The Intruder (1962)

A man in a gleaming white suit comes to a small Southern town on the eve of integration. He calls himself a social reformer. But what he does is stir up trouble--trouble he soon finds he can't control.

Director:

Roger Corman

Writers:

Charles Beaumont (screenplay), Charles Beaumont (novel)

Stars:

William Shatner, Frank Maxwell, Beverly Lunsford

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Shatner	...	Adam Cramer
Frank Maxwell	...	Tom McDaniel
Beverly Lunsford	...	Ella McDaniel
Robert Emhardt	...	Verne Shipman
Leo Gordon	...	Sam Griffin
Charles Barnes	...	Joey Greene
Charles Beaumont	...	Mr. Paton
Katherine Smith	...	Ruth McDaniel
George Clayton Johnson	...	Phil West
William F. Nolan	...	Bart Carey (as William Nolan)
Phoebe Rowe	...	Mrs. Lambert
Bo Dodd	...	Sheriff
Walter Kurtz	...	Gramps
Oceo Ritch	...	Jack Allardyce (as O.C. Ritch)
Jeanne Cooper	...	Vi Griffin

Storyline

A man in a gleaming white suit comes to a small Southern town on the eve of integration. His name is Adam Cramer. He calls himself a social reformer. But his aim is to incite the people against letting black children into the town's white school. Soon he has the white citizens of the town worked up. He thinks he's leading them; but a man he befriends and immediately betrays knows better. The people have become a mob. The black leader of a church and a white newspaper editor soon feel its wrath. But after a false accusation against a black student, Adam Cramer may find the people are totally and permanently out of his control.

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Plot Keywords:

church bombing | lynch mob | burning cross | kkk hoodie | racial integration | 

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Taglines:

He Fed Their Fears And Turned Neighbor Against Neighbor!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

William Shatner said that their lives were threatened, equipment was sabotaged and permission to film in a local schoolyard was revoked.

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Goofs

The swing sets in the final scene change in the number and height of the swings. On 29 July 2015 at the Traverse City Film Festival, Roger Corman explained that they'd been run out of two different towns by law enforcement trying to get that scene done, so it was filmed at three different schools.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Adam Cramer: [to the little girl he helps out of the bus] There you go... Ma'am.
Little Girl's Mother: Thank you... What do you say to the nice gentleman?

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Connections

Referenced in Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001)

User Reviews

Awesome

As a white Northerner at 15, I had no idea in 1960 of what rude realities awaited me as I hitchhiked through the South that summer. In Birmingham I was thrown into the two worlds of black/white; I was escorted out of the black's bathroom at the bus station, kindly - gently - but firmly. I witnessed prayer-sayers at street corners extolling salvation and gateways leading away from oppression, people coerced to sit in the crowded back of the bus... whites throwing epitaphs at anyone black who happened to pass by... By the time I reached New Orleans, I had had a complete education in racial prejudice and hate. I was stunned.

So forty years later I watched the Intruder. It left me cold and I begin remembering that trip to the South so long ago. Sitting here in my easy chair in South Carolina today, I can say that some things have changed and some things haven't.

The movie, at least from my experience, presents a milieu that is faithfully true of the South in the early '60's. Of course, it descends from that point into the murky depths of the manipulation of fear and hatred within the human spirit. It is a raw, dramatic expose - hard to watch at times. And I can't respect enough that this movie is so cutting edge and so truly represents the attitudes and motivations of folks during those days.

For the adventurer who has a curiosity of how life was in that period, and for the psychology buff who is interested in the roots of human nature, this movie is a must.

dnk

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 January 1963 (Norway)

Also Known As:

I Hate Your Guts!

Filming Locations:

Charleston, Missouri, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Roger Corman Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1