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I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
19 November 1932 (USA)
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Tagline:
Six sticks of dynamite that blasted his way to freedom... and awoke America's conscience!
Plot:
Wrongly convicted James Allen serves in the intolerable conditions of a southern chain gang, which later comes back to haunt him. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars.
Another 2 wins
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NewsDesk:
User Comments:
Still powerful
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Paul Muni | ... | James Allen | |
| Glenda Farrell | ... | Marie Woods | |
| Helen Vinson | ... | Helen | |
| Noel Francis | ... | Linda | |
| Preston Foster | ... | Pete | |
| Allen Jenkins | ... | Convict Barney Sykes | |
| Berton Churchill | ... | The Judge | |
| Edward Ellis | ... | Convict Bomber Wells | |
| David Landau | ... | The Warden | |
| Hale Hamilton | ... | Reverend Robert Allen | |
| Sally Blane | ... | Alice | |
| Louise Carter | ... | Mother Allen | |
| Willard Robertson | ... | Prison Board Chairman | |
| Robert McWade | ... | Attorney F.E. Ramsey | |
| Robert Warwick | ... | Fuller |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
93 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Certification:
USA:Approved (certificate number not assigned at release) |
Australia:PG |
Norway:16 (1933) |
Finland:K-16 (1946) |
Finland:(Banned) (1933)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The final fade came as an accident. Director Mervyn LeRoy had planned to go to a blackout after the final line. During rehearsals, a light blew, taking the fuse with it. The resultant slow fade, starting just before the final line, was so powerful that Leroy decided to shoot the film exactly that way.
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Goofs:
Factual errors: When Jim is serving his 9 more months after his second capture, a calendar is shown and the months drop off one by one. December 31st is shown to be on a Saturday. On the next page, January is shown to begin on Wednesday (or some other day besides Sunday).
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Quotes:
Pete:
I'm hungry. What would you say to a hamburger?
James Allen: What would I say to a hamburger? Boy. I'd take Mr. Hamburger by the hand and say, "Pal, I haven't seen you for a long, long time."
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James Allen: What would I say to a hamburger? Boy. I'd take Mr. Hamburger by the hand and say, "Pal, I haven't seen you for a long, long time."
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Incredible Melting Man (#8.4)" (1996)
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Soundtrack:
Someone to Care For
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Paul Muni comes back from the war (WWI) a hero. He's offered his old job back but declines it--he wants to make it on his own. He inadvetantly gets involved in a stickup and is (unjustly) sent to a chain gang for 9 years. The prisoners there are treated horribly--beaten by sadistic guards and forced to eat wretched food. After a few months Muni has had it. He escapes, changes his name, makes a living for himself and is very successful. But his past begins to catch up on him...
A very early Warner Bros. social drama--and one of their best. It's pretty strong stuff. I remember originally seeing this on TV back in the 1970s and really being shocked by it. It's not graphic but what you hear is even worse then being shown it (the whippings in particular). It also shows a law system that doesn't give a damn about how they treat their prisoners. They should be treated like dirt--and are! The story moves quickly and Muni is just superb. This movie made him and you can see why. Also it has one of the most depressing endings I've ever seen in a motion picture. It hit me hard back in the 1970s and still works today. Muni's haunted face and the final line are harrowing. A true classic--a must-see.
Be warned--some non-cable TV prints cut out the final line!