MovieChat Forums > I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) Discussion > Where was the "crime" committed?

Where was the "crime" committed?

posted 9 years ago by thomas-begen-194-976045
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Wherever James Allen was wrongly convicted of the "crime" is the state where he would serve on the chain gang. Where did he commit the "crime"?

I realize that movie's message doesn't rely entirely on the specific location. I understand the reasons for not specifically pointing out Virginia, Georgia, Kentucky, or whatever other state it may've been. However, I don't see any evidence whatsoever that Allen committed the "crime" in any of those states.

I watched the film closely. As far as I could tell he was nowhere near Virginia, Kentucky, or Georgia when he committed the "crime." By all appearances he seemed to be in New England, as he said he would be, unless I missed something. However, I don't believe I missed something. I believe the film, perhaps intentionally, did a poor job of naming the specific location. Not to mention how pathetic the initial "crime" and conviction are.

Other than that I thought this was a good movie, with a strong message and, at some points, great acting. I liked Bomber; and Muni was alright; but I would give the real accolades to his conniving wife.

[–] sonofbeach-sheet 9 years ago

It was in Atlanta, at least in the book. The movie kept the location ambiguous because of perceived repercussions from the state of Georgia if it was revealed. So it was filmed outside of Los Angeles, like nearly all movies of that era, and no southern accents. Notice when you see him following the train tracks on the map, it fades out around Tennessee.

After Allen escapes, you see a brief nighttime street scene of Atlanta's Forsyth Street, which was the main downtown area then.

And back then, living in the south was dangerous for many outsiders from the northeast, no matter what their ancestry was.

Being sentenced to a chain gang was a slow death sentence in itself, because even 1-2 years of backbreaking labor at 15 hours a day, six days a week, terrible food that could gag a maggot, filthy living conditions, and beatings with a leather strap for not working hard enough could kill you in the long run.