IMDb RATING
7.2/10
4.7K
YOUR RATING
The true story of a prosecutor's fight to prove the innocence of a man accused of a notorious murder.The true story of a prosecutor's fight to prove the innocence of a man accused of a notorious murder.The true story of a prosecutor's fight to prove the innocence of a man accused of a notorious murder.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
4.7K
YOUR RATING
- Director
- Writers
- Richard Murphy(screenplay)
- Fulton Oursler(based upon an article published in The Reader's Digest December, 1945)
- Stars
- Director
- Writers
- Richard Murphy(screenplay)
- Fulton Oursler(based upon an article published in The Reader's Digest December, 1945)
- Stars
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 3 wins & 2 nominations total
Rollin Bauer
- Detective
- (uncredited)
Royal Beal
- Johnson - Police Ballistics Expert
- (uncredited)
Wyrley Birch
- Father George A. Lambert
- (uncredited)
Robin Bryant
- Woman
- (uncredited)
Helen Carew
- Annie
- (uncredited)
John Carmody
- Thomas Callahan - Witness
- (uncredited)
William Challee
- Whitney - Harvey's Assistant
- (uncredited)
Clay Clement
- Judge Tate
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Richard Murphy(screenplay)
- Fulton Oursler(based upon an article published in The Reader's Digest December, 1945)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaPlaywright Arthur Miller is the tall suspect in the line-up. He was close to director Elia Kazan, who would two years later direct Miller's "Death of a Salesman" on Broadway. For the play, Kazan plucked this film's Lee J. Cobb to play Willy Loman, and for his son Biff, Arthur Kennedy.
- GoofsThe accused was apprehended in Ohio and extradited to Connecticut. According to the Uniform Criminal Extradition Act, the following must occur for extradition to proceed, (1) A valid arrest warrant issued by the demanding state, (2) A request from the Executive Authority of the demanding state (typically the Governor), (3) A judicial hearing in the state having custody of the wanted person. Yet in this case while the minimum for establishing sufficient probable cause for the issuance of an arrest warrant (the man being held in Ohio meeting the general physical description of the Connecticut murderer, who had been in Bridgeport on that date, and possessed a .32 caliber handgun) had been established, the accused, who had made no attempt to conceal his whereabouts on the date of the murder to Ohio authorities, did not even know why he was being held after extradition back to CT.
- Quotes
[Camera close-up on an open book]: The primary duty of a lawyer exercising the office of public prosecutor is not to convict, but to see that justice is done. -The Lawyers' Code of Ethics.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits are listed in the form of pages of a book.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Teinitohtori: Presumed Guilty (1991)
- SoundtracksAmerica, the Beautiful
(uncredited)
Music by Samuel A. Ward
Played during the opening sequence and at the end
Review
Featured review
180 Degree Turn
***SPOILERS*** Based on a Richard Oursler article in Readers Digest about the real life murder of popular Catholic priest Father George A. Lambert, Wyrley Brich, Eli Kazan's "Boomerang!" doesn't go into who murdered Father Lambert, the killer was ever apprehended, but in the story of the Innocent man accused of killing him ex-GI and town drifter John Waldron, Arthur Kennedy. With the murder investigation of Father Lambert going nowhere the local Stamford political machine, run by power-broker T.M Wade( Taylor Holmes), goes full-blast in attacking the city administration of reform Mayor Swayze, Walter Greaza,in hopes of getting it's man elected mayor.
The murder of Father Lambert turns out to be a political football between the two warring political parties instead of a police affair and investigation. After Waldron is arrested in Ohio and sent back to Conn. to stand trial State Prosecutor Henry Harvey, Dana Andrews, is put on the case. Waldron mentally pounded for three straight days by the police not allowing him to sleep breaks down and confesses to the Lambart murder making his conviction a forgone conclusion.
As prosecutor Harvey looks closely at the evidence against Waldon he realizes that the man may very well be innocent. If convicted he'll, Harvey, have to live for the rest of his with the thought that he sent a innocent man to his death. Harvey later finds out that a lot is riding on Waldon's conviction and it has nothing to do with the murder of Father Lambart. A non-conviction will effect the re-election chances of Mayor Swayze. Harvey is also running the risk of destroying a promising political career in state politics, he's already being groomed to be the states governor, by getting Waldon off even if he's innocent.
Well paced and honest film about big city politics with a stellar performance by Dana Andrews who didn't let his career ambitions get in the way of his sense of justice. Also in "Boomerang!" is Jane Wyatt as Prosecutor Harvey's wife Madge. Madge was tricked into an under-the-table deal by the city's Commissioner of Public Works Mac McCreery, Ed Begley, McCreery was terrified that if Mayor Swayze didn't get re-elected and agree, as he promised him, to have the city of Stamford buy his real-estate property it would in the and financially ruin McCreery and possibly land Madge behind bars.
Powerful ending sequence in a Stamford courtroom that has all the drama and tension of that of a very good fictitious movie screenplay but in this case all that happened in the movie also happened in real life.
The murder of Father Lambert turns out to be a political football between the two warring political parties instead of a police affair and investigation. After Waldron is arrested in Ohio and sent back to Conn. to stand trial State Prosecutor Henry Harvey, Dana Andrews, is put on the case. Waldron mentally pounded for three straight days by the police not allowing him to sleep breaks down and confesses to the Lambart murder making his conviction a forgone conclusion.
As prosecutor Harvey looks closely at the evidence against Waldon he realizes that the man may very well be innocent. If convicted he'll, Harvey, have to live for the rest of his with the thought that he sent a innocent man to his death. Harvey later finds out that a lot is riding on Waldon's conviction and it has nothing to do with the murder of Father Lambart. A non-conviction will effect the re-election chances of Mayor Swayze. Harvey is also running the risk of destroying a promising political career in state politics, he's already being groomed to be the states governor, by getting Waldon off even if he's innocent.
Well paced and honest film about big city politics with a stellar performance by Dana Andrews who didn't let his career ambitions get in the way of his sense of justice. Also in "Boomerang!" is Jane Wyatt as Prosecutor Harvey's wife Madge. Madge was tricked into an under-the-table deal by the city's Commissioner of Public Works Mac McCreery, Ed Begley, McCreery was terrified that if Mayor Swayze didn't get re-elected and agree, as he promised him, to have the city of Stamford buy his real-estate property it would in the and financially ruin McCreery and possibly land Madge behind bars.
Powerful ending sequence in a Stamford courtroom that has all the drama and tension of that of a very good fictitious movie screenplay but in this case all that happened in the movie also happened in real life.
helpful•3011
- sol1218
- Jul 7, 2005
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,140,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 28 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content































