When James Allen is getting a shave, he asks the barber for a hot towel and, when he does this, the left side of his face is covered in shaving cream. When the barber returns with the towel, the left side of his face has no shaving cream on it.
James' brother, played by Hale Hamilton, is listed as "Rev. Allen" in the opening credits; he is addressed as Clint by both James and their mother at breakfast, and signs his letter as Clint, but he is introduced to the pardon committee as Robert.
After James Allen's second escape from the chain gang, the last newspaper article shown states that he escaped "A little more than a year ago...". Later, Helen says to him, "It's been almost a year since you escaped."
When James Allen returns to his old job and his boss Mr. Parker is showing him around the office, there is a chair with books and a hat on it next to the desk on the right side of the office. On the following cut when the chair is seen again, the books and the hat are no longer there.
Calendar pages flip several times in the film, and it is always the same calendar, even though the events of the story unfold over the course of many years. The first calendar flipping should be 1923 or 1924. The next is in 1929/30. The last flipping is likely intended to be 1930/31. In all cases, a 1932 (could be 1904, but due to the date of the film, 1932 is more likely) calendar is used. In two instances, the date flips from December to January and in both instances Jan 1 falls on the wrong day. Instead of using a 1933 calendar for January, they simply used the same 1932 calendar.
During the second escape, Bomber Wells (as passenger) is looking over his left shoulder to see the pursuing car. The bed of the dump truck is up to protect the escapees and would block Bomber's view. He'd only be seeing the underside of the dump truck bed.
Two newspaper headlines from the "Chicago Daily Tribune" are very nearly duplicated in "The Daily Courier". "BANKER'S FIGHT NEAR CLIMAX" becomes "BANKERS' FIGHT NEAR CLIMAX", and "BUDGET MOVE IS UNSUCCESSFUL" becomes "RECALL MOVE IS UNSUCCESSFUL". While this is an odd coincidence, it does not constitute a Goof, as there are many examples of modern-day newspaper headlines that are similarly-worded (if not identical), not to mention nearly identical phrasing by "talking heads" on TV news shows.
When the fugitive is getting a shave, a policeman comes in and is reading a magazine. Even though the time in the movie is 1926, the policeman is reading Liberty Magazine with a cover date of November 14, 1931.
When the guard goes looking for Allen in the water -after the 1st break-the underwater shots the water is waist level -the above shots -the water is at his knees--
When Mr. Parker is showing James Allen around the old office, one of the workers outside of the office momentarily breaks character and looks straight into the camera.