They Made Me a Criminal (1939)

A boxer flees believing he has comitted a murder while he was drunk.

Director:

Busby Berkeley

Writers:

Sig Herzig (screen play), Bertram Millhauser (from a novel by)

Stars:

John Garfield, Claude Rains, The Dead End Kids

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Garfield	...	Johnnie
The Dead End Kids	...	(as The 'Dead End' Kids)
Claude Rains	...	Detective Phelan
Ann Sheridan	...	Goldie
May Robson	...	Grandma
Gloria Dickson	...	Peggy
Billy Halop	...	Tommy
Bobby Jordan	...	Angel
Leo Gorcey	...	Spit
Huntz Hall	...	Dippy
Gabriel Dell	...	T.B.
Bernard Punsly	...	Milt (as Bernard Punsley)
Robert Gleckler	...	Doc Ward
John Ridgely	...	Magee
Barbara Pepper	...	Budgie

Storyline

Johnnie is a boxer. The same evening he won the world championship, he is charged for the murder of a reporter and is taken for dead. Running away from New York, he ends up in a ranch in Arizona, run by an old lady as a work farm for delinquent teenagers. He falls in love with Peggy and became the teenagers' hero. But there is that New York Detective, Phelan, that does not believe he is dead and is chasing him... An unlikely scenario, but not a so bad film.

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Plot Keywords:

detective | boxing | mistaken identity | accidental death | arizona territory | 

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Taglines:

Sensational Human Drama!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Sport

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The fourth of seven movies featuring The Dead End Kids. In the original film, The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933), the kids are played by Mickey Rooney and several cast members of the our "Our Gang" comedy shorts--a much younger crowd.

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Goofs

Flames can be seen before the car hits the tree, and a spectacular fireball happens immediately after impact. While fun to watch, fireballs rarely happen quite so quickly on an accident and even more rarely before the accident happens.

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Quotes

Detective Phelan: All I ask is that you re-open the case and assign me.
Ennis: Reopen the case? Now get this Phelen. Johnnie Bradfield murdered McGee. And it was Johnnie Bradfield who burned up on the highway this morning at 5 am.
Detective Phelan: Now listen Chief...
Ennis: Listen to who? The trouble with you, Phelan, is that ever since you railroaded the wrong guy to the hot seat, you been seein' things. You're screwy. Why don't you retire?
Detective Phelan: I'll tell you why. Because I'm not through.
Ennis: Oh yes, you are but you don't know it.
Detective Phelan: I'll show you if I'm ...
[...]

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Alternate Versions

The AFI Catalogue has a different cast ordering, suggesting that changes were made for a re-release. Ann Sheridan is billed 6th and there are other minor changes when compared with the print currently shown on Turner Classic Movies, on which the data in IMDb is based. It is uncertain which is the original print.

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Connections

Referenced in American Born (1990)

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Soundtracks

M-O-T-H-E-R, a Word That Means the World to Me
(1915) (uncredited)
Music by Theodore Morse
Lyrics by Howard Johnson
Partially sung a cappella by Bert Roach

User Reviews

Garfield scores heavily in the lead

A compact drama about redemption. John Garfield, always a powerful screen presence, makes a strong impression in the lead as an initially corrupt boxer who sees the error of his ways. The Dead End Kids are well used and the sassy May Robson brightens any movie in which she appeared. Be aware that Ann Sheridan, although prominently billed, is in and out of the movie in about 5 minutes, however Gloria Dickson makes a fine showing. At this point she was considered an actress on the way up but ended up spending most of her brief career in low budget films before her death in a fire at 28. The one small problem is the casting of Claude Rains as a dogged detective. He was always a fantastic actor and gives a professional performance but the part doesn't play to his strengths of urbanity and wit. Berkeley, taking a break from musicals, maintains a brisk pace in the direction making this one of the better programmers to come out of the Warners factory.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 January 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

I Became a Criminal

Filming Locations:

Palm Desert, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1