Number 218 on IMDb's Top 250
"He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart." Proverbs 11:29. Teacher B.T. Cates (Dick York) is arrested for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution. Famous lawyer Henry Drummond (Spencer Tracy) defends him; fundamentalist politician Matthew Brady (Fredric March) prosecutes. Hilarity ensues. This is a very thinly disguised rendition of the 1925 "Scopes monkey trial" with debates between Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan taken largely from the transcripts.
Trivia: When Stanley Kramer offered the role of E.K. Hornbeck to Gene Kelly, Kelly initially turned it down. Kramer told him that his co-stars would be Fredric March and Spencer Tracy, and Kelly changed his mind. This was a risky move on Kramer's part, as he had not yet asked March or Tracy to participate. When Drummond's attempt to call scientific experts to the stand to testify in behalf of the defense is thwarted, Stanley Kramer adds a couple of elements from the actual Scopes Trial, combining the fiery closing of Clarence Darrow's speech on the motion to quash the indictment with the change in which Judge Raulston cited Darrow for contempt.
This was a very good courtroom drama. Of course that is what happens when you have two extraordinary actors work off of each other. Between March and Tracy there are 14 Oscar nominations and 4 wins (two each). Now that is a pedigree. They even through Gene Kelly in as a smarmy reporter who can toss out snide remarks at the drop of a hat (although I don't think there is any way he could have gotten to the defense table so that he could dole out the comic relief within earshot of the prosecution, even if his paper paid for the defense attorney.) All in all a good solid movie.
Next Up: Rafifi...means trouble.
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