They Won't Forget (1937)

A politically ambitious district attorney, unscrupulous tabloid journalists, and regional prejudice combine to charge a teacher with the murder of his student.

Writers:

Ward Greene (from the novel: "Death In the Deep South" by), Robert Rossen (screen play),

Stars:

Claude Rains, Gloria Dickson, Edward Norris

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Claude Rains	...	Andy Griffin
Gloria Dickson	...	Sybil Hale
Edward Norris	...	Robert Hale
Otto Kruger	...	Gleason
Allyn Joslyn	...	Bill Brock
Lana Turner	...	Mary Clay
Linda Perry	...	Imogene Mayfield
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Joe Turner
Cy Kendall	...	Detective Laneart
Clinton Rosemond	...	Tump Redwine
E. Alyn Warren	...	Carlisle P. Buxton
Elisabeth Risdon	...	Mrs. Hale (as Elizabeth Risdon)
Clifford Soubier	...	Jim Timberlake
Granville Bates	...	Detective Pindar
Ann Shoemaker	...	Mrs. Mountford

Storyline

A southern town is rocked by scandal when teenager Mary Clay is murdered on Confederate Decoration Day. Andrew Griffin, a small-time lawyer with political ambitions, sees the crime as his ticket to the Senate if he can find the right victim to finger for the crime. He sets out to convict Robert Hale, a transplanted northerner who was Mary's teacher at the business school where she was killed. Despite the fact that all the evidence against Hale is circumstantial, Griffin works with a ruthless reporter to create a media frenzy of prejudice and hate against the teacher.

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Plot Keywords:

teacher | prejudice | media frenzy | northerner | business school | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Death in the Deep South

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fritz Lang was initially offered to direct but passed on it, not wanting to be typecast as "an expert on lynching". (Lang had previously directed Fury, which also involved a lynch mob.)

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Quotes

Fred: What'll it all be be, ladies?
Imogene Mayfield: Dope and cherry, Fred.
Fred: [to Mary] How about you, half-pint?
Mary Clay: Make mine a chocolate malt and drop an egg in it as fresh as you are.
Fred: The hens don't lay 'em that good.

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Connections

Version of Murder in Harlem (1935)

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Soundtracks

" (I Wish I Was in) Dixie's Land"
(1860) (uncredited)
Music by Daniel Decatur Emmett
Played during the opening credits
Played by the band at the Memorial Day parade
Whistled by Allyn Joslyn
Played as background music often

User Reviews

Searing

This may well be the most depressing movie ever made. Based on a notorious murder case, the audience is spared nothing. I think it took guts for producer Mervyn Leroy to make this film. Many theaters refused to show it. The role of a lifetime for actor Claude Rains, I was impressed by the performance of the actress who plays the wife of the victim of a trial that never should have been. It takes a strong stomach to sit through until the end. The film did win awards, but the Academy of Arts and Sciences was afraid to touch it. In real life the victim of the miscarriage of justice was exonerated many years later, but the political career of the Governor who tried to commute his sentence was ruined.