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IMDbPro

Let No Man Write My Epitaph

  • 1960
  • Approved
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
703
YOUR RATING
Ricardo Montalban, Shelley Winters, James Darren, Ella Fitzgerald, Burl Ives, and Jean Seberg in Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960)
Soap OperaCrimeDrama

In this sequel to "Knock On Any Door", the residents of a Chicago tenement building band together to insure that the son of Nick Romano does not follow in his father's footsteps...to the ele... Read allIn this sequel to "Knock On Any Door", the residents of a Chicago tenement building band together to insure that the son of Nick Romano does not follow in his father's footsteps...to the electric chair.In this sequel to "Knock On Any Door", the residents of a Chicago tenement building band together to insure that the son of Nick Romano does not follow in his father's footsteps...to the electric chair.

  • Director
    • Philip Leacock
  • Writers
    • Robert Presnell Jr.
    • Willard Motley
  • Stars
    • Burl Ives
    • Shelley Winters
    • James Darren
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    703
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Philip Leacock
    • Writers
      • Robert Presnell Jr.
      • Willard Motley
    • Stars
      • Burl Ives
      • Shelley Winters
      • James Darren
    • 24User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Photos8

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    Top cast48

    Edit
    Burl Ives
    Burl Ives
    • Judge Bruce Mallory Sullivan
    Shelley Winters
    Shelley Winters
    • Nellie Romano
    James Darren
    James Darren
    • Nick Romano
    Jean Seberg
    Jean Seberg
    • Barbara Holloway
    Ricardo Montalban
    Ricardo Montalban
    • Louis Ramponi
    Ella Fitzgerald
    Ella Fitzgerald
    • Flora
    Rodolfo Acosta
    Rodolfo Acosta
    • Max
    • (as Rudolph Acosta)
    Philip Ober
    Philip Ober
    • Grant Holloway
    Jeanne Cooper
    Jeanne Cooper
    • Fran
    Bernie Hamilton
    Bernie Hamilton
    • Goodbye George
    Walter Burke
    Walter Burke
    • Wart
    Francis De Sales
    Francis De Sales
    • Night Court Magistrate
    • (as Francis DeSales)
    Michael Davis
    Michael Davis
    • Nick Romano (Child)
    John Barton
    • Courtroom Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    Arthur Berkeley
    • Derelict
    • (uncredited)
    Oscar Blank
    • Bar Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Phil Bloom
    Phil Bloom
    • Man in Shelter
    • (uncredited)
    Nesdon Booth
    • Mike
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Philip Leacock
    • Writers
      • Robert Presnell Jr.
      • Willard Motley
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews24

    7.0703
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    Featured reviews

    8Lorddavud1

    "Big Daddy" Rocks The House

    This film is one of the favorite memories from my childhood. My memory said that Sal Mineo was in it, so I was a little surprised to see that it was actually James Darren. Not as good an actor as Sal, but a good looking kid, who could sing. Shelley Winters is beautiful in it, but very needy. Ella is a bonus. Burl Ives is bigger than life. And, you get to see Ricardo Montalban as a pre Mr. Roarke, pre Chrysler New Yorker ("Fine Corinthian leather"), bad guy. The climatic finale has stayed with me all these years. I always thought it was an older movie, but I guess it was just the genre and the cinematography. A little hokey, by today's standards, but a classic none the same.
    9adsqueiroz

    Excellent film!

    What a film! A classic or a thriller, I don't know, but it sure is one of those films for you not to miss. It is already one of my favorite classics. A story that makes you understand how it is important to pursue a dream, a dream of not letting a child follow the footsteps of a criminal father. A story that teaches us some important values. It is a struggle for life and an excellent opportunity for us to think about this problem. Drugs, violence and alcohol are some of the matters that make this film an important issue to discuss about. Good casting and acting also help to make this film a must-see. It is a classic worth watching.
    6marcslope

    So gritty it gets your fingernails dirty

    Kind of a cross between "West Side Story" (though it's Chicago's West Side) and "Golden Boy" without Clifford Odets' lyricism, this sleaze-obsessed melodrama benefits from location filming that shows how awful the Chicago slums looked in 1960 and a motley, oddball cast. James Darren is the sensitive hood/concert pianist (and though he's proficient at the keyboard, he's hardly the prodigy the script makes him out to be), being raised by Shelley Winters at her Shelley Wintersiest, screaming and sobbing and unhinging easily. She and an assembly of longtime slum pals, including an uninteresting Burl Ives as a drunken ex-judge, are trying to give the kid a decent upbringing amid all the squalor. There are also Ricardo Montalban, excellent as an insidiously evil-charming dope peddler; Ella Fitzgerald, who gets to act a bit and isn't bad; and Jean Seberg, not quite credible as the Lake Shore girl Darren loves. The direction is uninspired, and the screenplay a little contrived (when it wants us to know Ives loves Winters, it just has him confess to the camera), but what's fascinating is the brio with which the filmmakers depict all the sex and violence and addiction and grimness. It's as if they were trying to show how grownup they are by thrusting all that misery in your face. It moves fast, and if your attention starts to wander, be assured, Shelley Winters will be erupting again soon.
    7wes-connors

    Happiness Is a Warm Gun

    James Darren (as Nick "Nicky" Romano) grows up innocently, in the slums of Chicago. He's the illegitimate son of the original "Nick Romano", from "Knock on Any Door" (1949). Gin-medicating mom Shelley Winters (as Nellie Romano) does the best she can raising Mr. Darren; she hopes his musical talent will help him to achieve a better life, unlike his father. Ms. Winters, to her credit, organizes a nurturing group of deadbeats. Chief among them is boozing co-dependent judge Burl Ives (as Bruce M. Sullivan). Together, they raise Darren well, but the Chicago underworld threatens to drag him down…

    Interesting "sequel" (of sorts); actually, this is an adaptation of Willard Motley third novel, "Let No Man Write My Epitaph", which was a follow-up to his first, "Knock on Any Door". The earlier film starred John Derek and Humphrey Bogart, and lacked much of the realism needed to accurately tell the story. There are some allusions to the earlier film; the shot of the adult Romano (Darren) ascending a stairway recalls the earlier film, as does a picture of the original Romano. This film is much better scripted; and, importantly, Chicago denizens could be shown selling, and using, Heroin. The drug use becomes a very big part of the picture.

    This film isn't without flaws; and, for most of the early running time, it teeters so close to plodding, soapy melodrama, you might get disenchanted. However, growing characterizations from the three leads, and nice location photography, enhance the production. Additionally, there are good supporting performances; from, for example, smarmy Ricardo Montalban (as Louie) and legless Walter Burke (as Wart). And, of course, Ella Fitzgerald (as Flora) sings beautifully.

    Around the time (at about 1:11) Mr. Ives has a saloon scene with Ms. Fitzgerald in the background (after a fix), the film really takes off. Situations become significantly more obvious. Darren, Winters, and Ives have big dramatic, well-played scenes. The intensity of the film heightens, to quite a very exciting conclusion.

    ******* Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960) Phillip Leacock ~ James Darren, Shelley Winters, Burl Ives
    bux

    Top-flight cast in a great sequel to "Knock On any Door" (1949)

    In this sequel to "Knock On Any Door" (1949) we find Nick Romano's illegitimate son being raised by his mother and a band of well intentioned, but flawed residents of a tennement slum. Winters as his drug addicted mother, and Montalban as her pusher are stand-out performances. It is a gripping scene, when young Nick walks in on his mother and her pusher and catches them "in the act.." Seldom appears on TV, but well worth catching.

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    Related interests

    Marsha Clark, Alison Sweeney, and James Scott in Days of Our Lives (1965)
    Soap Opera
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Ella Fitzgerald's piano playing was ghosted by Cliff Smalls. Fitzgerald also recorded the songs "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You", "Misty", and "Who's Sorry Now", but they weren't used in the film. Fitzgerald's album of music from the film was unavailable for years but has since been issued on CD under the title "The Intimate Ella".
    • Goofs
      After begging Bobbie and her father to leave his apartment, Nick slams the door shut, making the wall shake.
    • Quotes

      Judge Bruce Mallory Sullivan: I have razor blades, ball point pens. I have pencils with erasers for those who admit mistakes. Shoe laces, needles, pins, safety pins, sharp pins, dangerous pins. I have the knowledge of history for sale.

    • Connections
      Follows Knock on Any Door (1949)
    • Soundtracks
      Reach for Tomorrow
      Music by Jimmy McHugh

      Lyrics by Ned Washington

      Performed by Ella Fitzgerald

      [Flora sings the song at the bar just before the End card]

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    FAQ14

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 1960 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Que nadie escriba mi epitafio
    • Filming locations
      • South Michigan Avenue and East Congress Plaza Drive at East Van Buren Street, Chicago, Illinois, USA(Judge Bruce Mallory Sullivan and Nick Romano turn north onto South Michigan Avenue in a taxi)
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 45m(105 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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