Watch They Won't Forget For Free

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

This is a bit of an unusual film. First, it's loosely based on the trial and lynching of Leo Frank after the murder of Mary Phagan back in 1913. The film is really about prejudice. First prejudice against Blacks when the custodian of the school where the Mary Phagan character was murdered (and raped?). Second against Jews when the teacher is, instead, accused, tried, and lynched.The cast is interesting. Claude Rains plays the district attorney, and I am not impressed with his performance here. Ir's so unlike how we usually see Rains that it just doesn't work; and I say that as a person who usually like Rains very much.Edward Norris plays the professor ultimately accused of the crime. He seems pretty good for the part. Norris didn't have a very prolific career, but his performance here works quite well. They do a nice job here with the character who appears to be innocent, but who says things and acts in little ways that would lead some people to think he is guilty.Otto Kruger as Michael Gleason Allyn Joslyn, a character actor who usually did nicely in comedy, is here as a reporter, but I wasn't very impressed.Gloria Dickson, who in real life died in a fire after a short career in films, does reasonably nicely as the charged husband's wife.The murdered girl is played by none other than Lana Turner. Of course, she doesn't last long, but it was a decent start to her career.One of my favorite character actors -- Otto Kruger -- aptly plays the defense attorney.Elisha Cook has a small role, and one that is rather different than his typical one. A nice contrast, though not overly important to the film.Clinton Rosemond is excellent as the "Negro" janitor, although the part he plays is very stereotypical in the way that it portrays Blacks of the era. Nevertheless, it is an honorable acting performance.Elisabeth Risdon plays the convicted murderer's mother; a very dependable and recognizable character actress.Aside from the murder case itself, an important aspect of the film was that it took place in the South, thus implying that Southerners were bigots (no comment as to whether that's an appropriate observation; you decide). Of course you have the 2 racial aspects (a Black man and then a Jew -- although the Jewish angle is not tackled here), and then because the Jewish character (in the real life case) is an educated man from the North. This substitution of a White man from the North instead of a Jew is emphasized at the beginning of the film with the Confederate soldiers who would appear to play and important role in the film...but then do not at all. The wonderful Harry Davenport plays one of the old soldiers, though it is a terribly small part. The other aspect of this film that is done quite nicely is the small town environment where rumors spread like wildfire, which eventually lead to a lynching.An interesting footnote -- at the beginning of the film there is a rather dramatically highlighted statement assuring viewers that the characters in the film do not represent any person, living or deceased. While in reality, of course they do.Keeping in mind that this film was made in 1937, there's not a lot wrong with this picture. A little old-fashioned, to be sure. You'll laugh at how fast the train is moving in one scene, but that's minor stuff. And, some of the Southern accents here are rather questionable (in fact, that's probably the biggest problem with Claude Rains' performance). But don't let that stop you from watching this film.In my internal rating system, a good film gets a "7". It takes a "Gone With The Wind" or "Ben Hur" film to get a "10", and something just a tad lighter to get a "9". So an "8", which I am giving this film, is more than just a "good" film, but a VERY good film. Recommended.

From the murder of Stanford White to the O.J. Simpson case there are about 25 or so cases that have been labeled the 'trial of the century'. Another one of those was the Leo Frank case where a Jewish man and a northerner was tried and found guilty of the murder of Mary Phagan in Georgia. From that case the novel and the film They Won't Forget was constructed with the names and the religion of the defendant changed to protect God knows what.Even with the name changed to a white bread WASP name of Hale, Warner Brothers was taking a chance on losing the southern market with the making of They Won't Forget. Edward Norris as the outsider, teacher at a small business school in a southern town is a man totally caught in the regional prejudices of a section of the country that is still fighting the War between the states.Norris is accused of murdering young Lana Turner in her breakthrough role as an attractive and saucy young teenager. Though there is nothing but circumstantial evidence pointing to him and it could point to a few others, he's the most convenient one to prosecute because he's not of the community. So reasons Claude Rains an ambitious prosecutor who figures that a conviction in a notorious case will propel his political career upward. Rains portrays a man of frightening ambition and a type we're all too familiar with in real life.Although the Leo Frank case took place in the teen years and this film is set in the contemporary Thirties, things hadn't changed all that much in the south. Otto Kruger as Norris's defense attorney and Gloria Dickson as his stricken wife also giver noteworthy performances, Trevor Bardette may have had a career role as Turner's father. He's a frightening man filled with anger and among the small parts he really stands out.Mervyn LeRoy got some truly great performances from his players. They Won't Forget is something you won't forget.

88/100. Wow, what a powerful story and so very far ahead of it's time. A very unusual film to come out of 1937. I could see it being made 10 years later, or in the 1960's perhaps. Impressive direction by Mervyn LeRoy, Claude Rains is just amazing and gives a very strong performance. Excellent style, superb screenplay. The film creates such a vivid and intense atmosphere and it is so thought provoking. Notable also for the early appearances of Lana Turner and Elisha Cook Jr., both of whom are very memorable. The film is very engrossing throughout and quite unforgettable. I very ignored classic that surprisingly doesn't have more of a following.

They Won't Forget (1937) **** (out of 4) Terrific Warner drama about a school teacher (Edward Norris) from the North who's working in the South when one of his students his murdered. The local D.A. (Claude Rains), wanting to rise in the political game, charges the teacher with the murder not because of evidence but because the Southerners think he's guilty due to being from the North. I've been wanting to see this film for many years now after hearing so much about it and it certainly didn't let me down. I think the courtroom drama is probably my favorite genre and this here ranks with the very best out there. What really stands out are the performances, which are all excellent. Norris doesn't stand out in the crowd but he delivers a very somber performance. The real standout is Gloria Dickson as his wife. The final speech she gives is quite chilling and very memorable. Rains also gives a great performance, although I think he goes a bit over the top in a couple of the courtroom scenes. Lana Turner, in her screen debut, also comes off very memorable especially with her "giggle" as she walks down the street in that tight sweater. Mervyn LeRoy does a great job at building all the suspense and anger that surrounds the controversy of the case, which is based on a true story. After watching this film as well as Mississippi Burning this year it's rather amazing to know this stuff happened within the last one-hundred years.