Am I Guilty? Explained

Am I Guilty? is a 1940 American film directed by Samuel Neufeld for the Supreme Pictures Corporation. The film's producer A. W. Hackel, who had founded Supreme Pictures, planned a series of films featuring black casts, but Am I Guilty? was the only one to be released.^[1] The screenplay was cowritten by Earle Snell and George Wallace Sayre based on a story by Sherman Lowe. Toddy Pictures rereleased the film as Racket Doctor in 1945.^[2] ^[3] Advertisements for the film, including a lobby card, remain in existence,^[4] and a poster was appraised on an episode of the PBS show Antiques Roadshow.

The Pittsburgh Courier described a gala opening at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.^[5]

Plot

Extraordinary measures are taken to help the poor^[6] as a young doctor opens a free clinic in Harlem.^[7]

Cast

Ralph Cooper as Dr. James Dunbar
Sybil Lewis as Joan Freeman
Sam McDaniel as John D. Jones
Lawrence Criner as "Trigger" Bennett
Marcella Moreland as Marcella^[8]
Monte Hawley
Pigmeat Markham
Reginald Fenderson
Clarence Brooks^[9]

Notes and References

Book: Pitts, Michael R.. Poverty Row Studios, 1929-1940: An Illustrated History of 55 Independent Film Companies, with a Filmography for Each. July 25, 2005. McFarland. 9780786423194. Google Books.
Web site: RACKET DOCTOR (1940; ca. 1945 reissue). W. S. I.. Genesis.
Web site: Antiques Roadshow | Appraisal: "Racket Doctor" Movie Poster, ca. 1940 | Season 24 | Episode 22 . www.pbs.org.
Web site: Am I Guilty?, lobbycard, Ralph Cooper, 1940. . Getty Images.
Web site: Am I Guilty? (1940). October 5, 1940. 21. newspapers.com.
Book: Historical Dictionary of African American Cinema. S. Torriano. Berry. Venise T.. Berry. January 26, 2007. Scarecrow Press. 9780810864641. Google Books.
Web site: Am I Guilty? (1940). www.blu-ray.com.
Web site: Am I Guilty?. www.tcm.com.
Book: Bogle, Donald. Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams: The Story of Black Hollywood. February 19, 2009. Random House Publishing Group. 9780307514936. Google Books.