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IMDbPro

They Made Me a Criminal

  • 1939
  • Approved
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
2.5K
YOUR RATING
John Garfield and The Dead End Kids in They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
CrimeDramaFilm-Noir

A champion boxer on the lamb, believed to have committed murder while drunk, takes refuge and finds redemption at a farm for delinquent youths.A champion boxer on the lamb, believed to have committed murder while drunk, takes refuge and finds redemption at a farm for delinquent youths.A champion boxer on the lamb, believed to have committed murder while drunk, takes refuge and finds redemption at a farm for delinquent youths.

  • Director
    • Busby Berkeley
  • Writers
    • Sig Herzig
    • Bertram Millhauser
    • Beulah Marie Dix
  • Stars
    • John Garfield
    • Claude Rains
    • The Dead End Kids
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.8/10
    2.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Busby Berkeley
    • Writers
      • Sig Herzig
      • Bertram Millhauser
      • Beulah Marie Dix
    • Stars
      • John Garfield
      • Claude Rains
      • The Dead End Kids
    • 58User reviews
    • 30Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos21

    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)
    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)
    Claude Rains, John Garfield, and Ann Sheridan 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
    • Chief Insp. Ennis
    • (as William Davidson)
    Ward Bond
    Ward Bond
    • Lenihan
    Robert Strange
    Robert Strange
    • Malvin
    • Director
      • Busby Berkeley
    • Writers
      • Sig Herzig
      • Bertram Millhauser
      • Beulah Marie Dix
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more 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 would 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
      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.
    • 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 reviews58

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    An Unusual Blend of Talent Comes Together Very Well
    The blend of talent in "They Made Me A Criminal" is rather unusual, with John Garfield, who was at his best in film-noir type settings, Claude Rains, a skilled and classy character actor, and the Dead End Kids, best known for more boisterous material. The story is written to give all of them some good moments, and as a whole it works quite well.

    Garfield gets a tailor-made role as a boxing champion who goes on the run after he is set up and framed. It was Garfield's misfortune that perhaps his best role, in "The Postman Always Rings Twice", was overshadowed (through no fault of his own, since it would have happened to almost anyone in the role) by Lana Turner's unforgettable performance. Here, Garfield gets the chance to show what he can do, showing a tough side, a cynical side, and, at the right times, a somewhat more thoughtful side.

    The story is very interesting, and other than a couple of slightly implausible developments, it works well in mixing some different kinds of material and settings. The supporting cast all does well, although Rains has to battle with his role, as a tough-cop character that doesn't really make the best use of his strengths.

    In keeping everything together and on-track, Busby Berkeley shows the same kind of skill that enabled him to produce the variety numbers for which he was better known. He comes in for his share of the credit here in creating an interesting movie with some unusual features.
    helpful•12
    1
    • Snow Leopard
    • Oct 24, 2005

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 28, 1939 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Učinili su me zločincem
    • 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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