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:

prejudice | media frenzy | lawyer | murder | district attorney | 

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Taglines:

ALONE...THEY FACED A WORLD GONE MAD! AN UNFORGETABLE EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE...LIVED BY REAL PEOPLE! (Print Ad- Victoria Daily Times, ((Victoria, BC)) 12 October 1937)

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Allyn Joslyn.

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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

Andy Griffin: Any fool can ride to glory on a helpless Negro janitor. I'm out for bigger game.

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

Kingdom Coming
(1862) (uncredited)
aka "The Year of Jubilo"
Music by Henry Clay Work
Played during the opening credits

User Reviews

North vs. South in this gripping courtroom drama helmed by the great Mervyn LeRoy

A dark haired, southern drawled Claude Rains has an actor's field day as D.A Andy Griffin. Griffin needs to win one sensational court case to move his career foward. He gets it when a Yankee school teacher (Edward Norris) is accused of murdering a high school girl (Fetching Lana Turner in her film debut) Griffin turns the trial into a media circus and a kangaroo court. The ending is grim, and Griffin gets what he wants. Mervyn LeRoy (Warner Brothers' prize director in the 1930's) moves the story along at rocket pace. He gets fine performances out of Rains, Norris, Otto Kruger and a young Elisha Cook Jnr. LeRoy always cut the fat from his films, meaning very rarely will he show an unimportant aspect of the story. (Example: a scene begins with a sobbing janitor calling the police. We see the police leave. Cut to them at the crime scene. Cut to them grilling their first suspect- the janitor- cut to a newspaper headline about the murder. all of this in about 12 seconds) A film far above average.

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