Each Dawn I Die [Blu-ray]

Overview

Otis Ferguson has said of Each Dawn I Die that "the story is of the kind you would have to see to disbelieve." And to be sure, the film is nothing more than a sampler of '30s prison-film conventions. But with the brilliant acting by James Cagney and the fast-paced and hard-edged direction of William Keighley, the film clatters past like an express train. Cagney plays Frank Ross, an innocent newspaperman who is railroaded into prison by a corrupt district attorney. In prison, he meets hardened-con Stacey (George Raft). Frank, at first, doesn't want to associate with Stacey and the other prisoners, but trapped in the hellhole prison, he more and more turns into a bitter con. Finally granted a hearing from the parole board, Frank pleads his innocence, but the parole board is headed by Grayce (Victor Jury), the man responsible for his imprisonment, and his parole is denied, and Frank becomes more hardened and embittered. By this point, Stacey has befriended him and agrees to help Frank prove his innocence.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/27/2021
UPC:	0883929740253
Original Release:	1939
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Language:	English
Time:	1:32:00
Sales rank:	25,141

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

James Cagney	Frank Ross
George Raft	'Hood' Stacey
George Bancroft	John Armstrong
Jane Bryan	Joyce
Maxie Rosenbloom	Fargo Red,Fargo Red
Stanley Ridges	Muller
Alan Baxter	Polecat Carlisle
Victor Jory	W.J. Grayce
Willard Robertson	Lang
Paul Hurst	Garsky
John Wray	Peter Kassock
Louis Jean Heydt	Joe Lassiter
Edward Pawley	Dale
Joseph Downing	Limpy Julien
Emma Dunn	Mrs. Ross
Thurston Hall	District Attorney Jesse Hanley
Clay Clement	Stacey's Attorney Lockhart/Clay Clement
William B. Davidson	Bill Mason
John Ridgely	Jerry Poague, Reporter
John Harron	Lew Keller, Reporter
Selmer Jackson	Patterson,Patterson
Robert E. Homans	Mac the Guard
Harry Cording	Temple
Abner Biberman	Shake Edwards
Napoleon Simpson	Mose
Cliff Saum	Accident Witness
Tom Wilson	Accident Witness
Al Lloyd	Accident Witness
Jack Goodrich	Accident Witness
Stuart Holmes	Accident Witness
Alice Connors	Accident Witness
Fern Barry	Accident Witness
Maris Wrixon	Girl in Car
Garland Smith	Man in Car,Guard
Arthur Gardner	Man in Car
James Flavin	Policeman
Charles Trowbridge	Judge
Eddy Chandler	Deputy
John Dilson	Parole Board Member
Max Hoffman Jr.	Gate Guard
Henry Otho	Guard
Lee Phelps	Guard
Dick Rich	Guard
Walter Miller	Turnkey
Fred Graham	Guard in Cell
Wilfred Lucas	Bailiff
Vera Lewis	Jury Woman
Emmett Vogan	Prosecutor
Earl Dwire	Judge Crowder
Frank Mayo	Telegraph Editor
Mack Gray	Joe
Bob Perry	Bud
Al Hill	Johnny the Hood
Elliott Sullivan	Convict
Chuck Hamilton	Court Officer
Joe Sully	Actor
Nat Carr	Actor
Wedgewood Nowell	Parole Board Member
Jack Wise	Convict
Granville Bates	Actor
John Conte	Narrator,Narrator
Max Steiner	Composer

Technical Credits

Norman Reilly Raine

Warren Duff

Charles Perry

William Keighley	Director
Norman Reilly Raine	Screenwriter
Warren Duff	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Charles Perry	Screenwriter
Hal B. Wallis	Executive Producer
David Lewis	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Each Dawn I Die comes on like gangbusters almost from the beginning and rarely lets up. It's a slam-bang, action-packed, shoot 'em up "popcorn" flick that's a pure delight (unless, of course, one has an aversion to slam-bang, action-packed, shoot 'em up "popcorn" flicks.) Granted, there's not a lot in Dawn that's especially original; it's a familiar "innocent man thrown in jail" yarn. But the lack of originality I nits plot, setting and characters turns into an asset in the hands of director William Keighley, his writers and his cast. Dawn has plenty of punchy dialogue, terse snatches of badinage that perfectly delineate character without wasting a word. The set-ups pay off in a big way, thanks to Keighley's smooth but edgy direction. The helmer is in great form, packing as much impact into each scene as he can, but knowing when to turn the dramatic volume down for the appropriate respites. All his work would be for naught, though, without James Cagney and George Raft to light up the screen. Raft was born to play this kind of tough hood, the cynical heel that ends up having a soft side that may stop short of nobility, but not by that wide a margin. And Cagney is simply electrifying, smashing his way through the tough scenes and underplaying beautifully when the script gives him half a chance. Together, these stars make a good film into a really memorable one.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler