Young Mr. Lincoln (film, 1939)
Young Mr. Lincoln is a 1939 film by director John Ford, starring Henry Fonda as Abraham Lincoln during his early years in New Salem and Springfield, Illinois. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for best writing, original story (Lamar Trotti), and in 2003 was placed in the National Film Registry by the National Film Preservation Board.
Contents
Plot synopsis
Young Abe Lincoln is just starting out in life, beginning a career as a country lawyer when two men are accused of murder; the only witness is a swarthy individual who claimed to have saw it under the light of a full moon.
Cast
- Henry Fonda........Abraham Lincoln
- Alice Brady........Abigail Clay
- Marjorie Weaver....Mary Todd
- Arleen Whelan......Sarah Clay
- Eddie Collins......Efe Turner
- Pauline Moore......Ann Rutledge
- Richard Cromwell...Matt Clay
- Donald Meek........Prosecutor John Felder
- Judith Dickens.....Carrie Sue
- Eddie Quillan......Adam Clay
- Spencer Charters...Judge Herbert A. Bell
- Ward Bond..........John Palmer Cass
Trivia
Henry Fonda felt he was never qualified to play America's 16th president, feeling he was too small to play such a great man. He changed his mind when he was asked to do a make-up test and saw the stunning result.
The film was based upon a real-life case: the William Armstrong murder case of 1856 in which he had to defend the son of a good friend. Although the film heavily fictionalized the case and set it back in time over twenty years, several key elements were retained for dramatic effect.
