Black Fury *** (1935, Paul Muni, Karen Morley, William Gargan) – Classic Movie Review 11,826

Director Michael Curtiz’s 1935 American crime film Black Fury is one of Warner Bros’ commendable series of 30s social problem pictures with the star who specialised in them, Paul Muni. He plays Joe Radek, a miner of Slavic background, involved in an angry labour dispute, in Pennsylvania coal country.

The story is based on Harry R Irving’s play Bohunk, about a real-life Pennsylvania coal miner who finds a pitful of troubles – dishonesty in the union, and dangerous working practices, as well as management dishonesty.

The unwieldy material is sometimes hard to marshal onto celluloid, and time has made it unsurprising, but it is still fascinating material, and the eye is still caught by its earnest honesty, director Curtiz’s documentary-style realism, and the painstaking acting, especially by Muni. He came in second for Best Actor at the 1936 Oscars thanks to write-in votes.

Its impact was muted when the studio got cold feet and tampered with it.

It is based on an incident during a walk-out in Imperial, Pennsylvania, in 1929, when striking coal miner John Barkowski was beaten to death by private company police. It is adapted by Abem Finkel and Carl Erickson from the short story Jan Volkanik by Judge Michael A Musmanno and the play Bohunk by Harry R Irving.

Musmanno was a Pennsylvania state legislator and former coal miner who banned the private Coal and Iron Police after Barkowski’s murder. His short story about the incident changed the name of the miner to Jan Volkanik. Barkowski is fictionalized as Mike Shemanski (played by John Qualen) in the film. Musmanno published a novel of the screenplay in 1966 as Black Fury.

The cast are Paul Muni as Joe Radek, Karen Morley as Anna Novak, William Gargan as Slim Johnson, Barton MacLane as McGee, John Qualen as Mike Shemanski, J. Carrol Naish as Steve Croner, Vince Barnett as Kubanda, Tully Marshall as Tommy Poole, Henry O’Neill as John W. Hendricks, Joseph Crehan as Johnny Farrell, Mae Marsh as Mrs. Mary Novak, Sara Haden as Sophie Shemanski, Willard Robertson as Mr. J.J. Welsh, Effie Ellsler as Bubitschka, Wade Boteler as Mulligan, Egon Brecher as Alec Novak, G. Pat Collins as Lefty, a Company Policeman, Ward Bond as Company Policeman Mac, Akim Tamiroff as Sokolsky, Purnell Pratt as Henry B. Jenkins, and Eddie Shubert as Butch.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,826

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