The previous comment missed the point entirely. The question isn't if the guy was guilty or not, but, does the justice system have any mechanism in it for someone who can't hear, speak, read, sign or communicate in any other way. THIS was the crux of the matter- if someone can't communicate at all how does he participate in a court proceeding? How could he understand what was going on? Donald Lang could not communicate ideas at all- he could not lip-read, could not hear,could not understand sign language of any kind- he literally COULD NOT COMMUNICATE- It wasn't about his guilt or innocence- it was about a situation where the courts could do as they pleased with someone because he could not understand anything. This is un-American- we are a land where people have DIED defending a system which provides rights which cannot be trampled by police powers. THAT is what the film was about. (FYI I live in Chicago and know Lowell Myers well, and have spoken to him about this.... so my info is directly from the source.)
10 Reviews
What a movie
Elainarain10 September 2001
I saw this movie tonight for the first time since 1979, when i was a little girl, it was powerful then, and it still is. It still has the ability to make me cry....the ending still has me puzzled. I highly recommend this movie..it gave me a new respect for those of us, who are living with overwhelming disabilities, and still surviving like champions. BTW, Levar Burton is a helluva an actor! Bravo!!! Elaina
Great work all around
JellyK9597 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This was an excellent film in so many ways. The acting, the directing, the use of actual facts regarding the legal system and the obstacles faced by handicapped persons (in the form of the deaf characters portrayed by LeVar Burton and Paul Sorvino). I saw the movie when it first appeared on television several years back and then a few years ago it was broadcast again late at night and I taped it. When I watched it again I was once more moved close to tears by the things which Burton's character was forced to endure.
On a side note, one of the things this film did unintentionally was to give me the ability to learn how to communicate better with my family members who were hard of hearing. Watching Sorvino as Lowell Myers I paid close attention to how he would carefully form each word and feel the words vibrate along the back of his ears and through his throat and lips. I had an aunt with whom communication for me had been very difficult until I learned to do this, along with looking directly at a person when speaking. Admittedly to speak in such a manner, since it is slower and each word is carefully formed can at times sound mechanical but I cannot argue with the positive results. I have also used a similar method with communicating with people who are just beginning to learn the English language and again it is successful.
On a side note, one of the things this film did unintentionally was to give me the ability to learn how to communicate better with my family members who were hard of hearing. Watching Sorvino as Lowell Myers I paid close attention to how he would carefully form each word and feel the words vibrate along the back of his ears and through his throat and lips. I had an aunt with whom communication for me had been very difficult until I learned to do this, along with looking directly at a person when speaking. Admittedly to speak in such a manner, since it is slower and each word is carefully formed can at times sound mechanical but I cannot argue with the positive results. I have also used a similar method with communicating with people who are just beginning to learn the English language and again it is successful.
Donald Lang was not evil
crimefile3 October 2005
I knew Donald Lang between the two killings. He was kind, bright, very strong and hard working. He had ape like qualities that Lavar Burton could not emulate, nor should he have tried.
Lang was always being victimized by pimps, whores and scumbags wandering the ghetto. Lang had a sense of honor, justice and compassion that his tormentors did not have.
I believe he was a lot smarter than most people thought and could understand volumes. He communicated with me by grunts and pointing. I could swear he could understand what I was saying to him.
The only time anyone cared to teach him sign language and communication skills was to try him for murder. That never happened. I don't know where Lang is today but I know he's not in the Illinois prison system.
He only needed a better understanding of how to deal with the evil people in the world. I really think that he felt that killing people who would rob him was okay. His world was truly a jungle and the laws of the jungle applied to him.
Lowell Myers was a fine man. Sorvino did not look like him but captured all of his humanity in the film. Someday I'd like to talk to him about this film. I had a chat with Brian Dennehy who played Lang's boss earlier in his career. It's a great story and should be released on DVD someday. A jail guard from the Cook County jail named Cheserleigh played himself in the film. He too knew Lang
Lang was always being victimized by pimps, whores and scumbags wandering the ghetto. Lang had a sense of honor, justice and compassion that his tormentors did not have.
I believe he was a lot smarter than most people thought and could understand volumes. He communicated with me by grunts and pointing. I could swear he could understand what I was saying to him.
The only time anyone cared to teach him sign language and communication skills was to try him for murder. That never happened. I don't know where Lang is today but I know he's not in the Illinois prison system.
He only needed a better understanding of how to deal with the evil people in the world. I really think that he felt that killing people who would rob him was okay. His world was truly a jungle and the laws of the jungle applied to him.
Lowell Myers was a fine man. Sorvino did not look like him but captured all of his humanity in the film. Someday I'd like to talk to him about this film. I had a chat with Brian Dennehy who played Lang's boss earlier in his career. It's a great story and should be released on DVD someday. A jail guard from the Cook County jail named Cheserleigh played himself in the film. He too knew Lang
Lowell Myers Dead at 76
mdurdles8 November 2006
Obituary for Lowell Jack Myers
Lowell J. Myers, 76: Deaf Lawyer and Advocate for Deaf People
Lowell J. Myers, who lost his hearing at a young age but found in himself a strong, unwavering voice as a champion for the deaf , the bullied and the underdog, even arguing 17 cases before the Illinois Supreme Court, died Nov. 7, 2006 of a brain aneurysm. He was 76.
Mr. Myers was born in Los Angeles in 1930 to deaf parents and educated in Chicago. He had some hearing until age 10, when he, too, became deaf. That setback, and the adversity faced by his deaf parents, fueled a two-fisted determination to succeed, that resulted in him attending both Roosevelt University (BA) and the University of Chicago (MA) at the same time in order to receive his education.
After graduating with college degrees from two universities simultaneously, he applied to the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. But the dean refused to admit him, saying he feared Mr. Myers, as a deaf person, would not be able to keep up, much less graduate. Were Mr. Myers able to do so, the dean suggested, he would not be able to pass the Illinois Bar Exam, or, if that obstacle was overcome, to practice law in a courtroom.
The dean relented to allow Mr. Myers to attend the law school for one semester - as a trial period. In a foreshadowing of what was to come, Mr. Myers did well at this trial; he went on to graduate second in his class of 80 students, the first deaf student to graduate from the school and one of the first to graduate from law school in the country.
Mr. Myers was also a CPA and worked in the tax law department with Sears, Roebuck & Co. for 30 years, but it was his compassionate work outside of this arena that earned him acclaim.
In his most famous case, he defended a deaf man accused of murder who did not know sign language and could not communicate with anyone. A book about the case, Dummy, was published by the "Book of the Month Club," selling more than 100,000 copies. It was later turned into a TV movie, starring actor LeVar Burton as the deaf defendant.
But it was not only deaf and hard of hearing people that Mr. Myers became an advocate for. He also viewed himself as a voice of reason in defense of those he felt were being bullied or taken advantage of. He successfully sued the Chicago Police Department for the shootings of deaf people, and his efforts resulted in the department instituting training to help officers more effectively work with the deaf.
He argued cases before the Illinois Supreme Court 17 times - and never lost! In one of those cases, he represented a group of taxpayers who had been overcharged by the government, and his pleas were so impassioned and his work so extensive in the case, the justices later awarded him legal fees of $90,000, nine times the $10,000 fee he requested.
Mr. Myers used his influence as a legal advocate for the deaf community to write laws to help deaf people that are still being used throughout the United States. His book, The Law and the Deaf, also became a model used by others in foreign countries. A second book detailed how to handle legal cases of police brutality. He also wrote and self-published a student version of The Law and the Deaf that was widely used in high schools for the deaf. The Illinois State Bar Association honored him in 2006 as a "Senior Counselor" for 50 years of service to the profession.
Recently, Mr. Myers moved from Chicago to Washington, D.C. to be closer to his daughter, Lynda Rae Myers, a deaf social worker, and his grand-daughter, Ariana Myers (deaf), of Takoma Park, MD. In addition to them, he is also survived by his son, Nathan Benjamin Myers of Chicago, who followed his father into law; and two sisters, Jean Markin and Dorothy Doyle of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Lowell J. Myers, 76: Deaf Lawyer and Advocate for Deaf People
Lowell J. Myers, who lost his hearing at a young age but found in himself a strong, unwavering voice as a champion for the deaf , the bullied and the underdog, even arguing 17 cases before the Illinois Supreme Court, died Nov. 7, 2006 of a brain aneurysm. He was 76.
Mr. Myers was born in Los Angeles in 1930 to deaf parents and educated in Chicago. He had some hearing until age 10, when he, too, became deaf. That setback, and the adversity faced by his deaf parents, fueled a two-fisted determination to succeed, that resulted in him attending both Roosevelt University (BA) and the University of Chicago (MA) at the same time in order to receive his education.
After graduating with college degrees from two universities simultaneously, he applied to the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. But the dean refused to admit him, saying he feared Mr. Myers, as a deaf person, would not be able to keep up, much less graduate. Were Mr. Myers able to do so, the dean suggested, he would not be able to pass the Illinois Bar Exam, or, if that obstacle was overcome, to practice law in a courtroom.
The dean relented to allow Mr. Myers to attend the law school for one semester - as a trial period. In a foreshadowing of what was to come, Mr. Myers did well at this trial; he went on to graduate second in his class of 80 students, the first deaf student to graduate from the school and one of the first to graduate from law school in the country.
Mr. Myers was also a CPA and worked in the tax law department with Sears, Roebuck & Co. for 30 years, but it was his compassionate work outside of this arena that earned him acclaim.
In his most famous case, he defended a deaf man accused of murder who did not know sign language and could not communicate with anyone. A book about the case, Dummy, was published by the "Book of the Month Club," selling more than 100,000 copies. It was later turned into a TV movie, starring actor LeVar Burton as the deaf defendant.
But it was not only deaf and hard of hearing people that Mr. Myers became an advocate for. He also viewed himself as a voice of reason in defense of those he felt were being bullied or taken advantage of. He successfully sued the Chicago Police Department for the shootings of deaf people, and his efforts resulted in the department instituting training to help officers more effectively work with the deaf.
He argued cases before the Illinois Supreme Court 17 times - and never lost! In one of those cases, he represented a group of taxpayers who had been overcharged by the government, and his pleas were so impassioned and his work so extensive in the case, the justices later awarded him legal fees of $90,000, nine times the $10,000 fee he requested.
Mr. Myers used his influence as a legal advocate for the deaf community to write laws to help deaf people that are still being used throughout the United States. His book, The Law and the Deaf, also became a model used by others in foreign countries. A second book detailed how to handle legal cases of police brutality. He also wrote and self-published a student version of The Law and the Deaf that was widely used in high schools for the deaf. The Illinois State Bar Association honored him in 2006 as a "Senior Counselor" for 50 years of service to the profession.
Recently, Mr. Myers moved from Chicago to Washington, D.C. to be closer to his daughter, Lynda Rae Myers, a deaf social worker, and his grand-daughter, Ariana Myers (deaf), of Takoma Park, MD. In addition to them, he is also survived by his son, Nathan Benjamin Myers of Chicago, who followed his father into law; and two sisters, Jean Markin and Dorothy Doyle of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Dummy
cabebs23 December 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this movie at a very young age and was very moved. I never saw anything hostile about Donny. Sure, it was just a movie, but no one that he encountered, even white, detected any mean streak. While I have deep sympathy for both Earline and Ernestine's family's, If you have not lived the criminal LIFE, such as prostitution you don't exactly know what these women were willing to do to get money. Then, you have someone that cannot communicate at all, other than to indicate what I am willing to pay you and what I want from you. If, perhaps they were not accepting of what was being offered, and demanded more than could be understood, he very well could be a murderer. But, that was the life they chose, for whatever reason. It's like trying to communicate to a child or an animal. DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!!! His communication skills were very limited..... Very limited........ The problem may have been that his family denied teaching him skills. MAYBE, he didn't even know that killing is wrong....Black or White and deaf & dumb, what more could society do????????
The Media
goodgl_0076 July 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Hollywood does tend to bend the facts. In his book "Dummy" Tidyman has case details that are not present in the movie. Lang literally admits to both murders, in the only way he knows how, by showing police the location of the murders and the even one of the weapons that he used. In the case with Ernestine Williams, Lang was not convicted due several errors in the justice systems; which are more common than you think for minorities. Read the book "Dummy" if you want better case information. In addition, I believe the point of the Movie is to question the policies of law enforcement when it relates to suspects that have physical disabilities that hinder their ability to communicate. How can you validate a confession by a deaf mute? The original intentions of "Dummy" was to agitate readers/viewers in order to make them think about the moral implications of a criminal system that discriminates against minorities and people with special needs.
This movie can in "no way" validate the fact that Donald Lang was guilty of his crimes. He was tried twice and released once on error (Williams) then finally convicted, when months later he convicted the same crime. Lang was a serial killer and well known in "his" neighborhood for having sinister motives when it came to "women of the night." My family knew Lang intimately because he was finally convicted of murdering my grandmother Earline Brown. Earline would probably still be alive to this day if Lang's case with Ernestine Williams had been handled effectively; however, it was not. Maybe because Ernestine and Earline had been prostitutes. Or, it might have been handled poorly because they were black women. Would there have even been a question of Lang's guilt or innocence if Ernestine or Earline had been white, upstanding, citizens? Lang never served his time appropriately for their murders, thanks to Hollywood. My grandmother was a struggling single parent. She had no education, nor any support system. She often took care of her children without welfare benefits, using the only skill she had been trained in; prostitution. Everyone, in that neighborhood that new her, loved her. She was kind and often gave to women that were less fortunate, like my father's mother who had twelve children. The unfortunate part of crime is always the victims. My mother lost her mother at seventeen, and my uncle was only twelve. Hollywood does not show the victims, only the sensational murderer. It is what people want to pay to see that matters. Isn't it?? Ann Brown
This movie can in "no way" validate the fact that Donald Lang was guilty of his crimes. He was tried twice and released once on error (Williams) then finally convicted, when months later he convicted the same crime. Lang was a serial killer and well known in "his" neighborhood for having sinister motives when it came to "women of the night." My family knew Lang intimately because he was finally convicted of murdering my grandmother Earline Brown. Earline would probably still be alive to this day if Lang's case with Ernestine Williams had been handled effectively; however, it was not. Maybe because Ernestine and Earline had been prostitutes. Or, it might have been handled poorly because they were black women. Would there have even been a question of Lang's guilt or innocence if Ernestine or Earline had been white, upstanding, citizens? Lang never served his time appropriately for their murders, thanks to Hollywood. My grandmother was a struggling single parent. She had no education, nor any support system. She often took care of her children without welfare benefits, using the only skill she had been trained in; prostitution. Everyone, in that neighborhood that new her, loved her. She was kind and often gave to women that were less fortunate, like my father's mother who had twelve children. The unfortunate part of crime is always the victims. My mother lost her mother at seventeen, and my uncle was only twelve. Hollywood does not show the victims, only the sensational murderer. It is what people want to pay to see that matters. Isn't it?? Ann Brown
must see
lizannprice27 November 2001
i saw this film a very long time ago and its impact was tremendous. so much so that although i had long forgotten the title i had not forgotten the film. only since i have been on the internet have i been able to trace the name of the film and subsequently look out for it on british tv or sky. so far though i have not come across it again. this film is more than worthy of a reshowing and i, for one, would be very pleased to see it again. i would go as far as to say that this film has haunted me for all this time.
Defending the deaf!
thejcowboy225 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
On a Monday morning I was woken up by my Mother who tells me to get dressed were going to the Police station.. I was surprised, shocked and confused. My mother wouldn't answer me or even talk to me. Just an angry scowl on her face. We walked in to the station house as my Mom inquired to see Detective Molly. We sat on the adjacent benches. I was still in the dark about why I was summoned. Two well dressed detectives approached us. They put us in a questioning room. The detective asked me where I was the night before around 12 o'clock. I answered that I dropped off some friends and headed home. He asked me the route I took and I responded. He wanted to know if I broke into a car on Norfeld boulevard and I said, no. Some one saw me drive by and assumed I was the one who broke into their car and stole a radio. My Mom in her way was on the side of the law and not buying my story. My Mom was worried that someone would see us in a police station and It would make her look bad. I was getting irate and told the detective that I have two jobs and have no need for theft in my life. I stood up for myself with every ounce of breathe I had to the displeasure of my Mother. Some people can't stand up for themselves when they are wronged. Your found by authorities with blood on your hands and accused of murder. Your apprehended and thrown in locked cell. You don't know what the commotion is about and to make matters worse your deaf and mute, you can't communicate with anyone. This is the tragic story of the life and troubled times of Donald Lang. A deaf loading dock worker from Chicago who frequented neighborhood bars and dens of iniquity with his earnings. One faithful night Donald walked off with a prostitute. Moments Later Donald was found by police in an alley over the dead prostitute's body. A deaf mute but not like most with his misfortune. Donald was born deaf and at the critical age of six was about to embark on a school for the deaf to learn how to sign, lip reading, read and write to communicate with the outside world.Due to untimely circumstances, Donald's parents split up and with financial burdens were unable to send the boy to the deaf school rendering him illiterate,irresponsible and over protective leaving him unprepared in life and in this case murder. Unable to stand trial because of an earlier supreme court decision that a defendant must understand the charges against him and have the ability to aid his attorney in his own defense, poor Donald lacked the skills to even form a simple sentence. Enter Deaf Attorney from the State of Illinois, Lowell Myers An extraordinary individual highly educated with numerous credentials. A Masters in Business Administration, B.A in accounting, C.P.A. and a Law Degree.Mr. Myers being a tax attorney and CPA was a ground breaking advocate for the hearing impaired in the State of Illinois. Getting legislation passed for the deaf in fraudulent business contracts and phony real estates deals manifesting into law that an interpreter be present when signing any contract involving a deaf person. Also Myers lobbied for the Deaf to obtain Drivers licence in the State of Illinois emphasizing that a deaf driver has a deeper concentration at the wheel and does not get distracted. With Donald Lang in Jail, Lowell Myers fought for his right for due process. It took a few years but a trial was finally held. This challenging made-for-TV movie gives us an unprecedented look at a person who can't fend for himself. LeVar Burton as the frustrated Lang, makes great use of pantomime throughout with his physical gestures borrowed from his role as the captured slave Kunta Kinte in the famous "Roots" series. Personally I feel that this was Paul Sorvino's finest role and I've seen quite a bit of his work. The concentration of his fractured speech emulates a deaf person's voice perfectly and consistently through out the movie. Brian Dennehy as Lang's boss does a fine job in a supporting role. I watched and most importantly learned about two separate individuals both branded with deafness. Guilty or innocent? I learned a great deal from this movie. Other movies like Amistad and Johnny Belinda also feature court scenes with persons who could not defend themselves due to hearing loss or language barriers.
a good film but fiction
dtucker868 November 2003
I remember watching this film twice as a kid, I haven't seen it since. Ernest Tidyman wrote the screenplay for it (he is the same guy who wrote The French Connection). LeVar Burton made his debut as Kunta Kinte in Roots (what a great way to start your career). He said at the time that this was the most challenging role imaginable, playing a deaf and dumb young man accused of murder. Donald Lang is a 20 year old who lives with his siblings and works on the loading docks, he is charged with murdering a prostitue. Lowell Myers is a deaf lawyer who takes on his case. Paul Sorvino is an excellent actor who always delivers and he takes on this challenging role as well. This movie makes it out like there is evidence that Donald Lang was innocent and didn't kill the hooker Ernestine Myers. A woman tells his lawyer that she heard Myers having an argument in the alley where she was murdered with another man and she heard his voice! Lang is taken back to the alley where she was killed and "acts out" a scene where he fights with another man who was the real killer. Sorvino makes an excellent speech at the conclusion where he talks about how a deaf mute is still entitled to the same rights as everyone else. He points out how Charlie Chaplin could make an audience laugh and cry and not use one single word. Its a great speech that tugs at your heartstrings its true, but folks I need to point out something. Every time Hollywood makes a film about a real life murder case, they always make it out like the criminal in question was INNOCENT! Why in the hell do they do this? Is Hollywood full of bleeding heart liberals who pee their pants every time someone is accused of a crime and God forbid if they are poor or African American! Evil comes in all colors and Donald Lang was evil and he was GUILTY! Five years after the murder of Ernestine Myers he was released from the asylum. Shortly afterwards, there was another woman who was murdered and he was seen leaving a bar with her. This time, there was overwhelming physical evidence that Lang was the killer and he was sent to prison for the rest of his life. If our legal system worked the way it should, this woman needn't have died. Donald Lang really was a killer and no amount of moralizing by Hollywood can change that cold hard fact. This film sort of reminded me of The Hurricane about Rubin Carter. It is a well made film with fine actors, but at the same time you have to take it with a grain of salt folks because the murdering son of a bitch really did it! CASE CLOSED!!!!!
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