I Accuse My Parents
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| I Accuse My Parents | |
|---|---|
 One-sheet for "I Accuse My Parents" |
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| Directed by | Sam Newfield |
| Produced by | Max Alexander |
| Written by | Arthur Caesar (story) Harry L. Fraser (screenplay) Marjorie Dudley (screenplay) |
| Starring | Robert Lowell Mary Beth Hughes George Meeker John Miljan Vivienne Osbourne |
| Music by | Lee Zahler |
| Cinematography | Robert E. Cline |
| Editing by | Charles Henkel, Jr. |
| Distributed by | Producers Releasing Corporation |
| Release date(s) | November 4, 1944 |
| Running time | 68 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
I Accuse My Parents is a 1944 American exploitation film dealing with juvenile delinquency. Produced by PRC, the film was used to teach morals, specifically that parents should take an interest in their children's lives. It premiered on November 4, 1944 and was released generally on October 27, 1945.
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[edit] Plot
Mild-mannered Jim Wilson (Robert Lowell) appears before a judge in court, apparently being tried for serious felonies. When asked to speak in his own defense, Jim pauses and reflects to say, "I accuse my parents" for not giving him the home life he should have had.
The film flashes back to Jim's high school during an assembly when he was given an award for an essay contest describing the ideal home he supposedly has. Eager to tell his parents, he goes home to a house full of empty alcohol bottles and parents distracted by arguing with each other. Jim is embarrassed when his mother (Vivienne Osbourne) shows up drunk to the graduation planning committee. Later, his father (John Miljan) gives him money instead of celebrating his birthday with him.
Jim gets a job selling shoes and meets Kitty Reed (Mary Beth Hughes). He delivers a pair of shoes to her house and then meets her later at a nightclub where she performs that night. Jim isn't aware that Kitty also sometimes dates Charles Blake (George Meeker), who is up to some shady dealings, and recruits Jim to run errands for him. Jim gets paid highly for his errands, which he never questions but works diligently at, so he is able to buy Kitty gifts.
When Charles overhears Jim half-jokingly suggest he might propose to Kitty over the phone, Charles forces Kitty to break up with Jim. During an errand, Jim drives two of Blake's assistants, a night watchman is shot during a robbery that Jim witnesses. Distraught, Jim goes to his father who ignores him. Jim confronts Blake himself, and is slapped around by Charles and threatened and told to run one more errand that night, when he is beat up by a couple of Charles' hired goons. Jim then flees town and ends up at an undisclosed town, with only a suitcase. Seeing a late-night diner, he decides to rob it, but is talked out of the robbery by Al the cook who invites Jim to live with him until he gets on his feet again.
As time passes, Jim's guilt about the night watchman pushes him to ask Al to go home with him to confess what he knows. They go to Kitty's apartment where she confesses she was forced to break up with Jim, and spurred on by Kitty's admission, Jim goes to confront Charles once more. The confrontation turns into a scuffle and Charles pulls a gun, after a struggle, the gun goes off and Charles is shot.
It becomes clear why Jim accuses his parents as he finishes his sad tale. The judge finds Jim innocent of Blake's death but sentences him to probation and warns the audience in general to make sure they know what is going on in their children's lives or this story could happen to you.
[edit] Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode
I Accuse My Parents was featured in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, along with the short film The Truck Farmer.[1]
[edit] DVD releases
- Alpha Video released the film on Region 1 DVD in 2004.[2]
- The MST3K version of the film was released by Rhino Home Video.
