Young Mr. Lincoln
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| Young Mr. Lincoln | |
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20th Century-Fox | |
Release date |
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Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,500,000 (estimated) |
Young Mr. Lincoln is a 1939 American biographical drama western film about the early life of President Abraham Lincoln, directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda.[1][2] Ford and producer Darryl F. Zanuck fought for control of the film, to the point where Ford destroyed unwanted takes for fear the studio would use them in the film.[citation needed] Screenwriter Lamar Trotti was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing/Original Story.
In 2003, Young Mr. Lincoln was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Plot
In 1832, a family traveling through
Admiring his courage,
The boys' mother, Abigail Clay, who witnessed the end of the fight, and Lincoln are pressured by the prosecutor to save one of the brothers at the expense of the other's conviction. However, the key witness to the crime, J. Palmer Cass, is a friend of the victim who claims to have seen the murder at a distance of about 100 yards under the light of the moon: "It was moon bright". However, Lincoln persists and is able, by using an almanac, to demonstrate that on the night in question, the moon had set before the time of death. He then drives Cass to confess that he had actually stabbed his friend.
Cast
- Henry Fonda as Abraham Lincoln
- Alice Brady as Abigail Clay (final film role)
- Mary Todd
- Arleen Whelan as Sarah Clay
- Eddie Collins as Efe Turner
- Pauline Moore as Ann Rutledge
- Richard Cromwell as Matt Clay
- Donald Meek as Prosecutor John Felder
- Dorris Bowdon as Carrie Sue (Judith Dickens, who was obviously replaced by Bowden, is falsely credited)[3]
- Eddie Quillan as Adam Clay
- Spencer Charters as Judge Herbert A. Bell
- Ward Bond as John Palmer Cass
- Milburn Stone as Stephen A. Douglas
- Cliff Clark as Sheriff Gil Billing
- Fred Kohler Jr. as Skrub White (uncredited)
Background
The film has as its basis the murder case against
It is referred to as the "Almanac Trial" on Armstrong's grave,[4] and Lincoln proved the witness against the accused was lying about being able to see by the light of the Moon, using an almanac. Armstrong was acquitted.
Critical reception
In a favorable review for
Adaptations
Young Mr. Lincoln was adapted as a radio play on the July 10, 1946, episode of
The Village Theatre of Everett and Issaquah, Washington has commissioned a new musical based on the film titled Lincoln in Love, book and lyrics by Peter S. Kellogg and music by David Friedman.
See also
- List of American films of 1939
- List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a film review aggregator website
References
- ^ Variety film review; June 7, 1939, page 12.
- ^ Harrison's Reports film review; June 17, 1939, page 94.
- ISBN 9780520063341.
- ^ "William Duff Armstrong - Find a Grave". Find a Grave. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
- ^ Nugent, Frank (June 3, 1939). "The Screen; Twentieth Century-Fox's Young Mr. Lincoln' Is a Human and Humorous Film of the Prairie Years". The New York Times. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
- ^ Eisenstein, Sergei, Film Essays and a Lecture, Jay Leyda, ed., pp.139-149 (Praeger Publishers, 1970) (retrieved Jan. 7, 2024).
- ^ Academy Award Theater archives at the Internet Archive
External links
- Young Mr. Lincoln at IMDb
- Young Mr. Lincoln at AllMovie
- Young Mr. Lincoln at the TCM Movie Database
- Young Mr. Lincoln at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Young Mr. Lincoln at Box Office Mojo
- Young Mr. Lincoln: Hero in Waiting an essay by Criterion Collection
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