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Black Legion (1937) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   586 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 6% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Archie Mayo
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Writers:
Robert Lord (story)
Abem Finkel (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Black Legion on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
30 January 1937 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Crime more
Plot:
When a hard-working machinist loses a promotion to a Polish-born worker, he is seduced into joining the secretive Black Legion, which intimidates foreigners through violence. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. more
User Comments:
Powerful, Punchy, Brave Tale. more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Humphrey Bogart ... Frank Taylor
Dick Foran ... Ed Jackson
Erin O'Brien-Moore ... Ruth Taylor

Ann Sheridan ... Betty Grogan
Helen Flint ... Pearl Davis (Credits) / Pearl Danvers
Joe Sawyer ... Cliff Moore (Credits) / Cliff Summers (as Joseph Sawyer)
Clifford Soubier ... Mike Grogan
Alonzo Price ... Alf Hargrave
Paul Harvey ... Billings
Dickie Jones ... Buddy Taylor
Samuel S. Hinds ... Judge (as Samuel Hinds)
Addison Richards ... Prosecuting Attorney
Eddie Acuff ... Metcalf
Dorothy Vaughan ... Mrs. Grogan
John Litel ... Tommy Smith
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Additional Details

Runtime:
83 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Norway:16 (1937) | Finland:(Banned) (1937) | USA:Approved (PCA #2507)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Banned in Austria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Finland, Trinidad and France. The ban in France was lifted after a year, and it opened to extremely negative reviews. Australian and British release versions were heavily censored. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When the Legion trusses Mike Grogan to the tree branch before flogging him, in the shot from the front both of his arms are fully extended from the branch. However, in the shot from behind, his right wrist is strapped to the branch with his arm bent at the crook of the elbow. more
Quotes:
Cliff Moore: Read!
Frank Taylor: [reading the Black Legion oath] In the name of God and the Devil, one to reward and the other to punish, and by the powers of light and darkness, good and evil, here under the black arch of Heaven's avenging symbol, I pledge and consecrate my heart, my brain, my body, and my limbs and swear by all the powers of Heaven and Hell to devote my life to the obedience of my superiors and that no danger or peril shall deter me from executin' dere orders...
[...]
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Movie Connections:
Featured in Warner at War (2008) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Fancy Meeting You more

FAQ

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4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful:-
Powerful, Punchy, Brave Tale., 1 March 2008
8/10
Author: gary-444 from United Kingdom

A wonderful example of how good writing and strong direction can tell a tale which stands the test of time. Director Archie Mayo enjoyed a career directing films spanning some 30 years, and 84 titles.This one was Directed 20 years in and was number 67. It shows.None of the 83 minute running time is wasted, and if some of the characters come across as caricatures,it is only in the interests of brevity and pace.

A youthful Bogart delivers a fine performance as an ordinary working man of his time seduced by the specious ideology of the Black Legion, whose ideals clearly reflect that of a Ku Klux Klan very much alive in the US at that time.Although carrying a UK PG certificate, Mayo portrays flogging and beating scenes in a manner that although are understated, leave you in no doubt as to what is going on.

Traditional family, friendship and civic values are naturally triumphed, but the insidious nature of xenophobia and the crippling effect of moral rectitude are skilfully played out in a sharp, pacey story.

An almost textbook example of how to tell a powerful, entertaining story with a message in less than an hour and a half, with a fine Bogard performance merely the centrepiece of a strong supporting cast.

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