Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960)

In this sequel to "Knock On Any Door", the residents of a Chicago tenement building band together to insure that the son of Nick Romano does not follow in his father's footsteps...to the electric chair.

Director:

Philip Leacock

Writers:

Willard Motley (novel), Robert Presnell Jr.

Stars:

Burl Ives, Shelley Winters, James Darren

Cast

Cast overview:
Burl Ives	...	Judge Bruce Mallory Sullivan
Shelley Winters	...	Nellie Romano
James Darren	...	Nick Romano
Jean Seberg	...	Barbara Holloway
Ricardo Montalban	...	Louie Ramponi
Ella Fitzgerald	...	Flora
Rodolfo Acosta	...	Max (as Rudolph Acosta)
Philip Ober	...	Grant Holloway
Jeanne Cooper	...	Fran
Bernie Hamilton	...	Goodbye George
Walter Burke	...	Wart
Francis De Sales	...	Night Court Magistrate
Michael Davis	...	Nick Romano - as a Child

Storyline

In this sequel to "Knock On Any Door", the residents of a Chicago tenement building band together to insure that the son of Nick Romano does not follow in his father's footsteps...to the electric chair.

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Plot Keywords:

sequel | drug addiction | drug pusher | alcoholism | piano player | 

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Taglines:

Ripped Raw and Roaring from Real Life!

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

October 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

Reach for Tomorrow

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ella Fitzgerald's piano playing was ghosted by Cliff Smalls. Fitzgerald also recorded the songs "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You," "Misty" and "Who's Sorry Now" but they weren't used in the film. Fitzgerald's album of music from the film was unavailable for years but has since been issued on CD under the title "The Intimate Ella."

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Goofs

After begging Bobbie and her father to leave his apartment, Nick slams the door shut, making the wall shake.

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Connections

Follows Knock on Any Door (1949)

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Soundtracks

"I Can't Give You Anything but Love"
(uncredited)
Music by Jimmy McHugh
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
Performed by Ella Fitzgerald

User Reviews

I Wish I Could find this little gem on DVD or Video!

I was pleasantly surprised by all of the comments on this film. I haven't seen it for many, many, years, probably 15 or more. However, I remember it well and had believed for a long time that I was the only one who knew of it's existence. *laughing* This is one of my favorite Shelley Winters movies. And of course Miss Ella Fitzgerald was an added treat. I first saw it when I was about 15 (mid-1970s), so you can imagine what an impact it had on me. I'd had a crush on James Darren from his role in the television series "The Time Tunnel". I wish I could find it on video or DVD somewhere; but that's unlikely. I was just looking over the credits and saw a couple of familiar names; Bernie Hamilton(who starred in a lot of the so-called Blaxploitation films of the seventies) and Jeanne Cooper,whom I adored in the seventies as Mrs. Chancellor in the popular soap, "The Young and the Restless". Try as I might, I cannot remember them in the film. Which is why it is a must I see it again! *Laughing* I'll be armed with "TVio" and "VCR" the next time it makes it's appearance on cable....TCM are you listening???!! Miss "P"