Great movie. Saw this years ago as a kid. Loved the scene when they were playing St.Loius Blues in the backgroud of some Hotel or whatever.. One mans determination for survival is in us all. The ending is pure classic. They don't make movies like these any more. Wish I could see this whole film again.
Has there ever been a more realistic prison film then this timeless classic ? There have been great prison movies but none with the sting of this film. It will never be topped.
Realistic to a degree. Early 1920’s Georgia looked more like 10-20 miles back in the hills from Los Angeles and nobody on the chain gang or the guards sounded southern. And Allen conveniently found a set of old clothes on a clothesline next to a shack when he escaped.
@@randyacuna3248 okay, The Man Who Broke 1,000 chains was. The real story, mostly, with Val Kilmer playing Burns. Cool Hand Luke, not so much. The book was much more realistic.
@@randyacuna3248 I agree, it played too much like a TV movie. And believe it or not, the movie that Val Kilmer was in was set all over the United States, but entirely filmed in and near a small town in East Texas. I wished at the end that Allen would’ve gotten revenge on that bitch that forced him to marry her, made his life miserable, and then turned him in because he finally stood up to her.
The molasses was the only thing that made the food somewhat bearable. I guess locals slaughtered the pigs and gave all the fat and lard to the prisoners to eat. Disgusting! A ball made of flour and lard. And the lunchtime meal was even worse with beans or cowpeas full of sand and worms and a piece of heavy, bitter cornbread.
LATVERIAN1 yes, being sentenced to a chain gang was a death sentence unless you really focused on survival. Even this 1932 movie sugar-coated the life. You didn't get to see the lack of clean water, toilets, or malnutrition the prisoners suffered in addition to 16 hours hard labor every day.
LATVERIAN1 shock that you could read ..but evidently you managed to pick up a book between screwing your family out of money , the crystal meth and abandoning the girl you dragged away from her kids in New York to Vegas then dumping her once you got there. Yeah you're a real, asset to society.🐀
I have a strange feeling that chain gangs may come back, sadly enough. A hard version of hell on Earth. And the ending of this movie....not to spoil it...but it was so sad.
I don’t think it’s a bad idea. Just make it reasonable. 12 hours of toil a day and an edible meal, not steak and lobster, just decent food. In Alaska, it’d be a little challenging. Swatting mosquitoes nonstop in the summer and embracing -20 to -50 weather in the winter.
I'd be glad to see prison with hard labour return to Britain. Abolished when crime was very rare but now it's ever on the rise and the prison estate is too small to deal with the problem, having chain gangs where criminals fix our aging sea walls or Victorian sewers would be a blessing.
None of the prisoners or authority figures have anything close to a southern accent. This is set in an alternate universe on a chain gang in an a part of Georgia near Atlanta called Stanton that resembles Southern California east of LA and the prisoners look reasonably clean and the citizens near the city speak with Yankee or neutral accents.
Richard Sahadi I was very surprised that one was filmed entirely in and around Marshall and Jefferson in east Texas, even the scenes set in New York and Chicago. I should have noticed the architecture was not that of Chicago in the 1920’s! That one was fictional to a degree, but at least the woman he roomed with was like the book, a very complex and sensual Latina, not some manipulative, cruel, scheming, overbearing blonde tramp like the original. And the real Warden Hardy was only when Burns went back to prison. He died shortly after the 1932 movie was released in his 40’s.
Robster543210 even the poorest folks in the south didn’t eat that bad then. The powers that be were too mean and stupid to feed them pinto beans, collard greens, grits, boiled eggs, biscuits, or cornbread. It doesn’t cost that much or take much talent to make food like that that is half-decent.
And he was able to travel all the way back to Chicago after escaping a Georgia chain gang to see his girlfriend for a minute as a fugitive on the edge of insanity and starvation. If I was him, I would have tracked those three heartless men on the committee and beat them within an inch of their lives for rejecting his release!
Tony Freeman actually twice daily! You get beans with sand and worms in them for lunch and bitter corn mush made from hot water while out on the chain gang at work!
Great movie. Saw this years ago as a kid. Loved the scene when they were playing St.Loius Blues in the backgroud of some Hotel or whatever.. One mans determination for survival is in us all. The ending is pure classic. They don't make movies like these any more. Wish I could see this whole film again.
I have the DVD great move.
It was just on TCM last week.
Has there ever been a more realistic prison film then this timeless classic ? There have been great prison movies but none with the sting of this film. It will never be topped.
Realistic to a degree. Early 1920’s Georgia looked more like 10-20 miles back in the hills from Los Angeles and nobody on the chain gang or the guards sounded southern. And Allen conveniently found a set of old clothes on a clothesline next to a shack when he escaped.
@@jondstewart the question was , had there been a more realistic film and your response doesn't mention any other film.
@@randyacuna3248 okay, The Man Who Broke 1,000 chains was. The real story, mostly, with Val Kilmer playing Burns. Cool Hand Luke, not so much. The book was much more realistic.
@@jondstewart I have seen the Val Kilmer film and no , it is not even close to the power of the muni version.
@@randyacuna3248 I agree, it played too much like a TV movie. And believe it or not, the movie that Val Kilmer was in was set all over the United States, but entirely filmed in and near a small town in East Texas.
I wished at the end that Allen would’ve gotten revenge on that bitch that forced him to marry her, made his life miserable, and then turned him in because he finally stood up to her.
Paul Muni- The original method actor.
No his stage actor
Original method actor Marlon Brando
From what happened it is no wonder Mr. Burns felt he had to escape...also Paul was great as Allen.😊😊😢😢
The molasses was the only thing that made the food somewhat bearable. I guess locals slaughtered the pigs and gave all the fat and lard to the prisoners to eat. Disgusting! A ball made of flour and lard. And the lunchtime meal was even worse with beans or cowpeas full of sand and worms and a piece of heavy, bitter cornbread.
I read the actual novel. And yes, that was all part of their diet. Or rather early death.
LATVERIAN1 yes, being sentenced to a chain gang was a death sentence unless you really focused on survival. Even this 1932 movie sugar-coated the life. You didn't get to see the lack of clean water, toilets, or malnutrition the prisoners suffered in addition to 16 hours hard labor every day.
LATVERIAN1 shock that you could read ..but evidently you managed to pick up a book between screwing your family out of money , the crystal meth and abandoning the girl you dragged away from her kids in New York to Vegas then dumping her once you got there. Yeah you're a real, asset to society.🐀
And getting your shit pushed in
Terrible treatment of prisoners am moving forward prisoners are better treated
:25, that actor was born in 1870! Imagine that!
Asshole 1895
KrystianPL no, Bomber, not James
Allen
Which actor?
@@acmarston Edward Ellis that played Bomber Wells
I have a strange feeling that chain gangs may come back, sadly enough. A hard version of hell on Earth. And the ending of this movie....not to spoil it...but it was so sad.
In many jurisdictions they are back and prisoners want to get on them. Turns out working outside the jails is better than sitting in the jails
I don’t think it’s a bad idea. Just make it reasonable. 12 hours of toil a day and an edible meal, not steak and lobster, just decent food. In Alaska, it’d be a little challenging. Swatting mosquitoes nonstop in the summer and embracing -20 to -50 weather in the winter.
I'd be glad to see prison with hard labour return to Britain. Abolished when crime was very rare but now it's ever on the rise and the prison estate is too small to deal with the problem, having chain gangs where criminals fix our aging sea walls or Victorian sewers would be a blessing.
@@blairgarber Keep on believing that. There are plenty of jobs in a prison besides working 16 hours a day on a chain gang.
@@jondstewart Thank you for your fascist view. SMH
That food actually sounds pretty good
You ever have prison food?
The fried dough maybe.....the rest....not so much.
are u dumb
None of the prisoners or authority figures have anything close to a southern accent. This is set in an alternate universe on a chain gang in an a part of Georgia near Atlanta called Stanton that resembles Southern California east of LA and the prisoners look reasonably clean and the citizens near the city speak with Yankee or neutral accents.
budgets were tight back then
Try the one from 1987 with Val Kilmer.
Richard Sahadi I was very surprised that one was filmed entirely in and around Marshall and Jefferson in east Texas, even the scenes set in New York and Chicago. I should have noticed the architecture was not that of Chicago in the 1920’s! That one was fictional to a degree, but at least the woman he roomed with was like the book, a very complex and sensual Latina, not some manipulative, cruel, scheming, overbearing blonde tramp like the original.
And the real Warden Hardy was only when Burns went back to prison. He died shortly after the 1932 movie was released in his 40’s.
It’s called “suspension of disbelief”.
A lot like Shawshank, a prison in Maine and not one inmate has a Maine accent. Ayuh!
Greedy and Chain gang are 2 best filmis of all.
Sounds like a well balanced meal.
Robster543210 even the poorest folks in the south didn’t eat that bad then. The powers that be were too mean and stupid to feed them pinto beans, collard greens, grits, boiled eggs, biscuits, or cornbread. It doesn’t cost that much or take much talent to make food like that that is half-decent.
Robster543210 try eating that stuff every morning of every year, and you'd be singing a different tune before long.
After his escape the authorities treated him as if they was after a seriel killer.
And he was able to travel all the way back to Chicago after escaping a Georgia chain gang to see his girlfriend for a minute as a fugitive on the edge of insanity and starvation. If I was him, I would have tracked those three heartless men on the committee and beat them within an inch of their lives for rejecting his release!
Just shows how corrupt law enforcement is capable of being.
The premise for the entire movie is flawed. WHY didn't the diner guy testify that he was FORCED to rob his cash register? It doesn't make any sense.
@@theiceman6941 But isn't it based on a TRUE story? I wonder why the diner guy didn't testify on his behalf?
Maybe since Allen was a friend of the mugger, maybe the diner guy didn't care to testify for him..
The warden will that these characters work up a sweat!
Gaston county jail north carolina! Come visit ! Its way worse! Plus i never saw anyone shivering like gaston!
"Excuse me. Is this a real authentic hoe cake? Frankly, I'm just a wee little bit disappointed."
Love me some sour dough and pig fat thrice daily
Tony Freeman actually twice daily! You get beans with sand and worms in them for lunch and bitter corn mush made from hot water while out on the chain gang at work!