They Made Me a Criminal

"I am a fugitive! I am hunted by the mob! I am wanted by the cops! I am forgotten by decent women!"

1939 1h 32m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 40

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A boxer flees, believing he has committed a murder while he was drunk.

“I am a fugitive! I am hunted by the mob! I am wanted by the cops! I am forgotten by decent women!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

John Garfield
Johnnie Bradfield, aka Jack Dorney
Claude Rains
Det. Monty Phelan
Ann Sheridan
Goldie West
May Robson
Grandma Rafferty
Gloria Dickson
Peggy
Billy Halop
Tommy
Bobby Jordan
Angel
Leo Gorcey
Spit

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Busby Berkeley
Writers: Sig Herzig
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

87 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Directed by Busby Berkeley, shot by James Wong Howe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Max Steiner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jack Killifer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

John Garfield and Claude Rains and Ann Sheridan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "I am a fugitive! I am hunted by the mob! I am wanted by the cops! I am forgotten by decent women!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0032022 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 40 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Busby Berkeley directs. James Wong Howe behind the camera. Max Steiner scores. Jack Killifer cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Busby Berkeley, shot by James Wong Howe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Max Steiner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Jack Killifer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5John Garfield and Claude Rains and Ann Sheridan carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "I am a fugitive! I am hunted by the mob! I am wanted by the cops! I am forgotten by decent women!".
7IMDB entry: tt0032022 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 40 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "police", "sports", "detective", "arizona".

The technical file

Cinematography: James Wong Howe
Original score: Max Steiner
Editing: Jack Killifer
Costume design: Milo Anderson
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: They Made Me a Criminal (1939)

Also by

Busby Berkeley

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-22
★ 7/10
This is one of these films that you need to allow quite a bit of latitude, else you will rule it just too implausible and stop watching. John Garfield ("Johnnie") is a world champion boxer who finds himself embroiled in the death of a journalist. His problem is, he was totally sozzled after his victory so cannot recall what he did, or didn't, do - so absconds to a remote Arizona ranch where he helps the elderly May Robson who runs a refuge for wayward teenagers. That's where he meets, and falls for "Peggy" (Gloria Dickson) and settles down to a respectable life helping teach the boys how to focus their energies on boxing. Thing is, New York plod "Whelan" (Claude Rains) is on his case, and soon this newly found utopia is at risk... Garfield does a fitting job here, he is eminently plausible as the flawed prizefighter and his character's evolution as the story develops is engaging too. Rains features sparingly for much of the film, and I found his efforts a little disappointingly constrained when he did appear. The film really, for me anyway, belonged to the "Dead End Kids" - playing the best game of strip poker I think I've ever seen in a family movie. It's a bit too long, but has good pace, plenty of action, decent dialogue and the romance is kept to a minimum - well worth a watch.

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