| Photos (See all 14 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 2) |
| Paul Muni | ... | James Allen | |
| Glenda Farrell | ... | Marie | |
| Helen Vinson | ... | Helen | |
| Noel Francis | ... | Linda | |
| Preston Foster | ... | Pete | |
| Allen Jenkins | ... | Barney Sykes | |
| Berton Churchill | ... | The Judge | |
| Edward Ellis | ... | Bomber Wells | |
| David Landau | ... | The Warden | |
| Hale Hamilton | ... | Rev. Allen | |
| Sally Blane | ... | Alice | |
| Louise Carter | ... | Mother | |
| Willard Robertson | ... | Prison Board Chairman | |
| Robert McWade | ... | Ramsey | |
| Robert Warwick | ... | Fuller | |
| William Le Maire | ... | A Texan (as William LeMaire) | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Erville Alderson | ... | Police Chief (uncredited) | |
| Irving Bacon | ... | Bill (uncredited) | |
| Reginald Barlow | ... | Parker (uncredited) | |
| James Bell | ... | Red (uncredited) | |
| Everett Brown | ... | Sebastian T. Yale (uncredited) | |
| Frederick Burton | ... | Southern Prison Official (uncredited) | |
| A.S. 'Pop' Byron | ... | Cop in Barbershop (uncredited) | |
| Eddy Chandler | ... | Job Foreman (uncredited) | |
| Wallis Clark | ... | Chicago Lawyer (uncredited) | |
| G. Pat Collins | ... | Wilson (uncredited) | |
| George Cooper | ... | Vaudevillian (uncredited) | |
| Jack Curtis | ... | Prison Guard (uncredited) | |
| Douglass Dumbrille | ... | District Attorney (uncredited) | |
| J. Frank Glendon | ... | Arresting Officer (uncredited) | |
| Lew Kelly | ... | Diner Cook (uncredited) | |
| Jack La Rue | ... | Ackerman (uncredited) | |
| Edward LeSaint | ... | Chamber of Commerce Chairman (uncredited) | |
| Walter Long | ... | Blacksmith (uncredited) | |
| Jack Low | ... | Big Prisoner (uncredited) | |
| John Marston | ... | Prison Commissioner (uncredited) | |
| Charles McAvoy | ... | Cop (uncredited) | |
| Edward McNamara | ... | 2nd Warden (uncredited) | |
| Charles Middleton | ... | Train Conductor (uncredited) | |
| Dennis O'Keefe | ... | Café Chateau Dancer (uncredited) | |
| William Pawley | ... | Doggy (uncredited) | |
| Charles Sellon | ... | Hot-Dog Stand Owner (uncredited) | |
| Allen D. Sewall | ... | Train Station Guard (uncredited) | |
| Lee Shumway | ... | Arresting Officer (uncredited) | |
| William H. Strauss | ... | Pawnbroker (uncredited) | |
| Sheila Terry | ... | Allen's Secretary (uncredited) | |
| Fred 'Snowflake' Toones | ... | Marine on Ship (uncredited) | |
| Jack Wise | ... | Tailor (uncredited) | |
| Harry Woods | ... | Prison Guard (uncredited) | |
| John Wray | ... | Nordine (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Mervyn LeRoy | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Robert E. Burns | (by) | |
| Howard J. Green | (screen play) & | |
| Brown Holmes | (screen play) | |
| Sheridan Gibney | screen play (uncredited) | |
Produced by | |||
| Hal B. Wallis | .... | executive producer (uncredited) | |
Cinematography by | |||
| Sol Polito | (photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| William Holmes | (edited by) | ||
Art Direction by | |||
| Jack Okey | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Orry-Kelly | (gowns) | ||
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Al Alleborn | .... | assistant director (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Eugene Joseff | .... | costume jeweller (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Leo F. Forbstein | .... | conductor: Vitaphone Orchestra | |
| Bernhard Kaun | .... | composer: music cues (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| S.H. Sullivan | .... | technical director | |
| Robert E. Burns | .... | consultant (uncredited) | |
| S. Charles Einfeld | .... | general press agent (uncredited) | |
| Jack Miller | .... | technical director (uncredited) | |
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| Call Northside 777 | Dial M for Murder | The Public Enemy | Sullivan's Travels | Dead Man Walking |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Crime section | IMDb USA section |
Since the movie ends somewhat abruptly, I was interested in what happened to this character in real life, so I did some research. For those interested, read on:
The man, whose real name was Burns, lived quite awhile in New Jersey, wrote the book with this same title, even smuggled himself into Los Angeles for two weeks to help with the movie, using an assumed name and acting very skittish. He then went back to New Jersey. The state of Georgia, home of these chain gangs, tried to extradite him but New Jersey wouldn't give him up.
Regarding the film........
"Powerful" was a word describing this movie when it came out over 70 years ago, and it still holds true today. It was based on a true story and if injustice bothers you, this film will be disturbing. It certainly was to me, at least the first time I saw it.
I've seen it several times and am always mesmerized by Paul Muni's performance. Just the expressions on his face alone are fascinating. The other members of the cast are so-so, but it's Muni's movie anyway.