argues the new store could cause confusion over ties with his company and could harm the reputation his business has fought to cultivate over several years. But Pickel said Woods hasn’t marketed his bed and breakfast as a museum – effectively abandoning the trademark.
Pickel’s attorney, Douglas Otto, argues that Woods’ business is more likely to be confused with the Fall River Historical Society — a nonprofit that maintains the largest collection of artifacts relating to Borden’s life and trial and is located a short distance from the bed and breakfast.
Borden was acquitted of the 1892 slayings but was widely believed to be guilty. No one else was ever charged with the crime.
– The Associated Press
I read the court report as saying the trial is Monday. Perhaps it is, but I will check with the parties involved and let you all know one way or the other soon.
No not that Lizzie Borden. The Lizzie Borden who is suing the other Lizzie Borden. The Lizzie Borden B&B in Fall River against The True Story of Lizzie Borden in Salem.
HOT NEWS:
Case 1:08-cv-11341-WGY
Filed: 09/25/2008
Entered: 09/25/2008
Entered By: Bonnie Smith,
Event Name(s): Motion Hearing, Set Hearings
Full Docket Text:
Electronic Clerk’s Notes for proceedings held before Judge William G. Young: Motion Hearing held on 9/25/2008 re 2 MOTION for Temporary Restraining Order MOTION for Preliminary Injunction filed by Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast, LLC, Parties request a jury trial. The Court collapses the motion for preliminary injunction with a trial on the merits. The case is on the Court’s RUNNING TRIAL LIST AS OF 9/29/08.( Jury Trial set for NO SOONER THAN 9/29/2008 09:00 AM in Courtroom 18 before Judge William G. Young.) Counsel are encouraged to cooperate with one another and keep in touch with the clerk re: session schedule. (Court Reporter: Womack.)(Attorneys present: Grimm, Otto) (Smith, Bonnie)
So the trial is on the 29th. With a jury! How cool!
Today at 2PM in courtroom 18 of the United States District Court in Boston, case #CA 08-11341— LIZZIE BORDEN V. PICKEL—MOTION FOR
PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION will be heard and decided.
The Lizzie Borden B&B/Museum in Fall River is suing The True Story of Lizzie Borden, Gift Shop and Museum in Salem for trademark infringement, claiming, among other things, that Salem has violated the trademark owned and registered by the Fall River establishment in connecting the word Museum to the business in Salem.
The case is a fascinating study in legal maneuvering and I have been closely reading the court documents as they are filed. TTSOLB has countersued TLBBB and yesterday submitted their answer to the affidavits filed earlier in the week by the B&B.
I think this one is going to be decided strictly by point of law and not by the sideshow that has become Lizzie Borden. It is interesting that all this bruhaha is benefiting both parties, no matter the outcome. With the AP covering the dispute as well as lengthy pieces appearing in the Boston Globe and USA today, it only stand to reason that each business is getting great national coverage and now anyone who reads the paper knows they exist.
I will report back the outcome of today’s proceeding when it is revealed. This isn’t the trial yet, just a hearing on a motion.
In an earlier post I informed you that there was in issue of Creepy Comics from the 1960s that had a story with Lizzie Borden in it. MondoLizzie member and filmmaker Richard Behrens got his copy before me and sent me these great images of the story. Thanks Richard!
Here are those images which detail the entire story. Click on them to get a much bigger image!
Just a reminder: The Fall River History Club meets tonight, September 17, at 6:30 PM at the Fall River Public Library. The informal talk being given by Bob Kitchen is on the topic of early Fall River entertainments, focusing on circuses and wild west shows. The event is free and open to the public.
Next time round, October 15, will feature Ken Champlin speaking on the history of quarrying granite in Fall River.
Come one, come all!
LizzieAndrewBorden.com has undergone a makeover. Gone are the dark colors and high contrast backgrounds, replaced by an upscale classy look that is sure to delight.
The site is the preeminent Lizzie Borden website—and contains the most comprehensive collection of Borden facts, essays, document downloads, and discussions on the Internet.
Disclaimer: this is a post of unabashed self-promotion. I am the webmaster of said site, and did the design myself. But everything I say above is true!
There’s a new Rick Geary book! It is about the Lindbergh Kidnapping case and is sure to be wonderful as Geary never disappoints. His examination in comic format (a true graphic novel) of the Lizzie Borden case was not only textually accurate, but provided the first and best visual examination of the crimes ever produced.
Titled The Lindbergh Child, the new book is part of his Treasury of XXth Century Murder series. His Victorian Murder series featured titles on Jack the Ripper, Madeleine Smith, the Saga of the Bloody Benders, the Abraham Lincoln assassination, the James Garfield assassination, and Mary Rogers.
Read more about the new book here.
According to JeffreyJustice.com, the website of a psychic medium, Everyday Paranormal will be broadcasting from the Lizzie Borden House on September 25. Along with Liz Souza, Justice will be doing the live broadcast at 8pm EST.
“Everyday Paranormal, hosted by Jeffrey Justice and Liz Souza, airs live each and every Thursday at 8 EST and may be heard online through the ask1 radio network.”
For information on streaming the show on your computer, visit the ASK1 site.
About Jeffrey Justice:
Jeffrey Justice is a well-known psychic and medium from Salem, Massachusetts. He is licensed to work as such by that city and has been a visible presence as a reader on the psychic fair circuit, at shops offering psychic readings, and at many psychic parties for over a decade. Due to his accuracy and inimitable style and approach to his work, public interest in this psychic has rapidly increased. He has performed readings for professional athletes and recording artists. Based only on word-of-mouth advertising he has attracted several high profile clients.
Justice was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts in 1974. He is a native New Englander whose ancestors first arrived at Plymouth Plantation after crossing the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower in 1620. Other Justice ancestors were the first settlers of several communities in Massachusetts, including Newbury, the town in which he was raised, in 1635 and the City of Salem in 1626. Jeffrey is also a direct descendant of Roger Conant, the founder of Salem, Massachusetts and its first “Royal Governor.” This term describes early colonial Governors appointed by the King of England. Conant was born in Devonshire, England in 1592 and died in Beverly, Massachusetts (another town he helped found) in 1679. There is a large statue of Conant which looms above the street by Salem’s city Common.
Jeffrey’s family has had a long association and relationship with the paranormal which began over a century ago, when some of its members began attending Spiritualist meetings and séances in the 1890’s. Since that time, the family—for the most part— maintained an affiliation with Spiritualism. For generations, there have been psychics in his family. Few, however, discussed this with people outside the family. Jeffrey Justice is a fourth generation psychic and spirit medium.
His own psychic abilities were recognized by a grandmother while he was quite young. She encouraged him to pursue studying Mediumship as well as various forms of divination. His study of the Tarot began before he was a teenager. He is skilled at reading palms and Tarot cards, and with many other methods for predicting future events.
Justice was frequently ill as a child, a trait which he shares with some of the best known psychics. Though already regarded as a child with psychic ability by family, his talent increased after recovering from encephalitis at age nine. Subsequent to his recovery, he was able to see, or sense, people’s true motives and to know many details of their lives which were kept secret. He also became aware of his Spirit Guide, and following that his ability to communicate with the dead developed quickly.
Jeffrey Justice had worked as a professional psychic intermittently since he was twenty two. His decision to work only as a psychic and medium was made more recently, and was based in part on enthusiastic reaction from clients. Other factors which influenced his choice were more personal, but center mainly around his inability to find satisfaction professionally in any other career. He felt, and continues to feel as though working at any other occupation would betray what he understands to be his true calling. His life’s work concerns more than simply earning a living; it has as much to do with educating people about what he does— and what his message means to them.
In addition to working as a psychic consultant and medium, he is also a workshop instructor. In that capacity he teaches students how they may heighten their own innate psychic abilities. He also lectures on topics such as the history of Modern American Spiritualism and its relationship to major movements in our history; such as the movement to abolish slavery and the proto-feminist movement. Jeffrey holds a bachelor’s degree in English, and is currently working on materials for publication.
An ABC Family series called Scariest Places, hosted by Linda Blair, and featuring the narration of the woman who was the psychic on Poltergeist (Zelda Rubenstein). They send a family to a supposed haunted location, armed with cameras, to experience the place. Mostly what they get are a lot of scared people screaming as they think they see and hear things.
Enjoy!
