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.

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy (uncredited)

Writers:

Ward Greene (novel), 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:

buxom | teacher | prejudice | media frenzy | student | 

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery

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Certificate:

Passed

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

Lana Turner got the role in February 1937, when she had been in Hollywood for only one month. She was discovered while lunching, and was offered a screen test for a role.

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Goofs

Anytime during the entire trial the shadow of the window is showing in the same place; behind the witness chair / over the back door of the courtroom.

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Quotes

Confederate Soldier: [to his fellow Confederate veterans] On your feet now. Go on and look sharp. The whole town's watching. This is the one day out of the year that belongs to us.

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Connections

Featured in American Masters: You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story (2008)

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Soundtracks

When Johnny Comes Marching Home
(1863) (uncredited)
Music by Louis Lambert
Played when the Confederate veterans are shown

User Reviews

great courthouse drama

A stunning courtroom drama set in a small southern town about a northerner working as an instructor at a small local business college accused of the murder of a local girl who was one of his students. With racial and religious overtones, and a terrific performance by Claude Rains as a politically motivated prosecutor. The courtroom scenes are some of the best ever seen on film, with excellent editing and drama that reaches a feverish momentum. Knowing the fate that awaits the accused adds even more gravity to the film. Similar to LeRoy's earlier film, I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, both slam southern justice and have unforgettable endings.