The Making and Influence of I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

by Scott Allen Nollen

Overview

Robert E. Burns, a World War I veteran coerced into taking part in a petty crime in Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to hard labor on a chain gang in 1922. Twice escaping and on the lam for decades, he was aided only by his minister-poet brother, Vincent G. Burns. Their collaborative work, I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang! was the basis for Darryl F. Zanuck's and Mervyn Leroy's hard-hitting 1932 film adaptation from Warner Bros. This book traces the making and influence of the film--which launched a string of imitators--and the Burns brothers' efforts to obtain a pardon for Robert, which never came.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476626789
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	10/04/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	228
File size:	10 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

The late Scott Allen Nollen was educated in film and history at the University of Iowa. He had written and edited more than 40 books on the history of film, literature and music.
The late Scott Allen Nollen was educated in film and history at the University of Iowa. He had written and edited more than 40 books on the history of film, literature and music.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Robert Elliott Burns
2. I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang! The Memoir
3. The Making of the Film
4. The Reception of the Film
5. Out of These Chains: The Continuing Saga of Robert E. Burns and the Warner Bros. Film
6. The Historic Influence of the Film
Appendix A: Credits and Cast of I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
Appendix B: Film Precursors
Appendix C: Film and Television Successors
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

an in-depth look at the memoir this 1932 masterpiece was based on as well as its author, Robert E. Burns”—Acting Solo.

From the Publisher