They Made Me a Criminal
| They Made Me a Criminal | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Busby Berkeley |
| Produced by | |
| Written by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Cinematography | James Wong Howe |
| Edited by | Jack Killifer |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 92 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
They Made Me a Criminal is a 1939 American Warner Bros. drama crime film directed by Busby Berkeley and starring John Garfield, Claude Rains, and The Dead End Kids. It is a remake of the 1933 film The Life of Jimmy Dolan. The film was later featured in an episode of Cinema Insomnia. Portions of the film were shot in the Coachella Valley, California.[1]
Plot
Johnnie Bradfield (John Garfield) is a world champion boxer falsely accused of murder. He disappeared and is presumed dead. The only witnesses who could have exonerated him were his manager and girlfriend, both of whom have died in an automobile accident. Detective Monty Phalen (Claude Rains) believes that Johnnie is still alive and hasn't given up the search for him. Johnnie, meanwhile, is hiding out on Grandma Rafferty's (May Robson) farm in Arizona. It is there that Johnnie meets up with some juvenile delinquents, Tommy (Billy Halop), Angel (Bobby Jordan), Spit (Leo Gorcey), Dippy (Huntz Hall), T.B. (Gabriel Dell), and Milty (Bernard Punsly), who are under the guardianship of Tommy's sister Peggy (Gloria Dickson).
Johnnie, using the fake name of Jack Dorney takes Tommy under his wing and encourages him to go in business for himself by buying a gas pump for the farm. He helps the kids raise money by returning to the boxing ring for a match against an up-and-coming boxer. Johnnie sees Phalen arriving at the fight and decides to hide who he really is by not using his trademark stance in the ring. However his determination to help the kids overcomes him and he reveals who he really is, although he is defeated in the fifth round. He surrenders to Phalen, but the detective allows him to remain in Arizona instead of returning to New York.
Cast
Main cast
- John Garfield as Johnny Bradfield
- Gloria Dickson as Peggy
- Claude Rains as Det. Monty Phelan
- Ann Sheridan as Goldie West
- May Robson as Grandma Rafferty
- Ward Bond as Lenihan
- William B. Davidson as the Sheriff
The Dead End Kids
- Billy Halop as Tommy
- Bobby Jordan as Angel
- Leo Gorcey as Spit
- Gabriel Dell as T.B.
- Huntz Hall as Dippy
- Bernard Punsley as Milt
References to other films
When Dippy is operating the shower controls for Jack, who is showering, he serenades him with the song, By a Waterfall, which was a hit song from the director's earlier film, Footlight Parade.
Malaprop
This film also contains the first malapropism of the Dead End Kids/East Side Kids/Bowery Boys series when Jordan says Regenerate, ya dope when Hall used the word degenerate. Malapropisms became a staple of these films, with Gorcey using them on a regular basis throughout the series.
Home media
As this film is in the public domain, there have been several DVD releases from a variety of companies over the years. The Alpha Video DVD was released on July 30, 2002.
References
- ↑ Palm Springs Visitors Center. "Coachella Valley Feature Film Production 1920-2011". Filming in Palm Springs. Palm Springs, CA. Retrieved October 1, 2012. ♦ Download (Downloadable PDF file)
External links
- They Made Me a Criminal at the American Film Institute Catalog
- They Made Me a Criminal at the Internet Movie Database
- They Made Me a Criminal is available for free download at the Internet Archive
- They Made Me a Criminal complete film on YouTube (Classics movie online)