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Inherit the Wind

  • TV Movie
  • 19991999
  • PGPG
  • 1h 53m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.9K
YOUR RATING
Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott in Inherit the Wind (1999)
Drama
Based on a real-life case in 1925, two great lawyers argue the case for and against a science teacher accused of the crime of teaching evolution.Based on a real-life case in 1925, two great lawyers argue the case for and against a science teacher accused of the crime of teaching evolution.Based on a real-life case in 1925, two great lawyers argue the case for and against a science teacher accused of the crime of teaching evolution.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.9K
YOUR RATING
    • Daniel Petrie
  • Writers
    • Jerome Lawrence(play)
    • Robert E. Lee(play)
    • Nedrick Young(teleplay)
  • Stars
    • Jack Lemmon
    • George C. Scott
    • Lane Smith
    • Daniel Petrie
  • Writers
    • Jerome Lawrence(play)
    • Robert E. Lee(play)
    • Nedrick Young(teleplay)
  • Stars
    • Jack Lemmon
    • George C. Scott
    • Lane Smith
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 34User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys

    Photos

    Jack Lemmon in Inherit the Wind (1999)
    Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott in Inherit the Wind (1999)
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    Top cast

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    Jack Lemmon
    Jack Lemmon
    • Henry Drummond
    George C. Scott
    George C. Scott
    • Matthew Harrison Brady
    Lane Smith
    Lane Smith
    • Reverend Jeremiah Brown
    Tom Everett Scott
    Tom Everett Scott
    • Bertram Cates
    Kathryn Morris
    Kathryn Morris
    • Rachel Brown
    John Cullum
    John Cullum
    • Judge Merle Coffey
    Brad Greenquist
    Brad Greenquist
    • Tom Davenport
    David Wells
    David Wells
    • Mayor Carter
    Peter Mackenzie
    Peter Mackenzie
    • Jesse Dunlap
    Dennis Cockrum
    Dennis Cockrum
    • Meeker
    Steve Monroe
    Steve Monroe
    • Howard
    Jim Meskimen
    Jim Meskimen
    • Sauber
    Royce D. Applegate
    Royce D. Applegate
    • George Sillers
    Amzie Strickland
    Amzie Strickland
    • Mrs. Krebs
    Ronnie Claire Edwards
    Ronnie Claire Edwards
    • Mrs. Haley
    Piper Laurie
    Piper Laurie
    • Sarah Brady
    Beau Bridges
    Beau Bridges
    • E.K. Hornbeck
    Dirk Blocker
    Dirk Blocker
    • Sheriff Sam Gibson
      • Daniel Petrie
    • Writers
      • Jerome Lawrence(play)
      • Robert E. Lee(play)
      • Nedrick Young(teleplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      According to Piper Laurie, both Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott were in poor health during filming. However, she claimed that while Lemmon frequently forgot his lines, Scott despite being very weak and tired never forgot his.
    • Quotes

      Henry Drummond: He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind and the fool shall be servant to the wise in heart.

    • Connections
      Featured in The 51st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      (Gimme Dat) Old Time Religion
      (uncredited)

      Traditional spiritual

      Sung by the Townfolks

    User reviews34

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    The right to think, very much on trial, still
    I'm sure we'll see another version of Inherit The Wind with some of the players of a new generation. This story about religion being written into the civil law is sadly not out of style.

    When the first version that starred Spencer Tracy and Fredric March came out it was heralded as the Broadway play it was based on. But in 1960 it was looked on as look back to another era where we presumably learned of the folly of imposing religious views on the body politic. I don't think anyone thought that the religious right would reawaken and become the force it has. Not in 1999 when this film came out or when another version that starred Kirk Douglas and Jason Robards, Jr. was made in 1988. All three versions have a chilling timeliness about them now.

    Tom Everett Scott is the high school biology teacher who violates a newly passed law making the teaching of Charles Darwin's The Origin Of The Species a crime. He's the first charged under this new Tennessee statute and three times presidential candidate Matthew Harrison Brady modeled on William Jennings Bryan volunteers to be on the prosecution team.

    Of course that generates a lot of publicity and Henry Drummond based on Clarence Darrow is brought in to defend.

    In the original film Fredric March really got the Bryan character down pat. But George C. Scott is a fascinating Matthew Harrison Brady. Certainly the most fanatical of the group. Then again few actors could get as intense as George C. Scott.

    Jack Lemmon is a more relaxed and low key Henry Drummond. He was not in real life as noble a character as Spencer Tracy played him in 1960. Jason Robards, Jr. in the 1988 film was the closest to the real Clarence Darrow. But closer than Robards is Orson Welles as Jonathan Wilk from the 1959 film Compulsion based on the Leopold/Loeb murder case.

    Of course the highlight in the film and the real trial itself is the confrontation when Drummond(Darrow) calls Brady(Bryan) as an expert witness on the Bible. Then as now how willfully ignorant Lemmon shows Scott to be. Not just ignorant but determinedly so and determined to keep all views but his own out of our educational system.

    I can hardly wait for this oft told tale to be told again. Till then this and the other version are to be seen and seen again.
    helpful•3
    0
    • bkoganbing
    • Mar 25, 2018

    Details

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    • Release date
      • May 29, 1999 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Santa Clarita Studios - 25135 Anza Drive, Santa Clarita, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • MGM Television
      • Industry Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 53 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital

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