IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
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
Top credits
- Director
- Mervyn LeRoy(uncredited)
- Writers
- Ward Greene(novel "Death In the Deep South")
- Robert Rossen(screen play)
- Aben Kandel(screen play)
- Stars
- Awards
- 1 win
Videos1
Elisabeth Risdon
- Mrs. Haleas Mrs. Hale
- (as Elizabeth Risdon)
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
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. —Daniel Bubbeo <dbubbeo@cmp.com>
- 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
- Certificate
- Passed
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaBased 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.
- GoofsAnytime 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.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Hollywood and the Stars: The Angry Screen (1964)
- SoundtracksKingdom Coming
(1862) (uncredited)
aka "The Year of Jubilo"
Music by Henry Clay Work
Played during the opening credits
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.
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•152
- dougdoepke
- Aug 13, 2007
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Death in the Deep South
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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