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They Won't Forget

Play trailer Poster for They Won't Forget Released Oct 9, 1937 1h 34m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 2 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
The town of Flodden is in an uproar when a pretty student is found dead on Confederate Memorial Day, but District Attorney Griffin (Claude Rains) sees it as an opportunity. Thinking the case could propel him into the U.S. Senate, he begins an extensive smear campaign against the girl's teacher, Robert Hale (Edward Norris), an outsider who hails from New York. Despite only circumstantial evidence, Hale is convicted, and locals threaten vigilante justice if he isn't executed.

Critics Reviews

View All (2) Critics Reviews
Ann Ross Maclean's Magazine It may not be popular with a large circle of movie-goers. But no one who sees it is likely to forget it. Jul 19, 2019 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Inspired by facts, LeRoy has made a powerful tale of mob violence Rated: A- May 7, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Leo P Who killed Mary Clay?We have no answer after watching the whole movie.The murderer gets away scot- free.We also learn that anyone can be wrongly prosecuted,jailed,and executed.Very frightening! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/10/24 Full Review Steve D Solid story but Rains does some of his worst work. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/09/24 Full Review Audience Member Feels very much ahead of its time, and a sort of a predecessor to films like Ace in the Hole. Good script and story. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Regional prejudice overshadows this whole film, inspired by events 20 years earlier. An interesting peek into public perceptions in an era before phones & films were common place. Loved the elderly veterans - who were nearly old enough to remember that war. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member this movie gets 3 stars plus an extra star 4 the film debut of lana turner and what a debut thru this movie she became USA's sweater grrl! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Mervyn LeRoy directed this film, and considering this was made in 1937, it was probably a really risky film when released. Though a lot of the acting is over the top and the script shoves the prejudice in your face to piss you off, it's actually a very good film. Based on a true story, Lana Turner (in her first big role) gets murdered and her teacher is accused and put on trial. All about the hatred between the North and the South in the U.S., it's amazing that this story actually really happened (though they left out the whole Jewish angle). And yes, while much of the acting is over the top (the janitor and the boyfriend immediately come to mind) others did a very nice, particularly Claude Rains and Otto Kruger as the two lawyers. Worth a look. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
They Won't Forget

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They Won't Forget

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Movie Info

Synopsis The town of Flodden is in an uproar when a pretty student is found dead on Confederate Memorial Day, but District Attorney Griffin (Claude Rains) sees it as an opportunity. Thinking the case could propel him into the U.S. Senate, he begins an extensive smear campaign against the girl's teacher, Robert Hale (Edward Norris), an outsider who hails from New York. Despite only circumstantial evidence, Hale is convicted, and locals threaten vigilante justice if he isn't executed.
Director
Mervyn LeRoy
Producer
Mervyn LeRoy
Screenwriter
Robert Rossen, Aben Kandel
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Production Co
Warner Bros.
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 9, 1937, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 18, 2016
Runtime
1h 34m