''I Accuse My Parents'' is a 1944

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that seeks commercial success by capitalizing on current trends, niche genres, or sensational content. Exploitation films often feature themes such as suggestive or explicit sex, sensational violence, drug use, nudi ...

dealing with

juvenile delinquency Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior younger than the statutory age of majority. These acts would be considered crimes if the individuals committing them were older. The term ...

. Produced by

PRC China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the second-most populous country after India, representing 17.4% of the world population. China spans the e ...

, the film was used to teach morals, specifically that parents should take an interest in their children's lives, as well as the consequences (both emotionally and psychologically) of child neglect. It premiered on November 4,

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...

and was released generally on October 27, 1945.

Plot

Mild-mannered teen James "Jimmy" Wilson (Robert Lowell) appears before a judge on charges of

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...

. When asked to speak in his own defense, he pauses, and reflects to say; "I accuse my parents" for not giving him the home life he should have had. The film then flashes back to a day in high school, when Jim was given an award for an essay describing the ideal home he supposedly has. Eager to tell his parents, he goes home to a house full of empty liquor bottles, and parents distracted by arguing with each other. Jimmy is embarrassed when his mother (Vivienne Osbourne) shows up drunk to the graduation planning committee. Later, his father (

John Miljan John Miljan (November 9, 1892 – January 24, 1960) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1924 and 1958. Biography Born in 1892, Miljan was the tall, smooth-talking villain in Hollywood films for almost four deca ...

) gives him money instead of celebrating his birthday with him. Jim gets a job selling shoes after school and meets

torch singer ''Torch Singer'' is a 1933 American pre-Code Paramount Pictures film directed by Alexander Hall and George Somnes and starring Claudette Colbert, Ricardo Cortez, David Manners and Lyda Roberti. The screenplay was written by Lenore J. Coffee ...

Kitty Reed (

Mary Beth Hughes Mary Elizabeth Hughes (November 13, 1919 Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume''. Perigee Books. . P. 586. – August 27, 1995) was an American film, television, a ...

). He delivers a pair of shoes to her house and then meets her later at the nightclub where she works. The two begin dating, Jim unaware that Kitty is also the moll of

gangster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''Organized crime, mob'' and the suffix ''wikt:-ster, -st ...

Charles Blake (

George Meeker George Meeker (March 5, 1904 – August 19, 1984 ) was an American Character actor, character film and Broadway theatre, Broadway actor. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Meeker made several films such as ''Crime, Inc.'' (1 ...

), who specialises in

fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...

stolen jewellery. Blake identifies Jimmy as sufficiently gullible and recruits him to deliver packages and messages after work and school. Jim gets paid highly for his errands, so he never questions what exactly he is delivering. Charles forces Kitty to break up with Jimmy after he realizes their relationship is becoming serious. Shortly afterward, Jim drives two of Charlie's henchmen to a late-night "errand," which turns out to be a robbery in which a night watchman is shot. Realizing what he's got himself involved with, Jimmy turns to his father, who rebuffs him. Jimmy confronts Blake himself, but Blake threatens to kill him if he does not continue working for him. After the police identify Jimmy as the driver of the getaway car, Blake sends his men to kill Jimmy, but the execution is interrupted, when two passersby happen upon the scene, causing the men to flee and leave behind a beaten Jimmy. Fearing for his life, Jimmy packs a suitcase and spends an indeterminate amount of time

hitchhiking Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Signaling ...

and train-hopping. He ends up in a small town where he attempts to rob a diner, but the kindly owner, Al ( George Lloyd), recognises Jimmy as a good boy in a bad situation, and offers him safe harbor and a job, as long as he agrees to give up crime and start going to church. After a period of living and working for Al, Jimmy's life straightens up and he confesses to his crimes. Al agrees to accompany Jimmy back home to turn himself in. Back in Jimmy's hometown, Al takes him to confront Kitty, who confesses that she was forced to break up with him. Jimmy then goes to confront Blake one more time, in the hopes that Blake will also turn himself in to help clear Jimmy's name. Blake refuses and instead pulls a gun on Jimmy; Jimmy attempts to wrestle the gun away, accidentally shooting and killing Blake in the process. The police, alerted by Al, storm Blake's hideout and arrest his men, along with Jimmy. Back in the present, the judge, understanding why Jimmy accuses his parents, acquits Jimmy of manslaughter. However, the judge also finds him guilty on charges of possession of stolen property, gives him a five-year

suspended sentence A suspended sentence is a sentence on conviction for a criminal offence, the serving of which the court orders to be deferred in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation. If the defendant does not break the law during that ...

and two years'

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offence (law), offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incar ...

and remands him to the custody of his parents until he is twenty-one. The judge then addresses Jimmy's parents ( and the camera), warning that any young man could suffer the same fate as Jimmy if left to neglectful parents. The film concludes with a title card informing the audience that the production company is paying all costs to send the film overseas to entertain troops fighting

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Cast

* Robert Lowell as James "Jimmy" Wilson — Student *

as Kitty Reed — Torch singer *

as Dan Wilson — Father * Vivienne Osborne as Mrs. Wilson — Mother *

as Charles Blake — Gangster *

Edward Earle Edward Earle (16 July 1882 – 15 December 1972) was a Canadian-American stage, film and television actor. In a career which lasted from the 1910s to 1966, he appeared in almost 400 films between 1914 and 1956. He was born in Toronto and died ...

as Judge * George Lloyd as Al Frazier — Diner owner * Patricia Knox as Vera Moore — Kitty's roommate * Florence Johnson as Shirley Clark * Richard Bartell as Joe Holden — Jimmy's boss

''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' episode

''I Accuse My Parents'' was featured in an episode of ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then ...

'' in 1993, along with the

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short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

''The Truck Farmer''.

Home media

Alpha Video Alpha Video (also known as Alpha Home Entertainment) is an entertainment company founded in 1985 as New Age Video, based near Philadelphia, that specializes in the manufacturing and marketing of public domain movies and TV shows on DVD. Alp ...

released the film on Region 1 DVD in 2004.I Accuse My Parents
''oldies.com''. Retrieved October 26, 2020. * The ''MST3K'' version of the film was released by Rhino Home Video in 2002.

References

External links