Filmmaker R. J. Cutler calls Jack Roland Murphy – otherwise known as “Murf the Surf” – “television’s first true crime celebrity.”
Considered the mastermind behind the 1964 jewel heist of New York’s Museum of Natural History, a convicted murderer, and a master of deception, Murphy captured the American psyche in a way Americans hadn’t seen at that time. He was good-looking, well-dressed and exuded confidence – and the public loved it.
People are also reading… “He reminded me of ‘the former guy,’” he says, alluding to Donald Trump. “I had occasion to spend some time a decade or so ago with the former guy and I recognized that quality.”While Murphy died before Cutler could extensively record conversations with him, a producer, Ryan Gallagher, did a pre-interview that proved fruitful for the documentary.
Cutler says Murphy knew the power of celebrity. “I don’t want to say he’s Keith Richards before Keith Richards, but it’s darker – much darker,” he explains. “We see the darkness that it leads to and then, other questions are raised – questions about faith and redemption and all those other things.” Figuring into that fourth part, Cutler saw how he wanted “the narrative of his life to be told as he wished versus what the truth was.”“He looked like Cary Grant in ‘To Catch a Thief’ and he probably intended to dress like Cary Grant to catch up,” Cutler says.
“He was very intentional. He had a goal in mind. He was subtle in his firmness. He made it clear that he knew that I had a family and he didn’t say anything else about it. He was manipulative in that way.
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