Trivia / I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

• Banned in China: The film was banned in Georgia for its unflattering portrayal of their penal system, which also resulted in several libel suits against the studio. Not only that, but studio head Jack L. Warner and director Mervyn LeRoy were threatened from setting foot in the state for years afterward.
• The Danza: Helen Vinson as Helen.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff: The film was a big hit in Russia.
• Genre Turning Point: The film influenced practically every prison movie from there on.
• Signature Scene: "I steal!"
• Throw It In!: Legend has it that the famous ending was supposed to be shot with normal lighting, but the bulbs burned out, and they decided to try to shoot it anyway. However, some sources dispute this as a manufactured myth after the fact, as the scene is described exactly this way, with the fade, in the original shooting script, finalized before shooting had even begun.
• What Could Have Been: James Cagney was originally cast in the lead role, but dropped out. Spencer Tracy was also considered.
• Write What You Know: Robert E. Burns wrote the book based on his own experiences.
• Though the film famously has a Downer Ending, the real Robert E. Burns was able to help abolish the practice of prison chain gangs and eventually had his sentence commuted.

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