I Want to Live! (1958)

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

Nelson Gidding (screenplay) and
Don Mankiewicz (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

18 November 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Barbara Graham's Last Scream From Gas Chamber...

Plot:

Barbara Graham is a woman with dubious moral standards, often a guest in seedy bars. She has been sentenced for some petty crimes...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Bar | Parole | Female Bonding | Arrest

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 7 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

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
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
Russell Thorson	...	San Quentin Sgt.
Dabbs Greer	...	San Quentin Capt.
Stafford Repp	...	Police Sgt.
Gavin MacLeod	...	Police Lt.
Wendell Holmes	...	Detective
Gerry Mulligan	...	Jazz Combo Member
Shelly Manne	...	Jazz Combo Member
Red Mitchell	...	Jazz Combo Member
Art Farmer	...	Jazz Combo Member
Frank Rosolino	...	Jazz Combo Member
Pete Jolly	...	Jazz Combo Member
Bud Shank	...	Jazz Combo Member
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Leonard Bell	...	San Francisco hood (uncredited)
Olive Blakeney	...	Corona warden (uncredited)
Peter Breck	...	Ben Miranda (uncredited)
Ralph Brooks	...	Man in Photo with Barbara and Peg (uncredited)
King Donovan	...	(uncredited)
Lew Gallo	...	Undercover Cop at Bar (uncredited)
Paul Genge	...	Police Inspector (uncredited)
Brett Halsey	...	Sailor at party (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes	...	Loafer with Cigar (uncredited)
Jason Johnson	...	Bixel, the Landlord (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Reporter in Courtroom (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Reporter in Courtroom (uncredited)
Rusty Lane	...	Judge (uncredited)
S. John Launer	...	San Quentin officer (uncredited)
Len Lesser	...	Charlie, Newspaperman (uncredited)
Jon Lormer	...	San Quentin Doctor (uncredited)
Herbert Lytton	...	Newspaperman (uncredited)
James Maloney	...	Prison Dentist (uncredited)
Marion Marshall	...	Rita (uncredited)
Ken Mayer	...	Drunk at Party (uncredited)
William Mims	...	Sucker at Card Game (uncredited)
Joe Ploski	...	Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
George Putnam	...	Himself - TV Newsman (uncredited)
Gene Roth	...	Eric, Machinist (uncredited)
Herman Rudin	...	(uncredited)
Evelyn Scott	...	Personal effects clerk (uncredited)
Dan Sheridan	...	Police broadcaster (uncredited)
Bill Stout	...	Himself - TV Newsman (uncredited)
Hope Summers	...	Ethel, Policewoman on bus (uncredited)
Hal Taggart	...	Juror (uncredited)
Lorna Thayer	...	Corona guard (uncredited)
Jack Weston	...	NCO at Party (uncredited)
Than Wyenn	...	San Francisico hood (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Wise

Writing credits
Nelson Gidding		(screenplay) and
Don Mankiewicz		(screenplay) (as Don M. Mankiewicz)
Ed Montgomery		(newspaper articles)
Barbara Graham		(letters)

Produced by
Walter Wanger	....	producer

Original Music by
Johnny Mandel		(as John Mandel)

Film Editing by
William Hornbeck

Casting by
Lynn Stalmaster

Set Decoration by
Victor A. Gangelin		(as Victor Gangelin)
Ted Haworth		(settings) (as Edward Haworth)

Makeup Department
Emmy Eckhardt	....	hair stylist
Jack Stone	....	makeup artist
Thomas Tuttle	....	makeup artist (as Tom Tuttle)
Lillian Ugrin	....	hair stylist (as Lillian Hokom Ugrin)

Production Management
Forrest E. Johnston	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
George Vieira	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Fred Lau	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Lionel Lindon	....	photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Angela Alexander	....	costumer
Wesley Jeffries	....	costumer

Music Department
Johnny Mandel	....	conductor (as John Mandel)

Other crew
Ed Montgomery	....	presenter (as Edmund S. Montgomery)
Stanley Scheuer	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Figaro

Distributors

• United Artists (1958) (USA) (theatrical)
• ClassicLine (2007) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1968) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

The Barbara Graham Story (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1959) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | West Germany:12 | UK:15 (video rating) (1998) | UK:X (original rating) (cut)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Figaro

Trivia:

Film debut of Simon Oakland.

Goofs:

Continuity: Keep an eye on the scene when the cops flush out the bad guys from the warehouse by calling them out one by one. As Graham cleans herself up in the mirror, the right side of her face is shown to be heavily scratched and her left cheek is clear, but as soon as she turns away to give herself up, the pattern is reversed.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Golden Girls: Sophia's Wedding: Part 1 (#4.6)" (1988)

An extraordinary performance by Susan Hayward.

Many people recognize Susan Hayward as a great actress but if you ask them in what movie they thought she was remarkable, they'll usually tell you that they can't remember any particular classic in which she played. They'll tell you that they think she is a great actress for all the movies and roles in her career. Let's face it. She never played in a classic. There isn't one movie on AFI's top 100 list that stares her. But if you ask anybody what her best performance was, anybody will answer that it was her role as Barbara Graham in "I want to live". Sure the movie's not a classic. But she totally deserved the best actress Oscar she won for her role in it.

Barbara Graham (Hayward) is a tough, wisecracking prostitute. A real party-girl. Even when she gets arrested for murder, she keeps on joking around and p***ing-off the cops. But when she realizes that this thing is going to court and that if she's convicted, she could be executed in the gas-chamber, she doesn't see things the same way anymore. And when she thinks she has found a man that is willing to testify that she was with him on the night of the murder, he gets her to tell him that she was present at the scene of the crime. She tells him all this. But when he is summoned in court, he is the prosecution's witness and he appears to be a cop who has trapped her into telling all the evidence the prosecution needs to convict her.

Robert Wise's directing is pretty good but the two things that make this one worth watching are the music and Hayward's performance. John Mandel's choice of the blues for the music is excellent and allows us to hang on with Barbara until her very last second alive. Be forewarned: This one is 100% of a tear-jerker and requires nerves of steel to make it through the whole thing without crying. If you like Hayward, see it at all costs. However, Robert Wise has directed some better ones like "West side story" for example. But still, it's pretty good.