I Want to Live! (1958)

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

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

Nelson Gidding (screenplay), Don Mankiewicz (screenplay) (as Don M. Mankiewicz)

Stars:

Susan Hayward, Simon Oakland, Virginia Vincent

Won 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Susan Hayward	...	Barbara Graham
Simon Oakland	...	Edward S. 'Ed' Montgomery
Virginia Vincent	...	Peg
Theodore Bikel	...	Carl G.G. Palmberg
Wesley Lau	...	Henry L. Graham
Philip Coolidge	...	Emmett Perkins
Lou Krugman	...	John R. 'Jack' Santo
James Philbrook	...	Bruce King
Bartlett Robinson	...	District Attorney Milton
Gage Clarke	...	Attorney Richard G. Tibrow (as Gage Clark)
Joe De Santis	...	Al Matthews
John Marley	...	Father Devers
Raymond Bailey	...	San Quentin Warden
Alice Backes	...	Barbara, San Quentin Nurse
Gertrude Flynn	...	San Quentin Matron

Storyline

Barbara Graham is a woman with dubious moral standards, often a guest in seedy bars. She has been sentenced for some petty crimes. Two men she knows murder an older woman. When they get caught, they start to think that Barbara has helped the police to arrest them. As revenge, they tell the police that Barbara is the murderer.

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Plot Keywords:

death row | jazz score | execution of woman | true crime | courtroom drama | 

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Taglines:

The murder trial that shook the world!

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The actor who played the prison captain of the death house, Dabbs Greer, would go on to play the elderly version of Paul Edgecomb, who was a retired prison captain of another prison death house, in The Green Mile (1999). Tom Hanks played the younger version of that character.

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Goofs

In her murder trial Barbara's attorney puts her on the witness stand where under cross examination the prosecution asks her about her previous conviction for perjury. No attorney, not even the worst court appointed attorney, would put a defendant on the witness stand knowing they had a previous conviction for perjury.

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Quotes

Barbara Graham: [just before being led to the gas chamber] I want a mask. I don't wanna' look at people. I don't wanna' see them staring at me.
San Quentin Matron: I have one. My sleep mask.

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Crazy Credits

Before the first images comes the disclaimer: "You are about to see a factual story. It is based on articles I wrote, other newspaper and magazine articles, court records, legal and private correspondence, investigative reports, personal interviews - and the letter of Barbara Graham." Edgar S. Montgomery - Pulitzer Prize winner. San Francisco Examiner.

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Connections

Referenced in Oz: Capital P (1997)

User Reviews

Bravado Performance In Intense Drama

Barbara Graham was a known prostitute with criminal associates. In the early 1950s, Graham and two men were accused of and arrested for the brutal murder of elderly Mable Monahan during the course of a robbery. Convicted and sentenced to death in California's gas chamber, Graham protested her innocence to the end--and many considered that she was less a criminal than a victim of circumstance and that she had been railroaded to conviction and execution. The celebrated 1958 film I WANT TO LIVE follows this point of view, presenting Graham as a thoroughly tough gal who in spite of her background was essentially more sinned against than sinner, and the result is an extremely intense, gripping film that shakes its viewers to the core.

The film has a stark, realistic look, an excellent script, a pounding jazz score, and a strong supporting cast--but it is Susan Hayward's legendary performance that makes the film work. She gives us a Graham who is half gun moll, half good time girl, and tough as nails all the way through--but who is nonetheless likable, perhaps even admirable in her flat rebellion against a sickeningly hypocritical and repulsively white-bread society. Although Hayward seems slightly artificial in the film's opening scenes, she quickly rises to the challenge of the role and gives an explosive performance as notable for its emotional hysteria as for its touching humanity.

As the story moves toward its climax, the detail with which director Wise shows preparations for execution in the gas chamber and the intensity of Hayward's performance add up to one of the most powerful sequences in film history. Ironically, Hayward privately stated that her own research led her to believe that Graham was guilty as sin--and today most people who have studied the case tend to believe that Graham was guilty indeed. But whether the real-life Barbara Graham was innocent or guilty, this is a film that delivers one memorable, jolting, and very, very disturbing ride. Strongly recommended, but not for the faint of heart.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 December 1958 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Barbara Graham Story

Filming Locations:

Bunker Hill, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,383,578 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walter Wanger Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1