I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

Robert E. Burns (writer)
Howard J. Green (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

19 November 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Drama

Tagline:

Six sticks of dynamite that blasted his way to freedom... and awoke America's conscience!

Plot:

Wrongly convicted James Allen serves in the intolerable conditions of a southern chain gang, which later comes back to haunt him.

Plot Keywords:

Barefoot | WWI Veteran | Chain Gang | Prison Camp | Prison

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins

Cast

Paul Muni	...	James Allen
Glenda Farrell	...	Marie
Helen Vinson	...	Helen
Noel Francis	...	Linda
Preston Foster	...	Pete
Allen Jenkins	...	Barney Sykes
Berton Churchill	...	The Judge
Edward Ellis	...	Bomber Wells
David Landau	...	The Warden
Hale Hamilton	...	Rev. Allen
Sally Blane	...	Alice
Louise Carter	...	Mother
Willard Robertson	...	Prison Board Chairman
Robert McWade	...	Attorney
Robert Warwick	...	Fuller

Also Known As:

I Am a Fugitive
I Am a Fugitive from the Chain Gang

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Vitaphone

Certification:

Norway:16 (1933) | Finland:K-16 (1946) | Australia:PG | USA:Approved (certificate number not assigned at release) | Finland:(Banned) (1933)

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Atlanta, Georgia - Monday, October 10, 1939: Action bought by Vivian Stanley, a member of the Prison Commission of the State of Georgia, against Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., Vitagraph, Inc. and local exhibitors, Wilby and Holden, was won by the defendants when a verdict was rendered in the latter's favor in the Superior Court of Fulton County here. Plaintiff brought the suits trial of which commenced some three weeks ago, for $100,000 charging libel because of the content of the (1932)Warner feature, "I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang."

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Jim is serving his 9 more months after his second capture, a calendar is shown and the months drop off one by one. December 31st is shown to be on a Saturday. On the next page, January is shown to begin on Wednesday (or some other day besides Sunday).

Quotes:

[last lines]
Helen: How do you live?
James Allen: I steal.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Killers (1946)

Soundtrack:

St. Louis Blues

Still powerful

Paul Muni comes back from the war (WWI) a hero. He's offered his old job back but declines it--he wants to make it on his own. He inadvetantly gets involved in a stickup and is (unjustly) sent to a chain gang for 9 years. The prisoners there are treated horribly--beaten by sadistic guards and forced to eat wretched food. After a few months Muni has had it. He escapes, changes his name, makes a living for himself and is very successful. But his past begins to catch up on him...

A very early Warner Bros. social drama--and one of their best. It's pretty strong stuff. I remember originally seeing this on TV back in the 1970s and really being shocked by it. It's not graphic but what you hear is even worse then being shown it (the whippings in particular). It also shows a law system that doesn't give a damn about how they treat their prisoners. They should be treated like dirt--and are! The story moves quickly and Muni is just superb. This movie made him and you can see why. Also it has one of the most depressing endings I've ever seen in a motion picture. It hit me hard back in the 1970s and still works today. Muni's haunted face and the final line are harrowing. A true classic--a must-see.

Be warned--some non-cable TV prints cut out the final line!