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“Murf the Surf” with R.J. Cutler
Miami Beach in the early ‘60s was a magnet for dreamers, the idle rich, and the young-and-restless. It was also an irresistible draw for a young, handsome California surfer named Jack “Murf the Surf” Murphy who quickly took Miami Beach by storm… and then just took it. Joining a high-flying crew of brash jewel thieves, Murphy and his accomplices made off with thousands in stolen gems.
Crime Wave
The docuseries Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus and Mayhem in the USA immediately reveals that the surfer at the center of the tale was a murderer. That fact, however, is quickly washed away by a swell of beach tunes, vintage footage and the biggest jewel heist in New York history.
R.J. Cutler (Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus and Mayhem in the USA | MGM+)
R.J. Cutler’s new four-part documentary series explores the high-stakes Miami criminal underworld through the eyes of the most daring jewel thief in American history turned alleged murderer, Jack Roland Murphy, aka “Murf the Surf.”
Jack Murphy Was the Donald Trump of His Time, Says 'Murf the Surf' Director
Jack Roland "Murf the Surf" Murphy enjoyed having control of his own narrative, so much so that in his later years he would actively steer the conversation away from the murders of secretaries Annelie Mohn and Terry Rae Frank. Mohn and Frank's bodies were found weighted down in Whiskey Creek Canal in 1967, they had been bludgeoned, shot and stabbed. They were 21 and 24 at the time of their deaths.
R.J. Cutler’s ‘Murf the Surf,’ Developed by Epix, Ushers in New Era on MGM+
The top-to-bottom rebrand of Epix into MGM+ under Amazon’s ownership means an increase in not only scripted series but also documentary content. R.J. Cutler’s “Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus and Mayhem in the USA” is the first of five docuseries that will stream on the new platform in 2023.
In ‘Murf The Surf,’ Director R.J. Cutler Explores Dashing Jewel Thief-Turned Murderer Who Became A Proto-True Crime Celebrity
Jack Roland Murphy just about had it all: Kennedy-esque good looks, charm to burn, athletic talent and even a musical gift. Still, he wanted more. The man who became a legendary jewel thief – he bagged the priceless Star of India from a New York museum – before graduating to murder is the focus of the documentary series Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus and Mayhem in the USA, which premieres on MGM+ on Sunday. Renowned filmmaker R.J. Cutler directed and executive produced the four-part series.
When to watch: ‘Murf the Surf’ on MGM+
The documentarian R.J. Cutler (“The September Issue”) turns his attention to a horrific larger-than-life tale in this four-episode series that avoids the worst drooling habits of the true-crime genre. Jack Roland Murphy, known as Murf the Surf because of his early life as a surfer, gained notoriety as a convicted jewel thief and was later tried for murder and sentenced to two life sentences plus 20 years.
How a Champion Surfer Became a Notorious Jewel Thief and Murderer
Jack Roland Murphy, better known by his headline-friendly moniker “Murf the Surf,” was a criminal who pulled off America’s biggest jewelry heist, stealing the Star of India sapphire—among several other valuables—from Manhattan’s Museum of Natural History on Oct. 29, 1964. That swindle attracted national attention and turned Murf into a media darling, abetted by his brashness, good looks, and defiant lack of repentance. He was a beach boy-turned-hoodlum with style and attitude to burn, and his exploits were grand enough to beget a 1975 feature film (Murf the Surf) about his legendary burglary.
‘Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus and Mayhem in the USA’ Review: A Dashing Thief’s Darker Side
Up until his death in 2020, Jack “Murf the Surf” Murphy remained most famous for the 1964 burglary of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, which netted its perpetrators a bagful of precious gems, including the 563-carat Star of India sapphire. It was the kind of story people like to tell. And retell. “I’d kept reading story after story about Murf where there’d be 15 paragraphs about this heist,” says journalist Nate Scott. “And in the 16th paragraph it would be like ‘Oh, and then he was convicted for murder.’”
Imagine Documentaries, R.J. Cutler Team On Docuseries Based On Jewel Thief Jack “Murf The Surf” Murphy
Imagine Documentaries and Emmy-winning director-producer R.J. Cutler have teamed up on a new four-part true-crime docuseries that pulls back the curtain on New York’s most infamous jewel thief, Jack Roland Murphy, aka “Murf the Surf.” Cutler is writing it and will direct.