''Young Mr. Lincoln'' is a 1939 American
biographical
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
film about the early life of President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...
, directed by
John Ford
John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...
and starring
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics.
Born and ra ...
. Ford and producer
Darryl F. Zanuck fought for control of the film, to the point where Ford destroyed unwanted takes for fear the studio would use them in the film. Screenwriter
Lamar Trotti
Lamar Jefferson Trotti (October 18, 1900 – August 28, 1952) was an American screenwriter, producer, and motion picture executive.
Early life and education
Trotti was born in Atlanta, US. He became the first graduate of the Henry W. Grady C ...
was nominated for an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for
Best Writing/Original Story.
In 2003, ''Young Mr. Lincoln'' was selected for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...
by the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Plot
In 1832, a family traveling through
New Salem,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...
in its wagon need groceries from Lincoln's (
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics.
Born and ra ...
) store, and the only thing of value that they have to trade is a barrel of old books including a law book, ''
Blackstone's Commentaries
The ''Commentaries on the Laws of England'' are an influential 18th-century treatise on the common law of England by Sir William Blackstone, originally published by the Clarendon Press at Oxford, 1765–1770. The work is divided into four volum ...
''. After thoroughly reading the book, Lincoln opts for the law after receiving encouragement from his early, ill-fated love,
Ann Rutledge
Ann Mayes Rutledge (January 7, 1813 – August 25, 1835) was allegedly Abraham Lincoln's first love.
Early life
Born near Henderson, Kentucky, Ann Mayes Rutledge was the third of 10 children born to Mary Ann Miller Rutledge and James Rutledge ...
(
Pauline Moore
Pauline Moore (born Pauline Joless Love; June 17, 1914 – December 7, 2001) was an American actress known for her roles in Western and B movies during the 1930s and 1940s.
Early years
Moore was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. After her fathe ...
), who soon dies. Too poor to own even a horse, he arrives in
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...
, on a mule and soon establishes a law practice in 1837 with his friend John Stuart (
Edwin Maxwell). After a raucous, day-long
Independence Day
An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Many ...
celebration, a man, Skrub White, is killed after he pulled a gun in a fight. The accused are two brothers, Matt and Adam Clay (
Richard Cromwell
Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who was the second and last Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and son of the first Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell.
On his father's deat ...
and
Eddie Quillan
Edward Quillan (March 31, 1907 – July 19, 1990) was an American film actor and singer whose career began as a child on the vaudeville stages and silent film and continued through the age of television in the 1980s.
Vaudeville and silent fi ...
). Lincoln prevents the lynching of the accused at the jail by shaming the angry, drunken mob. He also convinces it that he really needs the clients for his first real case.
Admiring his courage,
Mary Todd
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also cal ...
(
Marjorie Weaver
Marjorie Weaver (March 2, 1913 – October 1, 1994) was an American film actress of the 1930s through the early 1950s.
Early life, entrance into acting
Weaver was born in Crossville, Tennessee to John Thomas Weaver and his wife, Ellen (née Mar ...
) invites Lincoln to her sister's soiree. Despite being aggressively courted by the very polished
Stephen Douglas
Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which wa ...
(
Milburn Stone
Hugh Milburn Stone (July 5, 1904 – June 12, 1980) was an American actor, best known for his role as "Doc" (Dr. Galen Adams) on the CBS Western series '' Gunsmoke''.
Early life
Stone was born in Burrton, Kansas, to Herbert Stone and the for ...
), Mary is interested in Lincoln. She faithfully attends the trial of the Clay boys, sits in the front row, and listens closely.
The boys' mother, Abigail Clay (
Alice Brady
Alice Brady (born Mary Rose Brady; November 2, 1892 – October 28, 1939) was an American actress who began her career in the silent film era and survived the transition into talkies. She worked until six months before her death from cancer in ...
), who witnessed the end of the fight, and Lincoln are pressured by the prosecutor (
Donald Meek
Thomas Donald Meek (14 July 1878 – 18 November 1946) was a Scottish-American actor. He first performed publicly at the age of eight and began appearing on Broadway in 1903.
Meek is perhaps best known for his roles in the films '' You Can't ...
) to save one of the brothers at the expense of the other's conviction. However, the key witness to the crime, J. Palmer Cass (
Ward Bond
Wardell Edwin Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series ''Wagon Train'' from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are Be ...
), is a friend of the victim who claims to have seen the murder at a distance of about 100 yards under the light of the moon: "It was moon bright." However, Lincoln persists and is able, by using an almanac, to demonstrate that on the night in question, the moon had set before the time of death. He then drives Cass to confess that he had actually stabbed his friend.
Cast
*
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics.
Born and ra ...
as
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...
*
Alice Brady
Alice Brady (born Mary Rose Brady; November 2, 1892 – October 28, 1939) was an American actress who began her career in the silent film era and survived the transition into talkies. She worked until six months before her death from cancer in ...
as Abigail Clay (final film role)
*
Marjorie Weaver
Marjorie Weaver (March 2, 1913 – October 1, 1994) was an American film actress of the 1930s through the early 1950s.
Early life, entrance into acting
Weaver was born in Crossville, Tennessee to John Thomas Weaver and his wife, Ellen (née Mar ...
as
Mary Todd
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also cal ...
*
Arleen Whelan
Arleen Whelan (September 1, 1916 – April 7, 1993) was an American film actress.
Early years
Whelan was a native of Salt Lake City, Utah. Before she became an actress, she worked in Southern California as a manicurist, contributing her ea ...
as Sarah Clay
*
Eddie Collins
Edward Trowbridge Collins Sr. (May 2, 1887 – March 25, 1951), nicknamed "Cocky", was an American professional baseball player, manager and executive. He played as a second baseman in Major League Baseball from to for the Philadelphia Athlet ...
as Efe Turner
*
Pauline Moore
Pauline Moore (born Pauline Joless Love; June 17, 1914 – December 7, 2001) was an American actress known for her roles in Western and B movies during the 1930s and 1940s.
Early years
Moore was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. After her fathe ...
as
Ann Rutledge
Ann Mayes Rutledge (January 7, 1813 – August 25, 1835) was allegedly Abraham Lincoln's first love.
Early life
Born near Henderson, Kentucky, Ann Mayes Rutledge was the third of 10 children born to Mary Ann Miller Rutledge and James Rutledge ...
*
Richard Cromwell
Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who was the second and last Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and son of the first Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell.
On his father's deat ...
as Matt Clay
*
Donald Meek
Thomas Donald Meek (14 July 1878 – 18 November 1946) was a Scottish-American actor. He first performed publicly at the age of eight and began appearing on Broadway in 1903.
Meek is perhaps best known for his roles in the films '' You Can't ...
as Prosecutor John Felder
*
Dorris Bowdon
Dorris Estelle Bowdon (December 27, 1914 – August 9, 2005) was an American actress, best known for her role as ''Rosasharn'' in ''The Grapes of Wrath''
Early life
Dorris Estelle Bowdon was born on December 27, 1914, in Coldwater, Mississip ...
as Carrie Sue (Judith Dickens, who was obviously replaced by Bowden, is falsely credited)
*
Eddie Quillan
Edward Quillan (March 31, 1907 – July 19, 1990) was an American film actor and singer whose career began as a child on the vaudeville stages and silent film and continued through the age of television in the 1980s.
Vaudeville and silent fi ...
as Adam Clay
*
Spencer Charters
Spencer Charters (March 25, 1875 – January 25, 1943) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 220 films between 1920 and 1943, mostly in small supporting roles.
Biography
Charters was born in Duncannon, Pennsylvania. Until ...
as Judge Herbert A. Bell
*
Ward Bond
Wardell Edwin Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series ''Wagon Train'' from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are Be ...
as John Palmer Cass
*
Milburn Stone
Hugh Milburn Stone (July 5, 1904 – June 12, 1980) was an American actor, best known for his role as "Doc" (Dr. Galen Adams) on the CBS Western series '' Gunsmoke''.
Early life
Stone was born in Burrton, Kansas, to Herbert Stone and the for ...
as
Stephen A. Douglas
*
Cliff Clark
Cliff Clark (June 10, 1889 – February 8, 1953) was an American actor. He entered the film business in 1937 after a substantial stage career and appeared in over 200 Hollywood films. In the last years of his life, he also played in a numb ...
as Sheriff Gil Billing
*
Fred Kohler Jr.
Fred Kohler Jr. (July 8, 1911 – January 7, 1993) was an American actor who performed in a number of Westerns such as '' The Pecos Kid'' and '' Toll of the Desert''. He played nearly 130 film and television roles between 1929 and 1978.
Kohler ...
as Skrub White (uncredited)
Background
The film has as its basis the murder case against
William "Duff" Armstrong, which took place in 1858 at the courthouse in
Beardstown, Illinois
Beardstown is a city in Cass County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,951 at the 2020 census. The public schools are in Beardstown Community Unit School District 15.
Geography
Beardstown is located at (40.012189, -90.428711) on ...
, the only courthouse in which Lincoln practiced law that is still in use.
It is referred to as the "Almanac Trial" on Armstrong's grave, and Lincoln proved the witness against the accused was lying about being able to see by the light of the moon, using an almanac. Armstrong was acquitted.
Adaptations
''Young Mr. Lincoln'' was adapted as a radio play on the July 10, 1946 episode of
Academy Award Theater
''Academy Award'' (also listed as ''Academy Award Theater)''Terrace, Vincent. (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . p. 8. is a CBS radio anthology series, which presented 30-minute ...
.
Academy Award Theater archives at the Internet Archive
/ref>
The Village Theatre Village Theatre is a major regional theatre located in the Seattle metropolitan area. It is a member of Theatre Puget Sound and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre. The theatre was founded in Issaquah, Washington, in 1979 and built a second lo ...
of Everett and Issaquah, Washington
Issaquah ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 40,051 at the 2020 census. Located in a valley and bisected by Interstate 90, the city is bordered by the Sammamish Plateau to the north and the " Issaquah Al ...
has commissioned a new musical based on the film titled '' Lincoln in Love'', book and lyrics by Peter S. Kellogg and music by David Friedman.
See also
* List of American films of 1939
A list of American films released in 1939.
'' Gone with the Wind'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
#
A–B
C–D
E–F
G–H
I–J
K–L
M–N
O–R
S–T
U–Z
See also
* 1939 in the United States
References
...
* List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, a film has a rating of 100% if each professional review recorded by the website is assessed as positive rather than negative. The percentage is based on the film's reviews aggregated by the web ...
, a film review aggregator website
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
''Young Mr. Lincoln: Hero in Waiting''
an essay by Geoffrey O'Brien at the Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cine ...
{{Authority control
1939 films
1930s biographical drama films
1930s English-language films
1930s historical drama films
1939 Western (genre) films
American Western (genre) films
20th Century Fox films
American biographical drama films
American black-and-white films
American courtroom films
American historical drama films
Biographical films about Abraham Lincoln
Fictional depictions of Abraham Lincoln in film
Films about lawyers
Films about presidents of the United States
Films directed by John Ford
Films scored by Alfred Newman
Films scored by Louis Silvers
Films set in Illinois
Films set in the 1830s
Films with screenplays by Lamar Trotti
United States National Film Registry films
1930s American films