Twelve Angry Men

By: Reginald Rose

Narrated by: Dan Castellaneta, Hector Elizondo, Armin Shimerman

Length: 1 hr and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Over the course of a steamy and tense afternoon, 12 jurors deliberate the fate of a 19-year-old boy alleged to have murdered his own father. A seemingly open and shut case turns complicated, igniting passions and hidden prejudices.

This audio also includes an interview with Reginald Rose's widow, Ellen, in which she talks about how her late husband came to write the original teleplay version of Twelve Angry Men.

©1984 Reginald Rose (P)2005 L.A. Theatre Works

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Finalist, Audio Drama, 2007
• Audie Award Finalist, Audiobook Adapted from Another Medium, 2007

"This tidy portrait of clashing social attitudes in a jury room definitely creaks with age. But somehow the creaks begin to sound like soothing music, a siren song from a period of American drama when personalities were drawn in clean lines, the moral was unmistakable, and the elements of a plot clicked together like a jigsaw puzzle without a single missing piece." (The New York Times)

Classic Story, Great Cast

Hearing the stage play as performed by this cast is an entirely different experience than reading the script or watching the iconic movie. This recording exceeded my very high expectations.

Classic period courtroom/jury drama

I got to produce & direct this play in 1965 for a community theatre group. We were weighed heavily to female actors at the time, so I had a couple of open readings. Considering 9 of our jury members were not usually actors or want to be actors, our drama was very nice.

But no where as good as this version.

The drama is 'acted' rather than 'read' and it comes off well, if quite dated. Each individual was brought out and their characters explored quickly but nicely. It's a short drama, not a book.

It takes place in the mid 20th century so it is 60 years old now. It doesn't always wear its age well, but for someone interested in divergent times, the less than 3 hour listen is worth the time.

I got it on deep discount..maybe not worth a credit, but well worth a reasonable cash price.

classic book

the book itself is great but the laugh track is over the top and doesn't belong at all in a jury room. Took me out of the story each time they played it.

Never put someone's life at stake on an assumption

A great study on assumtions. As one writer put it, when you assume something you make an "ass" of "u" and "me." That is what this book is all about, assuming something to be true because you want it to be true. Thank goodness there are those who are willing to put forth the effort to look deeper into things to find the real truth. Sadly, it doesn't work that way for everyone who is falsely accused, but when it does, it has to be deeply rewarding for the innocent.

Presented in a dramatized fashion, this is a great listen.

A fantastic book, brought to life!

Wow. Wow, wow, wow, What a powerful - and actually still very relevant - book, more than 60 years after it was first published. I had known the overall premise for years, but I loved hearing the fallacies, motivations, personalities, and nuances that these 12 jurymen brought into this deliberation. I listened to it as a audiobook, but I will be buying this and re-reading it often. It's one of those books everyone should read, if only to remember the beauty and flaws innate to the "trial by one's peers" process. Audiobook narrated by Dan Castellaneta, Hector Elizondo, Armin Shimerman, and others.

Great story, terrible dramatization

Where does Twelve Angry Men rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This dramatization ranks among the lowest of the audiobooks that I've listen to so far. I found the performances campy and the laugh track very inappropriate for the weightiness of the material.

What did you like best about this story?

I think the story is terrific. I like the development of the story and the way things are gradually revealed.

Would you be willing to try another one of the narrators’s performances?

Maybe individuals from the cast performance. I'm beginning to think single narrators (or duel depending in the material) are better than cast dramatizations.

Great story and even greater dramatization

What did you love best about Twelve Angry Men?

I’ve been a juror and I can honestly say that this is almost completely accurate to what I experienced. I love how it is one man against the opposition while the opposition are men who are biased towards the boy. In the beginning, the men either didn’t care to debate or had something else they would rather do so they wanted to get it over with. The fact that one man cared enough to discuss the future of a young man, and fight for his innocence, is what makes me love this story.

What other book might you compare Twelve Angry Men to and why?

None of the books I’ve read have come close to comparing to this story. I hate that I don’t have anything to compare but at the same time I’m glad.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

The entire cast was amazing and they all did a terrific job. The character I liked the most would have to be juror #8 (Jeffrey Donovan). Honestly, it’s because I loved him in Burn Notice and I love his voice.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The scene where the juror was explaining his hate towards the boy and “his kind” moved me a lot. His prejudice towards the boy stemmed from his hate of people who, essentially, lived in the slums. When he started to explain why he felt that way...everyone turned away from him. They were so disgusted by his outcry that they couldn’t even look him in the face. It made me feel the same way. Disgusted that a man could be so biased towards a boy for his upbringing. Something that he can’t control. I loved the last response that he is given. “I’ve heard enough!! Sit down, and don’t open your filthy mouth again!!!”

One to make you think

I love this story! I watched the movie in 8th grade and listening to the book 10 years later, equally as thrilling. The narrators really sold this piece. It’s a great story to listen to while on a roadtrip even with several people. The ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ were real as each piece unveiled itself!! Amazing job! #socialjustice #clever #thoughtprovoking #intense #meltingpot #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Intense, disturbing and dramatic. Very well acted.

This is definitely probably the most intense audio book (well, it's more like a radio play for those of you who remember what a radio play is) I've listened to.

I watched the movie many eons ago and it was great and intense as well. But this was on a par -- probably better in the way a book is almost invariably better than its movie. The voice acting in this production was really phenomenal.

I found this story as disturbing today as I did all those years ago when I first encountered it. (Remind me never to be accused of murder and place my fate in the hands of a jury of my peers!)

Highly recommended.

Short but engrossing

Great play done by a cast of narrators though some scenes rely heavily on visual effects that couldn't be captured through the audio book. Sound effects are a nice touch, but the laugh track was very grating.
Concerning the story, it's terrifying what can happen behind the jury room doors. I listened to the whole thing in one session as I couldn't stop.