History Theatre / InheritTheWind

The film version was well received, directed by StanleyKramer with SpencerTracy as Drummond, FredricMarch as Brady, [[TheOtherDarrin Dick York]] as Cates, Harry Morgan as the judge, and ([[PlayingAgainstType surprisingly]]) GeneKelly as the all-snarking, never-dancing Hornbeck. It takes a few more liberties from the real trial than the play does, but also incorporates more of the trial transcript; [[RealityIsUnrealistic today, most people thinking of the real trial instead remember details from the film]]. The film also has the distinction of being the first in-flight movie, according to TheOtherWiki.

Originally a 1955 play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, then filmed in 1960 (and adapted for television three times between 1965 and 1999), ''Inherit The Wind'' is a very (''very'') fictionalized account of the "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopes_Trial Scopes Monkey Trial]]," a 1925 Tennessee court case which revolved around the teaching of Evolution in public schools. The whole thing was actually a publicity stunt by the backwater town of Dayton, TN, leading to the trial being sensationalized beyond belief. It kind of went OffTheRails from there, bringing many (at the time) 'incontrovertible' tenets of American thought, such as a literal interpretation of Literature/TheBible, to question.

** Even though it was TruthInTelevision, Drummond would not have been able to call Brady to the stand without calling a mistrial. It was probably allowed in the real Scopes trial because it was really a publicity show anyway.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Henry Drummond = Clarence Darrow; Matthew Harrison Brady = William Jennings Bryan; E.K. Hornbeck = H.L. Mencken; Bertram Cates = John Scopes.

!!The work includes examples of:

* HeatWave: Most of the courtroom audience are fanning themselves with hand-held fans.
** The fans say "Courtesy of X's Funeral Service", a reflection of the tradition of funeral homes giving out free fans as promotional items. Some people even collect them.

** The fanatic Reverend Brown.
** Hornbeck's goes too far with his [[HollywoodAtheist cynicism]] when he refuses to show [[DueToTheDead due respect after the death]] of [[spoiler:Brady]] at the end of the movie.
** The members of mob who sing death threats to Drummond and Cates

** The song "Give me that old time religion" changes to include the line "If it's good enough for ''Brady'', it's good enough for me" .
** ''The Battle Hymn of the Republic'' is morphed into a death threat to Cates and Drummond

* {{Jerkass}}: Reverend Brown.
* TheJudge: [[CaptainObvious The judge.]]

* MemeticMutation: In-universe, the song "Give me that old time religion" changes to include the line "If it's good enough for ''Brady'', it's good enough for me"

* TorchesAndPitchforks: "We'll hang Bert Cates from a sour apple tree..."

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Brady may be a self-aggrandizing religious opportunist, but he is still the one who publicly tells Rachel's hateful pastor father to back off from condemning his own daughter

* FamedInStory: Brady and Drummons are respectively the champions of tradition and secularism in the United States.

* MemeticMutation: In-universe, the song "Give me all time religion" changes to include the line "If it's good enough for ''Brady'', it's good enough for me"

* ThatWasObjectionable: Most of the challenges are well-grounded and reasoned, but Drummond indulges once in a simple "Objection, objection, objection!"

-->--Proverbs 11:29, ''Literature/TheBible''

!!The film includes examples of:

* ThatWasObjectionable

* KirkSummation: A variation as the speech is the fight itself. Drummond deconstructs Brady as a selph-proclaimed prophet incapable of accepting any view or position but his own.

* AsTheGoodBookSays: Many instances as would be expected. Brady quotes Solomon [[TitleDrop inherit the wind]] passage with great effect to defend Rachel from her father's condemnation.

** Semi- TruthInTelevision: Bryant actually did die (in his sleep) five days later.

* TheFundamentalist: Brady and Brown

** It's quite odd that the fans say "Courtesy of X's Funeral Service".
*** Actually quite normal. Funeral homes have a long tradition of giving out free fans as promotional items. Some people even collect them.
* HolierThanThou: Reverend Brown

** Even though it was TruthInTelevision, Drummond would not have been able to call Brady to the stand without calling a mistrial. Probably why it was allowed in the real scopes trial was because it was really a publicity show anyway.
** Also, Brady badgering Rachel (Though that may have been allowed because the town adores him.)

* {{Irony}}: When Brady gives his final address after the trial is ended, the majority of the only ones who are really listening to him with sympathy are his enemies.
* {{Jerkass}}: Reverend Brown

* MindRape: Pretty much what Drummond eventually (and inadvertantly) does to Brady, signified by his HeroicBSOD / VillainousBreakdown depending on the interpretation.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Henry Drummond = Clarence Darrow; Matthew Harrison Brady = William Jennings Bryan; E.K. Hornbeck = H.L. Mencken; Bertram Cates = John Scopes
* PenultimateOutburst: Drummond's brush with a contempt charge
* PunchClockVillain: One interpretation of Brady

* SimpleCountryLawyer: Played with

* SocietyIsToBlame: name-checked; Drummond ''is'' an {{expy}} of the RealLife TropeCodifier.

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: There were actually quite a few speakers who stated that Christians could believe in Evolution too; if one actually reads the transcript of the original case. But such complexity is beyond the "Us Vs. Them" simple message; and is inconvenient. (One of them was CharlesDarwin himself.)

* WelcomeToHell

* FriendlyEnemy: Drummond and Brady are good friends outside the courtroom, as were their real life counterparts.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Brady maybe a self grandizing religious opportunist, but he is still the one who publicly tells Rachel's hateful pastor father to back off from condemning his own daughter

* TitleDrop: As stated above, the title comes from a verse of the Book of Proverbs. During the play, Brady quotes the verse to Reverend Brown after he gets too over-zealous and damns his own daughter to hell, effectively shutting him up and causing an MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment.

** And, as mentioned above, the actual Scopes Monkey Trial was a hoax and a publicity stunt designed to put Dayton, TN back on the map. Clarence Darrow had announced publicly that he would defend, ''pro bono'', anyone who was arrested for teaching Evolution in a state where it had been outlawed. Scopes agreed to claim to have taught Evolution and be tried, though nobody could prove that he had actually taught it. Likewise, Bryan eagerly jumped on the bandwagon despite not having practiced law for 36 years by that point.

-->--Proverbs 11:29, ''TheBible''

Originally a 1955 play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, then filmed in 1960 (and adapted for television three times between 1965 and 1999), ''Inherit The Wind'' is a very (''very'') fictionalized account of the "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopes_Trial Scopes Monkey Trial]]," a 1925 Tennessee court case which revolved around the teaching of Evolution in public schools. The whole thing was actually a publicity stunt by the backwater town of Dayton, TN, leading to the trial being sensationalized beyond belief. It kind of went OffTheRails from there, bringing many (at the time) 'incontrovertible' tenets of American thought, such as a literal interpretation of TheBible, to question.

The play revolves primarily around Bert Cates, a schoolteacher in the small, "simple" town of Hillsboro. Bert is arrested for teaching the theory of evolution in his class in violation of a state law, and the film opens with him being hauled bodily out of his classroom by the police. The town's mayor initially wants to keep the whole affair quiet, and many of the more prominent members of the community urge him to drop the matter entirely. It was all going to happen that way until Matthew Harrison Brady-- [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed the analogue of]] William Jennings Bryan-- announces that he's coming to Hillsboro to assist the prosecution. Cates writes to a newspaper in Baltimore for assistance, and is presented with Henry Drummond (in the part of Clarence Darrow) as his defense attorney, and E. K. Hornbeck (playing [[HLMencken H. L. Mencken]]) [[DeadpanSnarker as a chronicler]].

* CourtroomAntic

* HollywoodLaw: There are so, so many instances of this.

* WelcomeToHell

The film version was well received, with SpencerTracy as Drummond, FredricMarch as Brady, [[TheOtherDarrin Dick York]] as Cates, Harry Morgan as the judge, and ([[PlayingAgainstType surprisingly]]) GeneKelly as the all-snarking, never-dancing Hornbeck. It takes a few more liberties from the real trial than the play does, but also incorporates more of the trial transcript; [[RealityIsUnrealistic today, most people thinking of the real trial instead remember details from the film]]. The film also has the distinction of being the first in-flight movie, according to TheOtherWiki.

The film version was well received, with Spencer Tracy as Drummond, Fredric March as Brady, [[TheOtherDarrin Dick York]] as Cates, Harry Morgan as the judge, and ([[PlayingAgainstType surprisingly]]) GeneKelly as the all-snarking, never-dancing Hornbeck. It takes a few more liberties from the real trial than the play does, but also incorporates more of the trial transcript; [[RealityIsUnrealistic today, most people thinking of the real trial instead remember details from the film]]. The film also has the distinction of being the first in-flight movie, according to TheOtherWiki.

Originally a 1955 play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, then filmed in 1960, ''Inherit The Wind'' is a very (''very'') fictionalized account of the "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopes_Trial Scopes Monkey Trial]]," a 1925 Tennessee court case which revolved around the teaching of Evolution in public schools. The whole thing was actually a publicity stunt by the backwater town of Dayton, TN, leading to the trial being sensationalized beyond belief. It kind of went OffTheRails from there, bringing many (at the time) 'incontrovertible' tenets of American thought, such as a literal interpretation of TheBible, to question.