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They Won't Forget

  • 19371937
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 35m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Claude Rains, Gloria Dickson, and Edward Norris in 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.
Play trailer1:44
1 Video
19 Photos
  • Drama
  • Film-Noir
  • Mystery

A politically ambitious district attorney, unscrupulous tabloid journalists, and regional prejudice combine to charge a teacher with the murder of his student.A politically ambitious district attorney, unscrupulous tabloid journalists, and regional prejudice combine to charge a teacher with the murder of his student.A politically ambitious district attorney, unscrupulous tabloid journalists, and regional prejudice combine to charge a teacher with the murder of his student.

IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Mervyn LeRoy(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • Ward Greene(novel "Death In the Deep South")
    • Robert Rossen(screen play)
    • Aben Kandel(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Claude Rains
    • Gloria Dickson
    • Edward Norris
Top credits
  • Director
    • Mervyn LeRoy(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • Ward Greene(novel "Death In the Deep South")
    • Robert Rossen(screen play)
    • Aben Kandel(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Claude Rains
    • Gloria Dickson
    • Edward Norris
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 45User reviews
    • 14Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:44
    Official Trailer

    Photos19

    Gloria Dickson and Edward Norris in They Won't Forget (1937)
    They Won't Forget (1937)
    Lana Turner and Edward Norris in They Won't Forget (1937)
    Lana Turner in They Won't Forget (1937)
    Lana Turner in They Won't Forget (1937)
    Lana Turner and Linda Perry in They Won't Forget (1937)
    Claude Rains and Edward Norris in They Won't Forget (1937)
    Claude Rains in They Won't Forget (1937)
    Lana Turner and Linda Perry in They Won't Forget (1937)
    Claude Rains, Gloria Dickson, and Edward Norris in They Won't Forget (1937)
    Claude Rains, Trevor Bardette, Wilmer Hines, and Elliott Sullivan in They Won't Forget (1937)
    Claude Rains, John Dilson, Cy Kendall, and Edward Norris in They Won't Forget (1937)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Claude Rains
    Claude Rains
    • Andy Griffinas Andy Griffin
    Gloria Dickson
    Gloria Dickson
    • Sybil Haleas Sybil Hale
    Edward Norris
    Edward Norris
    • Robert Haleas Robert Hale
    Otto Kruger
    Otto Kruger
    • Michael Gleasonas Michael Gleason
    Allyn Joslyn
    Allyn Joslyn
    • Bill Brockas Bill Brock
    Lana Turner
    Lana Turner
    • Mary Clayas Mary Clay
    Linda Perry
    Linda Perry
    • Imogene Mayfieldas Imogene Mayfield
    Elisha Cook Jr.
    Elisha Cook Jr.
    • Joe Turneras Joe Turner
    Cy Kendall
    Cy Kendall
    • Detective Laneartas Detective Laneart
    Clinton Rosemond
    • Tump Scott Redwineas Tump Scott Redwine
    E. Alyn Warren
    E. Alyn Warren
    • Prof. Carlisle P. Buxtonas Prof. Carlisle P. Buxton
    Elisabeth Risdon
    Elisabeth Risdon
    • Mrs. Haleas Mrs. Hale
    • (as Elizabeth Risdon)
    Clifford Soubier
    • Jim Timberlakeas Jim Timberlake
    Granville Bates
    Granville Bates
    • Detective Pindaras Detective Pindar
    Ann Shoemaker
    Ann Shoemaker
    • Mrs. Mountfordas Mrs. Mountford
    Paul Everton
    Paul Everton
    • Governor Mountfordas Governor Mountford
    Donald Briggs
    Donald Briggs
    • Harmonas Harmon
    Sibyl Harris
    • Mrs. Clayas Mrs. Clay
    • (as Sybil Harris)
    • Director
      • Mervyn LeRoy(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Ward Greene(novel "Death In the Deep South")
      • Robert Rossen(screen play)
      • Aben Kandel(screen play)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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. —Daniel Bubbeo <dbubbeo@cmp.com>
    • lynch mob
    • lynching
    • reference to the american civil war
    • prejudice
    • media frenzy
    • 191 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • 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)
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Film-Noir
      • Mystery
    • Certificate
      • Passed
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Based on the notorious rigged murder trial and subsequent lynching of Leo Frank, the film does not mention that Frank was Jewish, a fact that contributed more to his being tried for a murder he didn't commit, found guilty and lynched than his Northern background (although that was also a factor). The real-life victim, Mary Phagan, was only 13 years old, a far cry from Lana Turner's post-pubescent sweater girl of 16.
    • 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.
    • Quotes

      Drugstore Clerk: What'll it all be be, ladies?

      Imogene Mayfield: Dope and cherry, Fred.

      Drugstore Clerk: [to Mary] How about you, half-pint?

      Mary Clay: Make mine a chocolate malt and drop an egg in it as fresh as you are.

      Drugstore Clerk: The hens don't lay 'em that good.

    • Connections
      Featured in Hollywood and the Stars: The Angry Screen (1964)
    • Soundtracks
      Kingdom Coming
      (1862) (uncredited)

      aka "The Year of Jubilo"

      Music by Henry Clay Work

      Played during the opening credits

    User reviews45

    Review
    Top review
    Unrelenting
    "They Won't Forget" and neither will you if you've seen this chilling depression-era drama based on an actual murder case. Some of the scenes are so real, they're scary. One look at gimlet-eyed Trevor Bardette with a voice from the grave is like seeing death incarnate and enough to freeze a platoon of marines in their tracks. Then there's hapless Clinton Rosemon, his pleas for mercy so achingly real, they echo across generations of tormented black souls. Also not to be overlooked is the bereaved Gloria Dickson. Her righteous anger at movie's end is so heart-felt, I expect it probably was. Together with the wily District Attorney Claude Rains, there's an uncommon authority to this searing drama of justice gone wrong.

    There's also an uncommon richness of detail. The script, for all its sprawl, remains tight and unrelenting, a genuine testament to writers Rossen and Kandel. Then too, producer Le Roy pulled out all the stops and the results show it. No one acts without apparent reason. Everyone has understandable motivations for doing what they do. That's why the upshot is so tragic. It's as though there's an on-rushing train nobody can stop because the momentum is carried by an infernal logic greater than the demands of justice. Despite appearances, it's not an anti-lynching film, though it is that. Rather, it's a down and dirty look at the cynical roots of injustice. From lowly pool hall to lofty city council, no one wants to convict an innocent man, but then no one much cares either. This movie stands as a fine example of why Warner Bros. was the studio of record during the stressed-out 1930's. Anyway, for guys who don't like the gloomy theme, there's always the chance to catch Lana Turner as she juggles two balloons while sashaying up the sidewalk in the film's most famous scene.

    All in all-- a classic of 30's social realism, with Hollywood at its unapologetic best.
    helpful•15
    2
    • dougdoepke
    • Aug 13, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 9, 1937 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Death in the Deep South
    • Filming locations
      • Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • First National Pictures
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 35 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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