In Cold Blood is a
1966The year 1966 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*February 14 - Dissident writers Yuli Daniel and Andrei Sinyavsky are sentenced to hard labour for "anti-Soviet activity"....
book by
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Truman CapoteTruman Garcia Capote , born Truman Streckfus Persons, was an American writer, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "nonfiction novel"...
.
The book details the brutal 1959 murders of Herbert Clutter, a wealthy farmer from
HolcombHolcomb is a city in Finney County, Kansas, United States. The population was 2,026 at the 2000 census.Holcomb is known for the Clutter family murder and subsequent Truman Capote novel In Cold Blood.-Geography:...
,
KansasKansas is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, who inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind," although this was...
, and his wife and two of their children. When Capote learned of the quadruple murder before the killers were captured, he decided to travel to Kansas and write about the crime. Bringing his childhood friend and fellow author
Harper LeeNelle Harper Lee is an American author known for her 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom of the United States for her contribution to literature in 2007.-Early life:...
along, together they interviewed local residents and investigators assigned to the case and took thousands of pages of notes. The killers, Richard "Dick" Hickock and
Perry SmithPerry Edward Smith was one of two ex-convicts who murdered four members of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, United States on November 15, 1959, a crime made famous by Truman Capote in his 1966 non-fiction novel In Cold Blood.-Family and early life:Perry Edward Smith was born in Huntington,...
, were arrested not long after the murders, and Capote ultimately spent six years working on the book. It is considered the originator of the
non-fiction novelThe non-fiction novel is a literary genre which, broadly speaking, depicts real events narrated with techniques of fiction. The non-fiction novel is an otherwise loosely-defined and flexible genre.-History:...
and the forerunner of the
New JournalismNew Journalism was a style of 1960s and 1970s news writing and journalism which used literary techniques deemed unconventional at the time. The term was codified with its current meaning by Tom Wolfe in a 1973 collection of journalism articles he published as The New Journalism, which included...
movement, although other writers, like
Rodolfo WalshRodolfo Jorge Walsh was an Argentine writer, considered the founder of investigative journalism in Argentina. He remains disappeared since March 25, 1977....
, had already explored the genre in books like
Operación MasacreOperación Masacre is a nonfiction novel of investigative journalism, written by noted Argentine journalist and author Rodolfo Walsh. It is considered by some to be the first of its genre...
.
The plot weaves a complicated psychological story of two
paroleParole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole, meaning " word". Following its use in late-medieval Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners...
es who together commit a
mass murderMass murder is the act of murdering a large number of people, typically over a relatively short period of time. Mass murder may be committed by individuals or organizations. Mass murder is also defined to be intentional and indiscriminate murder of large number of people by government agents...
, an act they were not capable of individually. Capote's book also details the lives of the victims and the effect the crime had on the community where they lived. A large part of the story involves the dynamic psychological relationship of the two felons that culminated in this senseless crime.
In Cold Blood is often regarded by critics as a pioneering work of true crime.
Overview of the Crime
Herb Clutter was a dedicated
MethodistMethodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to Reverend John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement in the Anglican Church. His younger brother...
and a widely respected self-made man who had established a successful
farmA farm is an area of land, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibers and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single individual, family, community, corporation...
from modest beginnings. He employed as many as eighteen farm hands, and former employees reportedly admired and respected him for his fair treatment and good wages. His four children, three girls and a boy, were widely respected in the community. The two eldest, Eveanna and Beverly, had moved out of their parents' home and started their adult lives. The two younger children, Nancy, 16, and Kenyon, 15, were high school students still living at home. Clutter's wife, Bonnie, a member of the local garden club, had been incapacitated by clinical depression and physical ailments since the births of her children, although this characterization of her has been disputed by surviving family members.
Two ex-convicts on
paroleParole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole, meaning " word". Following its use in late-medieval Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners...
from the Kansas State Penitentiary,
Richard "Dick" HickockRichard "Dick" Eugene Hickock was one of two ex-convicts who murdered the four members of the Herbert Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas on November 15, 1959, a crime made famous by Truman Capote in his 1966 non-fiction novel In Cold Blood...
and
Perry Edward SmithPerry Edward Smith was one of two ex-convicts who murdered four members of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, United States on November 15, 1959, a crime made famous by Truman Capote in his 1966 non-fiction novel In Cold Blood.-Family and early life:Perry Edward Smith was born in Huntington,...
, committed the robbery and murders on November 15, 1959. Richard Hickock had heard from a fellow prisoner, Floyd Wells, who had once worked for the Clutters, said that he thought there was a safe at the ranch where Herb Clutter kept large amounts of cash, but he couldn't be sure. Hickock later contacted Smith about committing the robbery with him. Hickock hatched the idea in prison to commit the robbery, leave no witnesses and start a new life in
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
with the cash from the Clutter home. Hickock described his plan as "a cinch, the perfect score." The information proved to be false, since Herb Clutter did not keep cash on hand, had no safe, and did all his business using checks to better keep track of transactions.
After driving across the state of Kansas on Saturday, November 14, 1959, and discovering that there was no money to be found at the Clutters' home, Smith, notoriously unstable and sociopathic, became enraged and slit Herb Clutter's throat and then
shotThe term ballistic trauma refers to a form of physical trauma sustained from the discharge of arms or munitions...
him in the head. As Smith recounted later, "I didn't want to harm the man. I thought he was a very nice gentleman. Soft spoken. I thought so right up to the moment I cut his throat." Kenyon, then Nancy, and then Bonnie were murdered, each by single
shotgunA shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
blasts to the head.
Smith claimed in his oral confession that Hickock murdered the two women. When asked to sign his confession, however, Smith refused. He wanted to accept responsibility for all four killings because he said he was "sorry for Dick's mother." Smith added, "She's a real sweet person." Hickock always maintained that Smith did all four killings.
Hickock and Smith were ultimately arrested in
Las VegasLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, fine dining, and entertainment. Las Vegas, which bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for the number of...
about six weeks after the murders. They pleaded temporary insanity during the trial, but local
GPA general practitioner or GP is a medical practitioner who provides primary care and specializes in family medicine. A general practitioner treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes...
s evaluated the accused and pronounced them
saneSane is an English word meaning "of sound mind"; see Sanity.Sane or SANE may also refer to:* Sane Ancient Greek city* An archaeological site and a modern name of Sani, Greece*Sane, Mali...
. After five years on
death rowDeath row is a term that refers to the section of a prison that houses individuals awaiting execution. It is also used to refer to the state of awaiting execution, even in places where a special section of a prison does not exist ....
, Smith and Hickock were executed by
hangingHanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. It hurts a lot. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", although it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would...
just after midnight on April 14, 1965, in
Lansing, KansasLansing is a city situated along the Missouri River in the eastern part of Leavenworth County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. The population was 9,199 at the 2000 census, and it was estimated to be in the year...
, at the Kansas State Penitentiary (now known as
Lansing Correctional FacilityLansing Correctional Facility is a state prison operated by the Kansas Department of Corrections located in Lansing, Kansas in Leavenworth County...
). The
gallowsA gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging.A gallows can take several forms.*the simplest form resembles an inverted "L", with a single upright and a horizontal beam to which the rope noose would be attached.*the horizontal crossbeam is supported at both ends.*temporary...
from which they were hanged is now part of the collections of the
Kansas State Historical SocietyThe Kansas Historical Society is the official state historical society of Kansas.Headquartered in Topeka, it operates as the "the trustee of the state" for the purpose of maintaining the state's history and operates the Kansas Museum of History, Kansas State Archives and Library, Kansas State...
.
Capote's research
On November 16, 1959,
The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded in 1851 and published in New York City. The largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States, "The Gray Lady"—named for its staid appearance and style—is regarded as a national newspaper of record...
published the following account of the murders.
Holcomb, Kan., Nov. 15 [1959] (UPI) -- A wealthy wheat farmer, his wife and their two young children were found shot to death today in their home. They had been killed by shotgun blasts at close range after being bound and gagged ... There were no signs of a struggle, and nothing had been stolen. The telephone lines had been cut.
—The New York Times
This 335-word article interested Capote enough for him to travel to Kansas to investigate the murders. Capote brought his childhood friend,
Harper LeeNelle Harper Lee is an American author known for her 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom of the United States for her contribution to literature in 2007.-Early life:...
, who would later win the
Pulitzer Prize for FictionThe Pulitzer Prize for Fiction has been awarded since 1948 for distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life. It replaced the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel.* 1948: Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener...
for her novel,
To Kill a MockingbirdTo Kill a Mockingbird is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was instantly successful and has become a classic of modern American literature...
, with him to help gain the confidence of the locals, who mistrusted Capote. Capote did copious research for the work, ultimately compiling 8,000 pages of notes. After the criminals were found, tried, and convicted, Capote held personal interviews with both Smith and Hickock. Smith especially fascinated Capote; in the book he is portrayed as the more sensitive and guilt-ridden of the two killers. Rumors of a romantic and even sexual relationship between Smith and Capote still linger to this day. The book was not completed until after Smith and Hickock were executed.
Publication
In Cold Blood was first published as a four-part
serialThe term "serial" refers to the intrinsic property of a series – namely, its order. In literature, the term is used as a noun to refer to a format by which a story is told in contiguous installments in sequential issues of a single periodical publication.More generally, "serial" is applied...
in
The New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry published by Condé Nast Publications...
, beginning with the September 25, 1965, issue. The piece was an immediate sensation, particularly in Kansas, where
The New Yorker had distributed the usual number of copies, which sold out immediately.
In Cold Blood was first published in book form by
Random HouseRandom House, Inc. is the world's largest English-language general trade book publisher. It has been owned since 1998 by the large German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing...
in January 1966. The book, however, was copyrighted in 1965, and this date appears on the title page of most printings of the book and even in some library indexes as the original publication date. The
Library of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress and is the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and holds the largest number of books. The head...
lists 1966 as the publication date and 1965 as the copyright date.
Criticism
Tom WolfeThomas Kennerly Wolfe, Jr. , known as Tom Wolfe, is a best-selling American author and journalist. He is one of the founders of the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.-Biography:...
wrote in his essay "
PornoviolencePornoviolence is a 1976 essay by American author Tom Wolfe, which appeared in Mauve Gloves & Madmen, Clutter & Vine, intended to decry the media's habit of glorifying violence as a way of gratifying their audience, in the same way a pornographic film does using sex...
": "The book is neither a who-done-it nor a will-they-be-caught, since the answers to both questions are known from the outset ... Instead, the book's suspense is based largely on a totally new idea in detective stories: the promise of gory details, and the withholding of them until the end."
Despite the book's billing as a factual "True Crime" account, critics have challenged the authenticity of the book, arguing that Capote changed facts to suit his story, added scenes which never occurred, and re-created dialogue. Capote relied entirely on memorization when talking to subjects in the book, and did not use a tape recorder or take any written notes; this alone may have contributed to several inaccuracies in the book.
One of these critics was J. J. Maloney (d. 1999), a convicted murderer who upon release in 1972 became an investigative reporter for the Kansas City Star (he was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize five times) and later a Web publisher (he launched www.crimemagazine.com). Maloney gave much thought in his crime writing to criminal intent. He surmised that Smith and Hickock had begun a homosexual relationship in prison, and that at the Clutter house Smith had “exploded” when he found Hickcock intent on raping the bound Nancy Clutter. At this point, in Maloney’s view, Smith challenged Hickock to kill the family, beginning with the father, as Hickock had previously bragged he would do when talking about the future robbery in prison (though Smith expected Hickock to renege on his threat and thereby show himself humiliated, at least to the two of them, as an unmanly coward). When Hickock did back down, Smith killed the whole family, to show Hickock that he, Smith, the passive partner in their relationship, was even manlier than his active-role sex partner. Maloney felt Capote missed all of this; or rather, he believed Capote had ulterior motives for covering the true account up. His view of Capote's account was that it was, at its core, a dishonest book.
Adaptations
The book itself was made into a
1967The year 1967 in film involved some significant events. It is widely considered as one of the most ground-breaking years in film.-Events:*December 26 - The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour airs on British television....
film of the same nameIn Cold Blood is a film based on Truman Capote's book of the same name. Richard Brooks prepared the adaptation and directed the film. Some scenes were filmed on the locations of the original events, in Garden City and Holcomb, Kansas including the Clutter residence, the site of the murders...
by
Richard BrooksRichard Brooks was an American screenwriter, director, novelist and occasional producer.-Early life and Career:...
, who directed and adapted the screenplay. It starred
Robert BlakeRobert Blake is an Italian-American actor who starred in the film In Cold Blood and the U.S. television series Baretta...
as Perry Smith and
Scott WilsonScott Wilson is an American actor.-Movies:He has performed in many movies including In the Heat of the Night, In Cold Blood, The Gypsy Moths,The Great Gatsby, The Right Stuff, Dead Man Walking, The Grass Harp, Junebug, The Host and Monster...
as Richard Hickock.
John ForsytheJohn Forsythe is an American stage, television and film actor. Forsythe starred in three television series, spanning three decades, as single playboy father Bentley Gregg in the 1950s sitcom Bachelor Father ; as the unseen millionaire Charles Townsend on the 1970s crime drama Charlie's Angels ,...
played the investigator (Al Dewey) from the
Kansas Bureau of InvestigationThe Kansas Bureau of Investigation, or KBI is the criminal investigative arm of the state of Kansas. The agency was established in 1939 by the Kansas Legislature, and is a division of the state's Attorney General...
who apprehended the killers. The film was shot in black and white. It was nominated for four
Academy AwardsThe Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is...
:
Best DirectorThe Academy Award for Achievement in Directing is one of the Awards of Merit presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to directors working in the motion picture industry...
, Best Original Score,
Best CinematographyThe Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture....
and
Best Adapted ScreenplayThe Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. It is awarded each year to the writer of a screenplay adapted from another source...
. The film was also adapted into a 1996
miniseriesA miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a pre-planned limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
starring
Anthony EdwardsAnthony Charles Edwards is an American actor and director. He has appeared in various movies and television shows, including Top Gun, Zodiac, Revenge of the Nerds, Northern Exposure and ER.-Early life:...
and
Eric RobertsEric Anthony Roberts is an American actor. His career began with King of the Gypsies , earning a Golden Globe nomination for best actor debut. He starred as the protagonist in the 1980 dramatisation of Willa Cather's 1905 short story, Paul's Case...
.
Capote's experiences in writing the story, and his subsequent fascination with the murders, have been adapted into two films.
CapoteCapote is a 2005 biographical film about Truman Capote, following the events during the writing of Capote's non-fiction book In Cold Blood. Philip Seymour Hoffman won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his critically acclaimed portrayal of the title role. The movie...
(2005) starred
Philip Seymour HoffmanPhilip Seymour Hoffman is an American stage and film actor and director.Hoffman began acting in television in 1991, and the following year began appearing in films. His work in a diverse range of supporting films roles brought him recognition over the following decade. This recognition helped...
, who won the
Academy Award for Best ActorPerformance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
for his portrayal of Truman Capote, and
Catherine Keener-Early life:Keener, the third of five children, was born in Miami, Florida, the daughter of Evelyn and Jim Keener, a manager of an automotive store. She is of Irish descent on her father's side and of Lebanese descent on her mother's. Her sister Elizabeth is also an actress. Keener attended...
as Harper Lee. The film was critically acclaimed and was nominated for four other Oscars, including
Best PictureThe Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible...
,
Best Supporting ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
(Keener), Best Director (
Bennett MillerBennett Miller is an Academy Award-nominated American film director.Miller is the director of the feature Capote , a film for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Director. He also directed the documentary film The Cruise...
), and Best Adapted Screenplay (
Dan FuttermanDaniel Futterman is an American actor and screenwriter. Although he is known for several high-profile acting roles, including Val Goldman in the film The Birdcage and Vincent Gray on the CBS television series Judging Amy, he is also a screenwriter...
). A year later the film
InfamousInfamous is a 2006 American drama film written and directed by Douglas McGrath. The screenplay, based on the 1997 book Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career by George Plimpton, covers the period from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s...
, starring
Toby JonesToby Jones is a British actor.-Early life:Jones was born in Oxford, United Kingdom, the son of Jennifer and character actor Freddie Jones, with whom he appeared in the film Ladies in Lavender. His brothers are Rupert Jones, a director, and Casper Jones, who is also an actor...
as Capote and
Sandra BullockSandra Annette Bullock is an American actress who came to fame in the 1990s, after roles in successful films such as Speed and While You Were Sleeping. She has since established her career as a well-known leading Hollywood actress, with films such as Miss Congeniality and 2005 movies Crash, which...
as Lee, was released to favorable reviews.
External links
- In Cold Blood, Part I: "The Last to See Them Alive" in The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry published by Condé Nast Publications...
(September 25, 1965); the three subsequent installments are available in synopsis only:
- Writing history: Capote's novel has lasting effect on journalism
- Capote's Legacy: The Challenge of Creativity and Credibility in Literary Journalism
- In Cold Blood, a Legacy in Photos
- Photos of the first edition of In Cold Blood
- Literapedia Book Summaries for In Cold Blood
- 1966 interview of Capote by George Plimpton
George Ames Plimpton was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. He is best-remembered for his sports writing and for founding The Paris Review.- Biography :...