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

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

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

In the diner scene when Johnny drops the $50 note, one of the other diners (Bill) claims the money saying "... That's not your money - that's my money". An actor in the background can be seen mouthing Bill's lines at the same time as Bill utters them.

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Quotes

J. Douglas Williamson: You think you're smart, don't you?
Spit: They call us "the Six Geniuses."

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Connections

Referenced in The Andrew Klavan Show: Democrats Play Women (2018)

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Soundtracks

Spirit of Independence
(1912) (uncredited)
Music by Abe Holzmann
Played as Jack enters the ring for his fight

User Reviews

Effortlessly entertaining.

This is breezy highly entertaining drama with an excellent cast. Garfield is fine as a boxer hiding from the police with that motley crew the Dead End Kids. Most notable of these is the beautiful Billy Halop who has some very moving moments. Gloria Dickson, who in real life died very young in a house fire, is strong and very attractive as Halop's sister, and in the early scenes Ann Sheridan, on the brink of stardom, is a knock-out. May Robson is very funny as a crusty old granny, but Claude Rains proves here that even a great actor can flounder if mis-cast (whoever thought of casting him as a tough New York cop?).

Busby Berkeley proves here that he was a fine director with or without musical numbers. The film moves at a terrific pace and the water tower sequence is very suspenseful and well photographed. The ending is contrived, and the plot nothing startling or original, but I still found this a highly enjoyable experience.