Each Dawn I Die (1939)

Director:

William Keighley

Writers:

Norman Reilly Raine (screen play) and
Warren Duff (screen play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

19 August 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Crime | Drama

Plot:

Although innocent, reporter Frank Ross is found guilty of murder and is sent to jail. While his friends...

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Reporter | Corruption | Gangster | Murder

Cast

James Cagney	...	Frank Ross
George Raft	...	'Hood' Stacey
Jane Bryan	...	Joyce
George Bancroft	...	John Armstrong
Max 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom	...	Fargo Red (as Maxie Rosenbloom)
Stanley Ridges	...	Meuller
Alan Baxter	...	Carlisle
Victor Jory	...	Grayce
John Wray	...	Pete Kassock
Edward Pawley	...	Dale
Willard Robertson	...	Lang
Emma Dunn	...	Mrs. Ross
Paul Hurst	...	Garsky
Louis Jean Heydt	...	Lassiter
Joe Downing	...	Limpy Julien
Thurston Hall	...	Hanley
William B. Davidson	...	Bill Mason (as William Davidson)
Clay Clement	...	Stacey's Attorney
Charles Trowbridge	...	Judge
Harry Cording	...	Temple
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Abner Biberman	...	Shake Edwards (uncredited)
Martin Cichy	...	Convict (uncredited)
John Conte	...	Narrator (uncredited)
John Dilson	...	Parole Board Member (uncredited)
Sammy Finn	...	Convict (uncredited)
James Flavin	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Arthur Gardner	...	Man in Car (uncredited)
Jack A. Goodrich	...	Accident Witness (uncredited)
Fred Graham	...	Guard in Cell (uncredited)
Joe Gray	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Mack Gray	...	Joe - a Gangster (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton	...	Court Officer (uncredited)
John Harron	...	Jerry - a Reporter (uncredited)
Eddie Hart	...	Guard (uncredited)
Al Hill	...	Johnny - a Gangster (uncredited)
Max Hoffman Jr.	...	Gate Guard (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes	...	Accident Witness (uncredited)
Robert Homans	...	Mac - a Guard (uncredited)
Art Howard	...	Parole Board Member (uncredited)
John Irwin	...	Convict (uncredited)
Selmer Jackson	...	Editor Patterson (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Convict (uncredited)
Wilfred Lucas	...	Bailiff (uncredited)
Walter Miller	...	Turnkey (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse	...	Lawyer (uncredited)
Lew Morphy	...	Trial Warden (uncredited)
Wedgwood Nowell	...	Parole Board Member (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Guard in Movie Room (uncredited)
Henry Otho	...	Guard in Warden's Office (uncredited)
Paul Panzer	...	Convict (uncredited)
Bob Perry	...	Bud - a Gangster (uncredited)
Jack Perry	...	Hoodlum Who Helps Frame Ross (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Guard (uncredited)
Dick Rich	...	Guard (uncredited)
John Ridgely	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Hector Sarno	...	Convict (uncredited)
Cliff Saum	...	Accident Witness (uncredited)
Napoleon Simpson	...	Mose - a Black Convict (uncredited)
Garland Smith	...	Man in Car (uncredited)
Jack C. Smith	...	Guard (uncredited)
James P. Spencer	...	Bald Convict (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan	...	Convict (uncredited)
Elliott Sullivan	...	Convict (uncredited)
Harry Tenbrook	...	Convict (uncredited)
Sailor Vincent	...	Convict (uncredited)
Emmett Vogan	...	Prosecutor (uncredited)
Leo White	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Jack Wise	...	Convict (uncredited)
Maris Wrixon	...	Girl in Car (uncredited)

Directed by
William Keighley

Writing credits
Norman Reilly Raine		(screen play) and
Warren Duff		(screen play)
Jerome Odlum		(from the novel by)
Charles Perry		screenplay (uncredited)

Produced by
David Lewis	....	associate producer
Hal B. Wallis	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Max Steiner		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Arthur Edeson		(photography)

Film Editing by
Thomas Richards		(film editor)

Art Direction by
Max Parker

Costume Design by
Howard Shoup		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Perc Westmore	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Jack L. Warner	....	in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frank Heath	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Everett Alton Brown	....	sound (as E.A. Brown)

Stunts
Mike Lally	....	stunts (uncredited)
Harvey Parry	....	stunts (uncredited)
Loren Riebe	....	stunt double: George Raft (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	musical director
Hugo Friedhofer	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
William Buckley	....	technical advisor

Production Companies

• Warner Bros (presents) (as Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.) (A First National Picture)

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1939) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• United Artists Television (1967) (USA) (all media)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Turner Entertainment (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2010) (Canada) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (2010) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #5085) | Sweden:(Banned) | Argentina:Atp | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Sing Sing Penitentiary - 354 Hunter Street, Ossining, New York, USA

Company:

Warner Bros

Trivia:

Many people who are in studio records/casting call lists as cast members did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie. These were (with their character names): Al Lloyd, Tom Wilson, Alice Connors and Fern Barry (Accident Witnesses), Eddy Chandler (Deputy), Vera Lewis (Juror), Earl Dwire (Judge Crowder) and Frank Mayo (Telegraph Editor). In addition, a modern source lists Nat Carr and Granville Bates as cast members, but they were not seen either.

Quotes:

'Hood' Stacey:So, how tough are you, babe?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Partridge Family: Each Dawn I Diet (#3.4)" (1972)

Soundtrack:

Wings Over the Navy

Mainly Just For Cagney Fans

James Cagney and George Raft elevate this prison movie from just fair-to-poor to slightly- better-than average.....with just their screen presence. Without them, I wouldn't have even given this a second look. That second look was on DVD, too, and it looks a lot better than the VHS edition

Cagney plays a newspaper man ("Frank Ross") framed for killing people as a drunk driver. The truth was that he was knocked out cold, put behind a wheel, doused with alcohol and then had the car started. Just by coincidence, the car rams into others and kills people and, of course, witnesses - true and false ones - are there to testify against him. In jail, he meets mobster "Stacey" (George Raft) who slowly takes a liking to Ross..

If you stop to analyze a few things, you'll lose all regard for the story. There are many holes in this story and you just have to go along with them. The movie did serve a good purpose. Reportedly, because of this film there was some needed prison reform. Convicts were treated in way too harsh a manner back then. As in most cases, we now have gone too far in the opposite direction, but that's another story.

Other than that historical significance of this film having some real-life impact, it's not a memorable movie. I would only recommend it to Cagney fans (of which I am one.).