Murder in Texas (film)

Murder in Texas is a 1981 television film starring Katharine Ross, Sam Elliott, Farrah Fawcett, and Andy Griffith. The film was directed by William Hale, and was based on a true story; it was written for the TV screen by John McGreevey. It first aired on television in two parts on Sunday and Monday May 3–4, 1981.^[1]

Murder in Texas
Genre	Drama
Based on	Prescription Murder by Ann Kurth
Written by	John McGreevey
Directed by	William Hale
Starring	Katharine Ross Sam Elliott Farrah Fawcett Andy Griffith
Theme music composer	Leonard Rosenman
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	David Salzman Dick Clark Preston Fischer
Producer	William Hale (as Billy Hale)
Cinematography	Donald M. Morgan
Editor	John A. Martinelli
Running time	200 min
Production company	Dick Clark Productions
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	May 3, 1981 (1981-05-03)

Plot

Based on the true story of the death of Joan Robinson Hill, this film tells of a plastic surgeon who was suspected of causing the death of his first wife, the daughter of a wealthy member of Houston society. The circumstances around her death – which was never solved – are clouded by a suspiciously hasty embalming and a hurried burial. The doctor then marries his mistress. In spite of two autopsies showing that his daughter died of natural causes, Ash Robinson, convinced that his daughter was murdered, sets out single-handedly to find out the true cause of her death, determined to see that the doctor is punished.

Cast

• Katharine Ross as Ann Kurth Hill
• Sam Elliott as Dr. John Hill
• Farrah Fawcett as Joan Robinson Hill
• Andy Griffith as Ash Robinson
• G. W. Bailey as Richard "Racehorse" Haynes
• Barry Corbin as Dist. Atty. McMasters
• Pamela Myers as Mary
• Craig T. Nelson as Jack Ramsey
• Royce Wallace as Wilma
• Dimitra Arliss as Gina Meier
• Jude Farese as Casselli
• Philip Sterling as Dr. Helpern
• Vernon Weddle as Dr. Joe
• Lesley Woods as Reah Robinson
• Parley Baer as Ann's attorney
• Tim T Clark as Teenage Driver

Reception

The movie was highly ranked in the Nielsen ratings. Part I was the fifth-most popular show for the week ending May 3, and Part II was the most popular show of the following week.^[2][3]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
1981	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special	Andy Griffith	Nominated	[4]
		Outstanding Film Editing for a Limited Series or a Special	John A. Martinelli	Won
1982	American Cinema Editors Awards	Best Edited Episode from a Television Mini-Series		Nominated	[5]
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television		Nominated	[6]