IMDb > They Made Me a Criminal (1939)

They Made Me a Criminal (1939) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   705 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Down 28% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Busby Berkeley

Writers:

Bertram Millhauser (novel) and
Beulah Marie Dix (novel) ...
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Contact:

View company contact information for They Made Me a Criminal on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

28 January 1939 (USA) more

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Sport more

Tagline:

I am a fugitive! I am hunted by the mob! I am wanted by the cops! I am forgotten by decent women! (re-release print ad) more

Plot:

A boxer flees believing he has comitted a murder while he was drunk. full summary | add synopsis

Plot Keywords:

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User Comments:

Busby Berkeley smoothly shifts gears from geometric dancing girls to neat little crime drama more (24 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
John Garfield ... Johnnie Bradfield, aka Jack Dorney
The Dead End Kids ... Tommy's Gang

Claude Rains ... Det. Monty Phelan

Ann Sheridan ... Goldie West
May Robson ... Grandma Rafferty
Gloria Dickson ... Peggy
Billy Halop ... Tommy
Bobby Jordan ... Angel
Leo Gorcey ... Spit
Huntz Hall ... Dippy
Gabriel Dell ... T.B.
Bernard Punsly ... Milt (as Bernard Punsley)
Robert Gleckler ... Doc Ward (Johnnie's manager)
John Ridgely ... Charles 'Charlie' Magee (reporter)
Barbara Pepper ... Budgie Massey
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Additional Details

Also Known As:

I Became a Criminal
They Made Me a Fugitive
more

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #4701)

Filming Locations:

Palm Desert, California, USA


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

The play opened off-broadway in New York City, New York, USA on 4 April 1933. more

Quotes:

Ringside Radio Fight Announcer: A right to the jaw. A left to the face. Boy, is he a killer. Is he murderous. The Bull lands a terrific right to Smith's jaw, and Smith is down! It'll be best for Smith if he stays down, because this is downright murder. Smith's face is red pulp; red, red pulp. 8, 9, 10! And Smith's out. Phew! And I'm glad that's over. more

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Projectionist (1971) more

Soundtrack:

Cowboy from Brooklyn more


FAQ

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9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful.
Busby Berkeley smoothly shifts gears from geometric dancing girls to neat little crime drama, 20 January 1999
Author: Glenn Andreiev (gandreiev@aol.com) from Huntington, NY

Known for his wonderfully cinematic dance sequences, Busby Berkeley went for a different genre in this fine 1939 crime drama. A youthful John Garfield plays Johnnie, a tough NYC boxer who scores a big break in the ring. He attends a drunken private party where a news reporter is murdered. The killer himself dies in a flaming auto wreck, but not before he successfully shifts the blame to Johnny. Johnny flees the city and hides out at a small boy's camp out west, populated by everyone's favorite wayward street gang, The Dead End Kids. All seems fine in this hide-out until a NYC detective (Claude Rains) who was on the murder case, happens by. Berkeley keeps the film going at a terrific pace. Berkeley would never settle for a point-and-shoot look to his film. His camera is all over the place, even underwater when the kids take over a water tank. There's all the stock characters of old cinema her e- the nice girl who softens Garfield's heart, the spry old grannie, the tough NYC cops and reporters. Fun movie.

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Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
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