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IMDbPro

I Want to Live!

  • 1958
  • Approved
  • 2h
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
7K
YOUR RATING
I Want to Live! (1958)
A prostitute, sentenced to death for murder, pleads her innocence.
Play trailer2:19
1 Video
39 Photos
BiographyCrimeDrama

A prostitute, sentenced to death for murder, pleads her innocence.A prostitute, sentenced to death for murder, pleads her innocence.A prostitute, sentenced to death for murder, pleads her innocence.

  • Director
    • Robert Wise
  • Writers
    • Nelson Gidding
    • Don Mankiewicz
    • Ed Montgomery
  • Stars
    • Susan Hayward
    • Simon Oakland
    • Virginia Vincent
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Robert Wise
    • Writers
      • Nelson Gidding
      • Don Mankiewicz
      • Ed Montgomery
    • Stars
      • Susan Hayward
      • Simon Oakland
      • Virginia Vincent
    • 95User reviews
    • 38Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 6 wins & 16 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:19
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos39

    Susan Hayward in I Want to Live! (1958)
    Susan Hayward and Olive Blakeney in I Want to Live! (1958)
    Susan Hayward, Alice Backes, Gertrude Flynn, and Lorna Thayer in I Want to Live! (1958)
    Susan Hayward in I Want to Live! (1958)
    Susan Hayward in I Want to Live! (1958)
    Susan Hayward and Gage Clarke in I Want to Live! (1958)
    Susan Hayward and Gage Clarke in I Want to Live! (1958)
    Susan Hayward in I Want to Live! (1958)
    Susan Hayward and Virginia Vincent in I Want to Live! (1958)
    Susan Hayward in I Want to Live! (1958)
    Susan Hayward in I Want to Live! (1958)
    Susan Hayward and John Marley in I Want to Live! (1958)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Susan Hayward
    Susan Hayward
    • Barbara Graham
    Simon Oakland
    Simon Oakland
    • Edward S. 'Ed' Montgomery
    Virginia Vincent
    Virginia Vincent
    • Peg
    Theodore Bikel
    Theodore Bikel
    • Carl G.G. Palmberg
    Wesley Lau
    Wesley Lau
    • Henry L. Graham
    Philip Coolidge
    Philip Coolidge
    • Emmett Perkins
    Lou Krugman
    • John R. 'Jack' Santo
    James Philbrook
    James Philbrook
    • Bruce King
    Bartlett Robinson
    Bartlett Robinson
    • District Attorney Milton
    Gage Clarke
    Gage Clarke
    • Attorney Richard G. Tibrow
    • (as Gage Clark)
    Joe De Santis
    Joe De Santis
    • Al Matthews
    John Marley
    John Marley
    • Father Devers
    Raymond Bailey
    Raymond Bailey
    • San Quentin Warden
    Alice Backes
    Alice Backes
    • Barbara, San Quentin Nurse
    Gertrude Flynn
    Gertrude Flynn
    • San Quentin Matron
    Russell Thorson
    Russell Thorson
    • San Quentin Sgt.
    Dabbs Greer
    Dabbs Greer
    • San Quentin Capt.
    Stafford Repp
    Stafford Repp
    • Police Sgt.
    • Director
      • Robert Wise
    • Writers
      • Nelson Gidding
      • Don Mankiewicz
      • Ed Montgomery
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      A woman named Betsy Ann Smith from Wakefield, Virginia won a bit part in this film as a prize on The Price Is Right (1956).
    • Goofs
      When Barbara's son is brought to the jail for a visit and the presence of the news media upsets Barbara, she retreats to an interior area of the jail and pounds on the wall in frustration. The "brick" wall gives slightly as she throws her weight onto it.
    • Quotes

      Barbara Graham: I never even knew the dame.

      Police lieutenant: You know she's been murdered, don't you?

      Barbara Graham: Yeah. So was Julius Caesar. I didn't know him either.

    • Crazy credits
      The film opens with this statement: The pitiless story told in this film is a true story. This story had to be told to the whole world; the whole world should see it and hear it. What good are films if they do not make us face the realities of our time? Here is the reality of our time, and we have no right to be ignorant of it. The day will come when such documents will seem to us to refer to prehistoric times, and we shall consider them as unbelievable that in earlier centuries witches were burned or thieves had their right hands cut off. Such period of true civilization is still in the future, but this film has the honor of at least contributing to its coming". Albert Camus - Nobel Prize winner.
    • Connections
      Edited into The Clock (2010)

    User reviews95

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Susan Hayward at her best!
    After seeing this movie a few times I was able to get a DVD copy of it. It is one of the best, if not the best movie about death row. The final scenes in the gas chamber are the most realistic i have ever seen of an execution. The movie uses real information supplied by The newsman who followed the case from the start and by Barbra Graham herself. After watching her in the gas chamber,it's very easy ro see why Susan Hayward won the Oscar for best actress.
    helpful•11
    3
    • Jay09101951
    • Jul 21, 2003

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    FAQ5

    • Is "I Want to Live" based on a book?
    • Who is Barbara Graham?
    • Was Barbara Graham innocent or guilty?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 3, 1958 (Italy)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Barbara Graham Story
    • Filming locations
      • San Quentin State Prison, San Quentin, California, USA(prison)
    • Production company
      • Walter Wanger Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,383,578 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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