Chain Gang (1950 film)

Chain Gang is a 1950 American drama film directed by Lew Landers,[1] written by Howard J. Green and starring Douglas Kennedy[2] as a newspaper reporter who goes undercover to expose political corruption and the exploitation of chain-gang labor.[3]

Chain Gang
Titular screenshot
Directed byLew Landers
Written byHoward J. Green
Produced bySam Katzman
StarringDouglas Kennedy
Marjorie Lord
CinematographyIra H. Morgan
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
November 1950
Running time
70 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

After a state senator's bill to abolish chain gangs is rejected by the senate, reporter Cliff Roberts[4] persuades his newspaper to allow him to go undercover as a guard in a chain-gang prison. Equipped with false employment records and a tiny microfilm camera disguised as a cigarette lighter, he tells everyone, including his girlfriend Rita McKelvey, a reporter for a rival newspaper,[5] that he is going on a fishing trip, but actually heads for Cloverdale Prison Farm in the Deep South, where recent incidents have left three inmates dead.

The prison's Captain Duncan supplies labor in the form of chain gangs, which are ostensibly for state construction projects but in reality are exploited by Rita's stepfather, local entrepreneur John McKelvey, for his construction projects. Roberts secretly witnesses and photographs prison conditions, including the capture of an escaped inmate who is punished with an overnight stay in the sweatbox. When a convict named Snead is accused of a minor offense, Captain Duncan orders Roberts to flog Snead at the whipping post. Later, Robert visits Snead in solitary confinement to apologize for the whipping and gains Snead's trust.

Roberts' secret photographs are published in the newspaper, angering McKelvey.[6] When an inmate sees Roberts' photograph in McKelvey's house, Roberts' cover is blown. Snead tries to escape and Roberts joins him.[7] They try to outrun the guards and their dogs across wilderness, but Roberts is shot and left for dead by Captain Duncan,[8] who later pins the blame on Snead. Roberts eventually reaches freedom and is reunited with Rita. Snead is killed while on the run and McKelvey is charged with the exploitation of convict labor for personal gain.

Cast

Main

Supporting

Cameo/Uncredited

Reception

Chain Gang was praised for its acting, direction, action sequences and technical qualities, but Green's improbable storyline and dialogue received criticism.[9][10][11]

The film was reissued on DVD in 2012 as part of the Sony Choice Collection.[9]

References
  1. American Cinematographer. ASC Holding Corporation. 1949.
  2. Bowker (1 May 1989). Variety's Film Reviews: 1949–1953. Bowker. ISBN 978-0-8352-2786-5.
  3. James Robert Parish (1991). Prison Pictures from Hollywood: Plots, Critiques, Casts and Credits for 293 Theatrical and Made-For-Television Releases. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-89950-563-3.
  4. Gary Don Rhodes (2008). Edgar G. Ulmer: Detour on Poverty Row. Lexington Books. pp. 259–. ISBN 978-0-7391-2567-0.
  5. Alan G. Fetrow (1999). Feature Films, 1950–1959: A United States Filmography. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-0427-8.
  6. "Chain Gang (1950, USA)". Prison Movies.
  7. AFI Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States. University of California Press. 1971. pp. 398–. ISBN 978-0-520-21521-4.
  8. Larry Langman; David Ebner (2001). Hollywood's Image of the South: A Century of Southern Films. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 177–. ISBN 978-0-313-31886-3.
  9. Mavis, Paul. "Chain Gang (Sony Choice Collection)". DVD Talk.
  10. Clive Hirschhorn (1990). The Columbia story. Crown. ISBN 9780517575581.
  11. "Where's That Been? – Chain Gang (1950)" Archived 2015-09-12 at the Wayback Machine. 12/17/2013 | by Ivan G. Shreve, Jr. Classic Flix
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