An innocent man sentenced to death gets caught up in a prison riot.An innocent man sentenced to death gets caught up in a prison riot.An innocent man sentenced to death gets caught up in a prison riot.
Preston Foster
- John 'Killer' Mears - Cell 4
- (as Preston S. Foster)
Alec B. Francis
- Father O'Connor
- (uncredited)
Gladden James
- Warden's Secretary
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe Broadway play of the same name upon which this film is based opened at the Sam H. Harris Theatre, 226 W. 42nd St. on February 13, 1930 and ran for 289 performances until October. Spencer Tracy played the lead role of John Mears. Clark Gable also played the role in later productions. Both actors were brought to the attention of Hollywood because of their involvement with this play.
- GoofsAs Joe Berg is saying goodbye to "Killer" Mears, a moving shadow of the boom microphone is visible on the wall of Mears' cell.
- Quotes
John 'Killer' Mears, Cell 4: [at the end of the prison break, walking into the guards' machine guns] I think I'll go get a little air.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Rush: A Show of Hands (1989)
Featured review
Extremely Dated Opening but Pardoned by a Powerful Second-Half
Relentlessly Grim Prison-Pic from a Play by John Wexley who also Wrote the Script. It's of the "Reform" Type with its Critical Eye on "Death Row" and Specifically the "Death Penalty".
The First Half is the most Dated and Tough to get Through Today with its Heavy Melodramatics, Over Acting, and Exaggerated Mental Anguish Displays. There's some Bite to the Dialog but the Performances Suffer from Stagy Emoting and Projection.
But the Second-Half Kicks in and the Movie becomes Engaging, Suspenseful, Violent, and even more Poignant. Some of the Imagery, while Confined by a Low-Budget and its Stage Play Roots, still manages to be very Atmospheric and Gloomy.
It's an Artifact of its Era for sure, but that makes it Relevant as a Time Capsule of both Cinema and Social Concerns. It can be Powerful at times and is Definitely Worth a Watch.
The First Half is the most Dated and Tough to get Through Today with its Heavy Melodramatics, Over Acting, and Exaggerated Mental Anguish Displays. There's some Bite to the Dialog but the Performances Suffer from Stagy Emoting and Projection.
But the Second-Half Kicks in and the Movie becomes Engaging, Suspenseful, Violent, and even more Poignant. Some of the Imagery, while Confined by a Low-Budget and its Stage Play Roots, still manages to be very Atmospheric and Gloomy.
It's an Artifact of its Era for sure, but that makes it Relevant as a Time Capsule of both Cinema and Social Concerns. It can be Powerful at times and is Definitely Worth a Watch.
helpful•40
- LeonLouisRicci
- Oct 20, 2016
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Numbers in Hell
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 15 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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