An utterly compelling recreation of the events that led to one of the
last executions in New Zealand.
Albert Black, known as the 'jukebox killer', was only twenty when he was
convicted of murdering another young man in a fight at a milk bar in
Auckland on 26 July 1955. His crime fuelled growing moral panic about
teenagers, and he was to hang less than five months later, the
second-to-last person to be executed in New Zealand.
But what really happened? Was this a love crime, was it a sign of
juvenile delinquency? Or was this dark episode in our recent history
more about our society's reaction to outsiders?
Black's final words, as the hangman covered his head, were, 'I wish you
all a merry Christmas, gentlemen, and a prosperous New Year.' This is
his story.
'A beautiful writer' - The Times