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They Made Me a Criminal

  • 19391939
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
2.3K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
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, Jack Mower, and Bob Perry 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 Bradfieldas Johnnie Bradfield
    Claude Rains
    Claude Rains
    • Detective Monty Phelanas Detective Monty Phelan
    The Dead End Kids
    • The Reform Kidsas The Reform Kids
    Ann Sheridan
    Ann Sheridan
    • Goldie Westas Goldie West
    May Robson
    May Robson
    • Grandma Raffertyas Grandma Rafferty
    Gloria Dickson
    Gloria Dickson
    • Peggyas Peggy
    Billy Halop
    Billy Halop
    • Tommyas Tommy
    Bobby Jordan
    Bobby Jordan
    • Angelas Angel
    Leo Gorcey
    Leo Gorcey
    • Spitas Spit
    Huntz Hall
    Huntz Hall
    • Dippyas Dippy
    Gabriel Dell
    Gabriel Dell
    • T.B.as T.B.
    Bernard Punsly
    Bernard Punsly
    • Miltas Milt
    • (as Bernard Punsley)
    Robert Gleckler
    Robert Gleckler
    • Doc Wardas Doc Ward
    John Ridgely
    John Ridgely
    • Charlie Mageeas Charlie Magee
    Barbara Pepper
    Barbara Pepper
    • Budgie Masseyas Budgie Massey
    William B. Davidson
    William B. Davidson
    • Police Insp. Ennisas Police Insp. Ennis
    • (as William Davidson)
    Ward Bond
    Ward Bond
    • Lenihanas Lenihan
    Robert Strange
    Robert Strange
    • Malvinas 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
    A southpaw with a distinctive boxing style, New York based Johnnie Bradfield has just won the world boxing champion title. While he, to the public, portrays himself as wholesome, doting on his mother, he, in reality, lives a hard and fast life in stark contrast to that public persona. While in a drunken stupor, Johnnie is passed out while a reporter who was going expose his true lifestyle is found dead in Johnnie's apartment. Knowing that he did not kill the reporter but that he is implicated in doing so, Johnnie, with a few hundred dollars in his pockets of his several thousand dollars amassed wealth, goes on the run in learning that the authorities also believe that he died in a fiery car crash. Not by plan or choice but rather circumstance and need, Johnnie, using the alias Jack Dorney, ends up at the Rafferty Date Farm in Arizona, it run by elderly, widowed Grandma Rafferty, whose husband, before his passing, took in a group of six reform school kids from New York City to give them a better chance at life in that reform. While there is an initial animosity between Johnnie and Grandma, the six reformers and especially Peggy, the sister of one of the reform kids who accompanied her brother to the farm in feeling she may be a grounding influence for him, they all end up having a reciprocal positive influence on the other, especially Johnnie and Peggy who start to fall for each other. There are two problems potentially to upset Johnnie's new life. First, he may turn to the only way he knows how to earn a living, namely boxing, which may expose himself as still being alive. And second, NYPD Detective Monty Phelan, whose career took a nosedive ten years ago in a grave error of judgment, believes Johnnie is indeed alive and will do anything to prove his case in needing to restore some legitimacy to his career. —Huggo
    • boxing
    • mistaken identity
    • accidental death
    • arizona territory
    • arizona desert
    • 74 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • I am a fugitive! I am hunted by the mob! I am wanted by the cops! I am forgotten by decent women! (re-release print ad)
    • Genres
      • Crime
      • Drama
      • Film-Noir
      • Sport
    • Certificate
      • Approved
    • Parents guide

    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
    7/10
    Better Than the Original
    They Made Me a Criminal is a remake of an earlier Warner Brothers film, The Life of Jimmy Dolan which starred Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. as the prizefighter on the lam.

    Even with the restrictions now upon production by the Hays Office, this remake actually turns out to be better than the original. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., is horribly miscast as a pugilist. John Garfield with his background and style steps into a part he was born to play.

    They Made Me a Criminal was directed by Busby Berkeley who Jack Warner believed in keeping busy in between musicals. Berkeley in fact would soon be leaving Warner Brothers for MGM.

    Berkeley does do a fine job here, keeping the action flowing at a good pace. I particularly like the scene where four of the Dead End Kids and Garfield are swimming in a water tank and get stranded there when the water level goes down. They get it out of it quite narrowly and with some good ingenuity.

    Other performances besides Garfield and the kids to remember are May Robson who runs the summer camp for the kids and Claude Rains as the obsessed detective on Garfield's trail.
    helpful•19
    3
    • bkoganbing
    • Jan 10, 2006

    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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