

1937·Crime·1h 23m
7.0
★









When a hard-working machinist loses a promotion to a Polish-born worker, he is seduced into joining the secretive Black Legion, which intimidates foreigners through violence.
Directed by Archie Mayo
immigrant
inventor
ku klux klan
drugstore
fear
midwest
radio broadcast
hate group
machinist
foreman
machine shop
polish american
drill press

Trailer

IMDB
N/A
Where to Watch



Cast

Humphrey Bogart
Frank Taylor

Dick Foran
Ed Jackson

Erin O'Brien-Moore
Ruth Taylor

Ann Sheridan
Betty Grogan

Helen Flint
Pearl Danvers

Joe Sawyer
Cliff Summers

Paul Harvey
Billings

Dickie Jones
Buddy Taylor

Samuel S. Hinds
Judge

Addison Richards
Prosecuting Attorney

Eddie Acuff
Ted Metcalf

Dorothy Vaughan
Mrs. Grogan
Crew

Archie Mayo
Director

Michael Curtiz
Co-Director

Jack L. Warner
Executive Producer

Hal B. Wallis
Executive Producer
Popular Reviews
13 reviews
Maranda
7.0★ · 01/24/26

Wow it’s a good thing society watched movies like this so we could move beyond off-brand klansmen murdering people who disagree with them in the name of a better America right
Wow it’s a good thing society watched movies like this so we could move beyond off-brand klansmen murdering people who disagree with them in the name of a better America right
rivercitykiiid
6.9★ · 02/04/25

this movie made me queasy bc of the subject matter’s continued relevance, and also was impressed of how far this movie went to show the insidious nature of white supremacy & xenophobia, and how at the end of the day it really is a literal scam
humphrey bogart really doesn’t get enough nearly credit for how good of an actor he was
humphrey bogart really doesn’t get enough nearly credit for how good of an actor he was
this movie made me queasy bc of the subject matter’s continued relevance, and also was impressed of how far this movie went to show the insidious nature of white supremacy & xenophobia, and how at the end of the day it really is a literal scam
humphrey bogart really doesn’t get enough nearly credit for how good of an actor he was
humphrey bogart really doesn’t get enough nearly credit for how good of an actor he was
moxr.
6.0★ · 09/11/24

This man really joined a racist group because he didn’t get a promotion
This man really joined a racist group because he didn’t get a promotion
Jacob Dickens
6.4★ · 05/11/21

Warner Brothers' concern in the late 1930s with foreign and homegrown fascism has become a recent topic of interest for me and Black Legion in particular was a film that popped on my radar in the long line of the studio's "ripped from the headlines" social dramas. The film has endured as an evergreen parable of relevant political drama with Humphrey Bogart's working man consumed by messages about the degradation of "Americanism" by immigrant workers after he loses a promotion to an immigrant. Of course, a film like this rings true in today's political climate though Black Legion isn't as concerned about what drives these men to join the Black Legion as it is about documenting the downward spiral Bogart goes through and moralizing to the audience that the Legion's American fascism is on its face unpatriotic. Reading about the Black Legion's production and the issues Mayo and the studio faced legally and with the Hays Office with telling the story makes me wish we were able to see an uncut version of this (the ending courtroom scene would have played more true to the actual court case and shown Black Legion members in the jury and revealed the defending lawyer as a member as well, which would have really driven home the power the legion held on the region and its danger). Still, Humphrey Bogart's performance reveals wonderful layers and desperation in an early career highlight and the film on the whole stands as a solid social drama with great emotion and perennial relevance.
Warner Brothers' concern in the late 1930s with foreign and homegrown fascism has become a recent topic of interest for me and Black Legion in particular was a film that popped on my radar in the long line of the studio's "ripped from the headlines" social dramas. The film has endured as an evergreen parable of relevant political drama with Humphrey Bogart's working man consumed by messages about the degradation of "Americanism" by immigrant workers after he loses a promotion to an immigrant. Of course, a film like this rings true in today's political climate though Black Legion isn't as concerned about what drives these men to join the Black Legion as it is about documenting the downward spiral Bogart goes through and moralizing to the audience that the Legion's American fascism is on its face unpatriotic. Reading about the Black Legion's production and the issues Mayo and the studio faced legally and with the Hays Office with telling the story makes me wish we were able to see an uncut version of this (the ending courtroom scene would have played more true to the actual court case and shown Black Legion members in the jury and revealed the defending lawyer as a member as well, which would have really driven home the power the legion held on the region and its danger). Still, Humphrey Bogart's performance reveals wonderful layers and desperation in an early career highlight and the film on the whole stands as a solid social drama with great emotion and perennial relevance.
sunscreenbae
6.0★ · 11/06/20

surprised by the bluntness and lucid front end, but reads a little like an atlantic article by the end. the opposite of racism is patriotism apparently
archie lmao
archie lmao
surprised by the bluntness and lucid front end, but reads a little like an atlantic article by the end. the opposite of racism is patriotism apparently
archie lmao
archie lmao