They Won't Forget (1937)
(Mervyn LeRoy, US 1937, 95 min., 35mm)
In 1913, factory supervisor Leo Frank was arrested for the murder of employee Mary Phagan, quickly tried, and sentenced to death. The trial sent shockwaves through the nation, as papers published rumors and innuendo in an effort to sell as many issues as possible, capitalizing on the murder investigation. Two decades later, author Ward Greene published a fictionalized account of the trial and aftermath, titled Death in the Deep South, which They Won’t Forget is based on. In the film, Edward Norris plays the northerner accused of the crime, and Claude Rains is the ambitious district attorney who dedicates himself to riding the case all the way to a political career. Lana Turner, in her first screen role, has a memorable appearance as the victim, Mary Clay, which garnered her the nickname “The Sweater Girl.”