''Am I Guilty?'' Is an American film released in 1940 directed by Samuel Neufeld for the

Supreme Pictures Corporation Supreme Pictures Corporation was a film production company in the United States. It produced dozens of Western genre films. It was run by Sam Katzman and A. W. Hackel. It made Westerns starring Johnny Mack Brown as well as Bob Steele. The comp ...

. A. W. Hackel was the film's producer.; his Supreme Pictures, which had produced dozens of Western films, planned a series of films featuring African American casts but this was the only one to make it to release.

Toddy Pictures Toddy Pictures Company was a film distribution and production company. It was founded by in 1941 by Ted Toddy (1900-1983) in a consolidation of his film businesses under the new name. The film company specialized in African-American films. Toddy ...

re-released the film as Racket Doctor in 1945. A Toddy Pictures poster for the film was appraised on an episode of the PBS show ''

Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people ( ...

''. ''

The Pittsburgh Courier The ''Pittsburgh Courier'' was an African-American weekly newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1907 until October 22, 1966. By the 1930s, the ''Courier'' was one of the leading black newspapers in the United States. It was acqu ...

'' described a gala opening at the Apollo Theater in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

. In the film's storyline, extraordinary measures are resorted to in order to help the poor as a young doctor sets up a free clinic in Harlem. Advertisements for the film, including a lobby card, remain in existence.

Cast

Ralph Cooper Ralph Cooper (January 16, 1908 – August 4, 1992), was an American actor, screenwriter, dancer and choreographer. Cooper is best known as the original master of ceremonies and founder of amateur night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New Yo ...

as Dr. James Dunbar * Sybil Lewis as Joan Freeman * Sam McDaniel as John D. Jones *

Lawrence Criner Laurence Criner (19 July 1898 - 8 March 1965) born John Laurence Criner, occasionally credited as J. Lawrence Criner, was an actor in the United States. An African-American, he had numerous film roles including as the male lead and star. He was ...

as "Trigger" Bennett * Marcella Moreland as Marcella *

Monte Hawley Monte Hawley (? - November 30, 1950) was an American actor from Chicago, Illinois. Biography He began his entertainment career as one of the original Lafayette Players. He studied under Richard B. Harrison and, after moving to New York City, acte ...

Pigmeat Markham Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham (April 18, 1904 – December 13, 1981) was an American entertainer. Though best known as a comedian, Markham was also a singer, dancer, and actor. His nickname came from a stage routine, in which he declared himself to be ...

Reginald Fenderson Reginald Hartley Fenderson (December 28, 1911 – August 16, 1986) was an American actor in theatrical productions and films in the United States. He appeared in various films with African American casts in the 1930s and 1940s. Reginald Fenderson ...

* Clarence Brooks

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0032199, title=Am I Guilty? 1940 films Toddy Pictures Company films American black-and-white films 1940s English-language films Race films American drama films 1940s crime films Films set in New York City Films set in hospitals 1940s American films