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IMDbPro

They Made Me a Criminal

  • 19391939
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
2.3K
YOUR RATING
John Garfield and The Dead End Kids in They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Film-Noir
A boxer flees believing he has comitted a murder while he was drunk.A boxer flees believing he has comitted a murder while he was drunk.A boxer flees believing he has comitted a murder while he was drunk.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
2.3K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Busby Berkeley
  • Writers
    • Sig Herzig(screen play)
    • Bertram Millhauser(from a novel by)
    • Beulah Marie Dix(from a novel by)
  • Stars
    • John Garfield
    • Claude Rains
    • The Dead End Kids
Top credits
  • Director
    • Busby Berkeley
  • Writers
    • Sig Herzig(screen play)
    • Bertram Millhauser(from a novel by)
    • Beulah Marie Dix(from a novel by)
  • Stars
    • John Garfield
    • Claude Rains
    • The Dead End Kids
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 53User reviews
    • 30Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos22

    Claude Rains, John Garfield, and Ann Sheridan in They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
    John Garfield, Huntz Hall, Billy Halop, Bobby Jordan, Bernard Punsly, and The Dead End Kids in They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
    John Garfield, Gabriel Dell, Gloria Dickson, Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Billy Halop, Bobby Jordan, Bernard Punsly, and The Dead End Kids in They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
    Claude Rains, John Garfield, and Gloria Dickson in They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
    John Garfield in They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
    John Garfield, Robert Gleckler, Barbara Pepper, John Ridgely, and Ann Sheridan in They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
    John Garfield and Ann Sheridan in They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
    Ann Sheridan in They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
    Claude Rains, John Garfield, Gabriel Dell, Gloria Dickson, Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Billy Halop, Bobby Jordan, Bernard Punsly, Ann Sheridan, and The Dead End Kids in They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
    John Garfield in They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
    John Garfield and Ann Sheridan in They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
    Jackie Gleason, Claude Rains, and John Garfield in They Made Me a Criminal (1939)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Garfield
    John Garfield
    • Johnnie Bradfield
    Claude Rains
    Claude Rains
    • Detective Monty Phelan
    The Dead End Kids
    • The Reform Kids
    • (as The 'Dead End' Kids)
    Ann Sheridan
    Ann Sheridan
    • Goldie West
    May Robson
    May Robson
    • Grandma Rafferty
    Gloria Dickson
    Gloria Dickson
    • Peggy
    Billy Halop
    Billy Halop
    • Tommy
    Bobby Jordan
    Bobby Jordan
    • Angel
    Leo Gorcey
    Leo Gorcey
    • Spit
    Huntz Hall
    Huntz Hall
    • Dippy
    Gabriel Dell
    Gabriel Dell
    • T.B.
    Bernard Punsly
    Bernard Punsly
    • Milt
    • (as Bernard Punsley)
    Robert Gleckler
    Robert Gleckler
    • Doc Ward
    John Ridgely
    John Ridgely
    • Charlie Magee
    Barbara Pepper
    Barbara Pepper
    • Budgie Massey
    William B. Davidson
    William B. Davidson
    • Police Insp. Ennis
    • (as William Davidson)
    Ward Bond
    Ward Bond
    • Lenihan
    Robert Strange
    Robert Strange
    • Malvin
    • Director
      • Busby Berkeley
    • Writers
      • Sig Herzig(screen play)
      • Bertram Millhauser(from a novel by)
      • Beulah Marie Dix(from a novel by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Claude Rains at first turned down the part, feeling he would be miscast and look ridiculous as a tough New York City cop. Only after being threatened by the studio with suspension did he reluctantly accept it, but he always considered this one of his least favorite pictures.
    • Goofs
      At 38 minutes into the film Gloria Dickson's "Peggy" calls John Garfield's character "Johnnie" when he in fact is still under the guise and alias persona of "Jack Dorney!" She could not know that since he has not told anyone at that point of the film.
    • Quotes

      J. Douglas Williamson: You think you're smart, don't you?

      Spit: They call us "the Six Geniuses."

    • 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.
    • Connections
      Featured in Classic Comedy Teams (1986)
    • 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 reviews53

    Review
    Top review
    Warners Goes to the Desert
    It's a Warner Bros. production, in spades—from Garfield to the gritty subject matter to the seedy surroundings. If MGM was the glamour studio, Warner's was the no-nonsense Plain Jane. Here boxing champ Johnnie (Garfield) hobos it to the California desert to escape a New York murder rap. There he hooks up with tough blonde (Dickson) and her juvenile delinquent date pickers (Gorcey, et. al.). Trouble is that Detective Phelin (Rains) won't give up the chase, and now Johnnie's in a pickle he can't fight his way out of.

    Okay, nothing unusual about the plot, except maybe the setting. Nevertheless, director Busby Berkeley manages to blend the elements into a good gritty little tale. Well, that's except for the fight scenes, which prove Berkeley was better at arranging dancers than boxers. Even so, he makes maybe the best use of that ragamuffin outfit that would become the Bowery Boys that I've seen. Even the usually buffoonish Huntz Hall is under firm control. But maybe the biggest challenge was getting aristocratic Claude Rains to impersonate a street wise New York cop, of all things. Fortunately, that excellent actor pulls it off better than expected. And, of course, there's the great Garfield showing why his brand of feisty urban grit was so perfect for the times.

    Then there's the one scene that still has me sweating. Johnnie and the boys are cooling off inside a big water-filled irrigation tank. Okay, no problem. Except, farmer somebody decides his date trees need water, and before they know it, the boys are clawing at the bare metal sides, trying to escape the ten feet of water he's left in the bottom. Sure, they're okay, but only so long as they keep swimming and swimming, trapped like flotsam in a fish bowl. It's a sweaty doomsday setup that comes out of nowhere.

    Anyway, this is the type of film that made me a fan of hardscrabble Warner Bros. of the 1930's. So catch up with it if you can.
    helpful•4
    0
    • dougdoepke
    • Aug 19, 2012

    FAQ1

    • Chicago Opening Happened When?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 28, 1939 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Zum Verbrecher verurteilt
    • Filming locations
      • Palm Desert, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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