They Wont Forget [DVD] [1937] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

"They Won't Forget" is a 1937 black and white film based on the sensational 1913 rape and murder of a 13 year old factory worker in Georgia and the trial of a New York Jewish transplant who was in charge of the factory. The events were chronicled in a 1921 film "The Gunsalus Mystery" and a 1935 film "Murder in Harlem" (1935). The film is based on the fictionalized 1933 book by Ward Greene called "Death in the Deep South". The book's author was a reporter at the 1915 trial.

The film was part of Warner Brothers "ripped from the headlines" themed movies. It followed Fritz Lang's successful "Fury" (1936) which was also concerned with the lynching of an innocent man in jail.

Claude Rains (1889-1967) plays the DA who hopes that the successful prosecution of a media case will propel him into the Governor's seat. Rains was one of the greatest actors of the 20th century. He appeared in only a few dozen films, but was nominated 4 times for an Oscar ("Notorious" in 1946, "Mr. Skeffington" in 1944, "Casablanca" in 1942, and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" in 1939) although many people remember him best for "The Invisible Man" (1933) or "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938).

Ed Norris (1911-2002) plays a Yankee school teacher suspected of being the killer. Norris made more than 50 films between 1933 and 1955, mostly as a supporting actor in A films ("Boys Town", "Queen Christina") and a lead in B films ("The Escape", "Frontier Marshall").

Gloria Dickson (1917-45) plays Norris' wife in her film debut. Dickson was a popular actress in the 30s and early 40s, with no remarkable achievements to her credit.

Sultry Lana Turner (1921-95) plays the young murdered girl. Turner is best remembered for her roles in "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946), "The Bad and the Beautiful" (1952), and "Imitation of Life" (1959), although it's her performance in "Peyton Place" (1957) for which she received her only Oscar nomination

Elisha Cook Jr. (1903-1995) plays Turner's boyfriend. Cook is best known as the "gunsel" from "The Maltese Falcon" (1941). He made nearly 200 films from 1930 to 1987.

Harry Davenport (1866-1949) has a small part as a Confederate veteran. He gave us great performances as Dr. Meade in "GWTW" (1939), King Louis XI in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1939), Col. Skeffington in "Kings Row" (1942), and Grandpa in "Meet Me in St Louis" (1944). FWIW - Davenport was also in "The Ox Bow Incident" which is another story about a lynch mob.

Mervyn LeRoy (1900-87) directs. He started out directing with "Little Caesar" (1931) and went on to achieve an Oscar nomination for "Random Harvest" (1942) and DGA nominations for "Quo Vadis" (1951), "Mister Roberts" (1955) and "A Majority of One" (1961) and a Golden Globe nomination for "Gypsy" (1962). Among the nearly 80 films he directed were "I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang" (1932), "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), and "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" (1944).

1937 was a pretty meager year in films. The top grossing films were "Snow White", "Saratoga", "One Hundred Men and a Girl", "Topper", and "Wee Willie Winkie". The Oscars went to "The Life of Emile Zola" (Picture), "The Awful Truth" (Director), "The Good Earth" (Actress) and "Captains Courageous" (Actor). Other notable releases that year were "Dead End", "The Prince and the Pauper", the Marx Brothers "A Day at the Races", and "A Star is Born". Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland made their first film together ("Thoroughbreds Don't Cry") and Clark Gable and Myrna Loy were voted the King and Queen of Hollywood.

The New York Times said "with courage, objectivity, and simple eloquence, [the film] creates a brilliant sociological drama and a trenchant film editorial against intolerance and hatred." They praised the actors - "you will not find one whose performance does not deserve commendation" - and the director - "remarkably skillful direction--there are a few touches as fine as anything the screen has done."

Despite all the good things that can be said for the movie, there are several problems. Most of the characters are one dimensional and there is no attempt to identify the true killer of the girl. Moreover, in the real story it was the suspect's Jewishness that was the central issue, not his Northern origins.

If you're interested in films about the failures of justice system, better films are Fritz Lang's "Fury" (1936), Mervyn LeRoy's "I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang", and William Wellman's "Ox Bow Incident" (1943).

Bottom line - a fictionalized account of the lynching of Leo Frank.

They Won't Forget is easily one of the best dramas of the 1930s, a decade which also brought us I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang, Of Human Bondage, and All Quiet On the Western Front. The film was based on a book, Death in the Deep South, which was a fictionalized account of the true story of the murder of Mary Phagan and the sensationalized trial of her accused murderer, Leo Frank. Beautiful teenager, Mary Clay, is murdered on Confederate Memorial Day. Ambitious lawyer/D.A. Andrew Griffin sees the incident as his path to a Senate seat if he can get a conviction. To accomplish that, he needs the perfect scapegoat (truth be damned!) and he finds him in Robert Hale, a Jewish Yankee from New York City who was a teacher at the school where Mary was murdered. As the evidence is entirely superficial, Griffin uses intimidation, fear, and prejudice to get the results he desires, using a reporter, Bill Brock, to help create a media firestorm against Hale. One of the many elements that makes this film work so well is the explosive and brave screenplay by Robert Rossen and Aben Kandel, written a mere quarter-of-a-century after the horrific incident that inspired the book, the murder of Mary Phagan. Many of those involved were still alive in 1937, and certainly the bigotry and anger that led to such tragic results were still strongly felt. (I do not intend to be oblique, but unfortunately, I cannot go into much detail about the real story without creating spoilers for the film, which I am wary to do. I would hate for the dramatic impact of the film to suffer. Suffice to say, once you see the film, you will be compelled to investigate the truth of this nasty murder and its brutal consequences. For me, I can`t help but ponder some parallels between the actual murder and its repercussions and events in Nazis Germany; I wonder if they were intentional . . . ) Claude Raines is given a rare opportunity to play the lead role in a movie, and he delivers a chilling, tour-de-force, and frighteningly real performance as Andrew Griffin. The final scene between the DA, the reporter, and the wife of the accused, is one of the most dramatic and tragic scenes ever filmed, and the closing lines, uttered by Raines, will raise the hairs on the back of your neck. It is exceptionally fast paced, almost lightning fast, so quick that you barely have time to catch your breath between shocks. As fabulous as Rains is, however, the entire cast is superb, especially Gloria Dickson as Sybil Hale, Edward Norris as the accused murderer, and Allyn Joslyn as the unscrupulous reporter. This is one of my all time favorite films and I can not recommend it highly enough.