Dust Be My Destiny (1939)

Embittered after serving time for a burglary he did not commit, Joe Bell is soon back in jail, on a prison farm. His love for the foreman's daughter leads to a fight between them, leading ... See full summary »

Director:

Lewis Seiler

Writers:

Robert Rossen (screenplay), Jerome Odlum (novel),

Stars:

John Garfield, Priscilla Lane, Alan Hale

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Garfield	...	Joe Bell
Priscilla Lane	...	Mabel
Alan Hale	...	Mike Leonard
Frank McHugh	...	Caruthers
Billy Halop	...	Hank
Bobby Jordan	...	Jimmy
Charley Grapewin	...	Pop
Henry Armetta	...	Nick
Stanley Ridges	...	Charlie
John Litel	...	Prosecutor
Moroni Olsen	...	Slim Jones
Victor Kilian	...	Doc Saunders
Frank Jaquet	...	Ab Connors
Ferike Boros	...	Delicatessen Proprietress
Marc Lawrence	...	Venetti

Storyline

Embittered after serving time for a burglary he did not commit, Joe Bell is soon back in jail, on a prison farm. His love for the foreman's daughter leads to a fight between them, leading to the older man's death due to a weak heart. Joe and Mabel go on the run as he thinks no-one would believe a nobody like him.

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Plot Keywords:

orchestral music score | alcoholism | editor | trial | reporter | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 September 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cruel é o Meu Destino

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original ending of the film called for Joe and Mabel to be shot to death, but the commercial failure of You Only Live Once, which had a tragic ending, compelled the Warner Bros. studio heads to demand a happy ending. When writer Robert Rossen refused to write the new ending, Seton I. Miller was brought in to write it.

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Connections

Remade as I Was Framed (1942)

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Soundtracks

"Dust Be My Destiny"
(uncredited)
Music by Max Steiner and M.K. Jerome
Lyrics by Jack Scholl
Played on the radio in the hotel room

User Reviews

John Garfield and Priscilla Lane

Down on his luck John Garfield finally sees his fortunes improve, and I do mean improve, when he teams up with Priscilla Lane. But the bad luck returns and the two end up on the lam for what turns out to be a pretty good movie.

A few scenes shot on location spice things up a bit and there are some very nice supporting performances as well.

The lead actors, John Garfield and the beautiful Priscilla Lane, work well together, as evidenced in their previous work on Four Daughters and Daughters Courageous.