''Am I Guilty?'' is a 1940 American film directed by

Samuel Neufeld Sam Newfield, born Samuel Neufeld (December 6, 1899 – November 10, 1964), also known as Sherman Scott or Peter Stewart, was an American Film director, director, one of the most prolific in American film history—he is credited with directin ...

for the

Supreme Pictures Corporation Supreme Pictures Corporation was a film production company in the United States. It produced dozens of Western genre films. It was run by Sam Katzman and A. W. Hackel. A. W. Hackel's Supreme Pictures, should not be confused with Alfred T. Mannon ...

. The film's producer A. W. Hackel, who had founded Supreme Pictures, planned a series of films featuring black casts, but ''Am I Guilty?'' was the only one to be released. The screenplay was cowritten by Earle Snell and George Wallace Sayre based on a story by

Sherman Lowe Sherman L. Lowe (born Salt Lake City, Utah, United States (or Russia), 18 October 1894; died 24 Jan 1968, Los Angeles, California, United States) was an American screenwriter. He was a writer of the Frank Buck serial Jungle Menace. Early life Sh ...

. Toddy Pictures rereleased the film as ''Racket Doctor'' in 1945. Advertisements for the film, including a

lobby card A film poster is a poster used to promote and advertise a film primarily to persuade paying customers into a theater to see it. Studios often print several posters that vary in size and content for various domestic and international markets. The ...

, remain in existence, and a poster was appraised on an episode of the PBS show ''

Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people ( ...

''. ''

The Pittsburgh Courier The ''Pittsburgh Courier'' was an African American weekly newspaper published in Pittsburgh from 1907 until October 22, 1966. By the 1930s, the ''Courier'' was one of the leading black newspapers in the United States. It was acquired in 1965 by ...

'' described a gala opening at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

Plot

Extraordinary measures are taken to help the poor as a young doctor opens a

free clinic A free clinic or walk in clinic is a health care facility in the United States offering services to economically disadvantaged individuals for free or at a nominal cost. The need for such a clinic arises in societies where there is no universal ...

Cast

Ralph Cooper Ralph Cooper (January 16, 1908 – August 4, 1992), was an American actor, screenwriter, dancer and choreographer. Cooper is best known as the original master of ceremonies and founder of amateur night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York ...

as Dr. James Dunbar * Sybil Lewis as Joan Freeman *

Sam McDaniel Samuel Rufus McDaniel (January 28, 1886September 24, 1962)Tanner, Beccy (November 7, 1991)"McDaniel Opened Doors; 'Gone With the Wind' Was Actress' Most Famous Film" ''The Wichita Eagle''. Retrieved January 3, 2021. was an American actor who ap ...

as John D. Jones *

Lawrence Criner Laurence Criner (19 July 1898 – 8 March 1965) born John Laurence Criner, occasionally credited as J. Lawrence Criner, was an actor in the United States. An African-American, he had numerous film roles including as the male lead and star. He ...

as "Trigger" Bennett * Marcella Moreland as Marcella *

Monte Hawley Monte Hawley (25 October 1901 – 30 November 1950) was an American actor from Chicago, Illinois. Biography He began his entertainment career as one of the original Lafayette Players. He studied under Richard B. Harrison and, after moving to N ...

Pigmeat Markham Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham (April 18, 1904 – December 13, 1981) was an African American entertainer. Though best known as a comedian, Markham was also a singer, dancer, and actor. His nickname came from a stage routine, in which he declared himse ...

Reginald Fenderson Reginald Hartley Fenderson (December 28, 1911 – August 16, 1986) was an American actor in theatrical productions and films in the United States. He appeared in various films with African American casts in the 1930s and 1940s. Reginald Fenderson ...

* Clarence Brooks *

Jess Lee Brooks Jess Lee Brooks (June 9, 1894"United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V4D7-QLS : Fri Feb 23 23:06:14 UTC 2024), Entry for Jess Lee Brooks, 1942."United States, Social ...

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0032199, title=Am I Guilty? 1940 films Toddy Pictures Company films American black-and-white films 1940s English-language films Race films American crime drama films 1940 crime drama films Films set in Manhattan Films set in hospitals 1940s American films Films with screenplays by Sherman Lowe English-language crime films