David Marshall Williams is sent to a prison farm where he works in the tool shop and eventually develops the precursor of the famous M-1 Carbine automatic rifle used in World War II.David Marshall Williams is sent to a prison farm where he works in the tool shop and eventually develops the precursor of the famous M-1 Carbine automatic rifle used in World War II.David Marshall Williams is sent to a prison farm where he works in the tool shop and eventually develops the precursor of the famous M-1 Carbine automatic rifle used in World War II.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn the film, all of the men working on the still with Williams were white. But in reality, it was five African-American men, all of whom testified against Williams at trial.
- Quotes
Marsh Williams: But there isn't enough time Maggie. You can have enough of everything else. You can enough food, you can enough land, you can even have enough money, but you never can have enough time, because it's the only thing you can't save.
- Crazy creditsEPILOGUE: "The film concludes with the following written acknowledgment: 'Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gratefully acknowledges the cooperation of the North Carolina prison authorities and wishes to state that the penal system existing in North Carolina today has been improved immeasurably over conditions depicted in the picture.'"
- Alternate versionsOriginally filmed in black-and-white, it is also shown in a computer colorized version.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Sid & Judy (2019)
Marsh Willliams (James Stewart) is a guy with a chip on his shoulder, running a still during Prohibition. He is doing this for economic reasons, and also, like most people, thought that the 18th amendment was ridiculous. When his still is surrounded by federal agents. Marsh, along with the others working the still, run but first return fire with the agents, and one agent is killed. Convinced by his wife (Jean Hagen) to surrender, his murder trial ends in a mistrial - it could not be determined who fired the fatal shot - and Williams decides to plead guilty to second degree murder rather than have his father sell some of his land to pay for a second trial. He is sentenced to thirty years hard labor and unsuccessfully tries to convince his wife to divorce him so she can remarry somebody who can be with her.
On one level the film is a pseudo biography of Williams in prison and how he develops a semi-automatic rifle using just the tools he has in the prison blacksmith shop, and how focusing on that task literally changes his personality for the better. On another level it is a scathing indictment of the prison system and its brutality as it existed in the US until the middle of the twentieth century.
Jean Hagen plays Marsh's devoted and loyal wife, and Wendell Corey is good as H. T. Peoples, the warden of the prison farm Williams lands at after spending time in some horrendous places such as the chain gain and the rock pile. Peoples wants to know what makes Williams tick, but Williams keeps testing his authority in front of the other prisoners, creating a dangerous situation for himself should he just let these incidents go. When Williams ends up lasting 30 days in "the hole" when no other prisoner could endure a week he wants to know why, and the answer is intriguing.
At its core, Carbine Williams is a story of resilience, innovation, and redemption. Carbine's determination to develop a safer and more efficient firearm mechanism while serving time in prison is both inspirational and a testament to the human spirit's capacity for growth and change. The film does an excellent job of highlighting the importance of second chances and the potential for individuals to make positive contributions to society, even after making grave mistakes.
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Man with a Record
- Filming locations
- 275 Winchester Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut, USA(opening establishing shot of the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. building - converted to apartments in 2014)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,111,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1