Wrongly convicted James Allen serves in the intolerable conditions of a Southern chain gang, which later comes back to haunt him.Wrongly convicted James Allen serves in the intolerable conditions of a Southern chain gang, which later comes back to haunt him.Wrongly convicted James Allen serves in the intolerable conditions of a Southern chain gang, which later comes back to haunt him.
- Nominated for 3 Oscars
- 4 wins & 3 nominations total
William Le Maire
- A Texan
- (as William LeMaire)
Erville Alderson
- Police Chief
- (uncredited)
Irving Bacon
- Bill - Barber
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film was based on the true story of Robert E. Burns. It sticks basically to the facts except for two instances: Burns actually did steal the $5.29 in order to eat, and he finally succeeded in evading the Georgia legal system with the help of three New Jersey governors. Burns actually slipped into Hollywood and worked for a few weeks on the film, but ultimately the stress and risk were too much, and he fled back to the safety of New Jersey. The book and film helped bring about the collapse of the brutal chain gang system in Georgia. Warner Bros. took a big chance on the film, as social commentary was not normally done in Hollywood pictures. However, this film was a critical and financial success and helped establish Warners as the studio with a social conscience - it also helped save the financially ailing company. Even though Georgia was never specifically named in the film, numerous lawsuits were filed against the studio, the film was banned in Georgia, and the studio's head and the film's director were told that should they ever find themselves in Georgia they would be treated to a dose of the "social evil" they so roundly denounced.
- GoofsWhen the fugitive is getting a shave, a policeman comes in and is reading a magazine. Even though the time in the movie is 1926, the policeman is reading Liberty Magazine with a cover date of November 14, 1931.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Hollywood and the Stars: The Angry Screen (1964)
- SoundtracksSmiles
(1917) (uncredited)
Music by Lee S. Roberts
Lyrics by J. Will Callahan
Sung by soldiers during crap game
Featured review
More Facts For Fans Of This Film
Since the movie ends somewhat abruptly, I was interested in what happened to this character in real life, so I did some research. For those interested, read on:
The man, whose real name was Burns, lived quite awhile in New Jersey, wrote the book with this same title, even smuggled himself into Los Angeles for two weeks to help with the movie, using an assumed name and acting very skittish. He then went back to New Jersey. The state of Georgia, home of these chain gangs, tried to extradite him but New Jersey wouldn't give him up.
Regarding the film........
"Powerful" was a word describing this movie when it came out over 70 years ago, and it still holds true today. It was based on a true story and if injustice bothers you, this film will be disturbing. It certainly was to me, at least the first time I saw it.
I've seen it several times and am always mesmerized by Paul Muni's performance. Just the expressions on his face alone are fascinating. The other members of the cast are so-so, but it's Muni's movie anyway.
The man, whose real name was Burns, lived quite awhile in New Jersey, wrote the book with this same title, even smuggled himself into Los Angeles for two weeks to help with the movie, using an assumed name and acting very skittish. He then went back to New Jersey. The state of Georgia, home of these chain gangs, tried to extradite him but New Jersey wouldn't give him up.
Regarding the film........
"Powerful" was a word describing this movie when it came out over 70 years ago, and it still holds true today. It was based on a true story and if injustice bothers you, this film will be disturbing. It certainly was to me, at least the first time I saw it.
I've seen it several times and am always mesmerized by Paul Muni's performance. Just the expressions on his face alone are fascinating. The other members of the cast are so-so, but it's Muni's movie anyway.
helpful•566
- ccthemovieman-1
- Nov 6, 2005
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Večiti begunac
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $195,845 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Mono(original release)
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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By what name was I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) officially released in India in English?
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