2h 8min | Biography, Drama, History | 25 June 1960 | b/w, ws
Director: Stanley Kramer
Stars: Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, Dick York, Harry Morgan, Claude Akins, Elliott Reid.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053946/
5th of 16 director credits for SK; 23rd of 36 producer credits; one of ~30 films credited to his production company.
1st of 4 collaborations of SK & ST.
Last of 8 film credits for DY.
From IMDb trivia: "The second of three films in a row where Stanley Kramer cast the biggest former M-G-M musical stars in unexpected dramatic roles: Gene Kelly in this film, following Fred Astaire in On the Beach (1959), and followed by Judy Garland in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)."
Another item: "The actual Scopes Monkey Trial testimony was quite dull, until Clarence Darrow (Drummond) called William Jennings Bryan (Brady) as a defense witness. Firing questions about the earth's origins and Adam and Eve, Darrow quickly forced Bryan into raging contradictions, proving his point that the Bible, in light of scientific knowledge, cannot be interpreted literally."
The primary argument at this (film's) trial seems to be that we must be free to examine all ideas. I'm not sure that washes for high school, which is where DY taught. Hopefully in high school students learn fundamentals that are most widely accepted as true. College is an excellent place to examine all ideas. Since Creationism springs from a specific religion(s), our separation of church and state prevents it from being taught as truth in public school.
GK plays a cynical reporter, based on HL Mencken. If GK really was cynical in real life, how did he create such glorious art?
One of the better courtroom dramas, it has a definite bias against FM/Brady/Bryan/Creationism.
