I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

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I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

Directed by	Mervyn LeRoy
Produced by	Hal B. Wallis
Written by	Brown Holmes Howard J. Green
Starring	Paul Muni Glenda Farrell Helen Vinson Noel Francis
Release date(s)	November 19, 1932
Running time	93 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

Paul Muni working on a chain gang.

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang is a 1932 movie in which Paul Muni stars as a wrongly accused escapee from a brutal chain gang. The film was written by Howard J. Green and Brown Holmes from Robert Elliott Burns's autobiography, I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang . It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy, who also directed Little Caesar, another film of the Pre-Code era. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film was controversial on its release because of its subject matter (it was banned in Georgia) and contributed to the elimination of forced labor in the penal system in the United States. The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. However, it is incorrect to state that this film caused southern penal reforms on its own; other forces, such as economic factors, played much larger roles.

One of the most famous endings is featured in this film, a despairing conclusion in which James' fiancee Helen (Helen Vinson) desperately asks him in her darkened house when he announces he's leaving forever, "Can't you tell me where you're going? Will you write? Do you need any money? But you must, Jim. How do you live?". In a chilling final line and shot, James replies ominously, "I steal", and backs away, disappearing into the dark. [Note: The composition and lighting of this abrupt scene, considered one of the most effective endings in film history, was actually an accident. Reportedly, the lights on the set were turned out prematurely (or failed, depending on the anecdote), but upon seeing the stark scene that resulted, the studio decided to keep the error in the final film.][1]