| “ | Maybe I shouldn't say this, Your Honor, but I accuse my parents. | ” |
| - Jimmy Wilson |
- For the episode, see MST3K 507 - I Accuse My Parents.
- For the MADS presentation, see MADS - I Accuse My Parents.
I Accuse My Parents is a 1944 crime drama directed by Sam Newfield.
Plot[]
I Accuse My Parents
Mild-mannered teen Jimmy Wilson appears before a judge on charges of manslaughter. 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 flashes back to Jimmy in high school when he received an award for an essay describing the ideal home he supposedly had. Eager to tell his parents, he goes home to a house full of empty alcohol bottles and parents arguing with each other. Jimmy is embarrassed when his mother shows up drunk to the graduation planning committee. Later, his father gives him money instead of celebrating his birthday with him.
After graduating, Jimmy gets a job selling shoes and meets lounge singer Kitty Reed. He delivers a pair of shoes to her house and then meets her later at the nightclub where she works. The two begin dating, with Jimmy unaware that Kitty is also the girlfriend of gangster Charles Blake, who specializes in trafficking stolen jewelry. Blake recruits the gullible Jimmy to deliver packages and messages after work. Jim gets paid well for his errands, so he never questions what exactly he is delivering.
I Accuse My Parents
Charles forces Kitty to break up with Jimmy after he realizes that their relationship is becoming serious. Shortly afterward, Jimmy drives two of Charlie's henchmen to a late-night "errand," which turns out to be a robbery where a night watchman is shot. Realizing what he's gotten involved in, Jimmy turns to his father, who ignores him. Jimmy confronts Blake, but Blake threatens to kill him if he does not continue working for him. Police identify Jimmy as the driver of the getaway car, and Blake sends his men to kill Jimmy.
Fearing for his life, Jimmy packs a suitcase and leaves the city. He passes through a small town where he attempts to rob a diner. The kindly diner owner Al recognizes Jimmy as a good boy in a bad situation, and offers him a safe place to live and a job as long as Jimmy agrees to give up crime and start going to church. After a period of working for Al, Jimmy confesses to his crimes. Al agrees to accompany Jimmy back home where Jimmy will turn himself in.
Back in Jimmy's hometown, Al takes him to see 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 Jimmy along with the rest of Blake's gang.
Returning to the courtroom, the judge acquits Jimmy of manslaughter but finds him guilty on charges of possession of stolen property. The judge gives Jimmy a five-year suspended sentence and two years' probation, remanding him to the custody of his parents until he is twenty-one. The judge then addresses Jimmy's parents (and the viewers), warning that any young man could suffer the same fate as Jimmy if left to neglectful parents.
Cast[]
- Mary Beth Hughes as Kitty Reed
- Robert Lowell as Jimmy Wilson
- John Miljan as Dan Wilson
- Vivienne Osborne as Mrs. Wilson
- George Meeker as Charles Blake
- George Lloyd as Al Frazier
Notes[]
- Produced by PRC, the film was used to teach morals, specifically that parents should take an interest in their children's lives, as well as the consequences (emotional and psychological) of child neglect.
- 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.
- George Meeker and Mary Beth Hughes had previously portrayed a husband and wife in the highly-regarded western The Ox-Bow Incident.
- This film premiered on November 4, 1944 but did not have a wide release until October 27, 1945.
MST3K Connections[]
- Director Sam Newfield was also director for The Mad Monster, Lost Continent, and Radar Secret Service.
- Mary Beth Hughes also portrayed Terry Williams in Last of the Wild Horses.
- Edward Earle (judge) also portrayed Professor Anderson in The She-Creature.
- Mauritz Hugo (Blake's henchman) also portrayed Hardy in Space Travelers.
- Harold Miller (party guest) also portrayed an official in The Amazing Colossal Man and a party guest in The She-Creature.
- Bud Osborne (Mr. Carlton) also portrayed Mac in Bride of the Monster.
- Paul Power (nightclub patron) also portrayed a wedding guest in The Corpse Vanishes.
- Art director Paul Palmentola was also art director for Teen-Age Crime Wave.
- Assistant director Melville De Lay was also assistant director for The Mad Monster.
- Special effects technician Ray Mercer also did visual effects for Lost Continent and The Beast of Yucca Flats, as well as special effects for Radar Secret Service, Last of the Wild Horses, and The Sinister Urge.
- Costume jeweller Eugene Joseff was also costume jeweller for The Mad Monster and The Corpse Vanishes.